Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Captain Atom: Armageddon #9 (August, 2006)



"Listen, Atom. You're a nice guy. Tough, honest, pure of heart. But I'm afraid there's no other solution to this little problem of ours. You have to die. Sorry. No hard feelings."

With that last bit of arrogance and monumental hubris, Jack Hawksmoor turned on the meat grinder. Apollo tried to kill Captain Atom, and instead started the reaction that would end everything. Apollo tried to absorb Atom's rising energy output, and talked just a little bit more crap before being flash fried into a skeleton. Hostile idiot Midnighter reacted as one would expect to the death of his lover, and was swiftly roasted. Hawksmoor had the Doctor rouse
Mr. Majestic, who understandably wanted to kill Hawksmoor. Jenny Quantum returned from Reality 440 to chastise Hawksmoor for his poor leadership and deal with Captain Atom. The preteens's eyes and teeth flew out of her head as she died.

Nikola Hanssen finally (and conveniently) transcended her humanity to become Void, and removed the splinter of her being from Captain Atom to make herself whole again. Captain Atom returned to his familiar silver and red appearance, and was sent back to the DC Universe. However, it was now Void who was set to explode.



"This world... it's gone wrong. Too wrong to continue. And we're to blame. We tried to save it, but we destroyed it instead. We reshaped it into our own twisted image. It's not a sane place to live anymore. Not if you're a normal person, just struggling to get through the day... It's all going to start again. Like it has a million times before.

After the World Storm, the Wildstorm Universe started over again with a page drawn by Jim Lee. He'd draw about twenty-two more story pages for the first and only issue of a "relaunched" Wildcats title, and Gene Ha would manage two issues of a new Authority "series," before this bold new beginning would start unraveling. Seeing as this entire series seemed to drift from fight scene to contradictory story point before petering out halfway through and phoning in a final few issues, the reboot didn't fall far from the initiating event mini-series.

Captain Atom fell back to his Earth, which looked really trashed and post-apocalyptic. As it turned it, it was just a craphole where the closing moments of Infinite Crisis was taking place. That's a set of editorially mandated plot points strung together into a "story" for another time...

"The End" couldn't come soon enough for Will Pfeifer, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Sandra Hope, Jim Lee and Scott Williams.

DCnÜ Year's Wildstormin' Eve

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Captain Atom: Armageddon #8 (July, 2006)



"As strange as my line of work may seem, it's a lot like any other job in one way... you tend to end up dating people you meet at the workplace. At least that's what I did. Bette Sans Souci. Called herself 'Plastique.' She was a villain when we met, but she reformed. Happens more often than you'd think... at least on my Earth. We fell in love. Eventually, we got married. In the end, it didn't work out. American military man, Canadian separatist terrorist? Should have seen the split coming. Still hurts, though."

Lacking ties to Earth, Captain Atom volunteered for the suicide mission that blew him into the Wildstorm universe he was now fated to destroy, even as he had found a new love. Ah well, didn't matter, as Apollo and Midnighter had arrived to kill his ass. Apollo took Captain Atom to the sun to die, but Atom once again jacked with someone's atoms and caused Apollo to have a meltdown. Midnighter broke Grifter's arm, then kicked Nikola Hanssen in the ovaries, until a door opened and the roasted Apollo landed on the queen bitch.



Mr. Majestic showed back up at The Authority's ship again to once more argue against killing Captain Atom with Jack Hawksmoor yet another time, only to be belittled and brushed off by the smug prick.

Midnighter recovered enough to nail Grifter in the back with three shuriken, so Grifter talked some more instead of shooting his gun, and got his damn fool head blown off by Apollo's heat vision. Apollo and Midnighter then rushed Captain Atom and forced him through a wormhole door.

"Lessons In Nuclear Physics" was another irrelevant title that took longer to read than the story by Will Pfeifer, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Sandra Hope.

New 52's Day featuring Wildstorm

Friday, December 16, 2011

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Mark Buckingham

Click To Expand & Enlarge


An outstanding piece with such few, specific, and underappreciated characters, you know Buckingham must have love for Aquaman and the Atom (and maybe their various team-up stories?)

Also, here's an extra by Gordon Purcell featuring a Flash/Superman race covered by Jimmy Olsen (with the Atom on his shoulder!) Most of the super-spectators are teeny, but they include Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Red Tornado, Plastic Man, Green Lantern, Batman, Black Canary, Aquaman, Booster Gold, Doctor Fate, Firestorm and the Manhunter from Mars.



Hero's JLA 100 Project Friday

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.


ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Atomic acCount for March, 2012



Little Links
The Atom & Hawkman


Hawkman & Hawkgirl




BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED #1
Written by ADAM BEECHEN, DEREK FRIDOLFS and DUSTIN NGUYEN
Art by NORM BREYFOGLE, DUSTIN NGUYEN and DEREK FRIDOLFS
Cover by DUSTIN NGUYEN
On sale FEBRUARY 29 • 48 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
A new era begins with the debut of the oversized, monthly BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED, featuring the print debut of the new Justice League Beyond!
In the Batman Beyond chapter, legendary Batman artist Norm Breyfogle returns to draw the Dark Knight of the future with best-selling writer Adam Beechen. In “10,000 Clowns,” an onslaught of new Jokerz is plaguing Gotham City – and the implications of this chaotic clown menace could have disastrous consequences for Terry McGinnis and Bruce Wayne!
And the debut of the Justice League Beyond is here, courtesy of the BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM art team of Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs, as the first two digital-first chapters are available in print for the first time! Batman Beyond is a new recruit in the mighty Justice League, but the team will be immediately tested by a very Neo Gotham-related enemy! How will the team work together to combat this threat?
Sorry! I totally missed the debut of Micron's ongoing series last month.

BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED #2
Written by ADAM BEECHEN, DEREK FRIDOLFS and DUSTIN NGUYEN
Art by NORM BREYFOGLE, DUSTIN NGUYEN and DEREK FRIDOLFS
Cover by DUSTIN NGUYEN
On sale MARCH 21 • 48 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
The excitement continues in this oversized title chronicling the adventures in the Beyond Universe and making their print debut here!
One of Batman’s most explosive villains is back! In an effort to regain his status in the criminal underworld, however, he loses the one thing he loves best...and now all of Gotham may pay the price!
The new Justice League Beyond adventure continues, as the League goes in search of AWOL member Micron – who may or may not have gone native while investigating Kobra! A larger, darker secret is about to be revealed...and it could spell doom for Earth!
Hey cool-- Micron's fighting Batman or something.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: ALL-STAR SQUADRON VOL. 1 TP
Written by ROY THOMAS and GERRY CONWAY
Art by RICH BUCKLER, DICK GIORDANO, JERRY ORDWAY, ADRIAN GONZALES and DON HECK
Cover by JOE KUBERT
On sale APRIL 18 • 528 pg, B&W, $19.99 US
In these stories from JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #193 and ALL-STAR SQUADRON #1-18, the All-Star Squadron has been founded on Earth II by the lost heroes from the JSA to stop Per Degaton from delivering mystic weapons to the Axis powers!
Golden Age Atom Al Pratt in action!

