Shogun Warriors #1

Before Go Bots and Transformers, there was Shogun Warriors! This short-lived line of toys-turned-into-comics predates the wave of popular 1980s action figures that many of us grew up with, but don't let that stop you from getting in on the action. Shogun Warriors, the comic book series, is awesome!

Like Marvel's cool Micronauts, Shogun Warriors gets the deluxe treatment with a who's who of the comic book industry in 1979. Herb Trimpe (Transformers, G.I. Joe) tears it up with incredible robot-crushing action that makes you want to run out and play with the toys (I never had any of the toys, but they look great).

The first issue in the Shogun Warriors series starts with a bang as Trimpe and co. drop readers into the action with giant robot Raydeen battling Rok-Korr through the streets of Tokyo. The first ten pages of Shogun Warriors #1 are non-stop action, explosions, and chaos as the creators demonstrate all the super cool-ass stuff that Raydeen can do, like firing missiles from his chest, super jet blasting, and knife stabbing action. It's a shame that the Shogun Warriors toys are so expensive to collect today, because Raydeen makes Optimus Prime look like a wuss.

The only thing that could make Shogun Warriors better is nonsensical dialog combined with a ludicrous storyline, and guess what, it has that too! On page two, Rok-Korr "claims this day for evil!" while launching a saw blade from his foot moments later.

Writer Doeg Moench does a great job shoehorning the silliest plot concept imaginable into the middle of the book, which totally hooks readers looking to suspend their disbelief. Did you know that aliens battled over Earth millions of years ago and enslaved the dinosaurs until the Followers of the Light arrived in a spaceship to save the day? Well, now you do.

Meet the Three Heroes!

After witnessing a volcanic eruption that signifies the return of Maur-Kon, one of the bad aliens from Earth's past, Dr. Tambura, a Follower of the Light, uses an orbital satellite to teleport three heroes into his Shogun Sanctuary laboratory.

Meet Genjo Odashu, Ilongo Savage, and Richard Carson! Our three protagonists are surprised to find themselves teleported from their daily activities of flying airplanes, doing science, and crashing cars. One has to credit Marvel for assembling a diverse collection of people in 1979 without making a big deal out of it. I'd love to see a spin-off series where Ilongo Savage teams up with Travis Morgan from The Warlord to battle dinosaurs.

After a brief explanation of Earth's nonsense history and a few hours of training, they jump into a 10-story-tall robot and fight Rok-Korr! Violence and destruction continue, but don't get your hopes up, dear readers. Just when it seems like they might win their first battle, Rok-Korr turns into a lava monster and puts the newbies in their place. Raydeen retreats and sets the stage for issue #2, with a promise of even more robots.

The pacing of Shogun Warriors #1 is great, and Trimpe's artwork is immensely enjoyable. The absurd storyline is brilliant, the robot designs are far out, and the human heroes seem almost believable as they fumble about with Raydeen's controls while the lava monster whoops their ass in combat.

I can't recommend Shogun Warriors #1 enough. The entire series is great, and you really need to read the first issue to understand what's going on. I love the cover design, too!

Review written by Mark Bussler, October 9, 2025.

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