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Atomic Robo #3
Atomic Robo and the Shadow from Beyond Time
It is 1926 when H.P. Lovecraft comes calling to warn Atomic Robo of imminent doom. But the Shadow From Beyond Time escapes into the future, intersecting with our world throughout the 20th century. The future and history of the universe hangs in the balance as Atomic Robo teams up with, uh, Atomic Robo in a last-ditch effort to protect reality itself.
152 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2009
7 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Brian Clevinger
222Ìýbooks95ÌýfollowersBrian Clevinger is best known as the author of the most popular sprite webcomic, and one of the most popular webcomics overall, . He is also the author of the self-published novel Nuklear Age. Clevinger has recently received attention for his Eisner-nominated print comic Atomic Robo.
Claiming that his "favorite comics are the ones where the jokes are on the reader," Clevinger is an expert in using anti-climax, interface alterations, and the occasional false ending to play with the reader's expectations. It is a testament to both his sense of humor and his writing skills that these "jokes on the reader" are usually beloved by his fanbase.
Claiming that his "favorite comics are the ones where the jokes are on the reader," Clevinger is an expert in using anti-climax, interface alterations, and the occasional false ending to play with the reader's expectations. It is a testament to both his sense of humor and his writing skills that these "jokes on the reader" are usually beloved by his fanbase.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
January 3, 2020
Atomic Robo fights the elder Gods across time. I love that Clevinger brings real world characters into the book like H.P. Lovecraft, Charles Fort, and Carl Sagan. All the issues dovetail nicely into the climax when Robo finally beats the Elder Gods. There's a lot of high concept stuff dealing with time travel. Clevinger does a nice job of making it understandable.
June 28, 2012
Fantastic! My love of wise-cracking atomic-powered robots who punch things well and my love of Lovecraftian horrors made this irresistibly delightful, to me. My favorite in the series, so far.
April 4, 2017
My favorite Atomic Robo stories of the bunch so far. Lovecraft, Tesla, Sagan, et all make it my favorite ensemble cast anything.
May 29, 2015
Como indica el tÃtulo esta vez Atomic Robo se enfrenta a un monstruo de tintes lovecraftianos. Aunque esto sólo es una excusa para que nuestro metálico amigo se lance a otra ensalada de mamporros y frases ingeniosas. Con cameos de Lovecraft y Carl Sagan, cumple muy bien su función de entretener aunque ya no tenga la frescura del primer volumen.
June 6, 2017
THEY FIGHT CTHULHU WITH SCIENCE.
What else do you want in a story?
What else do you want in a story?
August 29, 2014
Atomic Robo versus the elder gods. Well, one, at least. Getting away from war stories removes all reservations I had about the series - this book is a joy to read, and frequently hilarious. It's nice to see Lovecraft presented, and his racial issues not shied away from, although I don't think even they justify what ends up happening to him. The story is told from four different points in time and does a wonderful job of using aspects of time travel without actually doing any travelling in time. Robo's reactions to the evil creature is great, and I especially liked the near-modern section of the story. If you've ever rolled your eyes at the overbearing language and atmosphere of Lovecraft, this is a perfect antidote. And even if you're not familiar with the Elder Gods, this is still a blast of an action adventure.
August 14, 2011
Funny. Inventive. And the word "fresh" just keeps coming to me, even though my subconscious critic knows somehow all these stories are regurgitated. What Clevinger does with Lovecraft is just slightly insane and wonderful.
What he does with the later chapters are mind-blowing - combining insane scenes with an incredible fluency with science and science fiction. My brain actually *thinks* while reading this one, and wonders how real & bleeding edge some of these ideas really are. That happens so rarely and my intellectual standards in comics are so low, that this is a real gem.
What he does with the later chapters are mind-blowing - combining insane scenes with an incredible fluency with science and science fiction. My brain actually *thinks* while reading this one, and wonders how real & bleeding edge some of these ideas really are. That happens so rarely and my intellectual standards in comics are so low, that this is a real gem.
May 3, 2010
More humor and adventure that stretches across a century, as Atomic-Robo encounters a Cthulu type monster that appears at four different times in the Robo's long life.
The big team up at the finale is brilliant!
Reads like if Hellboy had been created to fight the kind of sci-fi menaces that show up in cheesy old movies and then down as a cartoon.
Atomic-Robo is a great character, deserving of his own action figure and live action movie.
Lots of action, humor and goofy science fiction.
One of the best new comic series to come out in recent years.
The big team up at the finale is brilliant!
Reads like if Hellboy had been created to fight the kind of sci-fi menaces that show up in cheesy old movies and then down as a cartoon.
Atomic-Robo is a great character, deserving of his own action figure and live action movie.