TINY TITANS #50
Written by ART BALTAZAR and FRANCO
Art and cover by ART BALTAZAR
On sale MARCH 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E • FINAL ISSUE

In this awesome 50th issue, questions are answered! Mysteries are solved! The Tiny Titans may be one step closer to becoming Super Heroes! This issue may change your life! Plus, it’s highly recommended by Franco’s mom!
Goodbye, Atom family, who I never really acknowledged because I never bought a second issue.

SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS VOL. 2 HC
Written by GERRY CONWAY and BOB ROZAKIS
Art by MIKE VOSBURG, RICH BUCKLER, DICK DILLIN, ALEX SAVIUK, JOE ORLANDO and others
Cover by RICH BUCKLER
On sale MAY 16 • 208 pg, FC, $24.99 US
Don’t miss this second helping of tales of villainy from SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS #11-15, DC SPECIAL #27, DC SPECIAL SERIES #6, SUPER-TEAM FAMILY #13-14, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #166-167 and a story from CANCELLED COMICS CAVALCADE #2.
I bought the first volume based on solicitation copy recycled from an aborted Showcase Presents volume that stated all these issues were to have been included there. Obviously they were not, including the previously unpublished final story. I've got to decide whether I want to punish DC fir screwing me, while punishing myself by not getting a rare story finally completed (?) in full color...

DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #25-26
Written by MARV WOLFMAN
Art by MIKE S. MILLER, HOWARD PORTER and LIVESAY
Cover #25 by MIKE S. MILLER
Cover #26 by HOWARD PORTER and LIVESAY
#25 on sale MARCH 7
#26 on sale MARCH 21 • FINAL ISSUE
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Lex Luthor and the remaining super powered heroes on Earth have sprung their trap on Brainiac...and the real war begins! The events in this issue will be talked about for years to come!
The battle that DCUO Legends has been building to for over a year is finally here: Brainiac versus The Man of Steel! But will even Superman be powerful enough to stop this universal evil? And what stunning role will Lex Luthor play in the events? Find out in the stunning series conclusion!
Good Christ it's about time! And I'm not even Christian!

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #7
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI
Cover by J.G. JONES
On sale MARCH 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The siege on S.H.A.D.E. City comes to a bloody conclusion, and it may mean the end of the Creature Commandos! With the Hub under Humanid control and Nina’s evil monsters staging a coup, S.H.A.D.E. headquarters is in total disarray. But nothing can prepare Frankenstein for the terrible secret that lies beneath it all!

Captain Atom
CAPTAIN ATOM #7
Written by J.T. KRUL
Art by FREDDIE WILLIAMS II
Cover by MIKE CHOI
On sale MARCH 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
This issue’s got all the answers! Why did Nathaniel Adam sign up for Megala’s experiment? How did he become Captain Atom? Do his powers have any limits? And what’s the deal with those numbers? It’s time to explore the past, present, and future of Captain Atom as he tries to stop a catastrophic event even though he’s already too late!
Does it involve Ozymandias?

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The Top 10 Atom Covers of the 1980s



The eighties were not a kind ten years to Ray Palmer. He started out the decade as a bland back-up strip in a Superman comic, and ended it with the swift cancellation of a second ongoing series that was so negligible, it didn't feel like it was even a product of its time. In between, his wife cheated on him, he got divorced, he became trapped at six inches, spent years battling creatures in the Amazon, and saw his rebound girlfriend burned alive. On the plus side, Gil Kane returned to the character for a fun genre-bending sword and sorcery mini-series, even if the premise overstayed its welcome through three follow-up specials. As a result, the Atom passed on inclusion in multiple line-ups of the Justice League, his lifeline to fandom throughout the seventies, and sank from the b-list to less notoriety than G'nort. In fact, I don't think the Atom has ever recovered from the mistakes made in this decade, and perhaps never will.

10) Sword of the Atom #4 (December, 1983)

The one fault in Gil Kane's covers is that they are of such consistently high quality, it is difficult to choose between them. That, and they are also of consistent subject matter, and there are only so many variations to be played out. For instance, this is the second SOTA cover featuring Atom riding a frog, the fourth with his swinging a sword at an enemy taking up the majority of the cover, and the second in a row on which he defends Princess Laethwen.The main difference here is a mob of humanoid menaces, but its still better than 17/18ths of Power of the Atom.


9) Power of the Atom #18 (November, 1989)

The most dynamic cover from this series landed on the final issue, and is dependent on stock draws like a prominent central figure, fire, and the threat of violence. There is nothing on this cover to establish scale, so this could be any hero with a sword and be just as effective, if not more so. Can I also take this opportunity to point out how stupid and ugly the alterations to the Atom costume were in this series? I can live without the skullcap, but why switch to trunks after a quarter century of vastly superior and obviously more contemporary pants?


8) Sword of the Atom #3 (November, 1983)

This cover illustrates one of the central problems of the series. If you have a large enough threat, the Atom is either obscured or forced into a dubious perspective. If the threat isn't large enough, it fails to impress. Thanks to the jungle setting, backgrounds tend to be repetitive, and even the large creature menaces fail to be more than a momentary distraction for a Tarzan type. In the event of more intelligent threats, like the tiny alien savages the Atom fought for much of the series, there's little to differentiate the book from any other barbarian story of the time.


7) Secret Origins #29 (August, 1988)

The debut cover to the Power of the Atom series was terrible, and a harbinger of thinks to come. DC wisely opted to use the proud central Atom figure seen here for their advertisement of the book, which ended up being a more memorable campaign than the actual series. Unfortunately, the Atom figure doesn't work as well in this context, seemingly floating in space rather than standing between the shoulders of Martian Manhunter and Batman. Why would they be so close together, anyway? Maybe if the Atom were jumping across multiple shoulders in a hopscotch, it would work better. As it stands, the main figure has no weight and the composition is perplexing.


6) Sword of the Atom #2 (October, 1983)

Rats! On pure technique, I feel that this was the best of Kane's SOTA covers. However, the threat isn't much of one, and the weakness is compounded by the Atom's cowering posture.


5) Sword of the Atom #1 (September, 1983)

The classic SOTA frog-riding image, but it loses points because of the weird looking snake, dull background and unadventurous perspective.


4) Justice League of America #215 (June, 1983)

George Perez is always pleasing to the eye, but the Gulliver angle doesn't work quite as well as it should. This is possibly due to the other heroes lacking prominence because they're too spaced out and overwhelmed by the primary colors of Ray's costume. The eye processes a waist up shot of an angry Atom tearing at cables, rather than a group of normal sized heroes pinning down a giant one.


3) DC Comics Presents #51 (November, 1982)

I've never been an Alex Saviuk fan, and you'll note the absence from this list of his Atom-as-afterthought inclusions at the bottom sixth of early eighties Action Comics covers during the Mighty Mite's run as a back-up. Still, there's something compelling about the World's Smallest Super-Hero swearing vengeance on the gravestone of Superman, the greatest of them all. It's a Samson and Goliath situation where perhaps one of the most unappreciated super-heroes is the best man to succeed at finding justice where others fail.


