Read 'Steel Nation' and beginning 'Invasion'...

[CLA]

I felt a little dissapointed by Steel Nation. The story arc is a little short. I would have liked to learn more about the origin of the rougue 'bots.
I noticed that Shooter was not as poetic as he was in Alpha & Omega.

The art I didn't like. The artist does a good job with the skyscrapers and the look of the city, but the characters don't move like in Barry's stuff.

I read the first four chapters of Invasion and they're cool. It started out a little slow, but then it's great.

I have a question about Invasion:
Is Grandmother evil? She seems evil. She's a very possessive robot.

[depluto]

I can't remember what issue it was in there but there was one really cool panel where the robot is looking at a reflection of itself in a serving tray and you realize it's self-aware.

Creepy, and cool.

[whetteon]

I assume the comics and the trade paper backs are the same so my iopinions on the matter are

I felt a little dissapointed by Steel Nation. The story arc is a little short. I would have liked to learn more about the origin of the rougue 'bots.
I noticed that Shooter was not as poetic as he was in Alpha & Omega.

I thought the first 4 issues were fantastic. As for the rogue robots, it would of been nice for a little back story but I believe the intentions was for this story to take place after the "Gold Key" universe so all rogues would have been fleshed out in those past era comic book story(ies). (and in fact, a few are). But not as poetic as Solar Alpha & Omega. With Solar he created a whole new story, with Magnus he merely extended what was already there.

The art I didn't like. The artist does a good job with the skyscrapers and the look of the city, but the characters don't move like in Barry's stuff.

Agreed.

I have a question about Invasion:
Is Grandmother evil? She seems evil. She's a very possessive robot.

It was my belief that she was a good robot but due to her motheristic programming, very possessive like you mentioned. I could see both reasons to be against or for her. Made the internal struggles that much more compelling.

[Todd Luck]

I felt a little dissapointed by Steel Nation. The story arc is a little short. I would have liked to learn more about the origin of the rougue 'bots.
I noticed that Shooter was not as poetic as he was in Alpha & Omega.

The art I didn't like. The artist does a good job with the skyscrapers and the look of the city, but the characters don't move like in Barry's stuff.

I read the first four chapters of Invasion and they're cool. It started out a little slow, but then it's great.

I have a question about Invasion:
Is Grandmother evil? She seems evil. She's a very possessive robot.

I would hold the art and story on Steel Nation on equal level with A & O but that's just my humble opinion. Shooter did consider them very different ventures when talking about them. Magnus was a big epic story with tons of characters while Solar is told from the view point of one powerful, yet human guy (making it more "down to Earth"), Shooter compared it to the difference between him writing Avengers and Daredevil.

No, Grandmother isn't evil by any normal person's definition, but she did take over Japan with a bit of a popular coup which *SQUEE* off the people who were in power (and their descendants). But she did have the support of her people which, in Magnus's view, made her the "good guy".

[Daniel Jackson]

I felt a little dissapointed by Steel Nation. The story arc is a little short. I would have liked to learn more about the origin of the rougue 'bots.
I noticed that Shooter was not as poetic as he was in Alpha & Omega

I thought the story was great but I agree that they could have done more with it. As far as I'm concerned they could have left Magnus and Rai in those early storylines for quite a while and it would have been okay with me.

[myron]

absolutely...there could have been tons of "tweener" issues...

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

I thought Invasion was absolutely flawless, and introduced the first original Valiant character (Rai, natch) seamlessly and without effort. It was completely natural to me, and definitely one of my favorite story arcs.

In fact....if Magnus #5-8 and Rai #1-8 are considered as one story, Rai is definitely one of the most cohesive and thought provoking concepts of the whole universe.

...if only it stopped at #8.

Sigh.

[dave]

invasion is my favorite story arc ever-and steel nation might be second. i like them both far more than solar...
of course whenever i'm actually reading a & o i like it alot!

i wish they had continued the "nasty political side of life" parts of the stories (and left out the nasty political side of valiant itself for that matter...)

even though we as americans tend to undervalue politics-they do influence us far more than we realize.