Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Writer: James Kuhoric
Artist: Juan Antonio Ramirez
Release Date: 12th March 2014

Back in the ’70s, every little boy wanted to be Steve Austin. A severely injured astronaut rebuilt into a cyborg secret agent, the Six Million Dollar Man pushed all the right buttons, mixing Sci-Fi, espionage and all-out action all while making a red jumpsuit look far cooler than it ever should have been.

Lasting a respectable 5 seasons, the show ran from 1974 to 1978 before coming to an end, it’s status as a 70s classic ensured.

He’s made the occasional updated comeback since then, but Dynamite Entertainment have cannily realised that Steve Austin only works in the decade that style forgot. Take him out of the ’70s and his bionic enhancements seem woefully unremarkable.

Happily, this new series follows on directly from the last televised episode and gets the tone spot on. Austin is every bit the square-jawed hero, a maverick that goes his own way, even if that means going off-mission to pull off a rescue in shark-infested waters. Yes, he punches a shark. Yes, it is awesome.

The action figure range is potentially even more fondly remembered, so it’s a canny move on writer James Kuhoric’s part to introduce Austin’s arch-enemy, the face-changing android Maskatron, a villain who never made it to the TV show, despite it’s massive popularity as a Kenner figure.

Juan Antonio Ramirez’s art is a perfect match for Kuhoric’s fun script, his neat clean lines giving it that TV look, while getting his likenesses of Lee Majors spot on.

Shameless nostalgia it might be, but Six Million Dollar Man Season 6 is also a quality comic in it’s own right. Personally I can’t wait for the next issue and hope that this is just the start of a long run. Welcome back, Steve.

Rating: 5/5.

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The writer of this piece was: Jules Boyle