Atomic Robo (Vol 3) and the Shadow From Beyond Time #2 (of 5) (Red 5 – Celvinger / Wegener / Pattison / Powell)
A true Lovecraftian horror rampages through New York City. Armed with nothing but CHARLES FORT and a pair of Tesla-built Lightning guns, ATOMIC ROBO must stop THE SHADOW FROM BEYOND TIME before it swallows the world in darkness forever.
Robo’s adventures go full pulp in Volume 3. Lightning guns! A monster car chase down old New York! Non-Eucledian Cthuhlu creatures! (Being a math teacher, one of my favorites) and the almost melo-dramatic dialogue that is a mix between the good manners of a fine gentleman and the adventure-speak of an adrenaline-laced action hero. Rockin!
In the last issue, Charles Fort and H.P. Lovecraft went for Nikola Tesla to finish a task they had started twenty years earlier, who they found was Tesla’s assistant Atomic Robo… and then Lovecraft turned into a huge inter-dimensional monster and chaos ensued. You can’t tell me this isn’t already climbing up the cool-o-meter!
Issue #2 sees Fort and Robo chasing down Lovecraft trying to take him down with Tesla’s lightning guns. As it has been from volume 1 issue 1, Atomic Robo is a glorious blend of action, humor and sci-fi with just a touch of drama to make the perfect comic smoothie, enjoyed by geeks everywhere. And what is even better is that the writer Brian Clevinger has shaped these stories, that are a blast for dad-geeks like me, in such a way that they are very family-friendly – no adult content (boobage), no swearing (Robo spends this issue yelling “horse feathers!”), no hardcore blood and gore – all the adventure and fun, none of the garbage!
The art team, headed by Scott Wegener also does an outstanding job of use of color and curves to give a great pulp feel to the pages.
If Atomic Robo is not yours, it should be!
Can anyone tell me why Robo (or any Red 5 book to be honest) isn’t on the cover of Wizard? (rather than Wolverine for the 86th time)
issue grade: A+
