I can see where folks might think that Magnus, Robot Fighter is not in a dystopian world but just the opposite, a high-tech utopian paradise. But it's what lies beneath all that sleek Russ Manning splendor that becomes top of interest in the Valiant revival. Magnus is rocked to learn that there is a great deal of suffering which makes the life in the clouds possible. Also his war on robots is not so much the center of the tale as just one more way in which the future has gone haywire.
Russ Manning conceived Magnus as a Tarzan of the future, a man somewhat out of step with his future era but nonetheless dedicated to it and willing to sacrifice his life to protect it. But like soldiers in all societies, it ain't as simple as that of course.
One other way in which the world of Magnus is explored is in the pages of Rai, and there too the utopian experience is tempered significantly. I found Jim Shooter's take on the classic Gold Key universe astonishingly fresh and real. He's tried to work the magic a few times since, but it never worked so well as when he peeled back the veneer of the future world of Magnus and allowed all of us a peek at its tawdry interior.
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