Magnus, Robot Fighter
Magnus, Robot Fighter is a fictional character created by writer/artist Russ Manning in 1963, based primarily on Tarzan. Magnus first appeared in Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #1, published by Gold Key Comics in February 1963. The character was subsequently published by Valiant Comics and Acclaim Comics in the 1990s. In every incarnation, Magnus was a human who battled rogue robots in the year 4000. While the concept remained the same throughout the years, the way it was approached changed depending on the publisher.
Description
By the year 4000, humanity has become dependent on robots. As a result, they are oblivious to the rise of Freewills, robots that have achieved a state of self-awareness, and seek to overthrow their human masters.
Magnus was raised by a robot known as 1A, a name which implies that he was the very first robot of his type ever manufactured. 1A seemed to be self-aware and possess emotions. A firm believer in the Three Laws of Robotics, 1A recognized the threat Freewills represented. Therefore, 1A trained Magnus as a warrior to protect humans against Freewills. Magnus grew up to be a skilled martial artist who could break steel with his bare hands. In addition, 1A equipped his charge with a device that would allow him to "hear" robot-to-robot radio communications.
Magnus' girlfriend was named Leeja. Robots that served as police were called "polrobs" (as in police robots); they were painted black and white like city police cars. All robots had serial numbers painted on their chest and backs. A polrobs' number would begin with a P to designate it as a polrob. Other robots, such as taxi drivers, would be nothing more than a torso with arms and head attached to a flying saucer automobile; it would be painted the same color as the flying saucer it was attached to.
Setting
Both the Gold Key and Valiant versions take place in North Am, a gigantic megalopolis that encompassed the entire North American continent. The city consists of several "levels." The higher levels are populated by wealthier individuals, often regarded as "soft" and complacent. The lowest level, the Goph Level, is populated by a hardier and less educated class known as "gophs."
By AD 4000, the nation of Japan is home to 50 billion people. The major islands of Japan are covered by a single, contiguous structure known as the Host. Grandmother, a Freewill electronic network, controls virtually every facet of daily life.
Aside from North Am, Earth also features a city on the continent on Antarctica named Antarcto. The city consists of several transparent domes, inside each of which the climate is carefully controlled. Construction of these habitats was fiercely opposed, for fear of ecological damage to the fragile Antarctic system.
Characters
The following characters play major roles in the series:
- 1A, the Freewill robot mentor of Magnus and lover of Grandmother (whom he calls "Kimi"). His name suggests that he was the first positronic robot created.
- Claiburne, President of North Am
- Leeja Clane, Magnus's girlfriend and future wife
- Victor Zeramiah Clane, North Am Senator and future President, father of Leeja
- Grandmother, Freewill computer brain of Japan and lover of 1A
- H8, robot police chief, destroyed by the collective mental power of humans he had enslaved.
- Magnus, Robot Fighter
- Torque Magnus, son of Magnus and Leeja Clane
- Mekman, a psychopathic human genius who wants to be a robot.
- Mimsey, General of North Am's military
- Rai (Tohru Nakadai), defender of Japan
- Slagger (Tark Mulko), a goph warrior
- T-1, a renegade "think-rob" destroyed by Magnus
- Talpa ("Mole" in Latin), a renegade robot who seeks to enslave the human race.
- Tekla, "female" robot (formerly a serv-rob named W-23), leader of robot nation of Synchron
- York Timbuc, a major, later a colonel, in North Am's military
- Xyrkol, brilliant but psychopathic human scientist who seeks to rule North Am
Gold Key
Original series
The original series, titled Magnus, Robot Fighter, 4000 AD, premiered in 1963. It was written and drawn by Russ Manning. For the duration of the title's original run, Magnus battled Freewills, aliens, space pirates and other threats. He fell in love with Leeja Clane, the daughter of one of North Am's senators. Leeja possessed limited telepathic abilities. The series was popular in the 1960s. As the '70s approached, sales began to decline. The last issue (#46) was published in January 1977. However, Manning only completed about 21 issues; the rest were reprints of previous issues or new stories by others.
The original concept is a deliberate inversion or update of the Tarzan mythos, the syndicated comic strip of which Russ Manning had previously illustrated. Where Tarzan was a human raised as a noble savage feral child by African great apes who brought his naturalistic worldview and opposition to runaway commercial industry to bear against a decadent and rapacious human civilization consumed by its own sense of manifest destiny, Magnus was a human raised as an ethical scientist raised by an Antarctican artificial intelligence who brought his individualistic worldview and opposition to runaway technological conformity to bear against an even more decadent and complacent human civilization doomed by its own hedonistic self-absorption. In both cases, the hero is a throwback to a hardier and more naturalistic time, presumed to be purer and closer to his better nature than the rest of humanity, who seeks to share his spirituality and belief in the natural world with a world blinded by crass materialism and now endangered by its own material success.
Backup series
In the early '80s, a new Magnus backup series ran in the new Doctor Solar title in issues #28–31.
Valiant
In 1991, Jim Shooter obtained rights to three Gold Key characters: Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom, Turok, Son of Stone, and Magnus, Robot Fighter. He intended to use those characters to launch his new comic book line, Valiant Comics. Several months later, the company launched Magnus, Robot Fighter.
