Comic Review: Atomic Robo - The Ghost of Station X #1

Book: Atomic Robo - The Ghost of Station X #1Written By: Brian ClevingerPencils By Scott WegenerPublisher: Red 5 ComicsPrice: $3.50Pages: 32Release Date: OUT NOW IN STORES & DIGITAL DOWNLOAD (VIA COMIXOLOGY) Note: This is a catch up review for the impending #2 in the series due to be released on 19/10/11 (a review will go live on the 19th for #2) Boy it is hard to sum up my love for this series in 500 words. Atomic Robo was always a book I had heard nothing but praise for but never knew where to start or any shops that stocked it. I recently upgraded to a Smartphone with access to Comixology and Robo became the first book I read solely in digital form (and at a stupidly cheep price, seriously these guys are selling paperback collections for the same price Marvel & DC sell single issues). Ghost of Station X is the 6th volume from the team and don€™t be put off by the volume number in any way. Writer Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener pride themselves on the fact that every volume (and pretty much every issue) of Atomic Robo can stand on it€™s on feet without dragging sacks of continuity along with it. Without a doubt, Atomic Robo is one of the most accessible books on the stands in recent years and this volume is a great place to start. As much as I€™ve love previous volumes of the book, I€™ve always been more partial to stories set in modern day and it€™s great to see a return to this period. The current arc details Atomic Robo and the rest of his team at Tesladyne Industries (much like Hellboy & BPRD to give a sense of framing) as they attempt to save a group of Astronauts trapped in orbit, with only seven hours to do it in. Humour carry€™s this and every issue of the series fantastically, new readers will feel the tone of the series instantly from the issues first scene which gives Robo a chance to show off his personality and re-introduce himself to the audience after the recent summer break. As the story moves along and the books characters are put into place, you soon feel a high level of tension building, especially during the issues surprising cliff-hanger which was humorous and shocking all at the same time. I can€™t do this book justice without mentioning pencils by Scott Wegener, over the past few months of reading, Wegener has become one of my favourite artists and it€™s a real joy to see his work month in and month out again. Wegener€™s style (and the colour pallet used by Ronda Pattison throughout) perfectly emphasises the wonderful world that Robo lives in and makes 1920€™s Robot€™s and Dinosaur Doctors believable because of the overall tone struck throughout (again much like how Writer/Artist Mike Mignola€™s style only helps accentuate the world of Hellboy). You know the true power of an artist when you can look at their work in a single issue and understand the entire plot without the need of a single speech bubble (even with how pretty as they are by Jeff Powell). If you want an extremely approachable and downright fun sci-fi adventure book, I urge you to pick up Atomic Robo. If your local comic shop doesn€™t stock it, demand that they start and if you have a Smartphone or tablet at hand (with the help of the Comixology app) download this issue the first chance you get. You will be doing yourself a favour.

rating: 4.5