JLA Gallery (July 1997)

Tags

Amazing Man, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Firestorm, Howard Porter, Ken Branch, Maxima, Modern Age Captain Atom

This book of pin-ups featured different versions of the Justice League and its various members.  Howard Porter (pencils) and Ken Branch (inks) did this page, a colorful and quite busy rendition of the team from Extreme Justice.  The colorist was not credited.

Justice League International #9 (January 1988)

Tags

Al Gordon, Batman, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Bob Lappan, Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Gene D'Angelo, Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), J. M. DeMatteis, Keith Giffen, Kevin Maguire, Martian Manhunter, Max Lord, Modern Age Captain Atom, Mr. Miracle, Ms. Wootenhoffer, Rocket Red #7, Rumaan Harjavti

“Seeing Red”

• Writers:  Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis
• Pencils:  Kevin Maguire
• Inks:  Al Gordon
• Colors:  Gene D’Angelo
• Letters:  Bob Lappan

The Millennium crossover event began on September 15, 1987 with the publication of Millennium #1.  The first week it crossed over into Firestorm #67, Flash #8, Outsiders #27, Wonder Woman #12, and Justice League International #9.  It began with  the Guardian of the Universe known as Herupa Hando Hu and his consort, the Zamaron, Nadia Safir arriving on Earth and announcing that they want the super-heroes of Earth to protect a group of Chosen humans – a group that will help to usher in a new era of humanity.  Each hero then realizes that someone close to them is a sleeper agent of the Manhunters (a race of robots that were created by and oppose the Guardians of the Universe).  In Captain Atom #10, we learned that Harry Hadley, a high-ranking member of Project Captain Atom, was a Manhunter agent.

This issue of JLI begins with the Justice League flying to their Paris embassy after having met with Herupa Hando Hu and Nadia Safir at the Green Lantern Citadel in California.  Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, and Martian Manhunter are flying alongside the JLI shuttle, which is carrying Blue Beetle, Mr. Miracle, Rocket Red #7, Black Canary, and Batman.

Just as Rocket Red addresses everyone on board the shuttle, Beetle and Miracle notice that the controls aren’t responding and they are on autopilot.  Rocket Red wastes no time in telling his team-mates that he is a Manhunter.  He has been studying them all and would like them to join his group.  Batman seems quite taken aback by this proposal.

Back at the New York embassy, Oberon informs Captain Atom that he’s lost contact with the shuttle.  They were heading for Paris but their trajectory seems to be aiming them towards the Middle East now.  Cap takes off to check it out while Oberon says he’s calling back-up.

On the shuttle, Rocket Red is trying to convince the JLI that the Guardians are liars and manipulators who are tampering with the fate of the universe.  Batman still isn’t buying this b.s.  Mr. Miracle, meanwhile, has sneaked around behind Rocket Red and is tampering with his battle suit with a screwdriver.  Blue Beetle fogs a window of the shuttle with his breath and writes “help” in it with his finger, hoping the league members outside will see it.

Clearly, the JLI isn’t going to join the Manhunters.  Rocket Red removes his visor to reveal his true face beneath.


Mr. Miracle is knocked back by a shock from Rocket Red’s armor.  Black Canary again asserts their refusal to join the Manhunters.  Rocket Red pounces on Blue Beetle.  Outside the shuttle, Guy Gardner sees the ruckus through a window and assumes Beetle and the others are just joking around.  The melee causes Red to slightly lose his control over the shuttle, and those outside are finally clued in to what is going on because of the shuttle’s erratic movements.

Rocket Red flies out of the shuttle, sealing the hatch behind him.  From atop the shuttle, Red begins blasting at J’onn, Guy, and Booster.  He tells them if they don’t leave, he will detonate his armor, killing everyone on the shuttle.  To make matters worse, Booster notices they are flying into Bialian airspace.  That must be one hell of a craft, to get them from California to the Middle East in such quick time, and never flying over the ocean (unless the story began while they were over Spain or something… I guess that is conceivable…).