The series began where the original one left off. The artists took great care to replicate the setting and trappings of the original stories. But as the new series progressed, it began to deviate from the original concept. A chain of events forced Magnus to reconsider his view on Freewills. While some of them were malevolent, others merely wanted to be free. With Magnus' help, a colony of benevolent Freewills was established called the "Steel Nation." At the same time, Magnus became disgusted with North Am's elite. He journeyed to the lower levels of North Am and befriended a group of social outcasts known as Gophs.
As the series progressed, it was used to introduce other heroes to the Valiant Universe. In issue #5, a Japanese hero known as Rai began appearing in Magnus' title, and would eventually move on into his own series. In the sixth issue, the future version of Solar made his debut. The issue also introduced the spider aliens, who became a recurring threat throughout the Valiant Universe. In the 12th issue, modern readers were reintroduced to Turok, Son of Stone.
Unity
During the Unity crossover, it was revealed that Magnus was actually born during the Unity conflict. He was a child of a harbinger named Torque and a woman named Kris Hathaway. Geomancer Geoff McHenry sensed that someone like Magnus was needed in the future, so Solar transported the baby Magnus to the future, where he was picked up by the Solar from that time period and delivered to 1A. It was also revealed that Magnus' strength wasn't solely due to his martial arts training: rather, it was a harbinger ability inherited from his father.
The Malev War
Shortly after the Unity crossover, the future Earth was invaded by Malevs, a group of alien robots that was introduced in the original series. This invasion forced all of the future heroes to band together. Their adventures were showcased in a spin-off title, Rai and the Future Force.
After the Malev War ended, all future titles jumped twenty years forward. Magnus became the leader of North Am. He married Leeja (his love interest since the original series) and had a son, whom he named Torque. Magnus spent the rest of the series battling various threats. During the Chaos Effect crossover, he was transported to the 20th century, but he eventually returned to the future.
Series Creative Staff Information: The following is a list of those who contributed to the creation of the book. When repeated, only last names will be used.
0(note: This issue was released after the series was launched): Jim Shooter, writer/Paris Cullins, pencils/Bob Layton, inks.
1-4: Shooter, writer/Art Nichols, pencils/Layton & Katherine Bollinger, inks/Nichols & Layton, cover.
5: Shooter, writer/Paul Creddick, pencils/Layton, inks/Nichols, front cover, Layton & David Lapham, back cover.
6: Shooter, writer/Lapham, pencils/Bollinger & John Holredge, inks/Creddick & Layton, covers.
7: Shooter & Laura Hitchcock, writers/Mark Moretti & Lapham, pencils/Bollinger & Holredge & Ernie Col-n, inks/Lapham & Layton, covers.
8: Hitchcok & Shooter, writers/Moretti & Lapham, pencils/Holredge & Bollinger & Maria Beccari & Tom Ryder, inks/Lapham & Layton, covers.
9: Hitchcock & Shooter, writers/Col-n, pencils/Bollinger & Ted Halstead, inks/Moretti & Layton, cover.
10: Shooter & Fred Pierce, writers/Moretti, pencils/Ryder & Halstead, inks/??? & Kevin Knowlan, cover.
11: David Michelinie, writer/Moretti, pencils & cover/Charles Barnett III, inks.
12: Shooter & Faye Perozich, writers/Moretti & Gonzalo Mayo, pencils/Mayo & Barnett III, inks/Mayo, cover.
13-14: Shooter & Perozich, writers/Col-n, art & cover.
15: Shooter, story/Roger Stern, script/Col-n, art/Frank Miller, cover.
16: Shooter, story/Stern, script/Col-n, art/Walter Simonson, cover.
17: Stern, writer(story by Shooter)/James Brock, pencils/Bollinger, inks/Joe St. Pierre & Ralph Reese, cover.
18-19: Michelinie, writer/Steve Ditko, pencils/Reese, inks/Ditko & Reese, cover.
20: Pierce, script/Shooter, story/Col-n, art/Peter Grau & Bollinger, cover.
21-23: John Ostrander, writer/Brock, pencils/Reese, inks/Brock & Reese, cover.
24: Ostrander, writer/Brock & Grau, pencils/Jimmy Palmiotti, inks/Brock & Reese, cover.
25: Ostrander, writer/Brock, pencils/Reese, inks/Layton, cover.
26: Ostrander, writer/Jim Calafiore, pencils/Reese, inks/Andrew Wendel & Reese, cover.
27-28: Ostrander, writer/Calafiore, pencils/Reese, inks/Calafiore & Reese, cover.
29-30: Ostrander, writer/Calafiore, pencils/Wendel, inks/Calafiore, cover.
31: Ostrander, writer/Calafiore, pencils/Mayo, inks/Clafiore & Mayo, cover.
32: Anthony J. Bedard, writer/Calafiore, pencils/Mayo, inks/Mayo & Calafiore, cover.
33: Calafiore, writer & pencils & cover/Mayo, inks.
