Atomic Robo
Encyclopedia
Atomic Robo is a comic book
series depicting the adventures of the eponymous character, created by 8-Bit Theater
writer Brian Clevinger
and artist Scott Wegener.
published by Red 5 Comics
starting in October 2007. It was nominated in the "Best Limited Series" category of the 2008 Eisner Awards, won by The Umbrella Academy
. Colorist Ronda Pattison was also nominated in the "Best Coloring" category subsequently won by Dave Stewart
. The first six issues of the series have been collected as Atomic Robo Volume 1: Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne. Atomic Robo Volume 2: Atomic Robo and the Dogs of War was released as a trade paperback on February 18, 2009. The third series, Atomic Robo Volume 3: Atomic Robo and the Shadow From Beyond Time, was released in trade on December 23, 2009, and a fourth, Atomic Robo Volume 4: Atomic Robo and Other Strangeness, has been released in issue format and will be published in trade in the summer of 2010. A fifth volume, Atomic Robo and the Deadly Art of Science, was released in November 2010 and came to its conclusion in May 2011.
Volume 1 is currently being released on the iTunes Store for the iPhone/iPod Touch. Each issue is released once a month.
Free Comic Book Day '08 - Atomic Robo must stop a rogue Russian scientist from destroying the atmosphere.
Volume 2: Atomic Robo and the Dogs of War deals with Atomic Robo's missions during World War II, fighting Nazi "weird war" projects. Robo must destroy walking tanks known as the Laufpanzers before they end the Invasion of Sicily. He must team up with British spy, the Sparrow, and must work with soldier James Milligan to end the Weird War once and for all.
Free Comic Book Day
'09: Why Atomic Robo Hates Dr. Dinosaur - Atomic Robo fights Dr. Dinosaur in 1999, refuting his idiotic claims of creating a time machine out of sticks and rocks. Dr. Dinosaur then offers Robo what he claims to be the secret of time travel, which turns out to be a box of active hand grenades.
Volume 3: Atomic Robo and the Shadow From Beyond Time deals with Atomic Robo fighting against a creature based on Lovecraftian horror
. The five-issue story details four battles with the creature, each at a different point in Robo's life.
Volume 4: Atomic Robo and Other Strangeness (titled Atomic Robo and the Revenge of the Vampire Dimension in its release as individual issues) is a four-issue series of one-shot stories taking place in the space of one week, including a sequel to Why Atomic Robo Hates Dr. Dinosaur, entitled Why Dr. Dinosaur Hates Atomic Robo.
Free Comic Book Day '10: Flight of the Terror Birds - Atomic Robo, Benjamin and Lang go hunting for a prehistoric bird.
Volume 5: Deadly Art of Science' the fifth series that ran for 5 issues from November, 2010 to May, 2011. Featuring Robo, Tesla, and Jack Tarot, the man whose picture is on Robo's desk in Volume 4.
Free Comic Book Day '11: National Science Fair - Atomic Robo is the celebrity judge at a science fair when Dr. Dinosaur interrupts the proceedings.
Volume 6: The Ghost of Station X is the sixth series, currently scheduled for an August, 2011 debut.
", created by Nikola Tesla
in 1923. He is a core member of Tesladyne Industries, "a thinktank dedicated to exploring the fringes of scientific inquiry", whose Action Scientists often respond to paranormal and supernatural emergencies. Robo has a developed sense of humor, and makes numerous wise cracks at his foes' expense. In the past, he has secretly worked with the United States government
as well as NASA
. Robo's personality is based on Clevinger's grandfather.
Baron Heinrich Von Helsingard, one of Robo's major enemies, is a Nazi scientist who has attempted to gain immortality, along with godlike power and world domination.
Jenkins is a member of the Action Scientists, who first met Robo when the latter rescued him from the vampire
dimension. His almost super-human combat competence represents a running gag
for the series, and Robo has been jokingly referred to as his sidekick
.
The Sparrow is a covert British spy with whom Robo teams up to take down Skorzeny during World War II.
Otto Skorzeny
is the main antagonist of the second volume. He leads the Laufpanzers, walking German tanks, into battle.
Vanadis Valkyrie is a German scientist whom the Sparrow is sent to assassinate. She is working on her Wehrwolf Formula, to be used in creating Nazi super-soldiers.