Red’s plan is evidently to kill the JLI anyway, as he is aiming for an oil refinery.  He says that the Justice League will be disgraced when it is discovered they caused an incident like this in Bialya.  The shuttle plummets closer and closer to the refinery until it suddenly stops short and Rocket Red flies from the roof and into the refinery himself.  The shuttle was caught and held back at the last second by the rest of the Rocket Red Brigade (real Russians and not Manhunters).

Captain Atom shows up, too late to help.  Guy is containing the fire with his ring.  Rumaan Harjavti (despotic ruler of Bialya) shows up, threatening to notify the Soviets of the JLI breaching his country’s borders for a second time.  A Rocket Red points out to Harjavti that his Soviet allies are already aware, which shuts him up.

The skeletal, robotic remains of Rocket Red #7 emerge from the wreckage.  He has one missile left and intends to use it.  When he fires, it does no damage because Booster Gold surrounded the Manhunter with a force field.  Harjavti orders them off his soil, and Batman remarks they are going to have trouble from the dictator some day.  J’onn suggests that the League members with families and loved ones should return home to find out if they, too, have been infiltrated by the Manhunters.

In New York, at the Lord Building, Maxwell Lord is watching Manhunters reveal themselves to super-heroes around the country via his monitors.  He and his supercomputer are working on the problem when his assistant, Ms. Wootenhoffer, enters his office.  She shoots Lord, saying, “No man escapes the Manhunters,” as she does so.  Then Max Lord’s supercomputer retaliates off-panel.  It seems gruesome.

There is another backup story in this issue that again features Jack O’Lantern and a meeting he has with Rumaan Harjavti just moments before Rocket Red #7 crashed in his refinery.

Well.  This really should have been in the Cameo Appearances section of this blog.  Captain Atom was only in four panels.  I guess I thought it should get the whole review treatment because Cap’s officially a Justice League team member now.  Again, this is beautifully drawn and written.  There were a few funny quips.  I wish they’d utilized Cap more.  He has yet to live up to his full potential with the League.  Still, I give this an A.

Captain Atom #10 (December 1987)

Tags

Anton Sarrock, Babylon, Bob Smith, Carl Gafford, Cary Bates, Dr. Megala, Dr. Mortimer, Duncan Andrews, Francis Travis, General Eiling, Greg Weisman, Harry Hadley, Homer Lockleed, Martin Allard, Pat Broderick, Sissy Housten

“Wish You Were Here…”

• Writers:  Cary Bates & Greg Weisman
• Pencils:  Pat Broderick
• Inks:  Bob Smith
• Colors:  Carl Gafford
• Letters:  Duncan Andrews

Okay, it is right there on the cover.  This may be an issue of Captain Atom but Captain Atom isn’t in this issue.  It is an indirect tie-in with the Millennium crossover event and Bates & Weisman used the absence of the main character to flesh out some of the subplots.

This issue came out September 29, 1987, which was the same week as Millennium #3 but the action takes place prior to (or during) Millennium #1.

It begins in a spa or gym.  Babylon is working out while Dr. Megala chills out in the hot tub.  Babylon is telling Megala an off-color joke that he attributes to Nathaniel Adam, (who really really isn’t in this book).  He says Nate has a new joke for him every time they meet up and he suggests that Captain Atom host Saturday Night Live.  Megala advises Babylon not to mention that in front of Nate, as he just might be interested in doing it.

As Megala and Babylon chat about Nate, two assistants come in and hoist Megala out of the hot tub.  Babylon, unaware of this, is left in the spa alone, talking to himself.

Back in his lab, Dr. Megala is recording some data, getting ready to run some experiments on Captain Atom.  Babylon enters, still sweaty from his workout, and tells Megala that Captain Atom won’t be available.  Megala delivers a weak pun.