34: Dave DeVries, writer/Calafiroe, pencils & cover/Mayo, inks.
35-40: Bedard, writer/Calafiore, pencils/Mayo, inks/Mayo & Calafiore, cover.
41: Bedard, writer/Calafiore, pencils/Mayo, inks/Calafiore & Layton, cover.
42-45: Bedard, writer/George Saravia, pencils/Mayo, inks/Saravia & Mayo, cover.
46: Bedard, writer/Saravia, pencils/Mayo, inks/Saravia, cover.
47-48: DeVries, writer/Robert Walker, pencils/Mayo, inks/Dave Ross, cover.
49-50: Bedard, writer/Saravia, pencils/Anibal Rodriguez, inks/Rick Leonardi & Mike Blair, cover.
51: Bedard, writer/Kevin Kobasic, pencils/Rodney Ramos & Phyllis Novin, inks/Ross, cover.
52: Bedard, writer/Kobasic, pencils/Rodriguez, inks/Ross, cover.
53: Bedard, writer/Kobasic, pencils/Charles Yoakum, inks/Ross, cover.
54: Bedard, writer/Kobasic, pencils/Rodriguez, inks/Ross, cover.
55-56: Keith Giffen, writer/Grey, pencils/Mike DeCarlo, inks/Ross & Dick Giordano, cover.
57: Giffen, writer/Claude St. Aubin, pencils/Ken Branch, inks/Ross & Rick Bryant, cover.
58: Giffen, writer/Kobasic, pencils/Bollinger, inks/Ross & Bryant, cover.
59: Giffen, writer/Kobasic, pencils/DeCarlo, inks/Matt Haley & Tom Simmons, cover.
60: Giffen, writer/Aubin & Grey, pencils/DeCarlo, inks/Ross, cover.
61: Giffen, writer/Aubin, pencils/DeCarlo, inks/Mike Manley, cover.
62: Giffen, writer/Kobasic, pencils/Raymond Kryssing & DeCarlo, inks/Jeff Johnson & Holredge, cover .
63: Giffen, writer/Aubin, pencils/DeCarlo, inks/Kevin Lau, cover.
64: Giffen, writer/Jackson Guice & Kobasic, pencils/Steve Montano & Guice, inks/Giffen & Kobasic, cover.
Graphic novels
- Steel Nation Collects # 1-4; written by Jim Shooter; art by Art Nichols & Bob Layton
- Invasion Collects # 5-8; written by Jim Shooter, Laura Hitchcock; art by Jim Shooter [as Paul Creddick], David Lapham, Mark Moretti, and Ernie Colon
Deathmate
Deathmate was a joint publication by both Valiant Comics and Image Comics. In this continuity, Magnus was given the name "Chris Torkelson" and was a child raised and trained by Battlestone, who was working for the Harbinger Foundation. In this series, Magnus's parents were both killed by Battlestone while trying to escape the Harbinger Foundation. Years later, Magnus would confront Battlestone about this, and fight him to more-or-less a standstill, while Geoff McHenry, the Geomancer of Earth, would lament that reality is literally coming to an end around them. The world ends as Magnus and Battlestone fight to the death.
Acclaim Comics
In 1995, Voyager Communications, the company that owned Valiant Comics, was bought by Acclaim Entertainment. At first, it continued publishing Valiant Comics titles, but sales began to plummet after the direct market crash and the comics division was shut down. Magnus, Robot Fighter was one of the last titles to be canceled.
In 1997, Acclaim Entertainment relaunched its comic book division. All Valiant Comics characters were altered and rebooted, including Magnus. This time, Magnus was re-imagined as an insane robot fighter who, in addition to originals strength and skills, had metallic blood that repaired his injuries. The series was much more comedic and self-parodying then any of the previous incarnations.
Two years later, Acclaim Comics closed, and Magnus' title was one of the first to go, along with most of the line.
Unity 2000
In 1999, Acclaim Entertainment made a final attempt to revive its comic book line, and Jim Shooter was invited to write a Unity 2000 crossover. Due to financial troubles within the company, only three issues of six were published. The Valiant version of Magnus played an important role in the crossover, while the Acclaim version was a background player.
Later status
In 2002, the rights to Magnus, Robot Fighter reverted to Random House, which, at that point, acquired Western Publishing's assets. It made a contract with Dark Horse Comics to reprint the original series.
Dark Horse Archive series:
- Magnus, Robot Fighter, v1 ISBN 1-59307-269-4 (reprints Magnus #1-7)
- Magnus, Robot Fighter, v2 ISBN 1-59307-290-2 (reprints Magnus #8-14)
- Magnus, Robot Fighter, v3 ISBN 1-59307-339-9 (reprints Magnus #15-21)
In 2006, ibooks Inc published a graphic novel (of more like novelette length) reintroducing the characters, with new extraterrestrial robotic foes. It is not currently known whether they will continue with further issues, in light of their recent bankruptcy.
References
- Magnus, Robot Fighter: Steel Nation (Voyager Communications, 1994).
- Magnus, Robot Fighter: Invasion (Voyager Communications, 1994).
- Unity Saga (Voyager Communications, 1994).