James "Scottie" Milligan is a soldier who rescues Robo from the clutches of Skorzeny during World War II. James Milligan is loosely based on Wegener's grandfather, who shares the same name and nickname and also fought in World War II.
Dr. Dinosaur is a dinosaur who claims to be from the past. He is promised to be a major villain in the following issues.
Thomas Edison
, the famous American inventor and rival of Nikola Tesla
, appears in the fourth volume. Following an experiment from 1931 seeking to harness the Odic medium
into an immortality drug, he has been transformed into a ghost-like entity that materialized in 1999 in Robo's office complex. In the fifth volume, the details of this experiment - and his defeat at the hands of Robo and Nikoka Tesla - are revealed.
Jack Tarot is a vigilante gunman appearing in the fifth volume who acts as Robo's reluctant mentor.
:
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series depicting the adventures of the eponymous character, created by 8-Bit Theater
8-Bit Theater
8-Bit Theater is a completed sprite comic created by Brian Clevinger, and published in 1,225 episodes from March 2, 2001 to June 1, 2010. One of the most popular web comics, it won the Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards for best fantasy comic in 2002...
writer Brian Clevinger
Brian Clevinger
Brian Clevinger is an American writer best known as the author of the webcomic 8-Bit Theater and the Eisner-nominated print comic Atomic Robo...
and artist Scott Wegener.
Publication history
The series began as a six-issue limited seriesLimited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published by Red 5 Comics
Red 5 Comics
Red 5 is an independent comic book publisher, known for producing a combination of creator-owned and internally developed titles, including their best known title, Atomic Robo...
starting in October 2007. It was nominated in the "Best Limited Series" category of the 2008 Eisner Awards, won by The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy is a comic book written by Gerard Way with art by Gabriel Bá, cover art by James Jean, colors by Dave Stewart and letters by Blambot's Nate Piekos. The six-issue limited series was released by Dark Horse Comics, the first issue making its premiere on September 19, 2007. It won...
. Colorist Ronda Pattison was also nominated in the "Best Coloring" category subsequently won by Dave Stewart
Dave Stewart (artist)
Dave Stewart is an artist who has worked as a colorist in the comics industry. He is known for his work at Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics and Marvel Comics, as well as colouring Tim Sale's art in Heroes.-Dark Horse Comics:...
. The first six issues of the series have been collected as Atomic Robo Volume 1: Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne. Atomic Robo Volume 2: Atomic Robo and the Dogs of War was released as a trade paperback on February 18, 2009. The third series, Atomic Robo Volume 3: Atomic Robo and the Shadow From Beyond Time, was released in trade on December 23, 2009, and a fourth, Atomic Robo Volume 4: Atomic Robo and Other Strangeness, has been released in issue format and will be published in trade in the summer of 2010. A fifth volume, Atomic Robo and the Deadly Art of Science, was released in November 2010 and came to its conclusion in May 2011.
Storylines
Volume 1: Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne shows some of Robo's adventures in the 20th century, featuring giant ants, a trip to Mars, a walking pyramid, and two showdowns with his arch-nemesis, Helsingard.Volume 1 is currently being released on the iTunes Store for the iPhone/iPod Touch. Each issue is released once a month.
Free Comic Book Day '08 - Atomic Robo must stop a rogue Russian scientist from destroying the atmosphere.
Volume 2: Atomic Robo and the Dogs of War deals with Atomic Robo's missions during World War II, fighting Nazi "weird war" projects. Robo must destroy walking tanks known as the Laufpanzers before they end the Invasion of Sicily. He must team up with British spy, the Sparrow, and must work with soldier James Milligan to end the Weird War once and for all.
Free Comic Book Day
Free Comic Book Day
Free Comic Book Day is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to help bring new readers into independent comic book stores. Retailer Joe Field of in Concord, CA brainstormed the event in his "Big Picture" column in the August 2001 issue of Comics & Games Retailer...
'09: Why Atomic Robo Hates Dr. Dinosaur - Atomic Robo fights Dr. Dinosaur in 1999, refuting his idiotic claims of creating a time machine out of sticks and rocks. Dr. Dinosaur then offers Robo what he claims to be the secret of time travel, which turns out to be a box of active hand grenades.
