Captain Atom

Captain Atom #8

/ / Comics

captain-atom-new-52-8-coverCaptain Atom finds himself pulled into the timestream with alternate versions of himself, including a future version who warns of the impending end of the world. Unable to change their past, without possibly ending their own existence, the other versions must instead help Captain Atom alter his future in order to save the world.

Once again writer J. T. Krul gives us big ideas brought marvelously to life by Freddie E. Williams II’ art. Captain Atom’s tour of the future leads him to old friends and new enemies including a look forward at what his attempt to help Ranita may lead to quite a few unforeseen consequences.

Far on the outside of the DCU, and with a focus far from your usual super-heroics, Captain Atom is a title you need to be reading. However, it’s by far one of the most ambitious projects of the New 52, and continues to be one of it’s most pleasant surprises. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Captain Atom #7

/ / Comics

Although I enjoyed the first few issues of Captain Atom I left for a few months as it explored the mutant dog/rat creature storyline. Now that that arc has wrapped I decided to give the title another look, and I’m glad I did.

The latest issue finds Captain Atom remember pieces of his past before the experiment changed him into the near omnipotent figure he is now. We also see what appears to be a future or alien version of the Captain who (in an odd choice) appears to be modeled after the Dominators. I’ll be interested to see what the explanation for this will be (and I’ll be hoping its better than much of the ill-defined logic we’ve seen across the New 52 so far).

The art by Freddie E. Williams II is still as good as I remember from the first few issues and writer J. T. Krul continues to tell some intriguing stories that are as much sci-fi (if not more) than super-hero tales. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Captain Atom #3

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captain-atom-new-52-3-coverCaptain Atom‘s burgeoning understanding of being able to use his powers in a much grander scale takes the hero around the world in a blink of an eye and eventually to Libya where he runs into the one hero on the planet that also lives at a pace far quicker than the average human being: The Flash.

I’ve enjoyed the first couple of issues of this series, and when you throw the the Flash into the mix you’re going to have to do quite a bit wrong not to get me on-board. The issue centers around two characters who are isolated because they see so much more by living between moments we take for granted. The interplay between the characters works wonderfully, but once again the situation intervenes and Captain Atom’s attempt to help looks far more nefarious than he planned.

The final page of the issue also give us the first appearance of General Eiling, the man (at least in the old version of the DCU) responsible for the creation of Captain Atom. It will be interesting to see how this version fits into Atom’s backstory. And, thankfully, we get an issue without the mutated monster dogs. Must-read.

[DC, $2.99]

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Captain Atom #2

/ / Comics

captain-atom-new-52-2-coverThe comic opens with Captain Atom bombarded with “wave transmissions from all across the human spectrum.” Unable to deal with the overwhelming amount of information attacking his brain the hero retreats to the Continuum where Dr. Megala helps him regain control.

The second part of the comic is a little weird as it’s so obviously a Ray Palmer Atom story. Concerned with a dying boy in Kansas City, Captain Atom shrinks himself down to a microscopic level and erradiates the tumor growing in the boy’s brain.

Thankfully, the one part of the story I was dreading (the mutated dog creature) is given little more than a cameo here on the comic’s final page. I know we’ll get to that story at some point, but I hope it’s put off as long as possible.

Writer J.T. Krul continues to explore the limitations and abilities of the new Captain Atom. I’d still like a little of the old Captain to shine through this Dr. Manhattan makeover, but as long as that dog story is kept on the back burner I’ll keep giving this one a shot. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Captain Atom #1

/ / Comics

captain-atom-1-coverI’ve been a fan of Captain Atom since the late 80’s reboot of the character and his subsequant runs on Justice League Europe and recently Justice League: Generation Lost. He’s had more than a few ups-and-downs in his career including his unfortunate role as Monarch, that awful golden and red look, and that time he got lost in the WildStorm Universe.

The latest reinterpretation of the Charlton Comics character by writer J.T. Krul is a new version of the character far more like the Watchmen‘s Dr. Manhattan (who was coincidentally created from the Charlton version of Captain Atom) than we’ve seen before.

In the comic Captain Atom’s powers are expanding as he discovers the ability to manipulate molecules outside of himself. Our hero is informed by Dr. Heinrich Megala, the scientist in charge of the project that transformed Nathaniel Adam into a nuclear-powered super-hero, that this ability, which in turn effects his own molecules, could end up killing him.

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