Magnus, Robot Fighter (Dark Horse)

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Valiant treated Gold Key's Magnus, Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. as something of a "Magnus: Year One" and they made their series a sequel, set beginning in 4001. I'm not sure that's the case with Dark Horse's series. It seems to me to be more of a ground level revamp than a continuation, but I could be wrong. If Dark Horse is able to use the Gold Key material as a jumping off point (and there's no reason I can see why they shouldn't be able to if they have the rights), then ignoring it would be a mistake (unlike the case with Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom in which ignoring Gold Key continuity is a necessity!).

 

The best thing about the new Magnus #1 is the return (to comics) of Bill Reinhold as artist. Martial action and hand-to-hand combat is his forte, and his drawing style is well-suited to Magnus' fighting style. As with Dark Horse's recent Doctor Solar #1, Magnus #1 likewise reprints the first issue of the Gold Key series for comparison / those curious / historical purposes (take your pick).

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

How does it compare to the FCBD comic? That one was more Magnus, Robot Talker and kind of boring.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

It's been three months since I read the FCBD issue. I don't remember much about it (not necessarily a good sign) other than that I decided to give both series a try. Flipping through it just now, I think it looks pretty action packed, but I didn't re-read it. Artwise it's a good indication of what #1 looks like.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

ISSUE #2: I like the art, but it remains to be seen whether or not Jim Shooter can reinvent the wheel a second time. I’m not being redundant. Russ Manning invented it, and Jim Shooter reinvented it (the first time) at Valiant. If he successfully does so again, he will have reinvented it a second time at Dark Horse. Actually, if you include the Acclaim revamp and Louise Simonson’s aborted re-launch, the new Dark Horse series may count as the fourth time to reinvent this particular wheel.

And why did they decide to give Magnus black boots this time?