Gear School

By Thomas Tan
November 12, 2007

For decades, Japanese Manga readers have enjoyed a wide selection of genres to choose from. One could easily pick up affordable copies of Death Note (horror/fantasy) one day, and Blame (sci-fi) or Basilisk (historical fantasy) the next. American readers looking for alternatives to Spider-man and Superman have had it a bit tougher, with the superhero comics marginalizing the other genres to such an extent that one would have to go out of his way to find a well made sci-fi comic, and then pay quite a hefty sum for it.

But things are changing. As Manga comics from Japan surge in popularity on North American shores, publishers realize that this is their chance to launch titles that can compete against the traditional heavyweights coming from Marvel and DC Comics.

Take for example Gear School from Dark Horse Comics, written by Adam Gallardo (100 Girls, Star Wars Infinities) and available for the affordable sum of $7.95. Packaged in a smaller Manga sized format and illustrated in a non-traditional style by Spanish artists Núria Peris and Sergio Sandoval, Gear School is primed to challenge the superhero comic's grip on the market.

But does it have what it takes?

Teresa Gottlieb is thirteen-years-old and just enters a prestigious school that demands excellence and promises glory to all who survive its challenge. In addition to tough instructors and high expectations, Teresa must also wade through the complicated maze of social cliques, social status, and — gasp! — boys! All in all, she looks to have a tough time at the military academy known as Gear School - what with having to learn how to pilot three-story tall war machines called "Gears" AND hold off a relentless alien invasion that threatens the very survival of humanity. Dating and Alien scum... what's a girl to do?

Adam Gallardo has created a magnificent futuristic vision of a world where no matter how far the human race has come with its weapons and technology, all the foibles that still trouble us yet remain. Humanity is still prideful, rash, arrogant, and often intolerant. In the face of imminent destruction where survival rests in the hands of a select few capable of piloting the giant Gears, Gallardo shows us that we are still flawed creatures.

For example, in an early part of Gear School, Teresa Gottlieb faces a situation where she likes a young lad named Ben Castillo, but is hampered by the fact that he comes from a different social class than hers. Or what about the arrogant and catty Becky, who does come from the same strata as Teresa, but still insists on forcing a rivalry with Teresa just because they simply don't like each other. And then there's the immense pressure of being in a military academy - the kind of pressure that leads to a number of students going through bouts of insecurity and panic attacks.

In all, Gallardo paints a realistic picture of the dangerously immature side of youth. It rears its ugly head towards the end of the book where Moira, Teresa's best friend, lets the pressure get to her when an alien attacks during a training exercise and she freezes up in her ship, leaving her vulnerable.

But it is in these situations and in the character of Teresa, that Gallardo shows us the other side of the coin. Humanity is not just insecurity and arrogance, it is nobility and heart as well. In Teresa, we see a young girl capable of pushing herself past her limits and reaching deep within herself to find strength to combat all things negative, be it alien invaders or snobbish spoiled brats. Not particularly skilled in flying, she is brave enough to try to rescue Moira when everyone else takes cover. Not particularly skilled in social situations, she is noble enough to stand up to Becky when nobody else would.

The masters of Science Fiction from Isaac Asimov to Gene Roddenberry have always used the genre to explore humanity, wrapping up a character study in the trappings of an exciting story. And Gear School is no exception.

And it is an exciting story. The tale zips by at an incredible pace, going from flight simulations to lunch-room dramas to aerial battles in the span of a few pages, while still allowing the characters to breathe and develop. When the battle unfolds at the end of the book, Gallardo has allowed us enough time to bond with the characters so that we fear for their safety as much as we root for their success.

It is comforting to be in the hands of a storyteller confident in his skills, characters, and the world he created. But comic books are a fusion of the written word and the illustrated image. If one does not hold up, the other may suffer. The story is superb... but what of the art?

Núria Peris and Sergio Sandoval were an inspired choice to illustrate Gear School. Working out of the Barcelona-based studio Estudio Fenix, the duo have worked on such diverse projects as Star Wars, Pan's Labyrinth, and Hellboy. With Gear School, they have lent their clean lines, crisp coloring, and powerful story-telling to Adam Gallardo's world.

Appropriate to a comic book that is more Evangelion than X-Men, the art takes on the feel of the new westernized Manga style that's popped up in recent years and been championed by such artists as Pop Mahn and Adam Warren. Peris and Sandoval give us the big eyes, flowing hair, sparse backgrounds, and realistic figures that allow the story to flow without distraction. Their style is clean and functional, and the panels flow into each other quite nicely.

The battle scenes are particularly exhilarating. The well designed tech of the Gears and the alien ships never look posed or static - instead they are dynamically illustrated and practically explode off the page. You can always tell what's happening in the panels, and there's never confusion as to who's doing what to whom.

All in all, a perfect fit.

The comic world needs more works like this - genre works that challenge the stranglehold that superheroes have over the industry and works that speak to the human condition while giving us all the teenage angst and alien invasions we could ask for.

If Gear School is an indication of the direction the market will take - affordable, easy to read, and imaginatively original - then I think that Kal-El and Peter Parker are going to have to start looking over their shoulders real soon.

Publisher: Dark Horse
Writer: Adam Gallardo
Illustrators: Núria Peris and Sergio Sandoval
Colours & Letters: Estudio Fenix