2) Sword of the Atom Special #1 (1984)

The Tiny Titan looking fierce with his hot jungle princess over his shoulder and a credible threat in the downed thug, who also serves as a proportional grounding. This very nearly sums up the best of the Sword series.


1) Justice League of America #216 (July, 1983)

It was really rough not having a Gil Kane or George Perez cover at the top spot, but Ed Hannigan outdid himself on this one. Great perspective that flips the usual Atom paradigm, along with well drawn figures in dynamic poses. Both a great Atom and JLofA piece, a rare intersection.

Their Top Covers of the 1980s

Friday, December 2, 2011

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Andy Smith

Click To Expand & Enlarge


Thanks to his scale, there's really no reason why the Atom couldn't appear on pretty much any of these charity JLA covers. He could literally just be a millimeter square stick figure in the upper left hand corner of any drawing and be kosher. While this deference to the Mighty Mite was still uncommon, there were plenty of inclusions, ironic for especially being the case in the more crowded scenes. Even more curious, the Tiny Titan is often fairly prominent, as in this piece where he pretty much has a starring role. The largest and most prominent figure is Wonder Woman, who is staring intently at Ray Palmer's ass, directly below the logo. A scale Atom rarely gets better visibility than that, and that scale meant that he was the only other featured hero shown in his entirety. I'll take a small but dynamic Atom over half a Flash, three-quarters of an Aquaman, or a Martian Manhunter bust! Even the World's Finest due are partial amputees...

Hero's JLA 100 Project Friday

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.


ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Captain Atom: Armageddon #4-7 (2006)



Captain Atom: Armageddon #4 (March, 2006)

The WildCats were totally pissed off at Captain Atom for no apparent reason, and played Six Degrees of William Shatner "to decide who gets to kick your ass." Maul "won," even though Atom had been repeatedly filmed fighting the Wildstorm Universe's Superman, and easily handled the chump (by manipulating his atoms back to human form, another magical first time power use.)

Grifter and Nikola Hanssen were still hanging out at a burger joint, discussing her new Void powers.

The remaining WildCats talked about triple-teaming Captain Atom, but ended up falling by numbers. Since I stopped reading Wildcats comics in 1998, I was unaware Voodoo had all of Jean Grey's old powers. Get this-- Captain Atom overloaded her telepathy by "giving" her all of his memories at once and overloading her brain. How does that even work? That makes about as much sense as a magnet to a juggalo. Next, we all try to pretend Warblade is more keen than Wolverine with blades can could literally slice atoms. We know this because Warblade stood there and explained how boss he was while Captain Atom was down, before getting hit by a geyser of energy for being slow.



Katana Zealot deflected more of that energy with her katana oh right katana, which could "shave the rough edges off an electron." See, the writer remembered electrons from grade school science, and thought referencing them in a nonsensical context would make him sound mind-bending like Grant Morrison, instead of mind-thwarting like Sarah Palin quotes. The only way I could mock this more is if Captain Atom hadn't actually fought a samurai with an X-Ionizer katana that cut his shell open back in 1987. However, that guy took two issues to deal with, not three credibility-straining pages of Zealot running around in a bathing suit.

Grifter and Nikola Hanssen were held back by security forces at the monument trying to keep people away from the "meta-human trouble." I've been dancing around the DC Comics term "metahuman" for four synopsizes now because I thought Wildstorm called them "suprahuman" or "post-human" or some such. Anyway, Grifter taught Nikola how to teleport them both to the monument, where he drew down on Captain Atom. Supposedly, Grifter had a secret weapon beyond a friggin' gun, but he couldn't seem to fire it before Captain Atom finished debating stepping through wormhole to the moon generated by The Engineer. Would this comic book please just shut up?

"Fight Scene" was drummed up by Will Pfeifer, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Sandra Hope.



Captain Atom: Armageddon #5 (April, 2006)

While still being bitchy enough to come from this interpretation of the Wildstorm universe, The Engineer was still a hell of a lot more pleasant to Captain Atom than most as she escorted him onto The Authority's ship. The DC hero was introduced to Swift, the Doctor, and Jenny Quantum, "as in quantum theory. You know... the idea that replaced atomic theory." Yeah, we know what you're getting at, you precocious little brat, but Captain Atom's power set was replaced by quantum origins before Warren Ellis left college.

Captain Atom and the Engineer were joined by Jack Hawksmoor in a tour of hundreds of alternate dimensions, none the DCU. In one of the many instances of alternate realities where the Nazis won, the Authority members were happy to mow down goose steppers while Captain Atom hung back. Atom wouldn't even kill an aged Hitler in cold blood, making him one of the wussiest super-heroes of his type, so Hawksmoor did the Fuhrer in.



The WildCats were studying Nikola Hanssen when Mr. Majestic showed up to explain that they couldn't kill Captain Atom after all, because it would be like clipping the wrong wire on a ticking time bomb. There was only one "infinitesimal discrepancy" offering "a slight glimmer" of hope, because there always is, and it lay with Hanssen's new Void powers.

The Authority dropped Captain Atom off at a remote snowy mountaintop on Wildstorm Earth until they could figure out how to dispose of him if they couldn't get him home. However, the Engineer soon paid his a visit...

"No Exit" relented on the stupidity usually served by Will Pfeifer, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Sandra Hope.



Captain Atom: Armageddon #6 (May, 2006)

Mr. Majestic showed up at The Authority's ship, and was assured Jack Hawksmoor already had a plan in motion.

Captain Atom finally let loose of some power when The Engineer talked him into killing time dismantling a "bargain-basement Stalin" and his regime. "Back home, it was all about maintaining the status quo. Keeping the ship on course. But what if the status quo needs changing? What if the ship needs to be sunk? I'm not saying I agree with her methods... but they do get results."

Afterward, the Engineer was allowed to send her nanites into Captain Atom and fish out the problem. The Doctor checked to make sure everything was still intact a year in advance, and gave Captain Atom the all clear. Atom started making the sexy time with the Engineer, claiming that he had never had such an intimate relationship with a woman, even if he didn't like her resentful attitude toward saving humans.



Jeremy Stone had continued his studies, and explained to Grifter what a disaster it would be in Captain Atom ever came into close contact with Nikola Hanssen.

Separately visiting the site of the destroyed apartment where the story sort of began, Captain Atom touched Nikola Hanssen, who turned into Void while he collapsed.

"Sometimes, When We Touch..." allowed Will Pfeifer, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Sandra Hope & Trevor Scott to take up maybe five minutes of my time.



Captain Atom: Armageddon #7 (June, 2006)

Nikola Hanssen couldn't handle becoming Void, and started unleashing large amounts of energy. Captain Atom embraced her, calming Void down.

