Robo

[Nique]

I'm currently picking up Robo every month at my local 'Things From Another World'. Last issue I read was about Edison's ghost.

So what's the deal with everyone being all up in arms about not calling Thomas Edison's ghost a ghost? I mean it's cool if he end's up not being a ghost, but I'm just sitting here going 'what's the diff?' I can't figure out if this is like, 'Author's voice' coming through or if it is part of the joke becuase it is totally a ghost.

Also when are we seeing more Dr. Dinosaur that cat reminds me of Dr. Zoidberg for some reason.

[Kim]

Because ghosts, in and of themselves, are unscientific. They needed a scientific explanation for it to fit in with their world view. Assuming I remember this bit correctly, of course.

[Kurosen]

The term "ghost" has a lot of cultural baggage and tossing around the term incorrectly would confuse things.

The entity is not a spirit and implicit proof of the afterlife or heaven or hell or anything. The entity is a specific result of an experiment gone wrong 70 years ago. The entity shares a few characteristics popularly held by ghosts in western folklore, but that's essentially a coincidence. It is not actually a ghost.

Of course, this leaves open the so-called spirit phone that called up the ghost of Rasputin in a previous issue's backup story. Undead Edison claims the phone works along the same Odic Medium that's responsible for his ghost-like-ness, so maybe there's a link after all! Or maybe Rasputin wasn't a ghost. Calls for more tests!

[Nique]

Which previous issue? Does it elaborate on the nature of Edison's experiment?

Also, how do Vampire's work in the Robo-verse? They were mentioned in the same issue.

[Kurosen]

Rasputin's Ghost: it was a back up story somewhere in Volume 2. I think. Maaaaybe Volume 1?

The so-called "vampire dimension" has come up several times, but the greatest exposure the reader has had to its denizens would be the first issue of the fourth volume.

[Arcon]

Rasputin's Ghost: it was a back up story somewhere in Volume 2. I think. Maaaaybe Volume 1?



Volume 1 issue 4

[Nique]

Since we've already got a Robo thread goin' I'd figured we could change gears a bit.

I'm curious about a few things:

How "sucessful" has Robo been so far? I really like it and it's larger history has me hooked to see what happens next. Does Robo's sucess depend on Red 5's overall ability to sustain itself? It certainly seems like you have a strong foot in the door with other publishers, but everyone knows that writers and artists move around a bunch in the world of comics - What does Robo's future specifically look like?

Also when did Robo start? And by that I mean is that Brian's body of work is somewhat varied. Was the concept something that evolved in parrellel to, say, 'Nuklear Age'? And how were you able to pitch this to the folks at Red 5? Was Scott on board prior to this? Have any other artists done any work on Robo so far?

[Kurosen]

Versions of these questions and their answers are scattered across a dozen different interviews, but to save you the headache of tracking those down:

Does Robo's sucess depend on Red 5's overall ability to sustain itself? It certainly seems like you have a strong foot in the door with other publishers, but everyone knows that writers and artists move around a bunch in the world of comics - What does Robo's future specifically look like?
If Red 5 is unable to publish Atomic Robo comics, then they forfeit their rights to publish Atomic Robo comics and we seek publication elsewhere. The only thing Atomic Robo "needs" is me and Scott, and we're 100% committed to delivering as many Atomic Robo issues as we can every year for, uh, a long time. We've got fourteen volumes figured out currently. About half are 20th century history and half are "now." Here's most of them in no particular order (http://www.atomic-robo.com/2009/12/05/note-to-self-volume-titles-again/).

Was the concept something that evolved in parrellel to, say, 'Nuklear Age'?
Yes, actually. I started Nuklear Age in 1996. The seeds of Atomic Robo were planted in 1997. For a while Robo was part of the Nuklearverse. He was the primary hero of Mechapolis, the Nuklear Age Tokyo, and a version of him was a secondary character in a couple Atomik Age drafts I attempted.

Something about Robo kept me coming back and changing him to match my changing interests. Eventually it clicked that he should be a vehicle through which to explore my love of weird history.

