Robotech Remix: Inside the Robotech Reboot With Brenden Fletcher

The newest Robotech comic, Robotech Remix, has completely changed the timeline but writer Brenden Fletcher explains why that’s a good thing.

Robotech Remix
Photo: Titan Comics

Robotech is a series famed for its serialization. The original 85 episode anime series was one continuing story following three generations of heroes against three waves of alien invaders. Ever since Robotech first aired in the 1980s fans have held onto that original continuity tightly. But the newest Titan Comics series has changed all of that.

Starting with the initial relaunch in 2017, the comics featured a new continuity with some alterations. Robotech Remix took those alterations even further, stranding Masters Saga character Dana Sterling in a timeline where she was never born! It was a shock to some but over the first four issues of the new series, soon to be collected and released on April 14th, fans were won over. Artist Elmer Damaso captured the anime look of Robotech and added his own expressive touches while writer Brenden Fletcher poured all of his love of the franchise into a story that will please old and new fans alike.

Ahead of the release of that first Robotech Remix collection Titan Comics has provided us with an interview with Fletcher that will also be printed in that graphic novel. In it Fletcher describes why the reboot happened, where the series is headed, and much more!

Is this a reboot or a new series?

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All of the above! Seriously, Robotech Remix is a little bit of everything.

It’s a whole new series, starting with a new #1, that anyone can pick up and enjoy. It picks up one of the most compelling story threads left hanging in Simon Furman’s Robotech series, but the inciting incident of our plot takes place in the pages of our first issue, kicking everything off in a fresh, new direction. And in this new timeline, splintered off the classic ‘80s anime, we do find some rebooted versions of familiar characters. It’s a great device, allowing us to remain faithful to the original show while reimagining things for modern readers.

What’s your history with Robotech?

I’ve been a fan of Robotech nearly all my life! I caught the initial broadcast of Episode 1, “Boobytrap”, when it first aired on WUTV 29 out of Buffalo, New York, all those years ago. I was an immediate and passionate fan. My family bought me the toys in middle school, I played the Palladium D20 roleplaying game through high school, and later, applied the myriad influences of Robotech to my life as a storyteller. I attempt to shoehorn transforming robots and pop idols into nearly every comic project I work on. I’m not ashamed!

Who’s your favorite character?

This is a tough one. My favorites have changed through the years, as I’ve grown. I definitely wouldn’t have said it years ago, but the characters I’m loving most today are the Sterlings – Max, Miriya, and even Dana Sterling! There’s always been an underlying complexity to them that I’m getting a chance to bring to the surface in Robotech Remix.

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What’s your favorite aspect of Robotech Remix?

I’m really enjoying bringing new blood to the Robotech universe! This will be one of the most diverse casts with the coolest new mecha the series has seen in a while, designed by the incredible Elmer Damaso! Elmer is a godsend. His designs are absolutely stunning, his storytelling is spot-on, his knowledge of Robotech characters and lore is comprehensive, and oh my crap can this guy draw mecha! I’ll never forget the email I got last week with scans of napkin sketches he’d done at the breakfast table, when inspiration for a transformation sequence struck. The designs came with profuse apologies for their rushed and sketchy nature – and holy cow, even downing his pancakes and eggs, this guy brings his A-game! Elmer might be one of the most talented, hard-working, and humble artists in the biz, and I can’t wait to show his work off!

Where’s this series headed? 

This is the Dana Sterling story we’ve all been waiting years to read. Dana traveled back in time to save the universe, and in doing so stopped her parents from falling in love, getting married, and giving birth to her. It’s an examination of where she belongs in the Robotech universe, if she belongs there at all. It’s kinda like Back to the Future with transforming robots, alien invasions and pop idols!

What would you say to the fans?

Robotech pretty much invented the remix, if you ask me. It’s a story built from jamming on the content of some of the coolest Japanese animated series of the early ‘80s, combining them in innovative and imaginative ways to create something new. It paved the way for the anime explosion of the ‘90s! I think about this a lot in terms of what the series meant to us as kids growing up in the ‘80s, the nostalgia we have for it now, how it influenced western anime culture, and the role music could play alongside it. As you can imagine, I’ve got some things to say that’ll find their way onto the comics page. I hope you guys come along for the ride and chime in with what Robotech means to you!

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Make sure to pick up Robotech Remix: Déjà Vu when its’ released on April 14th from Titan Comics.