Atomic Robo is pretty perfect for reading while reading other things. It’s just right for a 5 minute breather, and also holds up well to marathoning. The story line is not difficult to follow, but is still thoroughly engaging. I’m skipping over reviewing Volume 2: Atomic Robo and the Dogs of War, because I would say pretty much the same thing I said for Volume 1 and I will say for Volume 3 – Atomic Robo is smart and funny and you should go read it. I am reviewing Volume 3 for two reasons. One, Atomic Robo takes on Cthulhu, our many tentacled one, and two, Carl Sagan is dead sexy.
I really do love that Clevinger and Wegener make real people characters, because they do it in a way that is fresh, and seems consistent with their character. I doubt Carl Sagan actually fought a being from beyond our universe and outside of our reality in Peru, but if he did, he would probably react just this way.
In Volume 3, we meet young Robo on a lovely Spring night in New York City in 1926. Nikolai Tesla is still alive but away from the city and Robo is a young robot with orders to focus on his studies. His not so studious evening is interrupted by a furious knocking. Though he isn’t supposed to let anyone in to the lab, he allows Charles Fort and an obviously deranged Howard Lovecraft to enter. Things go down hill from there. The issues jump forward in time as Robo battles the many tentacled one at different points in history. My favorite (obviously) is the battle in Peru which features Dr. Carl Sagan. Each issue ends on a cliff hanger with the resolution coming in the final issue. Volume 3, more than the others, is a more linear story, for all that Robo is engaged in one battle across time and outside of reality.
I enjoy the “science,” science, and humor of Atomic Robo. Despite the dearth of female characters in the series, it’s a lot of fun, and available for free. The Cannonball Read is a fundraiser, so if you do read the series for free on line, please consider using the CBR buyhole to purchase other items from Amazon.