What Megala is unaware of is that Captain Atom has been holed up in the New York embassy of Justice League International with the rest of the team.  Although it has been in all the papers, Megala is completely oblivious.

Elsewhere, journalist Sissy Housten is thinking of her friend and fellow journalist Mabel Ryan, who has been missing for five months.  The last person to see her alive was Tom Emory (aka Dr. Spectro) and swears she was alive and well (in truth, Emory killed Mabel).  Sissy’s “Deep Throat” contact at the Pentagon calls her up and says she has info on Mabel and it isn’t good news.  They agree to meet at a parking garage.

Later, Babylon is driving Megala to visit his friend Anton Sarrock.  He is trying to cheer Megala up, but the doctor’s mind is on Captain Atom and the Justice League.  They arrive at the Damon Clinic where Megala is greeted by Dr. Mortimer as a former patient.  Babylon has to surrender his revolver.  Mortimer tells them Sarrock is catatonic, and has been for a year… since Nate emerged from his quantum time-travel trip.

Another patient, Homer Lockleed, is mopping the hallway as Mortimer, Babylon, and Megala pass through.  I’d wondered what happened to him since he tried to kidnap Nate’s daughter Peggy.  Using the pretense of asking for some magazines, Homer approaches a security guard and clocks him in the face with the icky end of his mop.

In Sarrock’s room, Babylon and Megala discuss their friend as he stares at cartoons on his TV.  He was once one of the most brilliant astrophysicists in the country before suffering a nervous breakdown.  Dr. Megala believes that Sarrock’s relapse is a result of Megala not being around all the time.  This is a great failing of Heinrich Megala.  He seems blind to the fact that Sarrock’s mental problems are tied in with the alien metal that coats Nathaniel Adam.  It doesn’t all click into place for him until Silver Shield shows up, in Captain Atom #35.  But that’s two years away.

Homer enters the room and shoots out the TV with Babylon’s gun.  An orderly jumps at Homer and the gun goes off again.

At the Pentagon, Martin Allard and Harry Hadley show up for the unveiling of a Justice League “strategy room.”  There are images of JLI members on the wall with “risk codes.”  Blue Beetle and Black Canary are green, Batman is orange, and Rocket Red #7 and Guy Gardner are red.  Hadley mentions that he was the one who subdued Captain Atom with a gas that he synthesized (and will be used to subdue Atom’s “successor”).  The man in charge of this room, Lieutenant Eliot, reveals that Captain Atom was placed with the JLI as a spy.  Allard says the collected data will be extremely valuable to the U.S. government (“Among other organizations,” thinks Hadley.).  Hadley excuses himself for another appointment.

Back at the Damon Clinic, Homer banishes Babylon and an orderly from the ward.  Babylon is carrying another orderly; the man Homer shot.  Babylon warns Homer that if he hurts anyone else, he’ll come down on him so hard it will kill his family.  This causes Homer to rant about his “wife/daughter” Peggy.  Police and paramedics show up and Babylon loads the wounded orderly into an ambulance.  Hearing the police argue, Babylon realizes it will be up to him to save Megala.

The police call Homer (this is a full-blown hostage situation now).  Homer demands that he be allowed to speak to his father.  He also wants to see his “wife,” Margaret Eiling-Lockleed, and his “daughter,” Peggy.  Homer is seriously unhinged.  In the hospital, Megala thinks of Homer as “another Damon Clinic failure,” like Sarrock or himself.  He clings to the vain hope that Nathaniel will sweep in and rescue him.

I didn’t see this before, but I think it is possible that Heinrich Megala is in love with Nathaniel Adam.

Sissy meets with her shadowy “deep throat” contact.  He hands her a package, and she takes it and gets in her car.  She opens the package, which turns out to be a bomb.  Her contact turns out to be none other than Harry Hadley.

Hadley is a Manhunter.  They are the primary villains in the Millennium crossover event.  He’s been spying on Captain Atom all this time on behalf of his masters.

