Review by Comix
There is a quote on the back of Atomic Robo Vol. 4 from Major Spoilers that says: “If you’ve never read Atomic Robo, then there is something seriously wrong with you.” Let me tell you, I must have had a freaking brain aneurism because how I managed to miss this amazing comic since its debut in 2007 is beyond me. This thing has everything! Robots, ghosts, vampires, evil dinosaurs, strong, independent women who don’t need no men, and Nazi, ass-kicking action up the ying-yang! Centred around its automated, titular character, Atomic Robo is a hilarious, paranormal adventure about a shadowy government agency that takes down the strange and macabre happenings that threaten our very lives and boy, are they ever threatened! From giant ants to Lovecraftian horror, the human world is a lot damn uglier than we ever thought possible.
The origin of Mr. Atomic Robo is as shadowy as his creator, Nikola Tesla. On September 3, 1923, the world was changed forever when Tesla revealed the first “automatic intelligence” robot known simply as Atomic Robo. After being treated to mix reviews from the press, Atomic Robo goes on to hone his intelligence and earns himself a PHD in Physics from Columbia University while joining a group of Action Scientists, becoming the core member of an organization named Tesladyne. Tesladyne is like the BPRD of his world, exploring and containing paranormal happenings around the globe into which Atomic Robo becomes the core member. Joining him in his life adventure is Dr. Fischer, a shy, easily scared sidekick; Jenkins, a super serious, strong guy; a four-person science group; and a bunch footmen. Oh, also, a very unimpressed secretary. Anyway, with their powers combined, they spend their time chasing down the bad guys and cracking jokes at their expenses.
While it may seem that Atomic Robo is just a rip on BPRD/Hellboy, believe me when I say that Tesladyne and the spooky happenings are about where the similarities stop. While BPRD is made up of personnel with unnatural powers who spend a lot of their time being bummed out, Tesladyne is literally just a collection of people with a robot for a leader. Never one to take itself too seriously, Atomic Robo is also a lot more fun. Not to say that Hellboy isn’t fun, but it’s like if Hellboy and Deadpool birthed a baby and that baby was robot with more sense than the both of his parents combined. It’s both smart and sexy! The series has that fantastic, dark vibe of creeping evil while still playing off the cheesiness of some of its monsters. They have a Doctor Dinosaur for God’s sake! The vampires barely wear clothes and have their own dimension. There is an underlying story about Tesla and Edison from beyond the grave, which might require some reading in order, but I just started with volume four and it’s amazing! A lot of the stories are self-inclusive, so there’s no pressure to start from issue one.
The creators of the series are just as ridiculous as the comic itself. The writer, Brian Clevinger, who is better known as the creator of the web-comic 8-Bit Theatre, writes a well-defined mythos of the robotic hero peppered with humor and a pretty solid timeline. In fact, the Atomic Robo website (atomic-robo.com) has a google map of all the places Atomic Robo has been in the series. I haven’t read 8-Bit Theatre, but I guess it’s loosely based around the Final Fantasy universe about characters that are less than fantastic. Either way, it did fantastically as a cult hit and Atomic Robo went on to get nominated for an Eisner award, continuing on his fabulous legacy. The artist is absolutely perfect the series. Scott Wegener has a great, Saturday morning cartoon style that plays well with the silly humor and stylized action. I suppose that’s what the series is a lot like, a Saturday morning cartoon for adults. It’s really fun, is what I’m saying.
There are currently eight, that’s right, EIGHT volumes of robot smashing fun for your reading pleasure. The collections come with little, extra comics and pencil tests like a proper graphic novel should. They also release awesome one-shots on every Free Comic Day, which if you miss, they are also included in the books.
Atomic Robot out now through Red Five Comic!
