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Atomic Robo: Real Science Adventures #4
Atomic Robo Presents Real Science Adventures: The Flying She-Devils in Raid on Marauder Island
Atomic Robo gets up to all kinds of sci-fi shenanigans in his travels. Along the way he meets a variety of side characters that have their own lives with their own rich histories and crazy exploits. Here are those tales.
A group of Women Airforce Service Pilots banded together after World War II and became the daring "Flying She-Devils." Since then, food and fuel are in short supply, but the She-Devils have a plan: take it from Mad Jack the Pirate King. What could go wrong? Well, everything!
Also featuring Britain's top spy, The Sparrow, on a mission to save the Allies from the German Wonder Weapon Project, MILLIPEDE!
A group of Women Airforce Service Pilots banded together after World War II and became the daring "Flying She-Devils." Since then, food and fuel are in short supply, but the She-Devils have a plan: take it from Mad Jack the Pirate King. What could go wrong? Well, everything!
Also featuring Britain's top spy, The Sparrow, on a mission to save the Allies from the German Wonder Weapon Project, MILLIPEDE!
156 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 2018
20 people want to read
About the author
Brian Clevinger
226 books94 followersBrian Clevinger is best known as the author of the most popular sprite webcomic, and one of the most popular webcomics overall, 8-Bit Theater. He is also the author of the self-published novel Nuklear Age. Clevinger has recently received attention for his Eisner-nominated print comic Atomic Robo.
Claiming that his "favorite comics are the ones where the jokes are on the reader," Clevinger is an expert in using anti-climax, interface alterations, and the occasional false ending to play with the reader's expectations. It is a testament to both his sense of humor and his writing skills that these "jokes on the reader" are usually beloved by his fanbase.
Claiming that his "favorite comics are the ones where the jokes are on the reader," Clevinger is an expert in using anti-climax, interface alterations, and the occasional false ending to play with the reader's expectations. It is a testament to both his sense of humor and his writing skills that these "jokes on the reader" are usually beloved by his fanbase.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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April 30, 2020The art in the first story is terrible. Clevinger’s dialogue, too, is uncharacteristically bland. I really liked the She-Devils arc from the main series, but this one is pretty much totally forgettable. The second story, about British secret agent Sparrow, is slightly better, but it’s brought down by oddly-proportioned art. If this is indicative of the quality of Real Science Adventures books, I won’t bother with more.
July 6, 2018
I highly doubt any of these flying she-devils are grounded in reality - maybe the "Real Science Adventures" title shouldn't be appended to this volume. With that quibble out of the way, though, this arc is much more enjoyable than the Atomic Robo Presents arcs involving "real scientists."
The she-devils need fuel for their pirate fleet and the only way to get it is to attack the more villainous, male pirates. Simple plot? Yes, but it works. Adventure ensues, largely focusing on aerial battles and desperate decisions made regarding fuel. Like the other Atomic Robo Presents arcs, the characters are largely one-note, but at least the same artist worked on every issue, so there's no distracting change in style every 25 pages. I'd read the further adventures of the flying she-devils - provided we get to know them a little bit.
(As an aside: I get the feeling the she-devils were introduced in a different Atomic Robo volume that I've forgotten. If that's the case, a little re-introduction would have been nice.)
The she-devils need fuel for their pirate fleet and the only way to get it is to attack the more villainous, male pirates. Simple plot? Yes, but it works. Adventure ensues, largely focusing on aerial battles and desperate decisions made regarding fuel. Like the other Atomic Robo Presents arcs, the characters are largely one-note, but at least the same artist worked on every issue, so there's no distracting change in style every 25 pages. I'd read the further adventures of the flying she-devils - provided we get to know them a little bit.
(As an aside: I get the feeling the she-devils were introduced in a different Atomic Robo volume that I've forgotten. If that's the case, a little re-introduction would have been nice.)
June 24, 2018
Real Science Adventures features stories about characters seen in the pages of Atomic Robo, having their own adventures. This volume showcases the Flying She-Devils, a team of all-female pilots in the South Pacific in 1946. When we previously met them in the pages of Atomic Robo, we saw them towards the end of their careers. Here, we see their earlier post-war exploits. It's a fun tale of aviation adventure, with lots of aerial action and colorful characters. This book also includes a story featuring Sparrow, a female British spy assaulting a Nazi base during World War II. This volume really shows off how adept the creators of Atomic Robo (the series) are at developing strong female characters, and it's great to see them stand on their own in these stories. This is a fun volume for fans of Atomic Robo who want to see more of his world, or just for fans of period adventure featuring strong women, and just a few hints of the weird.
June 15, 2021
Yes! More She-Devils!
Even better, the early days of the She-Devils! We see them developing their jetpacks and becoming a force to be reckoned with in the South Pacific.
The action was tense. The script was tight. The art... was a bit rougher than I am used to, but not bad. By the end of the series, I was on board.
The second part was a story of The Sparrow. Ah, British Intelligence in WWII. So much fun! Great seeing her when she's not being saddled with our wisecracking protagonist.
Completely different art in this one. Easier to get into. So much fun!
And finally, some secret files from Majestic 12. Hmm, they knew a lot more than I would have given them credit for. Interesting!
All in all, some great stories, especially if you like pulp adventures from the 40s & 50s and strong, intelligent female characters with understandable motivations and who can kick butt.
Even better, the early days of the She-Devils! We see them developing their jetpacks and becoming a force to be reckoned with in the South Pacific.
The action was tense. The script was tight. The art... was a bit rougher than I am used to, but not bad. By the end of the series, I was on board.
The second part was a story of The Sparrow. Ah, British Intelligence in WWII. So much fun! Great seeing her when she's not being saddled with our wisecracking protagonist.
Completely different art in this one. Easier to get into. So much fun!
And finally, some secret files from Majestic 12. Hmm, they knew a lot more than I would have given them credit for. Interesting!
All in all, some great stories, especially if you like pulp adventures from the 40s & 50s and strong, intelligent female characters with understandable motivations and who can kick butt.
February 14, 2019
It's an Atomic Robo universe story, so it's going to be good. That it's also a tale of the Flying She Devils of the Pacific means it's going to be better than good. This is a pretty straightforward tale in the sense of "Go Here, Steal This, Get Away" but it works really well for that and sets up the She Devils for later adventures in the post WWII Pacific, which is a criminally underrated venue in current adventure fiction.
Plus, a fresh story of Sparrow supported by a light fun art style! it's all good.
Plus, a fresh story of Sparrow supported by a light fun art style! it's all good.
February 4, 2020
A further tale of the Flying She-Devils we met in the pages of Atomic Robo, as, after WW II, an entire culture of aeronauts, of various levels of piratical behavior, continue to criss-cross the air of the South Pacific. It's a ripping yarn of dubious provenance, full of strong women, nasty men, and solidarity. Lo Baker's art is sometimes almost too jagged to figure out what's going on, but it's still enjoyable.
There's also a backup tale of the Sparrow.
There's also a backup tale of the Sparrow.
January 4, 2020
It was a little confusing (part of that may have been because I hadn’t read the part where they show up in Atomic Robo yet), but I still liked reading about badass women going on survive or die missions against/as air pirates.
March 18, 2021
My only real complaint with this volume is that the art style in the She-Devils story made for really muddled storytelling during the aerial battle. Other than that, good characters, fun stories, the usual high standard we've come to expect from the Atomic Robo crew.
February 21, 2020
Atomic Robo fans, rejoice! Super fun return to the worlds of the Flying She-Devils and the Sparrow. Hopefully the first of many installments.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews