Reality hangs in the balance, and the only hope is Max Wildling and… Max Wildling? Your Major Spoilers review of X-Ray Robot #3 from Dark Horse Comics awaits!
X-RAY ROBOT #3
Writer: Michael Allred
Artist: Michael Allred
Colorist: Laura Allred
Letterer: Nate Piekos of Blambot
Editor: Daniel Chabon
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 28, 2020
Previously in X-Ray Robot: Max Wilding, super scientist, travels through another dimension before the Ultimate Nihilist can put an end to both Max and reality itself, while his coworkers are thrown into strange timelines that threaten their safety and sanity-and Max discovers the true identity of the ultimate villain.
INTO THE MULTIVERSE
After last issue’s maddening reveal that Max Wildling’s future self is somehow merged with the X-Ray Robot, Max and his friends Akira and Marnie spread out across the multiverse, each in a different alternate reality. Max finds himself on a strange Garbage Island, facing The Nihilist head-to-head. Akira ends up in the future where genetic engineering has eliminated strife by eliminating pretty much all uniqueness, including racial identity. As for Marnie, she winds up in a reality where she is in a relationship with the local version of Max, only to witness a horrific series of murders. With the help of both X-Ray Robots, the native Max manages to escape to his future self’s space-ship… a ship designed to create a new reality by setting off a new Big Bang.
ALTERNATE REALITIES ON PARADE
The thing about this series so far is that the story may not always be clear, but the visuals and the dialogue are so engaging that you kind of don’t mind. Allred’s wild creativity makes for a stream-of-consciousness adventure where everything is frenetic and entertaining, even if I don’t know what’s going on quite yet. I especially appreciate the little touches, like Garbage Island containing boxes full of his ‘Madman’ comics and the subtle differences between alternate versions of the same character. With next issue wrapping up the series, I expect that we may see everything blown up before we’re done, and given the terrible realities on display here, I’m really sort of fine with it.
BOTTOM LINE: A WINNER
In short, X-Ray Robot #3 makes for a wild high-speed chase scene through alternate realities, with Allred’s art on full display on every page (including a couple of 3-D images that are just stunning) and even the fact that I’m still not sure what The Nihilist is up to can damage my enjoyment, earning a well-deserved 4 out of 5 stars overall. If you’re looking for something colorful, joyous and distracting from your everyday life, you could do much worse than this comic book.
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X-RAY ROBOT #3
I don't know where it's going, but the trip is a heck of a lot of fun, and the visuals are just lovely.
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Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.