Broken Frontier

Ashley Wood brings some friends in for this Popbot book, containing a fun short story and a great selection of pinups.

For those uninitiated in the wild world of Ashley Wood’s Popbot, the following description may confuse you. Because the Adam Warren-written, Ashley Wood-illustrated short story features a former pop sensation Kitty (who is actually a talking cat), a pair of stripper sisters (or are they?), and of course, the always faithful Popbot himself. Since the story is short and any further exposition would almost give it away, I’ll spend the rest of this time trying to sum up Popbot for everyone who hasn’t read it. Kitty (yes, he really is a talking cat) was the lead singer for a rock band. He lived the subsequent life of sex and drugs as well; then his band fell from the top and he lost all his money. Somewhere along the way, he got himself a faithful robot sidekick. In Kitty’s attempt to find Popbot’s creator and owner in order to make some money, he learns of a world with ninja robot assassins, crazed maniacal villains, and that most of the people in the world want him dead.

Adam Warren tells a fun little tale in this story. He captures the essence of what Ashley Wood has created. His dialogue contains the same biting wit as previous Popbot stories. He keeps the story concise, not introducing new characters or working in a giant cast. The pacing is good, and the only problem may be that it’s too short. Then again, as good as it can be, the story isn’t the reason you’re buying the book. It’s just a nice little bonus.

It’s the stylized artwork of Ashley Wood that has created this incredibly imaginative world. He doesn’t get too much of an opportunity to stretch his arms in the short story segment, as he has to keep the story moving. Yet he somehow still manages to work in a couple of naked women (not that I’m complaining) and a pretty little action splash page. That and the many faces of Kitty shown are equally impressive. Conniving, plotting, and smiling devilishly, it’s a cat even the most rigid dog lover can have fun reading about.

Wood also gets a collection of some of comics’ finest and most imaginative artists for the pinups contained in the back of the book. Each brings their own distinct style and (like Ashley Wood himself) pushes the limits of their interpretations of reality. Some of the best artists join in for the fun, with Steve Pugh, Mike Mignola, Sam Keith, Bruce Timm, Phil Noto, Adam Warren, Jim Mahfood, and others delivering incredible pinups for Popbot fans to drool over.

Popbot Reader #1 is a great little book. It has a good little story that doesn’t require too much knowledge of Popbot to enjoy and some excellent artwork by some of the industry’s best.

-Sam Moyerman