Voltron: Defender of the Universe #3
Voltron: Defender of the Universe vol. 2 #3 (March 2004) is the third chapter of the 'Paradise Lost' arc — the first story arc published entirely under Devil's Due's own banner after Image Comics handled the preceding mini-series. The issue delivers the debut confrontation between the five-lion Voltron and the V-15, the Vehicle Voltron built from reverse-engineered lion technology, making it the first time comics readers saw both versions of the super robot fight each other in this modernized continuity. As part of the franchise's first-ever full reboot, this run established expanded backstories and character motivations that would influence subsequent animated series like Voltron Force, marking a meaningful step in Voltron's evolution as a comic book property.
ComicBooks.com’s Estimated Value
Find on ebay
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The series was written by Dan Jolley and co-written by Marie Croall, with Jolley assigned to the project after Devil's Due acquired the Voltron license in 2002. Jolley approached the material as a genuine reboot of the 1984 television series, feeling that because the original cartoon had been adapted from two separate and unconnected Japanese anime properties, he had creative freedom to build a more cohesive single narrative. Volume 2 — the 'Paradise Lost' arc encompassing issues #1–11 — was the first run self-published directly by Devil's Due rather than distributed through Image Comics, and issue #3 was produced with layouts by Mike Norton, finished pencils by E.J. Su and Clint Hilinski, and inks by Clayton Brown. The series was eventually placed on hiatus after issue #11 due to low sales, with the unfinished final chapter later released only in the hardcover Voltron Omnibus.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published March 17, 2004 by Devil's Due Publishing as part of Volume 2 ('Paradise Lost'), the first arc self-published by Devil's Due without Image Comics as distributor.
- Story title: 'Paradise Lost, Part 3: Pursuit.' Written by Dan Jolley & Marie Croall; layouts by Mike Norton; pencils by E.J. Su & Clint Hilinski; inks by Clayton Brown; cover art by E.J. Su, Andrew Peopy, & Val Staples.
- Key plot development: the Lion Force Voltron and the V-15 (Vehicle Voltron, reverse-engineered from stolen lion technology) come into direct combat with each other for the first time in this continuity — a clash of both Voltron incarnations in one issue.
- Commander Hawkins discovers that the Galaxy Garrison officer who ordered the lions captured and reverse-engineered is a Drule sympathizer, revealing a high-level betrayal as the arc's central conspiracy.
- On Arus, Coran attempts to console Sven, whose disturbing dreams begin to worsen — foreshadowing Sven's ongoing arc tied to a neurological condition established earlier in the series.
- The first five issues of Volume 2 (including this issue) were adapted into the 2007–2008 motion comic series 'Voltron: Defenders of the Universe — Paradise Lost,' produced by Eagle One Media and later broadcast on the Syfy channel.
- The 'Paradise Lost' story arc was collected in a trade paperback (November 2004), and the entire Devil's Due run was later collected in the Voltron Omnibus hardcover, which also published the otherwise-unreleased issue #12.
- Creative elements introduced in this Devil's Due reboot — including robotic space mice and the surname 'Kogane' for Keith — were later carried forward into the Voltron Force animated series.
Cast · 29 characters
Full credits
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.