Atomic Robo returns to print

Last year (or earlier this year?) Atomic Robo went the web comic route. Creators Brian Clevenger (writer) and Scott Wegna (artist) took Atomic Robo out of Red 5 Comics. They setup a web page backed with Patreon and using KickStarter to offer hardcover editions of previous collections. And, plans to offer future print collections on-demand.

Out of the blue, Clevenger & Wegna were contacted by IDW Publishing to keep Atomic Robo in print. IDW have been putting out the latest story arc (in parallel with the web comic,) and they have put out an omnibus of the first three volumes, Atomic Robo: The Everything Explodes Collection.

The second omnibus is already listed at Amazon, too, Atomic Robo: The Crystals Are Integral Collection.

Clevenger guested on a Comics Alternative podcast. It's long, but very insightful. I loved his observation that in a way, Atomic Robo is the Bugs Bunny of his universe. But Dr. Dinosaur is Cecil the Turtle - the only character who ever disrupted Bugs Bunny's winning streak.

Again, I can't recommend this comic enough. It's written for adults, but it is all ages appropriate and tons of fun for everyone.

The Real Science Adventures continue!

Atomic Robo & Gravedigger

Two news items of interest to me came across social media feeds today.

First, Atomic Robo is moving on. The comic is being moved from Red 5 Comics, and will now be a web comic. You can read it for free and see what I keep raving about.

See the Twitter announcement here.

They will be posting the 1st volume, and then debuting the upcoming 10th volume. Print issues are no longer offered, but the web comic will eventually offer collected trades. I don't know about rights and what they are doing with volumes 2 - 9.

Second, (and going the other direction) the Gravedigger web comic will be getting a proper comic treatment and be available at Comixology and in print. I really enjoyed the noir flair of Gravedigger. I could easily imagine the two stories as lost Lee Marvin movies.

See Christopher Mills' post here.

Both these comics are worth your time!

comics

Sorry for lack of posts.  Been busy and tired.

Most of last month's reading was spent in comics, largely in the behemoth collected story, The Return of Superman.

Some good stuff in there, but also some of goofy stuff, too.  Series that have gone on so long that they keep adding on crazy stuff to keep going, or retcon deaths or retcon character behavior, do seem to get out of hand.  I find myself preferring self-contained story arcs.

But it was good to read, finally, the original story for myself.

I am also continuing to follow the various Planet of the Apes stories coming from Boom Studios. I like that we get to see the wider Ape world beyond Ape City, and they are setting up interesting plot lines and elements that later become exposed in the original movie.  (For instance, when Zaius accuses Taylor of being a mutant, and references "nests" of mutants - did you ever wonder why Zaius had that idea in his head?)

Snuck in a read of Atomic Robo: Real Science Adventures; Volume 1, which features a host of guest artists doing short one-offs with Robo's writer, Brain Clevinger.  I can't rave about this comic enough.  Get yourself some, you'll be glad you did!

recent read; Atomic Robo Volume 3

In the introductions, the creators of Atomic Robo mention they weren't crazy about Atomic Robo being described as "Hellboy Lite."  I agree, and still stand by my claim that if you like Hellboy, you will enjoy Atomic Robo.  But, they approach things differently.  Hellboy is about folklore, myth and horror with action.  Atomic Robo is a about pulp science action adventure.

But if Robo ever did tackle a horror from beyond time and space...

We get to witness four phases of Robo's life as he battles a nameless monster across time and space;  the 1920s, 1950s, 1970s and 2009.  It all begins when Charles Fort and a nearly insane, gibbering H. P. Lovecraft pay Robo a visit.  In 1971, Robo calls on Carl Sagan for help with the science defying monster.

The story is fun, as usual. Clever with the timeline setup.  Plenty of humorous moments.  Robo reads The Savage Sword of Conan.  Four Robos meet in a nether-space to dispatch the monster once and for all.  They hope.

This is a short blurb of a review, I know, but you really must experience Atomic Robo for yourself.  It's one of the best comics I've stumbled on.  Definitely an amazing, high quality independent production.

I can't wait for next year's volume 8 - Atomic Robo and the Savage Sword of Dr. Dinosaur!

recent reads; The Taint and Atomic Robo

Well, despite the fact that I seemed exponentially to gain e'books (and a few print books) over the course of November, I haven't got a lot of reading done.

