Captain Atom #83 (November 1966)

Tags

Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, David Kaler, Gunner, Iron Arms, Professor Koste, Rocke Mastroserio, Silver Age Captain Atom, Steve Ditko

“Finally Falls the Mighty”

• Scripted:  David Kaler
• Plot & Pencils:  Steve Ditko
• Inks:  Rocke Mastroserio

Captain Adam and Gunner are at an exhibit of Air Force technology.  Also in attendance is Professor Koste, a man that Adam had dismissed as a security risk.  Koste uses what looks like a red iPhone to summon a bunch of green-clad thugs, who come crashing into the exhibit.  Before they have a chance to cause any real trouble, Captain Atom appears to put a stop to their shenanigans.

*

The civilians watching the fight recognize Captain Atom.  He rescues a group of them when one of the thugs shoots down a rocket display.

*

The thugs run off and Captain Atom realizes he has a rip in his costume.  He has Gunner move the adoring crowd away.  They notice he is glowing.  One particularly forward-thinking reporter snaps a picture of Cap’s glowing armpit.  Meanwhile, Professor Koste takes advantage of the distraction to steal some equipment.

*

Captain Atom flies back to the base to get a spare uniform (maybe the blue one from Space Adventures #33).  His costume is blue in the story that makes the papers immediately; headlines read, “HERO IS RADIOACTIVE MENACE: Air Force Super-Hero is a Threat to the Public.”  Word spreads fast and soon Captain Atom is taking a call from the president (Lyndon Johnson).  He’s concerned about the Air Force’s public image.  Oh, and the spare uniform is yellow.  Captain Atom flies off to meet with Professor Max Lipat, an old co-worker of Koste’s.

*

Koste meets up with Lipat ahead of Captain Atom.  Leaving Lipat under guard, Koste disguises himself as Lipat to gain access to a nearby Air Force base and top secret project.  Before meeting with “Lipat,” Captain Atom inspects the base’s reactor.  Koste sabotages the reactor, the meltdown of which will “blow the whole state off the Earth.”

*

Just getting to the reactor weakens Cap.  When he arrives, he attempts to absorb the excess radiation and convert it into a harmless state.  Cap pushes his body to the limit trying to convert the radiation.  He passes out just as the reactor shuts down.  Koste calls his men to the base.

*

When Cap awakens and finds Koste and his men on the base, he springs to action.  He finds his powers have diminished.  He can’t pass through a wall.  He barely manages to pull himself out of a wall when he is set upon by a group of Koste’s men.  Even without his super-strength, he manages to hold his own – at first.  The bad guys have numbers on their side and they knock Cap out cold.  Koste orders them to take Cap to his hovercraft.

*

Meanwhile, miles away, a strange man with metal arms is demonstrating his power and vowing to make a trip to visit Koste.

*

So, Captain Atom is finally defeated.  And a new villain (or hero) is on the horizon.  This is the first time a Captain Atom story was “to be continued.”  It didn’t really have to be, though.  Not a lot happened in this issue.  The big changes happen in Captain Atom #84.

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I give this one a C+.  It is all just setting up the next issue.  The big deal with this issue is the back-up story, Steve Ditko and Gary Friedrich’s re-imagining of the Blue Beetle.  This is the first appearance of the Ted Kord Blue Beetle, later a property of DC Comics (just like Captain Atom and Nightshade).

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Also this is the first issue of Captain Atom to feature fan letters.  Most of them applauded Captain Atom #82 and Nightshade, but not everyone was happy.  To the right is evidence of the early stages in the evolution of The Internet Troll.

This “universe” was absorbed into DC Comics’ Multiverse when the Charlton characters were purchased by DC.  This universe became Earth-4.

Injustice: Gods Among Us #25 (July 3, 2013)

Tags

Batwoman, Black Canary, Black Lightning, Bruno Redondo, Captain Atom, Catwoman, David Lopez, Green Arrow, Huntress, Injustice Captain Atom, Jheremy Raapack, Lex Luthor, Santi Casas of Ikari Studio, Superman, Tom Taylor, Wes Abbott, Wonder Woman

>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS<<<<<<<<<
(You’ve been warned)

“Chapter Twenty-Five”

• Writer: Tom Taylor
• Artist: Bruno Redondo
• Colors: David Lopez and Santi Casas of Ikari Studio
• Letters: Wes Abbott
• Cover Artist: Jheremy Raapack

This story opens by showing the juxtaposition between the Watchtower and the Batcave.  Superman is talking to Wonder Woman in the Watchtower while Catwoman is talking to Batman in the Batcave.  The world is celebrating, praising Superman for thwarting the alien invasion in the previous issue.

Wonder Woman says, “You saved so many lives,” to Superman.  Batman says to Catwoman, “He took so many lives.”  Superman himself says, “So many were lost.”  Three varying opinions right there.  But however you slice it, Superman killed a lot of people in Injustice: Gods Among Us #24.  And by “people” I mean Kalibak and an invading horde of parademons.  Superman says it isn’t enough, that more wars will happen.  He needs more allies.  Lex Luthor assures him he will have them.

In the Batcave, Batman calls a meeting (he seems to do a lot of that).  Assembled are Catwoman, Black Lightning, Batwoman, Huntress, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Captain Atom.  Batman holds steady with his “no killing” philosophy, but Huntress points out it was a war.  Superman killed the enemy but saved millions of lives.  Huntress defends Superman’s actions, saying Batman and his friends would be dead if not for Superman (indeed, in the previous issue Green Arrow and Black Canary were just about to bite it when Supes did his whatever-the-hell-he-did that killed all the parademons).

Huntress chides, “Being sanctimonious and arrogant doesn’t make you right, Bruce!”  For this she gets the Batman Glare ™.  She slipped up and called him Bruce in front of people!  She realizes her mistake too late.

Huntress tells Bats where to stick it, that she doesn’t want to fight Superman when she agrees with him.  Catwoman stops her from leaving, saying that she doesn’t have all the facts.  Batman reveals that Superman and Lex Luthor are working on a way to enhance people into super beings.  He is building an army.  Black Lightning asks how Batman got this info.  Huntress says if Bats expects them to follow him into war they need to know they can trust him.  So Batman removes his cowl.

Hell breaks loose then, when Superman cultists attack the citizens of Gotham (in and around Crime Alley).  Batman sends Captain Atom ahead as he is the fastest.

This Superman cult has been taking on criminals in Gotham since Superman killed the Joker.  It is just as Captain Atom is about to start quantum blasting the riff-raff when the Batcrew shows up.  They trade witty comments with the zealots before they start cracking heads.  These guys are no match for the Bat guys.  But Batman and his boys are halted by the sudden arrival of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern.

The Super friends tell the Bat crew to back down and they will handle this.  Batman and Superman face each other down, but Catwoman tells Bats now is not the time.  The Bat crew sheepishly walk away.

I don’t know what this is building to.  The ultimate showdown, I guess.  I really like these takes on classic DC characters.  Tom Taylor is weaving this together really well.  Although they shake up the art team constantly, none of them have let me down so far.  I got the demo for the video game on my X-Box 360.  It is pretty cool (Captain Atom appears not to be a playable character, though).  The comic is pretty awesome, though, and is one on DC’s best titles right now in my opinion.  I give this issue an A+.