“Colonel Steve Austin. A man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology.”

If you grew up in the mid to late ’70s then you probably watched The Six Million Dollar Man starring Lee Majors. I missed out on watching the series by a few years, but eventually watched it in syndication and the television movies that followed.  As a kid, Col. Steve Austin was a favorite of mine and a character I pretended to be every chance I got as a kid playing with friends. I have always had a place in my heart for this character, but when the comic book series was originally announced by Dynamite Entertainment I was hesitant.  Hesitant because this was another Kevin Smith movie script that he was being converted in to a comic book series.  I had the same reaction to his Green Hornet series when I heard about it, but it is now one of my favorite series. I should have known the same would be true for this series. Now four issues in to the new series, I am finally reading it and kicking myself for not starting when it first launched.

This issue takes place after the accident that has caused Col. Austin to lose his legs, one of his arms, and an eye. He is laid up in a hospital, and from the looks of it, has been approached one time before about the idea of being fitted for bionics. I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler in saying he is convinced to undergo the procedure and it is a success, giving Col. Austin a new lease on life and becoming part of OSI. This issue is more of a montage of scenes that get readers from the moment Col. Austin agrees to the procedures to him becoming part of OSI and thus wrapping up his origin.

While this is the fourth issue, I don’t feel lost in what is going. I do want to grab the first three issues so I can see what happened to bring the story to this point and get a better understanding of who Col. Austin is before the accident and how his character may have changed over the course of these four issues.  The character we get in this issue, while reluctant and obviously upset about his situation after the accident, is a strong character and is willing to take the risks needed to make his life better.

Kevin Smith and Phil Hester do a great job with this issue and bringing readers to this point in Col. Austin’s life. The series is ready to push forward with OSI’s first mission for Col. Austin and as a fan of both writers I am looking forward to what they give us. As I said earlier in the review, Green Hornet is one of my favorite books and it is because of these two writers. I am hoping they do more of the same with Bionic Man.

The art in this issue by Jonathan Lau is solid. I have been a fan of Lau’s work at Dynamite for a while now and this is just more of the same goodness that he has delivered on titles like Green Hornet, Battlestar Galactica: Origins, and Black Terror.

Pros

• Great for new series
• Solid storytelling
• Great art
• Definite nostalgia factor

Cons

•  If this is your first issue (or know nothing about the series), you might be a little lost