Shogun Warriors #2 Comic Book Review
A trifecta of awesome robots who form the Invincible Guardians of World Freedom!
Published March 1979 by Marvel Comics
Title: Warriors Three!
Writer/Editor: Doug Moench
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Inker: Dan Green
Colorist: Andy Yanchus
Letters: Jim Novak
Editor: Allen Milgrom
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
Storyline Overview
After saving Tokyo but fleeing from Rok-Korr, the three mighty Shogun Warriors named Genji Odashu, Ilongo Savage, and Richard Carson meet up with Dr. Tambura in Shogun Sanctuary for a post-mission briefing. It seems that one giant robot just isn't enough to battle Maur-Kon and the forces of evil. Conveniently, Dr. Tambura and the mysterious Followers of the Light have two more giant robots tucked away in storage.
Suddenly, readers find themselves coveting not one giant robot toy, but three: Raydeen, Combatra, and Dangard Ace! For those unaware of the mighty Shogun Warriors, picture the Transformers mixed with Voltron and a splash of Tranzor Z. So, basically, straight up awesome.
In this issue, Dr. Tambura gives the Shogun Warrior heroes a tour of the massive robot training grounds beneath Shogun Sanctuary and demonstrates each of their powerful weapons systems.
Dangard Ace fires Photo Spheres from his chest and follows up the attack with a Rocket Fist. Raydeen fires missile arrows to obliterate his enemies, and the heavily-armored Combatra shows off his rocket fingers. If you don't want these toys by the end of page 11, then you must hate fun. Or you have no soul. These things look incredible. I'm going to call my mom after writing this and demand that she get me Shogun Warriors toys for Christmas. She'll be very confused, but it's worth trying.
My mom - "Aren't you 50?"
Me - "Yeah, but did you see these things!? I can't live without them!"
Writing
Doug Moench kills it for the entire issue as his words ooze chaos and nonsense. Maur-Kon berades Rok-Korr through the Mirror-Screen and then uses the Pool of Dark Life to give him instructions to kill the Shogun Warriors for good this time. Genji, effectively, makes fun of the Followers of the Light for jerking off for a millennium because there are no women around. And then, after each getting assigned a robot, the Shogun Warriors ride their Jet-Cycles to the Launch Silos in total Voltron style.
Doug Moench is a Hero to Trillions
Shogun Warriors issue #2 somehow manages to keep getting better page after page with non-stop fighting, action, and hilarious writing.
While Trimpe's excellent artwork is on full display, I think that Moench's writing steals the show here. It's hard to imagine a comic book series based on toys being any better than this. The entire creative team deserves a round of applause and perhaps the Nobel Peace Prize or something on that level.
I love the sheer volume of nonsense that Moench drops on readers, panel after panel. His writing brings the human characters alive and then sells the readers on the robots. It's quite impressive, and most importantly, fun. Shogun Warriors is great fun!
My mom - "Why are you calling this time?"
Me - "Remember how you wouldn't get me the G.I. Joe aircraft carrier like 40 years ago? Well, how about some Shogun Warriors this Christmas?"
Click.
The Artwork
Shogun Warriors #2 looks outrageous. It's just amazing, and those of us who love Transformers and G.I. Joe and Herb Trimpe's work in those series will just love this. Like most artists of his generation, there's a lot of Kirby influence in his drawings, but Trimpe has a way of bringing toys alive that sets him apart from his peers.
It's hard to put a finger on how he did it, but Herb Trimpe was a master at the 1970s and 1980s toys comics. The rest of the Marvel team brought their A-game as well. The inks are good, the colors look nice, the paper quality is wonderfully nostalgic and textured. The cover is ballin'. I love all of it.
Conclusion
So, I'm from late 1975, and I grew up with Voltron, Go Bots, and Transformers. I consider myself lucky to be influenced by mighty robots instead of dipshit influencers. However, I completely missed Shogun Warriors. I had to suffer with Transformers (heavy sigh) Woe is me!
These things look amazing, and I can't believe they never caught my eye, but alas, the early 80s were long before the Internet and before toys were viewed as collectibles.
However, now that we live in the future, those of us who missed Shogun Warriors can go back in time and easily collect the comic books. They aren't very expensive. The toys are insanely expensive, but maybe you can find the plans for them and 3D print your own Shogun Warriors... I don't know. I'm not a serious toy collector, but damn, I love these comics.
Comic Book & Beer Pairing
What beer goes best with Shogun Warriors #2? Normally, I would recommend something big and hoppy that can compete with giant robots in combat, but for this review, I went with a Golden Age Oktoberfest.
A malty, crisp, and sweet Oktoberfest brings out the colorful nature of Shogun Warriors, and complements the 1970s. Why? Because Rok-Korr is a bitch, and he probably wouldn't appreciate the balanced flavors of a good Oktoberfest. On the other hand, maybe Rok-Korr would appreciate a good Oktoberfest, and his evil ways would be soothed by refreshing taste and a smooth mouth-feel.
The next time you're in Pittsburgh in the fall, check out Golden Age Beer Co. or Golden Age beers on tap at the Independent Brewing Company (where the above photo was taken), and I think you'll agree that a good beer helps the Invincible Guardians of World Freedom do their job better.
Review written by Mark Bussler, October 16, 2025.
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