On that snowy mountaintop when they first started dating, The Engineer pouted, while Jack Hawksmoor claimed that a) Captain Atom going kablooey was back on and b) "He's cheating on you." Can I take a moment to point out how contemptibly Hawksmoor and all the Wildstorm characters have been handled. They're nothing but smug, cynical, kill-happy a-holes, per this comic. Also, dumb as rocks, since the Engineer responds to Atom helping Void to chill out by trying to kill him... again. This was even after Captain Atom willed himself a week into the future (not how that usually works) to immediately find Nikola Hanssen (really?) and borrow her newspaper (oldest cliché in the time travel book, and never a deal maker.)

Grifter shot the Engineer with a super-rifle, and rather than killing her ("Wildstorm" must be an anagram for some form of murder,) the Captain rearranged her atoms until she was powerless. The WSU couldn't abide such a peaceful solution though, so Apollo and Midnighter were dispatched to dispatch him.



You know, this is why Wildstorm closed down at the end of last year. First it was an artists' company like the rest of Image, and then they hired British writers and became a contender. Next, the art started to slip, and they couldn't keep the writers, both of which probably had something to do with being purchased and micromanaged by DC. This was the point where there was enough of a vote of no confidence that a reboot of the entire universe was imminent, and the up n' coming writer than never came up was assigned, and the art was... yeah. Americans trying to write like the British can't get the balance right, so all the characters come across as awful people with lousy attitudes you actively root against, like the kids in slasher movies. Just terrible, hateful slogs to read.

"Who Says The World Needs Saving?" expertly combined the stupidity and viciousness of previous issues with the more recent welcome brevity by Will Pfeifer, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Sandra Hope.

Wildstorm & the New 52

Saturday, November 26, 2011

2006 "The JLA" painting by Rhiannon Owens

Click To Enlarge

Acrylic painter Rhiannon Owens' takes on the Justice League of America is this 18" X 24" group shot. Featured are Aquaman, the Atom, Batman, Black Canary, Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, Plastic Man, Superman, Wonder Woman. For more, check out her deviantART Page or listing at Comicartfans.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Captain Atom: Armageddon #1-3 (2005-2006)



The sad thing about my covering this mini-series is that I seriously had the entire thing written up the first week in January. I have always had a healthy amount of material "in the can" for this blog. Bronze Age Atom strips. Silver Age Captain Atom strips. George Perez postcards. Miscellanea. The problem has always been that low readership here fails to motivate me past 1-2 posts a week, and these completed posts are always tied to other blogs for themed days. The Golden Age Captain Marvel stories I haven't edited pictures for. The Silver Age Wonder Woman comics I don't have color art for. The DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar mini-series with all the tedious references to plug in but no great shakes of a story.

Captain Atom: Armageddon was poorly written, and I didn't care for the art, but I figure it at least deserves the single scan per issue I give most every other book. As a mea culpa in a universe where DC and Wildstorm are now permanently merged in a new continuity(an eventually unseen when I started this thing,) here is a re-presentation of the mini-series to date over two weeks time with new scans, to be followed by the final two issue synopses...



Captain Atom: Armageddon #1 (December, 2005)

"Not long ago..." Mr. Majestic stabbed Spartan with a sword, and pink energy exploded. They were calling each other by their first names like good little X-Men clones, and Spartan was asking to be stabbed, and something something Void something something annihilation and scene. This was all very gay, both in tongue-in-cheek misread subtext, and as juvenile derogatory for a bunch of obtuse crap that's meaningless to anyone but the most devout Wildstorm geek.

"Not long ago..." Captain Atom volunteered to fly a giant composite Superman/Batman robot away from Earth into a soon-to-collide kryptonite asteroid that would otherwise exploded our planet into itty bitty bits. This wasn't as gay, even though Captain Atom pictured himself in tighty whities while thinking about "another cockpit" before getting swallowed by the head of a metal penis. The artist was lazy enough to cut and paste that happening twice. Also lazy was the wimpy two page look at Captain Atom's Post-Crisis incarnation before blowing himself up to escape a lousy Jeph Loeb plot thread.

"Hell. Better pay attention. I've got a job to do. Goodbye. And God bless America."



A bald Captain Atom appeared for a moment in front of Superman and Batman, sometime after his funeral, probably to pay off a teased return that wasn't properly thought through. He then was transported to the Wildstorm comic book universe, where he flew uncontrollably into a building like a missile.

An EMT tried to help an old man who giddily anticipated his death by super-hero collision. The EMT got a splinter of pink Void energy in her paw. Captain Atom got a "new" costume that was on loan from his brief appearance in Kingdom Come. The EMT ran away in fear of the super-human, because a) you would too if some dude knocked over your building, and b) everyone on Wildstorm Earth was afraid of super-humans, because that kind of bloodletting happened all the damned time there. Mr. Majestic then showed up to start punching Captain Atom.

Grifter was in a bar, drinking to the memory of his dead robot friend who got stabbed to death at the beginning of this synopsis. He got excited when he saw the stabber fighting on the TV.

Captain Atom took some blows, then decided to show how tough he was by pounding Mr. Majestic into the ground. Atom thought he was being heroic, but all the bystanders were still afraid of him, even after he explained that he was a super-hero. You see, Wildstorm is a dark, hardcore universe where puny humans are always caught between gory battles and political upheavals, while DC is a bright, happy universe where super-heroes' wives get sodomized and their kids murdered and whole cities razed but everyone still loves super-heroes anyway.

"A Scream Across The Sky" was by Will Pfeifer, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Sandra Hope.



Captain Atom: Armageddon #2 (January, 2006)

Grifter met with his WildCats teammate Jeremy Stone to use his computer to detect not one Void energy signature, but too. Woooooo.

Captain Atom determined that that he wasn't in Kansas anymore, in part because this Earth lacked the cities of Metropolis, Gotham, Opal, Keystone and Sub Diego. Yes, Sub Diego, because the writer of this mini-series created Sub Diego during his brief Aquaman run, and not entire nations like Bialya, Qurac, and so forth. Nathaniel Adam then assumed his human form to learn once again that nobody on this Earth ever heard of super-heroes from his Earth, and that everyone's afraid of super-people here, and that he's too dense to have gotten that point last issue, and that it'll be made again in future issues because of that. Captain Atom then directly tapped into every computer on Earth through a pay phone, which I don't recall as being one of his powers, but it's done all matter of fact-like.

Grifter brought the WildCats back together to investigate the Voids and to be snarky to one another for reasons DC readers wouldn't understand, because nobody got a proper introduction.



Captain Atom and Mr. Majestic fought a little bit more, then Majestic gave a brief half-assed explanation of the Kherubim-Daemonite war that formed the basis for much of Wildstorm's continuity. Then Majestic ran some tests and determined that Captain Atom was going to blow up and destroy the entire Wildstorm Universe, so I guess its origins didn't really matter all that much. Further, Atom couldn't be gotten rid of by any known means.

Grifter approached that EMT from last issue, Nikola Hanssen, and started talking to her about Void type stuff.

