Writer: Brian Clevinger
Artists: Scott Wegener, Ronda Pattison (colors)
Publisher: Red 5 Comics
Editor's Note: Atomic Robo will arrive in stores this October and is now available for pre-order.
There’s something inherently fun about a hero that can make bumbling fools out of people as dangerous and evil as Nazis. Somehow, Atomic Robo manages to do just that without letting the reader forget the monsters the protagonist is dealing with.
The protagonist in question is the titular character, Atomic Robo, an automatic intelligence housed inside a humanoid body that is built like a tank. Fortunately for everyone who isn’t a Nazi, he’s got a sense of humor, so we don’t have to worry about him going Roy Batty on us. However, unlike Roy, Robo (as is suggested by the name) doesn’t remotely look like a human being. He looks like property. And that’s where his troubles start.
Recognized by the U.S. military as a sentient being, Robo is offered full American citizenship on the condition that he begins working as an agent for the League of Nations. From there, he gets involved in some classic 1930s pulp adventure: secret mountain bases, Nazi war criminals, secret weapons, occult happenings, really the whole nine yards. The book (and Robo himself) often treats these things with tongue-in-cheek humor that keeps the material fresh. The dialogue is sharpest in this, with lines that frequently made me grin, and more than once laugh out loud.
The art is somewhat reminiscent of Hellboy, but with a cleaner look and sharper lines. It’s definitely professional and damn pretty to look at. However, the team behind Atomic Robo also knows how to use negative space very effectively. Rather than relying on a constant barrage of images, the art will often use the absence of something to make the reveal (when it happens) all the more interesting. Not an easy trick and it is well-played here.
Perhaps most interesting of all is what the Atomic Robo series promises. Rather than sticking around in the pulp adventures of the 1930s, the book intends to chronicle the life and adventures of the durable and long-lived automaton. Considering the incredibly interesting things that happen over the course of the 20th century, this could be great fun. World War II, the Cold War, the space race; there’s a great many events that took place that Robo could take part in and would make for worthy adventures. Considering how well the first issue turned out, it looks like the rest of these will be worth waiting for expectantly.
If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at http://madbastard.hypersites.com
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