Review by Jamie McNeil
The events of all the previous books have taken their toll on the Mega Robo Bros Alex and Freddy, so mum Nita decides they should have a quiet holiday by the sea. What they don’t realise is that old enemies are hiding there in a vintage robot circus. Later, Alex and Freddy are invited to participate in a gladiator-style TV show. Their boss thinks it will be a good way to build robot-human relationships amid growing tensions, but hasn’t considered good old-fashioned human greed. Its power to make humans do dastardly things for a few greens turns the situation deadly for the brothers.
That all sets the scene for an impending showdown as the Revolution 23 malware infection introduced in earlier books spreads to more robots. To exacerbate matters, an old enemy returns to reveal the robot settlement of Steelhaven to the world, the pro-human group Humanity First stirs up troubles, and the shadowy figure pulling the strings finally reveals themself.
Where Carnival Crisis was light on action Nemesis more than makes up for it. Big bangs and super punch-ups are to be expected from creator Neill Cameron at this stage and he doesn’t disappoint, his essentialist style allowing the action to explode on the page. His style also benefits the depiction of the boy’s other powers, and he keeps that skilful balance of engaging drama and silly humour. This is some of his best art yet, his years of experience and practice paying off with a focused congruence to the storyline missing since Meltdown rejuvenates the series.
As the series’ intended end nears (sob*) there is some understandable predictability to the plot, courtesy of the well-explored sci-fi genre, but the humour and relatability of the cast is what makes Mega Robo Bros so successful. Alex struggles with the responsibilities of being the older brother and the consequences of the decisions he has had to make in the field. Meanwhile, Freddy is quietly seething about how people can be such big jerks and wonders why he can’t do something about it. He doesn’t get that the problem with being a powerful sentient robot is that there are dire consequences when you lose your cool. Cameron plays this out in an intelligent and engaging plot with the tension palpable.
The art and storytelling on Nemesis make it engrossing and engaging with a fun mixture of humour, drama, suspense, and action. The dramatic cliffhanger ending is all leading to the conclusion of Mega Robo Bros in Final Form.
