At the moment, Atomic Robo is one of my guilty pleasure books. The Internet's constant mentioning of Nicola Tesla has kind of ruined the once-under-appreciated scientist for me otherwise, but for some reason I just can't stay away from this series.

What I liked:

• As usual, Brian Clevinger's writing and dialog is spot-on, and he manages to convey a sense of personality in all the characters he writes. Of course, all writers want to do this, but when you have a "main" character inserted amongst a crew of others, it's hard for that supporting cast to establish themselves. Clevinger manages to give them enough of a personality that you can tell who's who, even if they have flight goggles and jet trails obscuring their features.
• Despite Robo having warmed up to most of the She-Devil crew, I like that his arrival didn't signal the end of their competence. Even without the robot's help, they're capable, deadly and smart - just what you want out of supporting characters. It may be really tempting to take the "all female" part of their character and turn it into something negative, but to be honest it hasn't exactly come up beyond their initial introduction. I like that because it doesn't treat the reader like some ignoramus that can't fathom women holding their own in a firefight.

What I didn't:

• The format of this story isn't exactly suited to a monthly reading schedule, as Robo's adventure with the She-Devils is still happening over the span of a few days. Getting back into what's happening, and why it's happening can be a little difficult, and if we step back and look at the plot of this issue, not much happens there, either.

Atomic Robo: The Flying She-Devils of the Pacific #3 (of 5)
Red 5 Comics
$3.50

The Verdict: Still a really solid book where it counts: interesting characters and a plot that's finally getting going. However, you may want to wait for the trade paperback of this volume, or at least until you can buy it all at once - it may hold your interest a little better that way.