Review by Jamie McNeil

After the events of Robot Revenge, Alex and Freddy Sharma want some questions about the renegade robot known as Wolfram answered. Is he their big brother? Do they have other secret brothers? Why is he so evil? Does this mean that Freddy is allowed to be evil too? Frustratingly, the only response from the adults is to be patient and someone will tell them when the time is right. Well, Alex is done being patient.

Previously published as Mega Robo Revenge, creator Neill Cameron divides Meltdown into two, the first half focusing on Alex’s and Freddy’s mum Nita Sharma fresh out of university. With a new job as a consultant for an artificial intelligence manufacturer called The Foundry, she meets Doctor Leon Robertus, who the press insists on calling Roboticus, the leading light in AI development. It’s largely backstory describing how Nita met her husband, Michael, how Robertus ushered in a new era in robot development with an emergency response team called the Super Robo Six, and crucially what happened to Wolfram to turn him “evil”. When originally published in Mega Robo Revenge it was a nice gentle breather between giving a crucial backstory on the boys’ origins before heading into more action. That hasn’t changed, but may confuse readers who start with this book rather than with Robot Revenge, or at the very beginning.

The second half returns to the main storyline. Alex continues to struggle with school while Freddy continues his mission to be famous, oblivious to the fact that he already is. Nita herself ups her efforts to shield the boys from knowing too much about their past while the boys’ father Michael heads off to the North Pole to research an article on how science has solved the problem of global warming. Meanwhile, Wolfram follows his programming to arrive at a logical solution: if humans are the primary source of the earth’s problems, then the solution is no more humans.

Up to now, Cameron has kept the tone of the series light and humorous but Melt Down is far more serious, with a malevolent voice narrating over familial scenes to heighten the dread. Cameron always writes with the audience in mind, so Alex and Freddy are very relatable to kids, but equally so are the adults. It’s clever and funny, the humour ranging from slapstick and situational to little tributes to other science fiction sources.

Artistically you could describe Cameron as an essentialist illustrator, building up simple shapes and textures into the sumptuously detailed futuristic London landscapes, where cars can fly, and robots do all the menial jobs humans don’t want to. He conveys the story through a mix of drawing and digital manipulation, efficiently using the space on the page to best facilitate an epic punch-up or simply depict normal routines like trying to get the boys to school on time.

While Melt Down is still funny the storyline signals a definite change in direction as Freddy and Alex learn heroic actions can still have negative consequences. They are nearly indestructible, but people around them are not and when people get hurt, they don’t just shake it off. As the threat builds the boys, Alex in particular, are going to face some hard decisions. In one sense this is a gripping thriller, but it is also fun, action-packed, and with enough bum jokes to make you guffaw loudly.

Freddy and Alex rub shoulders with royalty and face a merchandising dilemma in Mega Robo Bros: Next Level.