Review - Atomic Robo Presents... Real Science Adventures #1

Atomic Robo is a lot like Hellboy. Both square off against really strange adversaries and both have a little trouble "fitting in" with the human crowds. That doesn't stop them from doing what they do best though in fighting to keep the world safe.

Red 5 Comics is looking to expand on Atomic Robo's universe with a brand new series called Atomic Robo Presents... Real Science Adventures #1. The first issue is broken into five individual stories, each illustrated by someone different. The writing in the whole book is by Brian Clevinger, with colors by Matt Speroni, letters by Jeff Powell and cover art by Scott Wegener and Ronda Pattison.

The first story is "To Kill a Sparrow (Part 1)" and is illustrated by Ryan Cody. It's a short tale set in France, 1944, and focuses on Virginia Hall and The Sparrow and their efforts to rid the world of evil. The second story, "The Revenge of Dr. Dinosaur," is illustrated by Yuko Oda. Dr. Dinosaur goes on a worldwide hunt for the components he needs to continue his fight against Atomic Robo.

The third story is illustrated by Chris Houghton and is called "City of Skulls." It takes place in Serbia in 1992 and faces Atomic Robo off against a potentially dangerous robot. The fourth story is called "Leaping Metal Dragon (Part 1)" and is illustrated by John Broglia. Robo makes his way across Hong Kong in 1970 and learns to fight from one of the greats.

The final story is called "Rocket Science is a Two-Edged Sword" and is illustrated by Joshua Ross. It's a quick underwater tale set in Southern California in 1947 and involves a submarine and explosions.

Fans of Atomic Robo will feel right at home here. The stories jump around chronologically, exposing the reader to some of Atomic Robo's history as a world traveling being of good. Clevinger has made the character and his universe very accessible here, so even folks that aren't familiar with the characters can easily jump in.

The different artists works pretty well in this first issue. Their styles aren't so dissimilar that it's jarring to move from one short story to the next. At first glance you would think that it's the same illustrator throughout. The colors by Speroni do a phenomenal job bringing all the art together. It's a great presentation of both illustrations and colors.

Atomic Robo Presents... Real Science Adventures #1 is a second series that will overlap in schedule with new issues of the main Atomic Robo series, so this isn't a one-shot or anything. It's a great issue that really adds some context to the history of the character and does it in an almost campy way.

Atomic Robo Presents... Real Science Adventures #1 is in stores March 28.