I think I know why I like Atomic Robo so much: It’s everything that I was promised by the Iron Man movies.
Iron Man is boring. I’m sorry, but Iron Man is a dud. TONY STARK is sort of interesting, as much as a story about a handsome super-genius billionaire with all the confidence in the world can be interesting. But there’s just not a lot of conflict when a character can buy, fly, or charm his way out of any problem faced by a human being. I really think this is part of why the Iron Man movies have never really found a great villain. What the hell would a bad guy even do? Replace his mustache wax with beard wax? Damage his Iron Man suit, forcing him to debut a much awesomer Iron Man suit before it had been fully tested? That would be really awful.
In the comics, Tony Stark’s issue was always with drinking. In keeping with Marvel tradition, it was the weakness that could be one that any man might face.
But today? Let’s face it, we love a functioning alcoholic. Mad Men? How many times has someone in your office said “Man, I wish we could just drink booze all day like they do in Mad Men”? And don’t we all know someone who is a self-appointed expert in booze of some kind?
As long as the dude remains charming and gets the job done, I don’t know that I give a shit. Just don’t let the vomit leak out the eyeholes.
I know that to some it may seem like a silly distinction, Tony Stark versus Iron Man, but let’s look at Batman for a second. Part of what makes Batman so interesting is that, if you think about it, it’s hard to say whether Bruce Wayne or Batman is the dominant portion of that character’s life, and this balance is a big part of the story.
Atomic Robo IS Atomic Robo. He has a life pretty similar to Tony Stark in that he heads up a science-y super lab with seemingly unlimited resources, and he embraces the Iron Man portions with a good dose of action too.
So what’s the difference?
Well, in this volume we actually hit an emotional point. A couple, but a really big one near the end. A point where the reader sees into this character. I won’t spoil it. Just read it. You can even start with this volume if you want.
Iron Man just doesn’t get there. They try, but it never works for me.
It’s the same problem I have with the movie Dodgeball. Everyone loves that movie, and it’s got its moments, but then we find ourselves in the last 15 minutes, and after laughing at how ridiculous the whole thing was, all of a sudden we’re supposed to take seriously the fact that this team really needs to win an adult dodgeball tournament. It’s stupid, and it’s reaching for an emotional breakthrough that is totally unearned. It makes me hate the whole movie. Who decided that every goddamn screwball comedy needs an emotional touchstone near the end? I’m fine with not learning a big life lesson at the end. It’s cool. I don’t know what the fear is when it comes to a movie that makes me laugh for two solid hours. God forbid!
With Iron Man, I’ve always felt cheated. In the first movie, he gets in the suit, what, 5 times? And in between those times we have to watch him slow dance? Why the fuck would he be slow-dancing? How could that possibly matter when he could go home and do something that nobody has ever done, shoot around the world in a wearable jet? THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM FOR ME.
I mean, show me a guy who would rather slow dance with Gwyneth Paltrow than fly around in a real Iron Man suit, I’ll show you a guy who is thinking with his penis, albeit a penis disguised as a foppish gentleman wearing a monocle. BUT IT’S A PENIS NONETHELESS AND I AM NOT FOOLED!
There are so many lazy parts to that story I don’t want to go over them, so let’s just focus on Atomic Robo.
This is an excellent book. It’s great if you like comics, if you like science, and if you like to laugh. It’s got all the action and laughs of Iron Man. And it’s got real, genuine heart that comes through without having to be elaborately set up by Captain America saying some bullshit about how someone’s father would be so disappointed and OH GODDAMN IT I GET SO MAD AND-
No, no. Focus on the positive.
Atomic Robo = Good. Everyone should be reading this book