2007 San Diego Comic-Con Captain Atom & Vixen Cosplay

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You know, I was a fan of Captain Atom long before I was interested in the Mighty Mite. I guess since I was introduced to the Captain during his peak visibility in the late '80s, I never realized how unpopular he was. Two short-lived runs in the 1960s at Charlton, then sporadic appearances in low-rent publications during the '70s & '80s. Leadership of the other JLI team in the 1990s, while his tepid-selling solo series plodded along for five years. Various heel turns, a few mini-series, membership in super-groups nobody cared about, plus a few cartoon appearances. That's Captain Atom's career, and that's a shame, because it seems to me marrying the Captain America of the 1950s to Dr. Manhattan makes for a seriously compelling super-hero.

All this is to say that there isn't a lot of Captain Atom costume play to be found, and I feel bad that he's missing out on the dress-up fun my other blogs are enjoying. However, you can do a hell of a lot worse than this bitchin' ensemble with make-up from the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con International, and much worse company than Vixen from Justice League Detroit.

• Dragon*Con 2010 Recap – My Weekend of Insanity@Once Upon A Geek
• Dragon*Con 2010 Donna Troy Cosplay@Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
• Aquaman Family Cosplay @ DragonCon 2010 @The Aquaman Shrine
• Zatanna Cosplay (Blue & White) by DJ Spider@Justice League Detroit
• Dragon*Con 2010 Cyborg Cosplayer@DC Bloodlines

Dragon*Con 2010 Indigo Tribe Atom Cosplayer Cptnspndx

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Check out Indigo Tribesman Ryan Choi Ray Palmer! I tease, not because there's anything wrong with pan-racial cosplay, but because it sucks that my choices if I'd like to follow suit range from Dr. Light II (bonus cross-dressing!) to deceased Bloodlines characters. I've often noted my lack of interest in the All New Atom, but I hate that the choice is a character I'm not into and no Asians whatsoever.

Enough racial politicking hijacking the cosplay post. I could be teasing the dude for his flesh-colored top instead (see comments for an explanation.) Seriously though, I'm pleased by and proud of any Atom fan with the talent to put a suit like this together and the stones (in an easy carry loincloth!) to actually wear it out in public. I love the girdle-belt with the Atom symbol, and I want a pair of cavalier boots like those for my everyday wear. My favorite part is the gnarly light up staff. Screw lantern batteries-- I'll take one of those! Serious props to Indigo-1 as well, because that bald pate is hard core and totally authentic.

Extra special thanks go out to The Irredeemable Shag, who supplied a wealth of swell Indigo Atom pictures for me to choose from. Aside from the picture linked above, check here and here. Gentlemen and the ladies who don't love them owe it to themselves to take in the Star Sapphire costume at those links. Her suit is... plungy. If you'd like to look at the lot (and there is indeed a lot,) scope out Shag's DragonCon 2010 Photos!

Fresh Related Posts:

• Dragon*Con 2010 With Booster Gold and Blue Beetle!@Comics Make Me Happy!
• Beast Boy at Dragon Con! @Doom Patrol: My Greatest Adventure
• Black Lantern Wonder Woman Cosplay@Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
• Black Lantern Aquaman & Wonder Woman Cosplay@Justice League Detroit

Dragon*Con 2010 The Atom (Ray Palmer) Cosplayer

According to the website, "Dragon*Con is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe!" Even under such a specific set of criteria, I find the claim dubious, but the SDCC of Atlanta, GA seems to be the geek event of the American South. Besides, I'm in Houston, a town with a checked convention history. The '90s were full of bogus little ballroom shows that could barely fill a Marriot side room, so I can't cast stones. Plus, The Irredeemable Shag and Girls Gone Geek seem to have had a blast there this year.



Speaking of Shag Matthews, the good man was kind enough to supply a bunch of us her bloggers with access to the treasure trove of his DragonCon 2010 Photos, featuring tons of minty fresh costumed players from the September 3–6 event. In the spirit of Damian Maffei, I've played Where's Waldo?, locating the one guy decked out as the Silver Age Atom waaay back in massive group shots. This was Crisis of Infinite Cosplay folks, as the scale of these get-togethers just keeps growing. Clustered on a rooftop, it's like a Romero zombie epidemic, but bite victims sprout crotch-suffocating lycra instead of developing a lust for brains. Point being, our Tiny Titan was appropriately difficult to find and photograph, so don't blame Shag for the fuzzy images. The Mighty Mite was just that obscure, unlike the outstanding attention hog Plastic Man seen to Ray's left above. That guy was upfront and animated in so many pictures, it makes me glad I don't run a Plas blog, because sifting through all the terrific options would have been murder. Two-edged sword, that. For perspective, check out the original group shots



Above is a final shot from one of my favorite photos from Shag's set, featuring two of my bestest super-pals J'Onn J'Onzz and Ray Palmer, along with good buddy John Henry Irons and even a hint of BLAquaman. Race knows no bounds in cosplay (as we'll see later in the week,) but I wish I could get a brother to sew up a single Bronze Tiger one of these days.

• The Irredeemable Shag's DragonCon 2010 Photos@Once Upon A Geek
• Beast Boy at Dragon Con! @Doom Patrol: My Greatest Adventure
• Wonder Woman & the Wonder Girls Cosplay@Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
• Zatanna Cosplay@Justice League Detroit

The Palmer Posterior #6134014

I had an involved scientific paper in mind for this blog on Monday, but it Wednesday, I have three tests this week, and I've come up bupkis. Instead, you can bum kiss, if you're so inclined...

2010 Hawkman and The Atom Drawing by Jeff Lemire

Art by the Brightest Day Atom strip's writer, auctioned off in a Doug Wright Awards fundraiser. Read more and enlarge art at Jeff Lemire's blog

2006 Damage Unmasking Sketch by Dale Eaglesham

The Palmer Posterior #6134009

A few months back, I had the idea for a regular series of filler posts for Power of the Atom, but never got around to setting them up. You see, even as a confidently heterosexual male, I couldn't help but admire the derriere of one Professor Raymond Palmer. The guy is really fit and athletic, always jumping around and showing off his form. I'm sure a lot of this had to do with original artist Gil Kane, a fan of dynamic anatomy, as evidenced by SallyP's appreciation of his work at Green Lantern Butt's FOREVER! I never really took much stock of Hal Jordan's gluteus maximus, in part because that guy's an ass, but also because dark green over black leggings doesn't necessarily call attention to those not on the lookout. Meanwhile, the Tiny Titan's southern hemisphere is bright red, and as I said, the guy is constantly assuming flattering postures to show off his white boy junk. I think I'll live vicariously through Ray Palmer's bod, and offer up a counterbalance to all those objectifying sites that show off the super-heroines. Besides, I've got a Wonder Woman blog, and I don't want to feel guilty about posts where Donna Troy runs around in that gloriously form fitting Wonder Girl unitard I love more than the character wearing it.

I'll start things off a bit subdued, with the first rear view of the civilian Ray from his first appearance, before there even was a Silver Age Atom. You may not want that wedding ring he's retrieving for yourself yet, but give it a few Palmer Posterior more posts, and you may come around...