Atomic Robo Y La Sombra De Mas Allá Del Tiempo (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
This may be the best Atomic Robo collection yet. These five issues look at Robo in four time periods (the 1920s, the 1950s, the 1970s, and the present), and the unifying element is a Lovecraftian monster that, appropriately enough, comes from the body of H.P. Lovecraft himself. The story structure is brilliant, with each section coming together neatly at the end, and the sense of innocent fun that I now expect was certainly present. I also love the character of Lovecraft, how he reflects a racism that is not consciously malevolent but is undeniably ignorant, like much of the literature of his day, and he is a hilarious pathetic joke of a character when paired with someone like Robo, who has a timeless charm about him. Like earlier volumes, the art in this collection is fantastic, with clean lines and a lot of energy, and the dialogue is as funny as ever. Also, someone unfamiliar with the two earlier volumes could still pick up this book and enjoy it, so I recommend it for everyone. Funny. Inventive. And the word "fresh" just keeps coming to me, even though my subconscious critic knows somehow all these stories are regurgitated. What Clevinger does with Lovecraft is just slightly insane and wonderful.What he does with the later chapters are mind-blowing - combining insane scenes with an incredible fluency with science and science fiction. My brain actually *thinks* while reading this one, and wonders how real & bleeding edge some of these ideas really are. That happens so rarely and my intellectual standards in comics are so low, that this is a real gem.
What do You think about Atomic Robo Y La Sombra De Mas Allá Del Tiempo (2009)?
I changed my rating to 5 stars after Carl Sagan shot Cthulhu with a lightning gun.
—eve
It is possible Atomic Robo is the finest comic read in the last ten years.
—Katie