First up, Brian Lumley's The Taint and Other Novellas.  I started this in October, and decided to finish it off.

This book contains seven Cthulhu mythos novellas - mostly from Lumley's early work.  As such, a lot of the flavor is Lovecraft pastiching, but Lumley does manage to bring his own voice, and a couple of the stories stand out on their own.

"The Horror at Oakdeene" -  A writer who moonlights at a sanatorium finds himself drawn into the madness of a patient who dealt a little too closely with the occult.

"Born of the Winds" - This tale, though having a very convenient setup, was a good blend of the Wendigo legend with other Lovecraftian elements.  One of the standouts, and one of Lumley's own favorites.

"The Fairground Horror" - Two carny brothers dabble in the occult until one brother takes things too far.  Fun story, but one of those Lovecraftian pastiches that make it hard to suspend disbelief.  I wouldn't imagine carnies as the types to delve deeply, seriously into occult lore, idols and tomes.

"The Taint" - This tale is the most strongly restrictive.  Lumley was not only writing a mythos story, but one specifically for an Innsmouth anthology.  Yet, he manages to touch on Innsmouth tangentially while providing an original story with the best kind of ending - one I should have seen coming all along, but missed.  The clues were all there.

"Rising with Surtsey" - Again, two brothers dabble in the occult.  Touching on "The Call of Cthulhu" and some good underwater dream scenes.

"Lord of the Worms" -  My first introduction to Titus Crow.  Not surprisingly, I enjoyed this one the most.  It was the most original, with only the lightest Lovecraftian touches.  (though, the villain's machinations do owe something to Lovercraft's "The Thing on the Doorstep.")  It serves as a partial origin tale for Crow.  At least, he finally faces the occult and takes action on all his previously gained knowledge, and the adventure spurs him into becoming an occult investigator of the later stories.  I figured from the linked Black Gate article that I would enjoy Crow, and I did.  I will be hunting down the novels and stories over time.

"The House of the Temple" -  Enjoyable tale of a haunted Scot mansion and the nephew who inherits the estate.

All in all, this is a good mythos collection, though expectedly the early efforts feel somewhat pastiche.  I am not sure I'd want to pay the price of a Subterranean Press hardcover, but as an inexpensive e'book, it's certainly worth having.

Atomic Robo; Volume 2, Atomic Robo and the Dogs of War

Yes, Robo is my newest favorite thing!  This volume focuses on Robo's time during World War II.  It's great romp as he makes new friends with covert Allied agents and new enemies among the Third Reich.  He battles robotic style walker tanks, Wolfenstein style zombie super-soldiers and the like.  This comic is absolutely worth your time and money.

It's FUN!

Atomic Robo treasure chest

Not too long ago I discovered and posted about Atomic Robo.

Over the past few days, I made discoveries that are of interest.

First, here is a cache of free Atomic Robo comics, mostly the digital editions of the Free Comic Book Day issues from the last few years, and some others sprinkled in.

I especially enjoyed "Why Atomic Robo Hates Dr. Dinosaur" and "When Science Attacks"

Dr. Dinosaur is hilarious!

Secondly, I would have put money into this, but now I don't need to.  There was a Kickstarter campaign earlier in the year.  They are funded, and will be creating a short movie, Last Stop, which will be free on the Web when they are done.

You can view the Last Stop trailer here.

Exciting time to be discovering something new and vibrant!

recent read; Atomic Robo, Volume 1

This was more fun than a comic should legally be allowed.

The setup here is straightforward.  In 1923, Tesla created Atomic Robo. Ever since, Robo has been battling the bad guys - Nazi super-scientists, giant ants, other robots and cyborgs - and even helping out NASA by getting the Viking explorer down to Mars (where we learn, Robo doesn't have a fondness for Stephen Hawking.)  Then there were those incidents with Edison summoning the ghost of Rasputin to assassinate Tesla and Jack Parsons' rocket.

While this has echoes of Hellboy, I think it stands on its own.  Certainly, if you enjoy Hellboy, I see no reason why you wouldn't enjoy this one.  Robo is a great, fun character - nearly indestructible with Spider-Man's fondness for quipping.  One blurb quote stated he was Iron Man with Indiana Jones inside the suit.  Robo is somewhere in the middle of all those comparisons.

I'll be buying the rest of the available volumes, for certain.  And most likely checking out some of other titles from Red 5 Comics.