Review: Magnus, Robot Fighter #3 - Dark Horse Comics

Magnus, Robot Fighter #3
Writer: Jim Shooter
Artist: Bill Reinhold & Mike Manley
Colorist: Wes Dzioba
Letterer: Blambot
Cover Artist: Raymond Swanland

Buy it now! Magnus, Robot Fighter #3 at TFAW.com

A few months ago, I wrote a positive review of the first issue of Magnus, Robot Fighter from Dark Horse comics. It's taken half a year to get the third issue out, which has been a minor annoyance.

But when a book contains as much fun, excitement and adventure as this one does, it's easy to overlook the wait between issues!

The preview pages that Dark Horse released made it seem like this was going to be a 22 page UFC fight, which would have been the dullest comic ever produced, but thankfully only a handful of pages take place 'in the ring', and many other great story elements are introduced.

The Lovejoy Corporation (also seen in the pages of Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom!) is looking like it's going to have it's fingerprints all over this line of books, and are shaping up to be a good mysterious villain. Magnus' relations with the supporting cast start getting explored. There's some great dialog between Magnus' mentor, the robot 1-A, and a nice friendship is blooming with the homeless Goph named Little Eddie.

Bill Reinhold is joined by Mike Manley on the art chores, and the two blend well together. The thing I like most about Reinhold is the consideration he puts in to his backgrounds. I don't recall a single panel that didn't give a hint of where it was taking place. His renditions of the shadowy ground level that exists at the feet of the stretching forest of milespires really helps set the scenes that occur there. I also love the designs of the robots and vehicles, all of which seem to pay homage to concepts of the future that were envisioned in the 50's and 60's. They are retro, but not dated. It's a fine line, and the book walks it well.

I also caught a tattoo on a great character introduced this issue named Hippolyta that bears a striking resemblance to a starburst that Reinhold signs his art with. I guess we know who came up with her design!
Wes Dzioba's colours in the book are also fantastic. As with everything I've ever seen Wes colour, there's great attention given to separating foreground, middleground, and background. It's beautiful how the shadowed announcers closer to the viewer are set off from the rest of the panel by using a darker purple hue.
There's also a great scene that takes place in a Goph bar lit with florescent countertops that is really well done. The colours almost give the bar enough character to be real.

There are a few minor nitpicks about the book. Some of Magnus' dialog seems a little wooden and makes him out to be a bit of a dullard. Would it kill him to say something that requires an exclamation point? (He does, but I can count the number of times on one finger). Considering that Magnus was raised in isolation by a robot, I suppose it makes sense that he would come across as a little robotic himself, so it may just be his character.

I also felt that the story was wrapped up a little too quickly, but this may be because the entire book moves so fast and packs so many story points into it's 22 pages. In all this is a good thing. I'd rather have Shooter's quick pacing on this book than the same story stretched out over a 6 issue arc. The climactic fight scene at the end seemed a little uninspired and lifeless when compared to the previous two fights that occur in the book. The punches don't look like they are overly powerful or threatening.

And finally, we all know that Magnus and Leeja are destined to hook up, but I'm not really sensing the love there! It almost seems like every other female in the book would be a better partner for Magnus! This is only the third issue, so I'll give this budding romance some time to blossom.

I do highly recommend this book, along with all the other Dark Horse comics Jim Shooter is putting out right now. They've all be fun, satisfying (if intermittent) reads.

We're starting to see some evidence of the books all being connected, despite occurring in different eras. It's probably best if you get in now before the the stories get even hotter!

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