Lots of action, humor and goofy science fiction.
One of the best new comic series to come out in recent years.
January 9, 2016
Se leen rápido, el personaje de Robo es genial y la idea que rodea Tesladyne también (¡cientÃficos de acción!), es una obra de arte pulp y además en este tenemos la oportunidad de ver mucho más a Carl Sagan.
Quizá como demérito le achacarÃa que la resolución final es un poco apresurada, esperaba ver un plan más elaborado y queda todo resuelto de una forma un tanto ligera para ser un cómic de "ciencia de acción".
Quizá como demérito le achacarÃa que la resolución final es un poco apresurada, esperaba ver un plan más elaborado y queda todo resuelto de una forma un tanto ligera para ser un cómic de "ciencia de acción".
November 7, 2024
Much better than the two previous volumes and Robo really finds his tone and character in this one. Great artwork as always with fun adventures around time and multi dimensional lovecraftian monsters trying to eat everything and everyone.
September 15, 2016
Atomic Robo is great. Atomic Robo vs. Lovecraft is a joy (and if you're wondering whether I mean Lovecraftian horrors or literally H. P. Lovecraft, the answer is yes). Atomic Robo fighting an extra-dimensional creature that exists everywhen at once alongside Carl Sagan is hilarious and wonderful.
January 14, 2011
Vol 2. > Vol 3. > Vol 1.
Loved how this arc all came together in the end.
Loved how this arc all came together in the end.
March 24, 2011
Purchased through Comixology.
More adventures of Atomic Robo.
More adventures of Atomic Robo.
December 27, 2012
Robo meets Lovecraft by way of science and Carl Sagan. Great fun, as usual!
Read
April 23, 20201926. Charles Fort brings H.P. Lovecraft to Tesla Heavy Industries so the scientist can help Lovecraft from turning into an outer dimensional monster. Tesla’s not there but Atomic Robo is, and it’s up to him and Fort to stop the monster from ravaging New York City.
1957. Atomic Robo and his Tesladyne crew head to Oregon to investigate something that fell out of the sky. Robo knows it’s the same entity from three decades earlier, because it exists nonlinearly and pops up at any time in the universe. By using Fort’s formula, he can predict when it will appear.
1971. With Fort’s formula fine-tuned, Robo and co. can anticipate the monster’s appearance months in advance. He recruits (read: lies to) Carl Sagan for help with the next dimensional breach in Peru.
2009. When two of Robo’s scientists start up their (potentially evil) quantum computer, guess who emerges six years ahead of schedule? But this time Robo has a trick up his sleeve he’s been saving for years...
This was another super fun volume of Atomic Robo. I love the balance of humor, action, and science that Clevinger manages here. It’s a winning pulp formula. I will say that sometimes there’s too much dialogue and the ending of issues are often abrupt, but I still had a blast with this book. If you want quick, fun blasts of adventure, look no further. Oh, and the way Clevinger pokes fun at Lovecraft is gold.
“We’re scientists. We can’t let ignorance dictate the course of mankind.�
1957. Atomic Robo and his Tesladyne crew head to Oregon to investigate something that fell out of the sky. Robo knows it’s the same entity from three decades earlier, because it exists nonlinearly and pops up at any time in the universe. By using Fort’s formula, he can predict when it will appear.
1971. With Fort’s formula fine-tuned, Robo and co. can anticipate the monster’s appearance months in advance. He recruits (read: lies to) Carl Sagan for help with the next dimensional breach in Peru.
2009. When two of Robo’s scientists start up their (potentially evil) quantum computer, guess who emerges six years ahead of schedule? But this time Robo has a trick up his sleeve he’s been saving for years...
This was another super fun volume of Atomic Robo. I love the balance of humor, action, and science that Clevinger manages here. It’s a winning pulp formula. I will say that sometimes there’s too much dialogue and the ending of issues are often abrupt, but I still had a blast with this book. If you want quick, fun blasts of adventure, look no further. Oh, and the way Clevinger pokes fun at Lovecraft is gold.
“We’re scientists. We can’t let ignorance dictate the course of mankind.�
January 14, 2018
At first, I didn't think this was going to be another focused run. It does the thing where each issue of this volume seems to jump several decades. But when you're dealing with an interdimensional horror that exists across all time, it's easier to pull everything together. I also rather like its take on Lovecraftian horrors (including a meeting with H.P.). I don't have any experience with the original material, but my impression is that such things are usually unknowable, unexplainable beasties best to be avoided. Robo tries to deal with these encounters as things that could be explained with "science" (fictional, theoretical science that only exists within the setting, but still).
June 1, 2021
Robo meets Lovecraft in both the literal and thematic sense. Also Charles Fort and Carl Sagan.