Captain Atom, predicted destroyer of all Wildstorm reality, decided he should turn to someone with real power... the President of the United States. In the Wildstorm Universe. Because if he can't beat Superman, maybe he can out-dumb Hal Jordan...

"Brave New World" was inflicted by Will Pfeifer, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Sandra Hope.



Captain Atom: Armageddon #3 (February, 2006)

Captain Atom just showed up floating in front of the White House in the super-hero fearing Wildstorm Universe, so of course the Join Chiefs of Staff decided to nuke the area, as "It's the only chance to save America." Captain Atom absorbed the blast, then teleported into the Oval Office to talk with the president. Guards fired conventional weapons at his deflective skin, because they're stupid. Atom started explaining his situation, ending with "I'm a military man, sir. That means I respect authority." Yeah, that's readily evident in his actions, right? "Authority, eh? Funny you should put it that way." The President explained that he was only human, and in a post-human world, "we answer to a higher authority."

Grifter kept trying to explain to Nikola Hanssen that she had all these Void powers from her splinter, but she was kind of in denial.

Mr. Majestic showed up to talk at Captain Atom some more, but the latter was all pissed off by how jacked-up Wildstorm comics were. Captain Atom actually spit in Majestic's face like a little bitch, and gotten thrown through the Washington Monument. Nanobots would tidy up that mess later.



The artist referenced Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, because that was clever thirty years ago in a Howard Chaykin comic or something. Grifter called the WildCats to meet at the monument.

Mr. Majestic explained that Captain Atom wouldn't go explodey if he got deadened first, but Atom sought a second opinion, and Majestic was cool with that. Captain Atom then directly accessed the Pentagon's computers through his powers, and ran all sorts of equations that all ended him him going all explodey. All mopey, Captain Atom returned to the restored Washington Monument, so the WildCats could get snarky with him.

"Power Struggle" was perpetrated by Will Pfeifer, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Sandra Hope.

New 52's Day

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Atomic acCount for February, 2012



Little Links
The Atom


Captain Atom


Hawkman


DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #23-24
Written by MARV WOLFMAN
Art by MIKE S. MILLER, HOWARD PORTER and LIVESAY
Cover #23 by MIKE S. MILLER
Cover #24 by HOWARD PORTER and LIVESAY

In the aftermath of a failed and deadly assault on Brainiac’s mothership and a costly betrayal that will set the stage for a massive invasion of Earth...are there any heroes left to save humanity? #23 on sale FEBRUARY 15

And in issue #24, Luthor has hatched a plan that, with the help of the Justice League, might just save the world...but since he’s the most wanted man on Earth, how can he execute it?#24 on sale FEBRUARY 29

32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Everybody but the Atom is on this freakin' cover.

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #6
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI
Cover by J.G. JONES
On sale FEBRUARY 8 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Frankenstein and The Commandos head back to Vietnam to take out a rogue super human whom Frankenstein fought beside back in 1969! Meanwhile, The Humanids stage a revolt in The Ant Farm, and Nina and Lady Frankenstein are all that stands between them and total chaos. But they soon discover other deep, dark secrets hidden in S.H.A.D.E.City.

DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS VOL. 2 TP
Written by TONY BEDARD and MARV WOLFMAN
Art by HOWARD PORTER, MIKE S. MILLER, LIVESAY and SERGIO SANDOVAL
Cover by ED BENES
On sale MARCH 14 • 192 pg, FC, $19.99 US

This volume collects issues #8-15 of the twice monthly series as the heroes and villains of the DC Universe must form an uneasy alliance to combat the threat of Brainiac! As the battle rages on, tension rises not only between Lex Luthor and the heroes, but also between members of the Justice League!
Try to stifle that yawn.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: RISE AND FALL TP
Written by J.T. KRUL • Art by DIOGENES NEVES, FABRIZIO FIORENTINO, MIKE MAYHEW and others • Cover by MIKE MAYHEW
On sale MARCH 21 • 224 pg, FC, $17.99 US

The Justice League of America must bring in Green Arrow for murdering the villain Prometheus in this title collecting JUSTICE LEAGUE: RISE AND FALL SPECIAL, GREEN ARROW #31-32 and THE RISE OF ARSENAL #1-4!
Hello, cameos.

Captain Atom
CAPTAIN ATOM #6
Written by J.T. KRUL
Art by FREDDIE WILLIAMS II
Cover by STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAU
On sale FEBRUARY 15 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
A great danger has been lurking in the shadows while Captain Atom continues his crusade to help those in need. Now, the time has come for him to face a threat unlike any other – yet strangely similar to himself. Discover the secret connection between Captain Atom and this unholy beast. And brace yourself for an ending you’ll never see coming!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

2011 THE ATOM: Original Art by Shelton Bryant

Click To Enlarge


Up on eBay for $17.95. I'd buy it if I could right now. Anybody who paints Ray Palmer this often with the expectation of making less that twenty bucks a pop is a stand-up guy in my book.

THE ATOM on an 8 by 11 acid-free, 100% rag Lanaquarelle watercolor sheet (140 lbs mould-made.)

Splendid abstract/realism, original wash and pencils signed by Shelton Bryant ( creator of "Melinda " and artist of "The Upper Hand" and "Ill-Conceived") .

Sunday, November 6, 2011

2011 The Atom negative charge Watercolor by Shelton Bryant

Click To Enlarge


"ATOM on an 8 by 11 acid-free watercolor sheet (140lbs )."

Shelton Bryant

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Flashpoint #1 (July, 2011)



"There's only one thing I know about life I know some things happen by chance. And some things happen because we make them happen. Barry Allen was once haunted by the past. But when he became the Flash, he left the ghosts behind. He found love. A family. And for the first time ever... Friends. Barry thought yesterday was finally behind him... but somebody wouldn't let him escape it. When Barry came to me for help, I turned him away. I'm not the hero of this story. I'm a man who's been corrupted by his own unbearable pain. I'm a man who has too much blood on his hands to be called good. I'm a man who had nothing left to live for-- until the day I met the Flash."
-Thomas Wayne, A.K.A. the Batman

After a two page spread with most of the major DC heroes in their current forms, Barry Allen awoke to a heavily altered and more thoroughly corrupted world. Sure his mom, who we only learned a few years ago had been murdered in his youth, was now alive and well. That didn't make up for the hundred million dead "when Atlantis sank Western Europe into the ocean. Before that, thirty-two million were slaughtered when the Amazons claimed the United Kingdom as New Themyscira." Aquaman and Wonder Woman were at war and out to rule the world. Looking at another two page spread of the "heroes" assembled to stop them, it didn't look like a world much worth saving. Few of the heroes from the earlier spread were represented, and those present were pretty heinously reworked.

Once Batman said "no" to pitching in, the alliance fell apart, which goes to show what a bunch of weasels this lot were. Meanwhile, Barry Allen was heroic enough not to pitch the world into Hell for the sake of visiting with his mom, and instead drove his car to trespass in Wayne Manor. The Batman slapped him around some, before Barry deduced that this was actual Thomas Wayne, who had survived that night in Crime Alley.