Volume 3: Atomic Robo and the Shadow From Beyond Time deals with Atomic Robo fighting against a creature based on Lovecraftian horror
Lovecraftian horror
Lovecraftian horror is a sub-genre of horror fiction which emphasizes the cosmic horror of the unknown over gore or other elements of shock, though these may still be present. It is named after American author H. P...
. The five-issue story details four battles with the creature, each at a different point in Robo's life.
Volume 4: Atomic Robo and Other Strangeness (titled Atomic Robo and the Revenge of the Vampire Dimension in its release as individual issues) is a four-issue series of one-shot stories taking place in the space of one week, including a sequel to Why Atomic Robo Hates Dr. Dinosaur, entitled Why Dr. Dinosaur Hates Atomic Robo.
Free Comic Book Day '10: Flight of the Terror Birds - Atomic Robo, Benjamin and Lang go hunting for a prehistoric bird.
Volume 5: Deadly Art of Science' the fifth series that ran for 5 issues from November, 2010 to May, 2011. Featuring Robo, Tesla, and Jack Tarot, the man whose picture is on Robo's desk in Volume 4.
Free Comic Book Day '11: National Science Fair - Atomic Robo is the celebrity judge at a science fair when Dr. Dinosaur interrupts the proceedings.
Volume 6: The Ghost of Station X is the sixth series, currently scheduled for an August, 2011 debut.
Major characters
Atomic Robo is a robot possessing "automatic intelligenceArtificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
", created by Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
in 1923. He is a core member of Tesladyne Industries, "a thinktank dedicated to exploring the fringes of scientific inquiry", whose Action Scientists often respond to paranormal and supernatural emergencies. Robo has a developed sense of humor, and makes numerous wise cracks at his foes' expense. In the past, he has secretly worked with the United States government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
as well as NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
. Robo's personality is based on Clevinger's grandfather.
Baron Heinrich Von Helsingard, one of Robo's major enemies, is a Nazi scientist who has attempted to gain immortality, along with godlike power and world domination.
Jenkins is a member of the Action Scientists, who first met Robo when the latter rescued him from the vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
dimension. His almost super-human combat competence represents a running gag
Running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
for the series, and Robo has been jokingly referred to as his sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
.
The Sparrow is a covert British spy with whom Robo teams up to take down Skorzeny during World War II.
Otto Skorzeny
Otto Skorzeny
Otto Skorzeny was an SS-Obersturmbannführer in the German Waffen-SS during World War II. After fighting on the Eastern Front, he was chosen as the field commander to carry out the rescue mission that freed the deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from captivity...
is the main antagonist of the second volume. He leads the Laufpanzers, walking German tanks, into battle.
Vanadis Valkyrie is a German scientist whom the Sparrow is sent to assassinate. She is working on her Wehrwolf Formula, to be used in creating Nazi super-soldiers.
James "Scottie" Milligan is a soldier who rescues Robo from the clutches of Skorzeny during World War II. James Milligan is loosely based on Wegener's grandfather, who shares the same name and nickname and also fought in World War II.
Dr. Dinosaur is a dinosaur who claims to be from the past. He is promised to be a major villain in the following issues.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
, the famous American inventor and rival of Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
, appears in the fourth volume. Following an experiment from 1931 seeking to harness the Odic medium
Odic force
The Odic force is the name given in the mid-19th century to a hypothetical vital energy or life force by Baron Carl von Reichenbach...
into an immortality drug, he has been transformed into a ghost-like entity that materialized in 1999 in Robo's office complex. In the fifth volume, the details of this experiment - and his defeat at the hands of Robo and Nikoka Tesla - are revealed.
Jack Tarot is a vigilante gunman appearing in the fifth volume who acts as Robo's reluctant mentor.
Collected editions
The series are being collected into trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Volume 1: Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne (180 pages, June 2008, ISBN 0980930200)
- Volume 2: Atomic Robo and the Dogs of War (also collects Free Comic Book Day story, 160 pages, March 2009, ISBN 0980930227)
- Volume 3: Atomic Robo and the Shadow from Beyond Time (152 pages, January 2010, ISBN 0980930251)
- Volume 4: Atomic Robo and Other Strangeness (140 pages, September 2010, ISBN 0980930286)
- Volume 5: Atomic Robo and the Deadly Art of Science (152 pages, July 2011, ISBN 0980930243)