Connect with us
The Six Million Dollar Man #4 Review

Comic Books

The Six Million Dollar Man #4 Review

“That’s a very sturdy robot man.”

An unexpected betrayal has left Steve Austin alone against possibly his greatest nemesis: a body of water!

I’ll be honest, I haven’t laughed this hard at the opening of a comic book in a long time, and so much of what works about it is that there’s no actual dialogue over it, not even narration. It also takes into consideration something the original show never would have: that Steve Austin would likely have a hell of a time trying to swim with a body full of machinery and metal.

Listen to the latest episode of our weekly comics podcast!

David Hahn’s artwork brilliantly sells each new predicament for our heroes, perfectly complementing Christopher Hastings’ breakneck scripting. Steve’s facial expressions as he finds himself stuck at the bottom of the ocean range from defeated to annoyed and back to a kind of amused self-confidence. In the scene where Niko rides on Steve’s back while he sprints across the airfield, the fear on Niko’s face mixes perfectly with Steve’s blind determination. There’s a kind of looseness to them in the thick of battle, as both of them roll with each new wrinkle in their plans.

The Six Million Dollar Man #4 Review
Dynamite Entertainment

Beyond the humorous opening, we immediately get so much more of a glimpse into agent Niko Abe’s character than we have so far. We get that she takes her job seriously and tries not to open up, but the mission has finally become personal. It’s nice to see Niko getting a little more to mull over, rather than simply being the straight man for Steve’s wacky cyborg antics.

Speaking of cyborg antics, Steve is still malfunctioning. This wrinkle makes not only for some fun slapstick moments, but also for a bit of tension. It’s unclear how much control Steve has back over his many functions. He’s like a swiss army knife on shuffle. Not only is there a chance he won’t be able to do what he needs to do, but there’s a chance he could make things worse for his and Niko’s mission with one little slip-up.

Speaking of the mission, there’s a twist in everyone’s plans that comes in this issue that I won’t spoil here. What I will say is that there is a part of me that felt, while reading this, that this may have over-complicated the story just a tad. However, it also allows the story to play with Cold War-era biases in interesting ways, which makes for some new and exciting character moments that I wasn’t expecting.

This series continues to do everything you’d want a licensed book to do: it takes the concept of the original property and cranks everything up to a beautifully ludicrous degree. The stunts are bigger than television and the action is larger than life.

So, yes, while the action took a backseat in this one and it does feel like perhaps the plot has involved maybe one double-cross too many, it’s still a really fun read. In particular, if the last page doesn’t make you laugh, then we may never understand each other. I’m excited to see how Steve pulls himself out of this one in next month’s finale!

The Six Million Dollar Man #4 Review
The Six Million Dollar Man #4
Is it good?
This issue gives a few more layers to the motivations and moral dilemmas of our characters and the final hilarious page sets the stage for one heck of a final issue!
The action is both exciting and occasionally hilarious
Plays off of Cold War paranoia in interesting ways, both dramatically and comedically
The latest twist may feel like one double-cross too many
9
Great

Join the AIPT Patreon

Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:

  • ❌ Remove all ads on the website
  • 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
  • 📗 Access to our monthly book club
  • 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
  • 💥 And more!
Sign up today
Comments

In Case You Missed It

Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in 'Blood Hunt' Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in 'Blood Hunt'

Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in ‘Blood Hunt’

Comic Books

X-Men Monday #241 - Steve Foxe Talks 'X-Men '97,' 'Dead X-Men,' and 'X-Men: Blood Hunt - Psylocke' X-Men Monday #241 - Steve Foxe Talks 'X-Men '97,' 'Dead X-Men,' and 'X-Men: Blood Hunt - Psylocke'

X-Men Monday #241 – Steve Foxe Talks ‘X-Men ’97,’ ‘Dead X-Men,’ and ‘X-Men: Blood Hunt – Psylocke’

Comic Books

Films to check out at SXSW Films to check out at SXSW

Films to check out at SXSW

Movies

'X-Men' #35 (LGY #700) is the final farewell to the Krakoan Age 'X-Men' #35 (LGY #700) is the final farewell to the Krakoan Age

‘X-Men’ #35 (LGY #700) is the final farewell to the Krakoan Age

Comic Books

Connect
Newsletter Signup