Published on March 8th, 2019 | by Kevin Given
0Review: Six Million Dollar Man #1
Steve Austin is back! As a kid growing up The Six Million Dollar Man was one of my favorite TV shows and I never missed an episode. I even read the old Charlton Comics versions, weak as they were. Thank God for Dynamite bringing back some of our old favorites. This issue seems to be Steve’s first mission since gaining his cybernetic parts. At one point he’s asked How many successful operations he’s had to which he replies, “This will be the first one.”
The Creative Team:
Christopher Hastings is introducing, or should I say re-introducing Steve Austin to us in a totally different way. He’s been teamed with a beautiful female Japanese agent named Niko, in fact, this issue is told from her point of view. Colonel Austin’s pretty much the same as he’s always been, except, maybe a little more jovial than we remember. The highlight of this issue is the banter between Steve and Niko as he tries to convince her that she doesn’t need a whole squad of commandos, only him, thanks to bionic engineering She greets this information with a little more than a dose of skepticism. Her reaction to his explanations is what keeps us turning those pages. Steve’s mission is to investigate her assertion that the Ansa organization is up to no good, since there’s no evidence to support said claim and this organization is held in high regards by America. Her claims are treated with kid gloves. Great stuff includes Nico slowly realizing that Steve is more capable than an entire team of Commandos as he originally claimed and the fact that this issue is told from her point of view. It brings a chuckle when we see her frustration in wondering how he could have gone from point a to point b in lightning speed and it’s fun to see her skepticism grow to acceptance. Hastings is brilliant for bringing the tale to us in this way.
David Hahn’s art is slightly cartoony and it more than fits the narrative. He’s having as much fun drawing this issue as Hastings had in writing it. Steve does resemble Lee Majors, but it isn’t necessarily a spot-on representation of the actor. It’s almost as if it’s an adaptation of the animated series, if there had ever been one. In fact, maybe we could get one nowadays, with this tale as the pilot. That would be fun! Since Lee Majors is still around but probably too advanced in years (I don’t want to call one of my childhood icons old, lol) to do the physical stuff. However, he could still voice an animated series or movie, like Adam West did before he passed on. Hmmm, maybe that’s what this creative team is going for? Anyway, enough daydreaming Let’s just say. Excellent job all around.
In Conclusion:
Dynamite is continuing its excellent tradition of bringing us iconic franchises and keeping decades old productions seeming fresh and new. Steve and Nico are a great dynamic duo and I hope this team continues giving us great stories. This issue concludes in dramatic fashion with Steve’s bionics being compromised and the suspense keeps us guessing as our heroes face an even bigger threat than they could have imagined. To be continued. **** (9.2 rating)
Six Million Dollar Man # 1
Writer – Christopher Hastings
Art – David Hahn
Colors – Roshan Kurichiyanil
Letters – Ariana Maher, Zack Davisson
Publisher – Dynamite