Magnus: Robot Fighter #12 Review

Another Golden Key title comes to an end! But will this one end on a high? Or will it only prove that this universe needs to come to an end? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

FINAL ISSUE! Magnus battles THE BASILISK, an unstoppable entity bent on blasting our hero into atoms! Can Leeja and Magnus hit reboot on their entire world’s corrupted infrastructure? And even if they do, what’s Magnus’ robot-dad’s final, horrifying endgame? Is this the end, or a frightful new beginning? Hints in the final pages as Magnus “fades to black”.

All good things must come to an end, as yet another Golden Key series bites the dust, leaving only Solar: Man of the Atom (which itself only has three issues remaining) in it’s wake. This fact alone may upset certain fans, but as history has shown, these characters always seem to live on, whether at one publisher or another. As finales go however, Magnus: Robot Fighter proved to be thoroughly entertaining, as though it wasn’t without it’s flaws, it brought this wonderful tale to a fitting conclusion.

Fred Van Lente has built Magnus into one of the most exciting tales at Dynamite, with his fight against Senator Clane and the Central Network managing to thrill on every level. This most definitely continues into this finale, with the wonderful storytelling, and dramatic atmosphere leaving this reader hooked. The action also astounded, with the electric vibe befitting a Magnus tale. Despite all this, there were some elements about the culminating sequences that bugged me, with the sudden shift in events ultimately causing the ending itself to fall a little flat.

The artwork on this final issue is handled by Joseph Cooper and Roberto Castro, and though neither artist has lived up to the standard set by original series artist, Cory Smith, they have proven to be a wonderful substitute over the course of the series. The way that their rough pencils contrast with the gritty scenery that is North Am more than amazes, allowing great depth to these exciting events. Talking of excitement, the artists also manage to convey the energy of this finale battle wonderfully, and along with Maurîcio Wallace‘s soft colours, it allows events to leap off the page.

Magnus: Robot Fighter comes to an end, and though that fact alone is upsetting, the way in which the creative team conclude this tale it truly astounding. Yes, it’s not without it’s problems, but the exciting events, and character depth certainly make it one worth reading, whether you’ve been following the series or not.