“Yesterday’s” Comic> Atomic Robo/Neozoic/Box 13 (FCBD)

I’m not kidding, he brought that to shoot mosquitoes.

Atomic Robo/Neozoic/Box 13 Free Comic Book Day

Red 5 (May, 2010)

I did a speed run review of this comic back when it came out for Free Comic Book Day along with some other special free comics, but since I’m going through all of my comics I decided to revisit it since I want to save the next comic series for next week for space and flow reasons. First up is Atomic Robo. Robo and friends are sent to learn the fate of an extinct bird who isn’t extinct. Also, one of them uses Robo to patch a hole in the plane piece she uses as a nest. When his friends get him out they’re on the run waiting for a rescue. This was my introduction to Atomic Robo and it’s easy to see what drew people to it.

Neozoic takes place in an alternate universe where the dinosaurs didn’t go extinct but the humans still showed up. (I know somebody is already coming up with Creation Museum jokes.) The focus of the story is Lilli Murko who is on patrol with her friend, Bovi, when they’re attacked by some non-humans that also seem to have evolved in this world. I like the concept, the art is an interesting style that works well for the story, but why are the word balloons light (almost pink) red with darker red lettering even for the humans? Otherwise, I might be willing to check this one out if I see any issues.

Box 13 appears to be a re-imagining of a radio series from 1947. The first I heard of it was when the Zemanta service suggested the link in the previous sentence. You can catch the series at the Internet Archive. I couldn’t tell you how close the comic follows the radio dramas or a whole lot about it since all it does is introduce novelist Dan Holliday, a fan named Oliva, and a box with the #1 on it that comes from a mysterious Suzie. (In the radio drama, Suzy was his ditzy secretary. Nothing about an Olivia in the description I read.) I really have no opinion one way or the other but the art looks good.

I think this one I’ll hold on to. While the final story does nothing for me I did enjoy the first two. I’ve looked into, and enjoyed, other Atomic Robo stories but I’ll have to learn more about Neozoic.