Magnus Robot Fighter #1
Written by Fred Van Lente
Art by Cory Smith
Colors by Mauricio Wallace
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Covers by Gabriel Hardman, Joe Bennett, Scott Wegener, Tom Fowler, and Ken Haeser
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: March 12, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Magnus Robot Fighter #1 is one of those comics where you don’t really know what’s going on. At about the halfway point, you’re bashed in the head with a totally different book, and luckily, both are amazing!!

Fred Van Lente sets up an awesome world, establishes a fantastic atmosphere, and the introductions in the book flow nicely and are very natural. Then, he punches us in the face and throws us all for a HUGE loop. But, it’s all done in a good, solid, entertaining way. This is like reading a summer big budget science fiction movie, which is exactly what this book needs. I only casually followed this book in the past, and while I found it interesting, previous series never really “grabbed” me. But this issue and series is a WHOLE different ball game.

Artist Cory Smith is a perfect fit for this book. He creates a world that’s set almost 40 years in the future, yet it’s a natural progression from the world that we live in today. It’s not so far gone that it’s unrecognizable; it’s got a very natural flow. Besides that, he really knows how to tell a story, even when the story turns on a dime and goes off into a whole different direction. What I loved most about his work is that his portrayal of the future is half new and shiny like in most science fiction, but at the same time it looks “lived in,” which is nice, because it makes it that much more relatable. Smith turns out some fantastic art this issue and I can’t wait to see more.

You need to pick this book up! It’s a new #1, it’s by a great creative team, it’s very accessible for anyone that’s never read Magnus before, and the bottom line is, it’s just a really good comic book.