stopped publication soon afterwards. Supposedly, there was work completed for two new Magnus issues (what would have been Magnus #47, 48), but these have never been published. Valiant In 1991, Jim Shooter obtained rights to three Gold Key characters: Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom; Turok, Son of Stone; and Magnus, Robot Fighter. He intended to use those characters to launch his new comic book line, Valiant Comics. Several months later, the company launched Magnus, Robot Fighter. The series began where the original one left off. The artists took great care to replicate the setting and trappings of the original stories. But as the new series progressed, it began to deviate from the original concept. The term "Freewills" appeared in the Valiant run, introducing the concept that the rogue robots seen previously were not simply the product of random malfunctions, but were the result of a common phenomenon which allowed robots to become sentient. While some of them are malevolent, others merely want to be free. It was also learned that 1A is a freewill. With Magnus's help, a colony of benevolent Freewills is established called the "Steel Nation." At the same time, Magnus becomes disgusted with North Am's elite. He journeys to the lower levels of North Am and befriends a group of social outcasts known as Gophs. In 1992 Valiant published the popular crossover Predator Versus Robot Fighter. Valiant president Steven Massarsky recounted, "We started this project in February [1992], knowing that this time of the year [John] Ostrander would be taking things over [in] Magnus, so we want to generate renewed interest in Magnus." As the series progressed, it was used to introduce other heroes to the Valiant Universe. In issue #5, a Japanese hero known as Rai began appearing in Magnus's title, and would eventually move on into his own series. In the sixth issue, the future version of Solar made his debut. The issue also introduced the spider aliens, who became a recurring threat throughout the Valiant Universe. In the 12th issue, modern readers were reintroduced to Turok, Son of Stone. Unity During the Unity crossover in 4001 AD, it was revealed that Magnus was actually born during the Unity conflict. His mother was Kris Hathaway and his father was the harbinger named Torque from whom Magnus would inherit his own harbinger ability and strength. Geomancer Geoff McHenry sensed that someone like Magnus was needed