This book is so much fun!
I'm not a big fan of Lovecraft the person, but the comic manages to keep his less savory qualities while still keeping the story fun.
And best of all, it confronts my biggest problem with his stories. I hate the idea what his major theme is that Mankind is better off NOT knowing things. It's literally the opposite of science! So when you have Robo and Sagan dealing with a being that challenges their understanding of the universe, how do they proceed?
The answer could not be more enjoyable.
This book is so much fun!
I'm not a big fan of Lovecraft the person, but the comic manages to keep his less savory qualities while still keeping the story fun.
And best of all, it confronts my biggest problem with his stories. I hate the idea what his major theme is that Mankind is better off NOT knowing things. It's literally the opposite of science! So when you have Robo and Sagan dealing with a being that challenges their understanding of the universe, how do they proceed?
The answer could not be more enjoyable.
February 3, 2021
Kind of flat. Atomic Robo's strong suit has been witty banter, but that was largely absent here. H.P. Lovecraft, Tesla, and Carl Sagan all have cameos, but none of them are very good. C'thulhu appears throughout, but he is more of a blundering Godzilla than evil incarnate.
Reading Atomic Robo is a like drinking store brand soda. It tastes something like a coke, but it's not quite as good and you know it.
Reading Atomic Robo is a like drinking store brand soda. It tastes something like a coke, but it's not quite as good and you know it.
July 4, 2019
Reread my spare copy before passing it along to a friend's kid and found it just as delightful this time as the others. Any book with H/P/ Lovecraft, Charles M. Fort and Carl Sagan is by definition good.
June 22, 2021
Soberbio. La ciencia y las historias alienÃgenas de Lovecraft se entremezclan en una aventura no lineal a través del tiempo que encaja como un divertidÃsimo puzzle que se lee de un tirón. Todo ello con el clásico humor didáctico de la serie. Todo el mundo deberÃa leer Atomic Robo.
September 15, 2021
I must re-read this one a few times a year. Atomic Robo is my current favorite comic, and this story took full advantage of the comic's habit of doing stories all along Robo's timeline. A smart story within a smart comic.
November 4, 2017
Read as part of "The Everything Explodes Collection"
April 28, 2018
Best version of HP Lovecraft in comics.
December 16, 2019
This is how you write a time-travel story that makes sense and doesn't just take ideas from Back to the Future, which is the only other good time-travel story I've encountered thus far.
January 15, 2021
Best one so far! Clever writing and very charming.
February 1, 2021
Full of HP Lovecraft goodness
September 13, 2024
BRILLIANT! The non-lineral threat is a wonderful element that moves this series out of Hellboy's shadow and into its own domain. 10/10 would recommend!!!
November 7, 2016
read 11/4/16
February 23, 2017
I was so relieved to read this volume after the disappointing second volume. I'm a sucker for a good alternate future/multiple timeline story and this one delivers! The humor was much closer to the first book as well.
February 14, 2017
Atomic Robo is a robot who has been around since the 1920 when he was created by Nikola Tesla and starting in 1929 one shadow has chased him throughout his life, a lovecraftian creature who exists outside linear time--and (as we learn early in this book) actually sprang out of H.P. Lovecraft.
This story is a high concept thrill ride that takes advantage of Robo's long life to tell a tale that involves Robo and friends throughout his life. There's 1920s Robo teaming up with Charles Fort, cold war Robo, 1970s Robo getting help from Carl Sagan, and of course the modern robo an the scientists of Tesladyne, and the ultimate team up in the final issue.
The art is fun and imaginative. The story is engaging. Writer Brian Clevinger does a good job having Robo "age" as each version of Robo has slight differences in personality as he's learned more over time. He still remains wise cracking and charming at any age.
The back up stories are not nearly as fun. At best, they're amusing, with the funniest piece being a text interview with Robo. Not bad, but certainly not as good as the main story.
Still, this is a very enjoyable read. Highly recommended.
This story is a high concept thrill ride that takes advantage of Robo's long life to tell a tale that involves Robo and friends throughout his life. There's 1920s Robo teaming up with Charles Fort, cold war Robo, 1970s Robo getting help from Carl Sagan, and of course the modern robo an the scientists of Tesladyne, and the ultimate team up in the final issue.
The art is fun and imaginative. The story is engaging. Writer Brian Clevinger does a good job having Robo "age" as each version of Robo has slight differences in personality as he's learned more over time. He still remains wise cracking and charming at any age.
The back up stories are not nearly as fun. At best, they're amusing, with the funniest piece being a text interview with Robo. Not bad, but certainly not as good as the main story.
Still, this is a very enjoyable read. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
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