4 out of 5

Robo, Neozoic (another FCBD staple for Red 5), Box 13.

The Robo tale is actually the most inconsequential out of the bunch here, with AR’s team of scientists misguided attempts to ‘protect’ some giant birds going a bit wrong when the giant birds turn out to A. want Robo as a final piece in their nestt and B. be punch-proof.  I’m not a big fan of Clevinger’s stories when they end in the midst of relative danger with some jokes from our principles (and a glance at the expansive Robo timeline) letting us know things will end okay… I’d just prefer to see it actually illustrated.  But whatevs, it’s a fun few pages, really selling the duo’s comedic timing to perfection, with not a word or pencil mark missing a beat.  And the birds are of the Dr. Dinosaur dumb-smart look which is always worth a chuckle.

The Neozoic bit is as interesting as any other Neozoic bit, meaning if you’re not into fantasy and dinosaurs now you won’t be after reading it, but if you are, it’s an excitingly, warmly drawn glimpse of the well-established Neo world where dinos still exist, giving us a pretty perfectly divided slice of characterization, action, and story.

Box 13 might be about shadowy government projects and mind control – it’s hard to say from the pages here – but that ‘might be’ is definitely interesting enough to make a new reader wonder what the full series has to offer.  The moody, angled art is fun, and hints at some good twists hiding in the noir-shaded shadows of the story.

…Making this the first Red 5 FCBD where the Robo tale might actually be the least satisfying out of the three included stories.  But overall, another fully-packed issue from the publisher, and totally awesome if you managed to actually nab it for free.