Robo-Hunter: Verdus
by John Wagner, Ian Gibson, and Jose-Luis Ferrer
DC Comics, 2004
The 'Verdus' storyline of 'Robo-Hunter' initially appeared in 2000 AD from prog 76 (August 5, 1978) to Prog 112 (May 12, 1979) with scripting by John Wagner and illustrations by Ian Gibson (with the initial issues handled by Jose-Luis Ferrer).
This 136 - page compilation of the complete 'Verdus' comics was issued by DC in 2004, part of a rather short-lived partnership with the UK's Rebellion publishing house to issue reprints of selected 2000 AD titles for the American comics market.
'Robo-Hunter: Verdus' has the dimensions (7 1/ 2 x 10 1/4 inches) of the American graphic novel, which means it was reduced from the UK format (9 inches wide x 11 inches).
As framed by writer John Wagner, the late 70s incarnation of Robo-Hunter has a determinedly comic attitude, one I have commented upon in past postings. This probably was a sensible course of action for Wagner, as at the time, a darker, more violent treatment of the character likely would have been difficult to compete with fellow 2000 AD property Judge Dredd.
The 'Verdus' storyline sees our hero, Sam Slade, aka Robo-Hunter, sent off on an interstellar voyage to investigate the fate of the eponymous colony world. The absence of any communications from the first batch of colonists to arrive at Verdus has raised fears that something has gone wrong.......perhaps involving the plentiful robots who have been responsible for preparing the world for its human inhabitants.
En route to Verdus, the spacecraft transporting Sam encounters a 'light barrier' that has the effect of reducing one's age by several decades. This is a boon to Sam......but a bane to the ship's pilot, Jim Kidd, who is converted into a foul-mouthed toddler.....
Without disclosing any spoilers, I'll reveal that Sam Slade and Jim Kidd make it to Verdus and discover that things have indeed gone very, very wrong. Correcting the situation will require the utmost effort from Sam Slade and his robot allies...........
Writer John Wagenr's scripting for Robo-Hunter is competent, if not particularly imaginative (but then, one must keep in mind that in the late 1970s Wagner was juggling multiple storylines for 2000 AD and didn't have the luxury of crafting the the intricate narratives that were commonplace in American comics of the same era).
Ian Gibson's artwork for Robo-Hunter: Verdus has a looser style, enhanced by the occasional use of more elaborate shading and cross-hatching techniques (some Zip-A-Tone also makes an appearance here and there). Gibson shows an ability to bring a necessary amount of detail to panels and splash pages designed to be reproduced on newsprint paper, while at the same time giving Robo-Hunter the distinctive visual 'look' that was needed to make it stand out in the crowded pages of 2000 AD.
When all is said and done, 'Verdus' is a serviceable, but not memorable, entry from the early days of the 2000 AD franchise. Given that reprints of the series from UK publishers (like Rebellion's 'Droid Files') are long out of print and have high asking prices, this US / DC compilation is probably the most affordable way to acquire the complete first appearance of the character.
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