I’m going to use an adjective to describe a comic book, that I’ve never used before, “cool”. That’s right, believe it or not, folks I’ve never actually used it. I don’t really know why I haven’t, but it looks like that streak is over. Magnus: Robot Fighter is extremely cool. I was a little young to read it back in Valiant’s early days, but I’m glad that the series is back, even if it is under a new flag. And when I decided to put issue two in my pull list this week, that was a really good decision. Fred Van Lente has brought another re-booted series back from the ashes and into the world of the living. And what’s even more impressive is that Dynamite Entertainment has officially snagged a new customer. This publisher is extremely hit or miss with me, I’m picky, so sue me, but thanks to some awesome creative decisions on their part, I might be hopping on the Dynamite train to wherever it’s headed. And if I get stranded somewhere, no worries, I’m a freaking nomad, baby! Quick synopsis:
Massive robots have torn Russell Magnus from his home and thrust him into a world where humans are no longer the dominant species on the planet. Imagine your alarm clock waking you up, and then it slapping you in the face if you hit the snooze. That would suck. How is he supposed to get home? What kind of a world is this? And how in the *bleep* did he get so good at fighting robots? I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out.
Yeah, so Fred Van Lente has found a way to make a teacher/coach/husband/father-to-be really interesting. I know that the character already existed before this Gold Key re-boot, but it’s nice having that Lente-y (trademark pending) touch to it. But more specifically about this issue, there is some really good dialogue between Magnus and his new robot friend, H8. I don’t know if this newly created friendship will last very long, but I like it so far. Plus, I love the dialogue between the two robots in the first couple pages of the book. So I guess the point that I’m trying to make here is that this issue is really well-written. There’s some comedy, some drama, some action, and some suspense. A little bit of everything makes for a good read in Magnus: Robot Fighter #2.
I love how Cory Smith handles the art for all of the robots. Since we’ll be (and I’m assuming this) seeing a lot of robots in this book, that is probably the right move. I don’t usually go for the robot books, but there’s just something about watching a dude beat them with his bare hands.
I’m looking forward to really digging another series. It’s hard for me to stay interested for more than a one arc if the momentum doesn’t stay the same. It looks like there is enough story here to keep it going for a while. And it’s about freaking time. I’m pumped.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Fred Van Lente Artist: Cory Smith Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 4/9/14