The year of Atomic Robo has begun! Hot on the heels of more Real Science Adventures, Tesladyne is engaging in actions all around the world. On his latest adventure, Robo crossed paths once again with the deadly (and quite insane) Dr. Dinosaur while Tesladyne dealt with some problems closer to home.

The contents of this report requires a level 7 clearance. If you haven’t already, I suggest you catch up on Robo’s visual memoirs to date and have already read Mr. Clevinger and Mr. Wegener’s account of this incident or in layman’s terms:

SPOILERS BELOW

During my time with Tesladyne, I’ve seen many strange things – giant ants, a vampire dimension – and there was that whole unfortunate incident with Undead Edison and the Odic force, but none of these wacky adventures has ever left a stain on Robo’s reputation like the 8/11 incident. You get accused of a little nuclear warhead smuggling one time and nobody ever lets you forget! Looking for an excuse to step out of the office, Robo follows up on some signs of cryptids in Venezuela and discovers something far more interesting. Meanwhile, back on Marshall Island, Acting CEO Jenkins is given a challenge greater than paperwork when a nuclear warhead is found on their doorstep.

Normally, Robo and the Action Scientists are able to focus on one problem at a time, but for the second time in as many years, they’re faced with several simultaneous threats. All Action Scientists are on deck this time, bringing back just about every member that’s accompanied Robo thus far. In a brilliant move, Jenkins is not at Robo’s side, forcing the plucky robot to rely on his own capacity for violence when push comes to shove, while the great warrior, Jenkins, is left with a mystery and a political threat to deal with. Along those same lines, we have an Atomic Robo first, the actions of one arc have a real consequence on another.

Robo’s a real wise guy and he always has me in stitches, but this time around was exceptional with plenty of great callbacks adding an extra level to the humor, such as Robo’s need for an environmental suit when entering the jungle because of his long-standing issue with bugs. Best of all, everybody got a chance to do something, to be active and funny. This, more than any other issue thus far, has the Action Scientists become full characters and companions. It’s not just Robo’s story anymore.

While many old favorites are present – Lang, Bernard, Jenkins, Phil, etc. – there is one new member to the staff that bears mentioning . . . er . . . actually, I may not have caught the scientist’s name. Pink-pseudo mohawk? Nose ring? Likes bow ties? Never mind, but our pink-haired friend is a natural at both testing the Tesladyne dress code and assisting the home team with the nuke problem.

As the first arc to ever have Dr. Dinosaur’s name in the title, you can imagine our insane not-actually-a-velociraptor makes an appearance. Is there as much Dr. Dinosaur as his fans would like? Probably not, but Dr. Dinosaur is best used in small doses and his dramatic reveal is quite appropriate, and if you look at the field cover for the next entry, it looks like Robo is going to have a lot more Dr. Dinosaur to deal with before this mission is over.

Further Research

It has been proclaimed the year of Atomic Robo, and we have not been disappointed. There have been a lot of extra places to get your necessary amount of Robo.

First up, if you’d like to hear thoughts about Atomic Robo and the Savage Sword of Dr. Dinosaur #1 from the creators, be sure to check out the Nuts & Bolts podcast over at the Nerdy Show. Their Flying She-Devils of the Pacific casts were some of the best times I’ve had with headphones on. These casts are also great for aspiring comic creators as Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener dissect their thought process, their revisions, and their collaboration techniques.

Atomic Robo: Last Stop has a new, full trailer! Robo looks great fully animated, and I can’t wait until the full piece releases, which is currently scheduled for July 10, 2013.

If you’re a fan of iPhone games, don’t forget to check out Atomic Robo: Violent Science IOS game. I’d play it and draft up a report on it, but Robo won’t spring for an iPhone since he can’t use them himself. Stupid touch screens . . .

And, an oldie but a goodie, I just ran across Adam WarRock’s “I Am An Action Scientist” song. This and many more songs are available free to download at WarRock’s site: www.adamwarrock.com. The talented nerd rapper is also running his annual donation drive right now, which comes with some extra goodies and is fully endorsed by Tesladyne.

Until next time, remain calm and trust in science.

Kristine Chester, Chief Liaison to Tesladyne