By the late 1980s, Japanese Manga was beginning to have an influence on the American comic book marketplace. As different creators such as Frank Miller discovered the works being done overseas and the adopted their influence into the comics they were making, awareness of the riches to be had began to spread. A number of publishers began importing and translating series from Japan, often to mixed success. While the works could be retooled to fit the traditional American periodical package, this often left each individual issue feeling a bit insubstantial, especially as compared to the typical Japanese collection volumes. But one publisher, First Comics, went beyond simply importing material and instead commissioned one of the greatest creators in Manga history to create an entirely new story for them, which was released in the Album format as a Graphic Novel. This was Go Nagai’s MAZINGER.
Go Nagai is a legendary figure in the Japanese manga scene, having created such well-known works as Cutie Honey, Devilman, Mazinger Z and Violence Jack, each of which pioneered a particular genre within the field. Additionally, he worked on the live action series Kamen Rider, developing the visuals and the backstory for that Tokusatsu program that spun off a dynasty that continues to this day. The work Nagai chose to create for the United States market, his second entry into that world (he’d previously produced a short story for Marvel’s EPIC ILLUSTRATED magazine) was derived in a sense from his giant robot canon but was directly connected to none of it. In this fashion, he used familiar iconography to tell an entirely new tale, one that was self-contained.
The story opens in the future year of 220X, at a time when the Earth is has been so ravaged by endless warfare that the combatants must pilot giant killer robot machines to even venture out onto the surface. The surviving population is huddled underground. Major Kabuto is the pilot of Mazinger, the crowning technological achievement of one side in this unending conflict, a titanic war machine capable of unleashing devastating firepower.
After an opening in which Kabuto and Mazinger scramble to engage hostile forces, with the unstoppable robot laying waste to its enemies all across the battlefield, Mazinger is caught in the bombardment of an enemy battle cruiser. This cannon fire rips a hole between teh dimensions, thrusting Kabuto and Mazinger into a parallel universe, one whose technological advancement is very different from the world they are familiar with.
Mazinger comes to alight in the midst of another conflict, this one between the reptilian Zard Empire and the humanoids of Lithgor, who are led by Princess Krishna, who has a tendency to go into battle not wearing a top for no good reason. Despite not knowing the players, Kabuto comes to the aid of Krishna, with the forces of Zard no match for his mech suit even simply using regular old physical strength rather than its onboard weapons. Krishna is enchanted by this mysterious armored stranger who has appeared from nowhere to save her, and Kabuto is similarly delighted to have happened across a half-naked woman who worships him. There’s only one problem:
The people of this world are scaled at the same height as Mazinger, which makes them colossal in size as compared to the tiny Major Kabuto. So, sadly, and thoughts of love or copulation are not really able to be fulfilled. Nevertheless, despite the fact that he’s a stranger in her world, Kabuto promises to vanquish Krishna’s Zard enemies, telling her that she cannot even suspect the power that Mazinger holds.
The next morning, Mazinger accompanies Krishna and her army as they march off to face the overwhelming Zard military on the battlefield. Kabuto tells Krishna that he will engage the enemy armada on his own, and strides forward. As the opposing forces draw near, Mazinger deploys its entire arsenal, unleashing super-scientific hell against these lizard barbarians and annihilating their military capabilities.
Of course, this same detonation also causes Mazinger to be propelled back through the gap between universe, and Kabuto finds himself among friendly forces once the dust clears, albeit a month later. After a moment’s reflection on his strange experience, Kabuto turns Mazinger back towards the conflict at hand, and the story ends.
The Tom Brevoort Experience 
I wished I had picked this up back in the day. It looks awesome.
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