When I was first getting into comics, Valiant Comics was becoming a major player in the world of sequential art. They were one of the only publishers ever to challenge DC and Marvel for the throne of top comic dog, but then they died a rather unceremonious death thanks to the collapse of the speculative bubble.
However, the sneakily had some decent comics (namely my beloved Harbinger), and now Dark Horse Comics is bringing both Doctor Solar and this week’s Magnus Robot Fighter back. I’ve got a review of the first issue of the latter after the jump – check it out.
The strangest thing about reading the first issue of Magnus Robot Fighter is that you’re instantly transported back to the 1990’s when Jim Shooter was writing his original run on the character. Everything feels the same, and for the most part, everything looks the same. It’s kind of eerie really.
It also doesn’t work well at all, failing in the way many 1990’s comics did: staid and overexplanatory dialogue, no real story tension, poor introduction to most of the characters, and a disinteresting plot. When I was reading this book, I was actually a little blown away by how little I was enjoying it…it was dry, it was hard to work through, and all in all not very enjoyable. Which was disappointing.
So far for me, I feel like Jim Shooter’s writing is from an age that is no longer viable in modern comics. It feels like I’m reading a reprint from 1992, and each passing page grated on me more than the last.
It’s a shame though because Bill Reinhold does a pretty great job of giving us a nice Erik Larsen esque art style. The art is powerful at times, taking story beats and boosting their power with his kinetic flair and expert mapping of scenes. I really enjoyed his work, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy illustrating it as well (which is always a nice thing to see as a reader).
I’m a very writing centric comic fan. If I can’t enjoy a script, the whole comic falls flat. I can make it through art I don’t adore, but bad writing I cannot abide. This comic is an exercise in comic writing futility, and for me stands out as the worst comic I’ve read this year.
Final Verdict: 2.5 – Pass