And how were you able to pitch this to the folks at Red 5?
I posted some of our concept art in a blog post at NP.com. One of the Red 5 co-founders was directed to it and he asked to see the full pitch. We sent it and they liked what they saw. This would have been in late 2006, but our first issue didn't come out until Oct 2007. That was a hell of a nerve-wracking wait. We were brimming with ideas for future volumes, but we had no idea if anyone would pick up the first one. So, we just had to sit on our hands and hope for the best. It's turned out pretty okay.

Was Scott on board prior to this?
I started hunting for artists in early 2006 but didn't find Scott until May of that year. By June we'd hashed out who Atomic Robo was and what we wanted to do with the comic, both as a collection of stories and as a statement. I believe Scott had finished drawing the first three issues before we sought publishers. He was probably finishing up the fourth or starting the fifth when we ran into Red 5.

Have any other artists done any work on Robo so far?
Only for the back up comics like what you see occasionally posted to NP.com. It would require a fuck of a catastrophe for us to have someone Not Scott do the art for the A-Stories.

[Nique]

Versions of these questions and their answers are scattered across a dozen different interviews, but to save you the headache of tracking those down:

Meant to include this before, but I wanted to mention how privledged I feel to be able to communicate so readily with someone whose work I am a fan of. I mean I guess I could always follow Brent Spiners twitter (I do) and harass him about what Star Trek was like (I... might) but honestly being on the forums has been a really unique and fun way to communicate with you as an artist. I'm not sure how much fanmail/ letters of appreciation you get, but there it is.

If Red 5 is unable to publish Atomic Robo comics, then they forfeit their rights to publish Atomic Robo comics and we seek publication elsewhere.

That sounds like an amazing deal, considering the larger history of comic publication. Yay for Red 5?

Eventually it clicked that he should be a vehicle through which to explore my love of weird history.

Robo has a very cool, almost Doctor Who vibe to it, minus the time traveling (well, except for Dr. Dinosaur). This is what's got me so interested in it. I find myself wondering 'What is Robo doing in the year 2050? Or 'what about during the great depression' etc?

and what we wanted to do with the comic, both as a collection of stories and as a statement.

A statement? Like who Robo is, or is there a more serious philosophy to 'Atomic Robo' - One of appreciation for objective science? Robo seems very skeptical for someone who fights vampires etc - Not a bad trait! Just interesting. A lot of characters in situations like this appear somewhat more accepting with a 'Anything is possible with "science"!' attitude whereas Robo fights a talking Dinosaur and says 'WHAT. WHAT?!'

[Meister]

A statement? Like who Robo is, or is there a more serious philosophy to 'Atomic Robo' - One of appreciation for objective science?
I'm gonna guess it's more what Robo is as a series compared to other comics. Like, it shows you can have a comic book that doesn't feature dumb retcons and glorified pin-up girls as characters and all that, and it's still going to sell.

[Nique]

That I actually picked up on off the Robo site. As a 'mission statement' I found it pretty awesome.

[Kurosen]

Meant to include this before, but I wanted to mention how privledged I feel to be able to communicate so readily with someone whose work I am a fan of.
Being somewhat accessible is a fun aspect of my low level internet fame. I've got just enough going that I can do what I love all day long, but not so much that it's wildly impractical to keep up with the folks who make it possible.

Uh, I mean, addressing the little people is a pleasant enough distraction in between my great works.

That sounds like an amazing deal, considering the larger history of comic publication. Yay for Red 5?
No, that's standard for creator owned properties. You're thinking of how Marvel and DC's contracts allowed them to reap all benefits of a creator's work without giving anything back in return. Their contracts have since become much more friendly to creators. They still own the characters and storylines and such you make for them, but if those things go on to make movies or TV shows or toys or whatever, you get some kickbacks from it being your stuff.

A statement? Like who Robo is, or is there a more serious philosophy to 'Atomic Robo' - One of appreciation for objective science?
We figured out exactly what we wanted to accomplish with our stories. Atomic Robo comics are proofs by example that "all ages" doesn't mean "for kids" it means "for everyone." We wanted to show how easy it is to choose not to use the male gaze and how that alone can draw in a significant number of women readers. We wanted to show what 80+ years of continuity looks like when it's coherent.

Basically, every page of Atomic Robo is the exact opposite of the last page of Wanted. "This is what it looks like when you're having fun!"

