Robot Archie And The World Of The Future by E. George Cowan and Ernest Kearon (graphic novel review).
The second volume of ‘Robot Archie And The World Of The Future’ by writer E. George Cowan and artist Ernest Kearon, although the indicia points out that David Harwood also contributed to the Lion Special used here.
Robot Archie possesses a certain amount of charm and ego, which makes one wonder how he tolerates being called ‘Tin-Ribs’, ‘Tin-Bone’, or ‘Steel-Bone’ by his teenage travelling companions, Ted Richie and Ken Dale, while they travel through time in the castle that resembles a chess rook, as described in the book title from 1969. Of course, getting them back to their time has its problems, as this time (sic), they are in the future. Here, it is populated by small robots and small humans, and what starts as a serene world suddenly faces an invasion by the alien Krull. Archie must rally the small humans and robots to lead the fight.
In the second story, ‘Robot Archie And The Island of 1,000 Secrets’, the characters initially believe they are back in the present, albeit in Africa, until they realise that these beings are actually robots. They are plunged into another war and discover the Krull is behind it as they are establishing a beachhead on Earth. Now, there lies a problem. Is this sequence taking place before or after the first story? Back in 1969, I doubt that the creators were concerned about future reviewers questioning such matters. I suspect that after the first couple of issues, the readers back then did not worry about such things either. I have to confess that during that time, aside from the titles I was purchasing, I read many of these comics at the local barbershop while waiting for a short back and sides haircut. If anything, it made going to the barbers tolerable, but you didn’t always have complete stories to read through.
The third story, ‘Robot Archie In No-Man’s Land’, has the three of them arrive in World War One. Archie immediately goes into action, leaving Ted and Ken to their own devices. Although they reach the British line, they are considered spies when Ken’s electronic device, thought to be a covert radio to call Archie, is found, and they face a firing squad.
Fortunately, Archie saves them by pressing the button. The adventures that followed saw them in the air, sea, and land, usually pursued by the Germans, who see Archie as a unique weapon. The car drawings seem accurate, so it must have been a labour of love for Ernest Kearon and an infectious read. Archie doesn’t use his sword in any of these three adventures.
‘The Steel Giant’ comes from the 1971 ‘Lion Annual’; the three of them appear in Roman times and are mistaken for assassins of the emperor. When they realise what’s going on, Archie has to get them out of it and save the Emperor.
The 1980 ‘Lion Holiday Special’ had ‘Robot Archie Versus The Spider’, as drawn by David Harwood, which is quite a jump. Archie is no longer time-travelling and has no companions. Instead, the police call him in to investigate a mysterious globe. Out pops the Spider. Even from that far back, I knew he wasn’t being depicted as a villain in his stories. His purpose here is obviously a spoiler, but it also shows cross-strip appearances could happen in the UK.
I should point out that British comics have had many leading robot characters over the years. I would love to see ‘The Iron Man’ (not the American version, but this one from ‘Lion’, 1963–1969) get a reprint one day, as he is one of the few characters disguised as humans; similarly, I hope the Steel Commando from the Lion Special also receives a reprint.
The ‘Lion’ comic had a lot of science fiction stories for teens in its history and not enough detail on Net sources. I have a vague memory of following a story in it for a while with aliens masquerading as humans hunting one of their own that really deserves a reprint. The success of reprinting ‘Robot Archie’ should pave the way for reprints of other material it published.
GF Willmetts
October 2025
(pub: Rebellion, 2025. 145 page black and white graphic novel softcover. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-83788-554-3).
check out website: www.rebellion.co.uk
