Rating: Damn good / ★★★★
Genre: Science fiction
Series: Starmetal Symphony, Movement 1
Release Date: July 12, 2022
Publisher: Orbit
Content Includes: Graphic violence, blood, involuntary body modification, description of medical procedures, imprisonment or detainment, minor character death, suicidal ideation, sexual content, gore and body horror, depression, mention of terminal illness
Our story begins at the end of the world, with the titular August Kitko playing jazz ’til he’s eaten by the also titular space mecha. Only, in propulsive style and visceral detail, August joins the endgame against humankind’s annihilation and learns that life is worth living if you’re banging a hottie. Here’s one for the gay babes that’d always wanted someone to say, “get in the robot, loser!” August Kitko and the Mechas from Space is fun, stylish, inclusive, and unapologetically queer with fast-paced, violent mecha battles, a sweet beating heart deeming love as the most meaningful force, and the existentially devastating implications of Neon Genesis Evangelion‘s aesthetically and metaphorically rich final arc.