"Flashpoint Chapter One" was by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert with Sandra Hope. It looks like a Hollywood production with plenty of money but no soul behind it, so I was more bored reading it than anything. Sure it's offensive, but the impoliteness is felt in the abstract, with many miles of detachment on my part. It's funny though, because I think this is the beginning of the end for Didio Comics, for I foresee a DC Implosion coming that will really shake up the comic book industry. Poor Barry Allen seems like he'll go from a sainted super-hero to the bad penny turning up to bookend the Post-Crisis DC Universe. Your mileage may vary, but for me, I think I'm going to use this as something of a stopping point for my reading. I'll keep up with this or that, but my allegiance to the line is pretty much dead, and had been on life support for most of the decade anyway.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Thunderbolts' Customs Captain Atom & Nightshade Action Figures

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Dig these Mego-style customs of Captain Atom in his early gold & red costume, along with Eve Eden in her first Darling of Darkness outfit!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Atomic acCount for January, 2012



DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #21-22
Written by MARV WOLFMAN
Art by BRUNO REDONDO, HOWARD PORTER and LIVESAY
Cover #21 by MIKE S. MILLER
Cover #22 by HOWARD PORTER and LIVESAY
In a misguided attempt to save the Earth, Batman launches a chemical attack on an alien race. Will Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps arrive in time to stop the genocide? And in issue #22, the final battle begins! Under the leadership of Batman and Lex Luthor, the heroes launch an all-out assault on Brainiac – but the elusive Super Villain still has one more trick up his sleeve!
#21 on sale JANUARY 11
#22 on sale JANUARY 25
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
RATED T
Is the Atom still in this? Does it matter?

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #5
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI
Cover by J.G. JONES
On sale JANUARY 11
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
RATED T
When Checkmate fails to bring the rogue metahuman O.M.A.C. under control, they call in S.H.A.D.E.’s best agent, Frankenstein! It’s all-out monster mayhem as O.M.A.C. and Frank battle in the streets of Metropolis. But what is Brother Eye’s real goal? It’s up to Father Time and Ray Palmer to find out! Continued from this month’s O.M.A.C. #5!

O.M.A.C. #5
Written by DAN DIDIO and KEITH GIFFEN
Art and cover by KEITH GIFFEN and SCOTT KOBLISH
On sale JANUARY 4
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
RATED T
Max Lord and Sarge Steel decide that in order to capture O.M.A.C., sacrifices will have to be made. They go back to the location of O.M.A.C.’s first appearance and target the workers on Kevin Kho’s floor, including Kevin and all his friends. Meanwhile, since O.M.A.C. is still on the loose, S.H.A.D.E. decides to send in their top agent, Frankenstein, to succeed where Checkmate has failed. This epic storyline continues in this month’s FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #5!

TITANS: BROKEN PROMISES TP
Written by ERIC WALLACE
Art by FABRIZIO FIORENTINO and CLIFF RICHARDS
Cover by FABRIZIO FIORENTINO
On sale FEBRUARY 29
176 pg, FC, $14.99 US
Deathstroke and The Titans must escape the island paradise known as Drago in a game of life and death in this title collecting issues #33-39 and TITANS ANNUAL 2011. Plus, Osiris and Isis must come to terms with one another as they attempt to reclaim their thrones in Kahndaq.
That whole avenging Ryan Choi thing never really happened, did it?

Captain Atom
CAPTAIN ATOM #5
Written by J.T. KRUL
Art by FREDDIE WILLIAMS II
Cover by STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAU
On sale JANUARY 18
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
RATED T
Captain Atom likes to think of himself as a hero, but he can’t shake visions of another fate that could be far more monstrous. And maybe there’s more truth to this nightmare than he’d like to believe as he finally comes face-to-face with the bizarre creature that’s been lurking in the shadows.
A cover like this makes me feel better about skipping the book. Nekkid pinhead vs. Chinese dragon? Pass.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST VOL. 1 TP
Written by JUDD WINICK
Art by AARON LOPRESTI, JOE BENNETT and others
Cover by TONY HARRIS
On sale FEBRUARY 1
320 pg, FC, $29.99 US
Mind-controlling mastermind Maxwell Lord is targeting the members of the defunct Justice League International in this paperback collecting the first 12 issues of the twice-monthly series tying into BRIGHTEST DAY.
I totally need to read this story about how the guy who was dead came back and did stuff that was immediately wiped from continuity, including his dying in the first plus, and there may not have even been a Ted Kord for him to kill anymore. Magog's still dead, I guess? Say, they couldn't use one of those Maguire variant covers here? Turds.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

1995/96 Nightshade and the Question animation concept art by Bruce Timm



Superman: The Animated Series ran on The WB network from 1996-2000. According to a 1998 interview with producer Bruce Timm in Wizard's JLA Special magazine, while that show was in development, a JLA team-up format was considered. That prospect only lasted about a week, but the production team worked up a bunch of character sketches for the proposal. "I sat down and did designs for a bunch of characters, even some that had never even been in the JLA, like The Question. We tried to put in as weird a mix of characters as we could so it wasn't just Superman, Aquaman, Hawkman. So that's how that came about, but it never went further than that." Aside from the aforementioned characters, Hawkgirl, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Vixen, Nightshade, Black Lightning, Green Lantern John Stewart and Doctor Fate were also proposed. Jenette Kahn put the kibosh on the idea, believing Superman deserved his own show and the chance to be reintroduced into animation by himself. However, the talks led to Zatanna's appearances on Batman: The Animated Series and a slew of guest spots for other heroes on Superman, including the New Gods and Supergirl.

While the Question made a splash when he finally made it into animation on Timm's Justice League Unlimited, Nightshade has yet to mount a significant dent in animation (aside from a cameo in the direct-to-DVD Superman/Batman: Public Enemies .) Curiously, the Atom had co-starred in a Superman show back in the '60s, didn't make the cut in these preliminaries, but did have several notable appearance on JLU.

Bruce Timm Bits

Saturday, October 8, 2011

DC Retroactive: JLA - The '70s #1 (September, 2011)



22,300 miles above the Earth, the Justice League Satellite carried Hawkman, Red Tornado, Zatanna, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, and the Flash. Long range sensors detected a Zeta Beam carrying both Adam Strange and the alien despot Kanjar Ro toward Earth. The unstable beam split in two, before one continued and the other vanished entirely. Hawkman contacted the source planet of the beam, Rann, and learned from Sardath and Alanna that Kanjar Ro had stolen files allowing him to "hack" into Adam's teleportational beam.

Flash launched into a flurry of motion, and Red Tornado explained that "He's cross-analyzing the phase-ratios of the second splinter beam with the vibrational frequencies of all contiguous dimensions. The Scarlet Speedster and the Scarlet Android determined Adam's signal had sent him to Earth-Prime, an alternate Earth that almost exactly replicates the mundane one of most comic book readers. The Flash had been to that sad, drab world before, and at Red Tornado's suggestion, selected his own extraction team for a return visit.

