ATOM: THE BEGINNING (VOL. 2), from Titan Comics on December 14th, 2022, finishes the robot tournament with Six in bad shape, and his days may be numbered when Tenma and Umatoro start planning the next generation.
The Details
- Written by: Osamu Tezuka, Masami Yuuki
- Art by: Tetsuro Kasahara
- Translation by: Jonathan Clements
- Letters by: Jessica Burton
- Cover art by: XXXX
- Cover price: $12.99
- Release date: December 14, 2022
Is It Good?
If you’re looking for Rock ’em, Sock ’em robot action, this is it. You’re not going to find a better comic, Manga or otherwise, that evokes that spirit of excitement when robots go head-to-head and fist-to-fist. Tying this action/adventure series into the Astroboy canon is simply icing on an already delicious cake.
The key to Tezuka and Yuuki’s success in this volume is the unabashed heart emanating from Six as a robot whose instinctive kindness is matched only by his desire to grow beyond his inventors’ intentions. When Gene Rodenberry created the seminal sci-fi series Star Trek, he was intentional with his creation of Spock because he felt every story about development into the future needed a Pinocchio; a character that didn’t quite fit into any group and aspired to be more. Six is the perfect representation of Pinocchio; a character you instantly connect with and want to succeed at becoming more than he is or what others expect him to be.
As much as this is a powerful, personal story about Six’s growth, the emotion is balanced against equally powerful action and thrills. The robot fights are action-packed with big wow moments, explosions, impossible punching maneuvers, and flying parts. Rock ’em, Sock ’em indeed!
We frequently talk about the need for art and writing to work together to tell a proper story, so as much as we’re praising the writing, equal credit belongs to Tetsuro Kasahara for the stellar art. The robot designs are cool, the battles are energetic, and the emotional acting is phenomenal.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our ATOM: THE BEGINNING (VOL. 1) review to find out how Six came to be and why he was placed in a lethal robot tournament.
We pick up with Six facing off against Mars in the final tournament battle. Siz manages to evade most of Mars’s attacks, and secretly, Six sends Mars radio signals asking him to stop fighting. Six’s efforts at communication fail, and Mars’s attacks start to inflict heavy damage on Six. When it seems there’s no hope left, Mars realizes his commands to fight are pointless, and he deactivates himself, leaving the damaged Six as the default winner.
Later, Tenma and Umataro get busy creating their next AI program for what will eventually be Seven, leaving Six in a broken state. Tenma, however, decides to use the tournament prize money to get replacement parts for Six and bring him back with a few upgrades.
When Six is back up to speed, the inventors and their friends decide to take a trip based on intel regarding the mysterious Dr. Lolo’s lab location. We conclude the issue with a mysterious island, a rival inventor, and Six’s newfound feelings.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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ATOM: THE BEGINNING (VOL. 2) is the robot action/adventure with a heart you need to have in your life right now. Six is the robot with a kind heart that serves as the perfect underdog to get the readers on his side, and the action-packed robot battles are awesome.
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