Back at the Damon Clinic, Babylon uses a grapple to get to the roof.  The police see what he’s up to but don’t know who he is.  Inside, another inmate tells Megala he wishes Anton were there mentally instead of just physically.  Megala recounts a time when Anton helped another inmate; himself.  Megala talks and talks, but (as another inmate points out) it makes no difference.  Anton Sarrock is totally checked out. Down on the ground, the police realize Babylon is on the roof.  The officer in charge, Francis Travis, radios his man on the roof.  But it is too late.  Babylon clocks the roof cop from behind.

Homer tells Travis (via phone) that if his demands aren’t met, he’s going to start killing people, starting with the cripple in the wheelchair (Megala).  Megala rushes Homer, who shoots him.  Homer barks into the phone, “You see?  You made me kill the cripple!”  Babylon hears this and freaks out.

Travis says that Margaret Eiling is willing to come down and talk to Homer but they couldn’t find his daughter Peggy.  Homer says if Peggy isn’t there in two minutes he will kill everyone.  He begins counting down from 120.  The other inmates right Megala’s chair (Megala is fine).  A voice calls out to Homer, telling him to stop counting.  Homer ignores this.  Then the voice says it more forcefully.  It is Anton Sarrock.

Homer stops counting.  Sarrock tells his fellow inmates that they must help Homer.  He slows Homer down, but the crazed fellow still says he’s going to kill everyone; that it is too late.  That is when Babylon crashes in through the window armed with a machine gun and disarms Homer, saying it is never too late.

Babylon and Megala welcome Sarrock back to reality.  In the background, a TV plays a news report about the JLI emerging from their embassy.  The reporter goes to interview Captain Atom just when a hospital staff member turns the TV off.

This was good.  By no means my favorite issue of the series, but I like that they let the subplots breathe.  We learn a little sliver more about Megala.  Not a lot, but more will trickle out over the next few years.  The art is good, but nothing spectacular.  Pat Broderick at his worst is still better than some.  I’d say overall this issue of Captain Atom is a B.

Justice League International #8 (December 1987)

Tags

Al Gordon, Batman, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Bob Lappan, Booster Gold, Boris Razumihin, Captain Atom, Catherine Cobert, Gene D'Angelo, Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), J. M. DeMatteis, Jack Ryder, Keith Giffen, Kevin Maguire, Martian Manhunter, Modern Age Captain Atom, Mr. Miracle, Oberon, Rocket Red #7

“Moving Day”

• Writers:  Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis
• Pencils:  Kevin Maguire
• Inks:  Al Gordon
• Colors:  Gene D’Angelo
• Letters:  Bob Lappan

Before I get too deep into this, let me just put a little disclaimer here.  Despite what the words below might indicate, I really liked Giffen & DeMatteis’ take on the Justice League.  It was funny.  It was fresh.  It was really really good.  And it was my introduction to the Justice League (unless you include the Super Friends).  What I don’t like – and it is really such a minor quibble – is what a dork Captain Atom was in these early issues.  When he went on to lead Justice League Europe (by the same creative team), he was a lot less of a doofus.  But I have to admit, dork doofus Captain Atom or not, this was a great issue.  It is, in fact, the first Justice League book I ever purchased.  It hit the stands on September 8, 1987 with a cover price of 75 cents.

It begins with an episode of Jack Ryder’s Hot Seat.  I have a hard time taking Mr. Ryder seriously, because he’s also the Creeper.  It may be an unpopular opinion, but I think the Creeper is one of DC’s goofiest characters (right up there with Lobo, Gnort, ‘Mazing Man [whom I adore], and Ambush Bug).  He’s not happy about the Justice League’s new “international” status and believes the “costumed buffoons” are probably blackmailing the United Nations.  Well, isn’t he a ray of sunshine?