Meanwhile, Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Hawkman pursued Kanjar Ro to the Rock Mountains of their own Earth-One. With his body having been transformed into "a living receptacle of Zeta-Beam energy," Kanjar Ro easily flattened them both. Thankfully, the away team had returned with Adam Strange from Earth-Prime, and despite a pressing time limit, Adam's brain was always up to the challenge. Kanjar Ro had to be stopped within a few hours, or else he would absorb even more power from an incoming Zeta Beam. Red Tornado provided Strange a replacement uniform and jet pack for the one he had lost previously.

In Peru, the heroic collective confronted Kanjar Ro, whose new telekinesis caused them to fire on themselves. For instance, Hawkman was left tangled in his own mace, while Red Tornado was caught in a vortex more powerful than he could ever produce. All that power on display came at a price, tapping out Kanjar Ro's reserves while Green Lantern had used his Power Ring to refract the expected Zeta Beam. Left restored to normal, Kanjar Ro was knocked out by a simple punch of Adam Strange's.

"Enter Justice League Prime" was by Cary Bates, Andy Smith, Gordon Purcell, and Jose Marzan Jr.

DC Retroactive

Friday, October 7, 2011

Demographics of the Atom

Page Views To Date:
According to Statcounter- 17,474
According to Google- 22,377

The Top posts to date are...

5) Post-Pointal Discussion: The Atoms and the Justice League Satellites: 335 Pageviews

4) The search for Ray Palmer... blogging.: 398 Pageviews

3) Titans: Villains For Hire Special #1 (July, 2010) : 479 Pageviews

2) Crisis On Earth-Blog: The DC Challenge: 713 Pageviews

1) DC Comics 75th Anniversary Golden Age Atom Variant Cover Suggestions: 745 Pageviews

Thanks go to referring blogs The Idol-Head of Diabolu, Being Carter Hall and Firestorm Fan!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

The Brave and the Bold #152 (July, 1979)



Playboy tycoon Bruce Wayne was nearly killed while piloting a personal jet because the airport tower equipment failed to detect another plane heading toward him. Other such digital abnormalities plagued the region, including "computerized" jail cells opening up, traffic jams, and unregulated electricity ruining an experiment of Ray Palmer's at Ivy University. As the Dark Knight Detective was delayed rounding up escaped criminals, Palmer managed to drive to the Gotham City offices of Amalgamated Technics and happen to bump into Batman as both arrived to question the responsible party. Both men were assured that the glitch was being taken care of by Howard Trask, "computer designer extraordinaire."

Bruce Wayne soon learned that all Wayne Enterprises bank accounts had not only been emptied, but their five million dollar deficit had been reported to the authorities. Similarly, Ray Palmer was arrested in Ivy Town based on evidence that he had transferred the physics department's funds to Switzerland. Unable to pursue the matter from a jail cell, the world's smallest hero would have to sneak out to clear his name. Aware of their mutual concerns, the Atom headed to the Batcave, and joined the Caped Crusader in another visit to Amalgamated Technics. The Atom somehow managed to determine their computers were not corrupted by jogging on a circuit board while the device made "beep-de-beep" sounds.

Meanwhile, Batman discovered that there was no record of Trask's existence prior to five years earlier. Trask took off his shirt to reveal a tattoo of an anvil that was only visible under an ultra-violet pen light Trask happened to carry with him, signifying that he was part of "America's top secret federal investigation unit?!!" To confirm that Trask was legit as a co-investigator on this case, Batman checked him out with the JLA's official government liaison.



The Caped Crusader and the Tiny Titan followed the money from a closed South American account to a bank in Zurich that refused to cooperate with Bruce Wayne. Further, a helicopter with an electromagnet on a cable caught Wayne's car and dropped it off a cliff. The Mighty Mite somehow altered his density to push Wayne from behind so that he could survive a fall into the waters below. I'll admit that Ray's the physicist, but I don't think his field works like that.

The Atom picked the lock at the bank, and Batman found the pair's lost gold (?!?) They were then attacked by a gang of men in lederhosen and Tracht hats, whom they trounced before returning to the United States. Once there, Batman visited Trask at work, who clubbed the Dark Knight Detective with a wrench and dropped him on a conveyor belt spanning maybe a dozen feet that led to a shredder. Trask then left without seeing Batman die to return to his apartment. There, the Atom had found a computer reel hidden behind a fake electrical outlet, but dove into a trash can when Trask returned. Trask happened to dump the trash into the incinerator, from which the Tiny Titan barely escapes alive. The Mighty Mite then pursued Trask outside the building to a car where the thief tried to play the tape, learning that it was instead a recording of the national anthem. The Atom recognized the beeps from the Amalgamated Technics computer at the Swiss bank, which led him to switch the reels and capture Trask. Then, the Atom went back to Trask's lab to save Batman, inches from being shredded. Batman learned that Trask had blackmailed the JLA liaison into vouching for him, while Ray decided to eat a plate of Swiss cheese like a mouse.



Bob Haney and Jim Aparo were responsible for "Death Has A Golden Grab!" I often enjoy Haney for his lunatic cavalier plotting that makes Grant Morrison look like Ron Howard. Here, he just heaps stupidity on top of inanity in a series of nonsensical, ill-informed events that does disservice to everyone involved. I won't even touch the magical omnipotent reel-to-reel computer technology, since nobody in pop culture knew how those things worked in 1979. I'll even give Wayne and Palmer specifically (exclusively?) being implicated in the heist. Still, nothing "technical" in this book is remotely plausible, from the banking to the laws of Newton to the basic plot machinations. Why do the heroes take Amalgamated Technics at their word initially, and how nuts is it for costumed Batman and plainclothes Ray Palmer to show up together in the first place? Lederhosen?!?! Of course Trask is the culprit, because there's no alternative introduced! Once Ray found the computer reel, why didn't he just kick Trask's ass? How did Batman survive all that time on the conveyor belt? Why is Batman such an incompetent wuss? Did anybody understand that stuff about the computer noises? Why does the Atom act like a mouse, and who is impressed by a hero nearly killed via trash chute on accident?

Even Aparo is off his game, with loose art and a complete lack of understanding of how to render Atom adventures. He just keeps drawing the Atom as a full figure taking up minimal space in panels. Instead of a dynamic hero in an over-sized world, he's a glorified color stick figure battling household appliances. A debacle, I tell you!

The Bronze Age

Thursday, September 29, 2011

2010 DC Universe Vol. 5: JSA Hawkman art by alexmax

Click To Enlarge and Expand


I usually try to leave the Hawkman stuff to Being Carter Hall, but I like this guys themed artwork and I like to spread each spotlight day over several blogs, not an easy task with Atom-related stuff...

"Finally! Here is the fifth volume of the DCU lineups of mine. I've has this one "almost ready" for over a week, but work stalled me on completing S.T.R.I.P.E.S., so it could be a "full" lineup of 7 characters.