Robo seems very skeptical for someone who fights vampires etc - Not a bad trait! Just interesting.
Yeah, Robo's intolerance for the weirdness of weird shit is one of my favorite things about him. As the main character, it'd be boring if he wasn't capable of being surprised by some of the things he encounters. The "Everything Is Old Hat" guy is a great supporting character though -- which is why Tesla, Charles Fort, and Jenkins all do it, just from different angles.

[rpgdemon]

If Red 5 were able to publish, but for some reason chose not to, I assume that also leaves you open to find a new publisher? Because otherwise that'd really stink...

[Kurosen]

I'm not sure, really.

[Meister]

So I picked up 4-4 today and question: was it a deliberate Maniac Mansion reference?

Fantastic issue by the way, you guys seem to be on a roll.

[Kurosen]

Never played any Maniac Mansion, so nope.

[Meister]

Aw. It fits so well though. See, the antagonists (and side characters in Day of the Tentacle :knowledge:) were mad scientist Fred Edison and his family, each member of which had a first name containing the syllable "ed" and I guess you see where I'm going with this.

e: "Undead Edison" is exactly the type of name modern developers would give a character if they made a sequel to those games today in an attempt to show that they got the joke in the originals.

[Bard The 5th LW]

I've been looking around the local Bookstores (i.e: Borders, Books-a-Million) and I haven't been able to find Atomic Robo in any of them.

Are there any particular bookstores I might be able to find it at?

[Kurosen]

They tend not to carry them, but if you go up to the little customer service desk you can have them order any of the TPBs.

[A Zarkin' Frood]

I've been ordering the TPB imports via amazon.
The US site might carry single issues as well. The shipping of books from amazon is free, in Germany at least. If that's the case with Amazon US as well you might want to give that a try.

Note: I live in the deepest woods of Germany where comic books are the devil.

[Meister]

I don't know if they'd send individual issues by mail every month but I could hook you up with the shop I order mine at, they usually get new issues pretty soon after they're out. You'd probably have to pay additional shipping [not for the import, just to mail them to you] for every issue though and that sounds like it might stop being fun very quickly.

[Nique]

We wanted to show how easy it is to choose not to use the male gaze and how that alone can draw in a significant number of women readers.

Atomic Robo | 5-second Review

'Pros: Lots O' Robots'

'Cons: No titties'

That's a joke, son.

[Kalbelgarion]

I gotta say, Dr. Dinosaur in a chef's hat may be the greatest thing ever. If there is ever a Dr. Dino figurine, it must include the hat.

[Kurosen]

Secretly, we are developing one. But there is no hat. Sorry!

Fun fact: Dr. Dinosaur was originally described as wearing a tech-vest filled with all kinds of random bullshit and a cowboy hat. I guess Scott nixed the hat, but I still say it'd be a fine addition.

[Nique]

Robo mini-figs would be awesome. Make-a-me some of those.

[Kurosen]

My whole motivation for doing a Robo movie is to get some officially licensed LEGO sets squeezed out of it.

[Observer]

Robo would have to be a custom Lego minifig. Fantastic.

I read that list of future projects and I have to say, I'm dying for the Dr. Dinosaur themed mini. His mix of poor technobabble and berserk speech patterns (or is that redundant?) are hilarious. Plus, they hit on some of the reasons Calvin and Hobbes was so great; Robo and Dr. Dino have this chemistry that's one of the only things missing from most of the crazy super science and awesome robot crap that's always happening. I'm a fan of supporting cast, and so far all I can recall is Jenkins (stoic is best when there's someone non stoic to bounce off of.. I think).. and well, w/e. Maybe Robo could get someone from the Super Science Japan team on staff, heh.

Question: Am I mentally deficient or do some of those Robo stories you posted recently seem to start and stop? Are you going to be continuing say, the saga of Robo heading into the Vampire Dimension to rescue those soldiers anywhere? Or was it in one of the TB extras?

[Kurosen]

The conclusion to The Rescue Mission is The Survivor found in Volume 1. I'd like to publish short stories from previous volumes online too, but we'll see what our publisher has to say about that.

