Broken Frontier

Read any review of the first issue of this title and the Mike Mignola comparisons will abound. Upon immediate glance, that’s a fair assessment, as Robot 13 does resemble the handiwork of Hellboy’s creator, but Thomas Hall and Daniel Bradford distance themselves in smart ways.

This self-published series is just as impressive as the adventures of Hellboy, and does deserve just as wide an audience.  It’s a shame the creators can’t pump out the titular robot’s printed escapades with more regularity, but seeing as this is a self-published endeavour, (from Blacklist Studios) Hall and Bradford have already jumped the biggest hurdle.

This second issue is superior to the first one in a number of ways. The debut started strong with Bradford’s angular art that was both dazzling and yet somehow refined and thankfully that art continues here. However the problem with the first issue was that it didn’t really reveal a lot. There was a skinny, skull-faced robot who was rescued from the sea by some fishermen, and then there was a fight with a giant octopus, and that was about it. Happily, more of the story behind the enigmatic metallic battler is revealed here.

It opens with a play on the island of Crete back in the days of the Roman Empire before cutting back to Rodney, one of the men on the boat asking 13 just why the aforementioned octopus attacked them. It seems as though 13 is bringing unwarranted attention, as evidenced by the huge flaming bird that appears in the middle of their chat and carries 13 away. Then things get even more interesting with the epilogue which shows a conversation between an old hag, a sorceress and a multi-limbed snake-woman who aches that 13 is killing “her children” and now seeks vengeance. Things are going to get messy and the wait for #3 is going to be a long one.

Hall has come to the party with this issue and has given great emotional moments, such as the farewell to the fishermen, hints at 13’s origin as a destroyer of monsters and a great cliffhanger. Bradford has shown restraint in his artistic choices. The lesser artist would fill each page with detail and blood and guts, but Bradford uses space wisely. Texture and hard-edged character abounds. This really is a great looking book. Sure, the Mignola comparisons are well founded, but that’s certainly not a bad thing. However Bradford is carving his own path and shows that he is able to portray quiet moments of reflection just as well as hearty monster fighting.

I can sum up this series in two words: must buy.

Robot 13 #2 can be ordered from Blacklist Studios.