After 2 JLA lineups, the next obvious choice to make is the JSA, so here it is. I'm not a huge fan of the JSA, and I think most of the Golden Age era members have some wacky outfits... this is why I decided to vector up the younger side of the JSA. I believe that eventually I will add a JSA lineup with Jay Garrick, Alan Scott & Co...

Hawkman: Didn't go for the red/yellow boots."

alexmax

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Action Comics #521 (July, 1981)



“The son of man and mermaid, Arthur Curry is the marine-powered avenger of the seven seas! Using a fragment of a white dwarf star, nuclear physicist Ray Palmer found a way to shrink to microscopic size! Together they are… Aquaman and The Atom!”

In the span of two pages, Aquaman pointed out that
a) His telepathic communication with marine creatures was always inferior to Hawkman’s talks with birds.
b) That in all his decades as a super-hero, he had never tried to hold a conversation with his finny friends.
c) That he was caught flat-footed on a Virginia shoreline by a bizarre new life form that sprang up on his him before shrinking away
d) How his lack of microscopic vision prohibited his following the creature.
e) That he would obviously need help on such a mundane case.

Clearly, the writer thought the Sea King sucked seawater, because of all the lesser lights reachable via a Justice League signal device, he brought in the Mighty Mite. “If this is your way to keep me from eating the tuna casserole my wife Jean was cooking…” Ho, ho, ho! It is to laugh, no? With his shrinkable rebreather, Atom was tasked with finding a microscopic needle in a haystack… of water! Laughter, yes? Anyhow, Aquaman figured if anyone could do it, the Tiny Titan was that individual. “That’s it—play up to the scientist in me! Believe me, I love it!”

Palmer’s a closet egotist, so believe it! He also thought the Sea King was lame. “Aquaman’s a nice guy and all, but he’s no scientist! His description of what I’m looking for leaves a lot to be desired-- unlike his firecrotch bride, who I should totally talk Jean into swinging with!” I may have exaggerated slightly there at the end, but only because Ray lacked Ollie Queen’s libido. He would be too busy with some new gadget to partake of the League’s Satellite Saturday key party. It must have driven Jean crazy! Oh, wait...



The World’s Smallest Super-Hero continued to spout some of the Bronze Age’s Worst Monologue as he addressed the size-altering amorphous creature Aquaman had set him against. “It’ll have to fight somebody its own size-- and hopefully it’s superior in intelligence!” The Atom was “eaten” by the blob, which proved to be the faster size-shifter, but revealed itself while becoming large enough to be seen by Aquaman’s adequate eyesight. Worse, it was big enough to allow Aquaman a “bad vibrations” reference before he wet himself escaping the creature.

“Swordfish, I need your help!” So did the Atom, who sorted out Aquaman’s confusion over what small creature within the blob might be trying to contact him by his super-heroic name. Yes, Bronze Age Aquaman was no slouch in the moron department. However, what he lacked in elementary deductive reasoning, he made up for with lines like, “Swordfish--surround the enemy--and jab--JAB--JAB!” I like to think his honeymoon also went something like that. “With enough stabs, the swordfish should numb the creature?” That method of contraception would explain the express conception of Aquababy. “Got to work faster! I’ve just lost some of my troops!” And you thought the rhythm method was flawed?

Remember the Atom? Within the jab-o-sphere, trying to recall his junior high magic act to hopefully use this swordfish gangbang of an undocumented life form as a Freudian nightmare of an escape route. After “repeated sword-thrusts,” the Atom exited through an orifice and grew to adult size. Aquaman was all set to have “my finny friends finish the creature off,” which I think was a hit for Heart in the late ‘70s, but Atom protested. “All right… but you better have a good reason!” Atom explained the creature was like a “blowfish,” or as corrected by Aquaman, “a puffer!” It detected Aquaman’s and Atom’s electrical brain impulses, and reacted with fear by expanding rapidly. However, Ray felt it was harmless, and just wanted to change out of his wet clothes. I think I could use a shower myself.

Bob Rozakis, Alex Saviuk, and Vince Colletta channeled Lars von Trier into “Grow, Little Growfish!”

The Bronze Age

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Atomic acCount for December, 2011



DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #19-20
Written by MARV WOLFMAN
Art by MIKE S. MILLER, HOWARD PORTER and LIVESAY
Cover #19 by MIKE S. MILLER
Cover #20 by HOWARD PORTER and LIVESAY
With Brainiac’s final play revealed, the Justice League – minus Superman – must find a way to stop this final threat to Earth. Can the newly empowered civilians from The Daily Planet building help? Where will Earth turn in this dark hour?
As Brainiac’s invading force prepares for combat, Batman must make a deadly decision that may put him at odds with the entire JLA. It’s a decision that could save the Earth, and the Dark Knight will stop at nothing – even fighting his allies – to guarantee success...but can anyone save him from himself?
#19 on sale DECEMBER 14
#20 on sale DECEMBER 28
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
You know, it's inevitable that I'm going to read at least a trade's worth of this someday, and I'll just as surely regret it.

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #4
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI
Cover by J.G. JONES
On sale DECEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
“Monster Planet” comes to its world-shattering conclusion as Frankenstein and Nina take on the massive Sea Monster, while Lady Frankenstein and the rest of the Creature Commandos go head to head with the colossal Ogre Titan. Plus: Don’t miss the debut of the G.I. Robot Squadron and the new War Wheel!

DC UNIVERSE: SECRET ORIGINS HC
Written by VARIOUS
Art by VARIOUS
Montage cover
On sale FEBRUARY 22 • 320 pg, FC, $39.99 US
The classic Silver Age titles are collected in hardcover for the first time, including SECRET ORIGINS #1, MORE SECRET ORIGINS #1, EVEN MORE SECRET ORIGINS #1 and WEIRD SECRET ORIGINS #1! Don’t miss the origins of Wonder Woman, the Superman/Batman team, The Challengers of the Unknown, Martian Manhunter, the Justice League of America, Aquaman, The Flash, The Atom, Bizarro and more!

Captain Atom
CAPTAIN ATOM #4
Written by J.T. KRUL
Art by FREDDIE WILLIAMS II
Cover by STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAU
On sale DECEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Before he received his godlike powers, Captain Atom was a military man – an Air Force pilot. Now, he’s being recruited again to serve his country as only he can. But will Captain Atom go along with his new role as a weapon of mass destruction?
Grr. That's sounds a lot like the '80s incarnation, making me want to read this despite Krul.

DC COMICS PRESENTS CAPTAIN ATOM #1
Written by JAMES ROBINSON and GREG RUCKA
Art and cover by CAFU
On sale DECEMBER 7 • 96 pg, FC, $7.99 US
In the popular co-feature from ACTION COMICS #879-889, Captain Atom’s memory is falling apart right in the heat of battle! Can he get it together in time to face off again Major Disaster?
I'll certainly be debating this one. I like the cheap quasi-trade format, but between it's irrelevance to the DCnU and it's ties to a lot of post-Crisises crap, I dunno...