A crowd has gathered outside the new JLI New York embassy.  Locals hope to catch a glimpse of a super-hero.  One guy claims he saw Captain Marvel (better known as Shazam these days [don’t get me started]).  A team of movers is unloading a truck full of furniture and crap (it would have been cheaper and easier if the heroes had done this themselves, but Max Lord never shied away from spending money frivolously).

Inside, one of the movers (wearing a S.T.A.R. Labs cap), is getting directions from Martian Manhunter on where things go.  The mover asks about a crate of Oreo cookies.  Martian Manhunter says they are his; Captain Marvel introduced them to him and he quite enjoyed them.  He says Martians do eat just like humans; in fact, Mars had a McDonalds and Burger King long before Earth did.  Even though he was usually the most “serious” character in the JLI, the Manhunter from Mars did crack a joke once in a while.  He carries a crate up the stairs, clearly showing off for the movers.  But he misjudges his weight combined with the crate and crashes through the floor.

When he crashes back down to the first floor through the hole he created, Martian Manhunter plays it cool to the only witnesses, Captain Atom and Mister Miracle.  I don’t like the hairstyle they’ve given Cap, but it is more in line with his military background.

Captain Atom, feeling pretty useless around Mr. Miracle, searches for a way to help set up the security system.  Finding two dangling power cords – one male and one female – Cap connects them.  This results in an instant explosion.  Captain Atom then “reflexively” blasts the offending security system.  He tries to smooth things over, saying that setbacks like this bring people closer together.  But there’s no covering up the fact that he was and idiot who did an idiotic idiot thing.  Mr. Miracle storms out in a huff, leaving Cap to explain to Martian Manhunter what happened.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, Batman and Green Lantern Guy Gardner show up at their new JLI embassy.  The guards that greet them say Gardner is an enemy of the state and is not welcome.  Batman says he can control Guy, who has no idea why he’s unwanted in the Soviet Union (this is the brain damaged amnesia Guy Gardner).  Rocket Red #7 touches down and vouches for Guy and Batman.  Batman enters the embassy to check on the progress of the security system’s installation.  When Guy joins him, Batman asks the Green Lantern to sweep the embassy for bugs.  Batman has already found a handful of them.  The JLI’s Moscow embassy chief and government liaison Boris Dmitravich Razumihin arrives and Batman demands an explanation for the bugs.  Boris says it was a mistake that he will correct, but clearly it was not.

Back in the U.S., Mr. Miracle arrives at a S.T.A.R. Labs facility where a resident scientist leads him into a storage room.  Whatever it is Mr. Miracle sees there awes and pleases him.

In Paris, Booster Gold and Blue Beetle are out of costume and sitting at an outdoor café.  They’ve ducked out on Black Canary for a bit to hang out and pick up women.  Booster locks eyes on a beautiful, tall, black-haired woman in the café.  Booster approaches her, full of confidence.  45 seconds later, he and Beetle are walking away, Gold having completely struck out.  Beetle laughs himself all the way back to the embassy.

When they arrive (back in costume), Black Canary chews them out for ditching her.  Blue Beetle is still laughing.  Booster leaves the room, and bumps into Catherine Cobert, the league’s Paris bureau chief.  She is the same woman Booster Gold hit on at the café.  She doesn’t seem to recognize him.  However, when Black Canary introduces Catherine to Blue Beetle, her responds with a hearty “bwah-ha-ha.”

Back in New York, Captain Atom, Martian Manhunter, and Oberon are admiring the fact that their embassy is up and running.  Mr. Miracle arrives in a brand new S.T.A.R. Labs shuttle.  One of the movers points out that if he tries to land on the roof, he will cause it to collapse.  And that is exactly what Mr. Miracle does.