[cwDeici]

Love the series, but I find Robo being the everyman's hero against the authority unfortunately produces some moral dissonance.

He's ok with going to war with the US, but not containing the Soviet Union back in its time?
There are plenty of documents showing America attempting to establish friendly relations with Russia after Barbarossa and for a few years after World War II (not at all like the botched relationship with China which WAS friendly as found by the Dixie mission), so I don't understand why Robo is so angry with the US that his otherwise radically peaceful attitude would have him declare war on them.

I know you might say he's going to war with Project Majestic Twelve, but I'm sure the authorities will disagree with such a specification.

Regardless the art is good as always. The characterization is a bit strawmanish though, in my opinion, not at all like the Harry Truman and his advisor bit which I thought was excellently written.

PS. Love the new chicken-hunting and dinosaur strips.

God Bless

PPS. I am not an Amie, but I do love your country. (Though it is just a little info out of much I recommend 'Empires of Trust' by Thomas F. Madden to best explain my views. In short it is a book about how America and Rome were both isolationist expansionists as a result of wishing to secure their near horizons and/or protect their allies. The book surprised me about Rome.)

[Kurosen]

He's ok with going to war with the US, but not containing the Soviet Union back in its time?
Robo participated in WW2. We saw some of those missions in Volume 2. Twenty years later (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/07/18/free-comic-book-day-2008/), we see that he doesn't like the U.S. military. Specifically, he doesn't seem so keen on the growing reliance on nuclear arsenals.

An issue of Volume 3 takes place between Robo's WW2 days and the comic linked above. There's an exchange between Robo and some of his Science Agents -- all WW2 veterans who participated with Robo in Operation Paperclip -- that they don't believe the Russians are capable of building the kind of nuclear arsenal the U.S. military is 1) assuming they've already built and 2) demanding huge budget increases to build a bigger one in response. They see this as an absurdly irresponsible course of action and spend the issue attempting to find evidence that the Russian missile program is maybe not-so-hot.

Although it's presented out of order, you should notice a fairly obvious and logical transition from Young Eager Soldier to Disillusioned Veteran.

so I don't understand why Robo is so angry with the US that his otherwise radically peaceful attitude would have him declare war on them.
Uh, he's not. Hell, he pays taxes. I think you're taking taking things further than their context implies. Have you read the print volumes?

After WW2 Robo shied away from doing work for the U.S. Military. He'd only involve himself in peaceful missions. This is due to a combination of factors, among them having seen the horrors of war first hand, disagreeing with post-WW2 American military philosophy, the guilt over having been at war when Tesla died, etc.

I know you might say he's going to war with Project Majestic Twelve, but I'm sure the authorities will disagree with such a specification.
Ah. Well, the idea behind Majestic Twelve is that it's gotten a little out of hand in the decades since Truman signed it into existence. MXII has been so secret for so long that it's not exactly a government agency anymore. It's more accurate to think of it as a parasite the lives off the bureaucracy of its parent institute and survives via absurd levels of secrecy and obfuscation.

Equating war with MXII with war on the U.S. just doesn't make sense. No one knows about MXII except members of MXII who consider themselves outside and above the government anyway. Authorities may very well carry out orders which originate from MXII, but they never know it. Most people would be horrified to learn that something like MXII had been allowed to fester alongside legitimate government.

I hope this cleared up some things for you.

[EVILNess]

Wait, so Jenkins worked for MJ12? (Unless I am grossly mis-remembering things)

[krogothwolf]

Didn't Robo advocate nuking the giant walking pyramid?

[Kurosen]

Yes. Sometimes Robo says things he does not literally mean.

[krogothwolf]

Yes. Sometimes Robo says things he does not literally mean.

Awww, I really enjoyed the thought of him wanting to nuke the pyramid. Plus saying the whole idea of founding the organization to nuke things was pretty funny.

[Nuklear Waste]

Is Mac (from the 50s team) the same guy as Lt. Everett from 2.2? They look suspiciously similar and you did say those guys were WWII vets.

[Kurosen]

Nope! Scott's just lazy. Everett was simply a soldier. The Science Agents of Tesladyne from the '50s are all scientists who were also soldiers. And they met Robo during their participation in Operation Paperclip.