Magnus: Robot Fighter #4 Review

Can Magnus defeat the swarm? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

THE SWARM. A robotic collective that devours metal and recombines into modular monstrosities. They cannot be destroyed. They cannot be stopped. But screw it, Magnus is gonna try and punch ’em anyway. It’s the action-packed end of Arc 1 by FRED VAN LENTE (Conan) and CORY SMITH (Fathom)!

Magnus: Robot Fighter‘s first arc comes to an end, but not in a definitive way. The story so far and the events of this issue don’t really feel like a proper arc as though it’s been exhilarating and intense throughout it’s felt more of a prologue to the main story. This however takes nothing away from the quality of the issue with the events being as ever very entertaining.

Fred Van Lente has been producing some of his best work to date on this series, giving an energetic flair to the Robot Fighter. In this issue Van Lente pushes Magnus to his limits with a robotic collective dubbed the swarm proving to be a formidable foe. These intense and explosive encounters along with the fabulous character interaction is what I’ve love about the series so much. They are however dwarf by the shocking revelations and overall teasing that Van Lente does near the end of the issue.

Cory Smith has been killing it on this series with his dynamic layouts and dramatic tone complimenting the script perfectly. The way that Smith utilises the space and panels has always astounded me with the character positioning and scenery giving tons of depth to this magnificent tale. He also manages to bring excitement and tension through the action packed developments, producing a electric atmosphere to the story. All this along with the sensational facial expressions and fabulous colours (from Mauricio Wallace) make Magnus a series that is as strong visually as it is story wise.

Magnus: Robot Fighter‘s first arc may have come to an end but the story is far from over with it feeling more like the beginning. The exciting events of the issue along with the shocking revelations make it a must have with it being easy to recommend.