Later, when the heroes have all returned to the New York embassy and are enjoying some milk and Oreos, courtesy of J’onn J’onzz (Martian Manhunter), Blue Beetle is regaling them with the tale of Booster’s failure.  Guy says Beetle is being cruel.  Mr. Miracle is assuring J’onn that the shuttle wasn’t damaged (the roof, on the other hand…).  Oberon rushes in and tells them their first assignment is ready.  A “bunch of super powered lunatics” are running around Bonn, Germany.  They hurry off and the story closes with the text, “To be continued — in the pages of DC’s greatest crossover series ever: Millennium #1.”

Greatest crossover series?  I guess a case could be made.  I don’t agree though.  It wasn’t horrible.

This issue also contains a back-up story featuring Jack O’Lantern of the Global Guardians by the same crew but with Keith Giffen doing the pencils.  I’m not a great fan of Giffen’s artwork but it isn’t the lousiest I’ve ever seen.

Justice League International #8 was a very fun book.  Once I read it, I was hooked on the series and stayed with it until issue #24.  Kevin Maguire and Al Gordon were a great team and Giffen & DeMatteis are equally awesome.  I’m not crazy about the way Captain Atom was drawn or portrayed in this issue, but I still give it an A+.

Booster Gold #22 (November 1987)

Tags

Batman, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Dan Jurgens, Dr. Fate, Gene D'Angelo, Goldstar, Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), Martian Manhunter, Modern Age Captain Atom, Mr. Miracle, Rangor, Rocket Red #7, Skeets, Steve Haynie, Terry Austin, Ty Templeton

“Tortured Options”

• Writer:  Dan Jurgens
• Pencils:  Dan Jurgens
• Inks:  Ty Templeton
• Colors:  Gene D’Angelo
• Letters:  Steve Haynie
• Cover:  Dan Jurgens and Terry Austin

I always wonder if I should write it as “Boo$ter Gold.”  Spellchecker doesn’t like it that way.  Guess I’ll just conform and drop the dollar sign.  But I wonder if he was a British super-hero, would his name be something like “£eonard Gold?”

*

This is, obviously, not a Captain Atom book.  He is simply a guest star, as the newest member of the Justice League (he was added to the roster of Justice League International the same month this came out, in Justice League International (vol 1) #7).  As he really only appeared at the end of that book, posing with the other League members for a photo, this issue of Booster Gold is the first time we’ve seen Cap as a working member of the Justice League.  Prior to this, he was leader of the Sentinels of Justice, but that continuity was erased by Crisis on Infinite Earths.

*

The story opens with Booster Gold stranded in another dimension and facing a choice.  Save the life of his sister Michelle (aka Goldstar) or the lives of 30,000 people on Earth.  The alien, Rangor, is holding Michelle captive as a grey horned giant is set loose in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.  As Booster throttles Rangor, his robot companion Skeets reminds him that they came to Dimension X to prevent an invasion and that the invasion has begun.  Booster hesitates, then knocks Rangor out and heads into the gateway to Earth.  He sends Skeets to find his sister.

*

Booster is deposited underneath the Metrodome, and blasts straight upward into the stadium itself.  The creature rips open the roof and emerges out into Minneapolis.  Booster throws himself at the creature but finds it has the consistency of putty and he does no damage.  Meanwhile, Skeets has found Goldstar.  She is very weak and would be dead if not for her costume’s magnetic powers.  Skeets frees her from her bonds.

*

As the monster crashes through downtown Minneapolis, Booster realizes his futuristic weapons seem to have no effect on it.  This is when Justice League International shows up, to whom Booster says, “About time you guys got here.”

Responding to Booster’s call for Justice League help are Mr. Miracle, Martian Manhunter, Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Black Canary, and Rocket Red.  Four of them that are capable of flight (Cap, Martian Manhunter, Rocket Red, and Mr. Miracle) dive into the fight with Booster.

*

The creature blasts energy beams out of its eyes, which don’t hurt Cap, Booster, and Martian Manhunter but blow Mr. Miracle and Rocket Red back (along with Blue Beetle’s bug, which carries Beetle, Canary, and Gardner).  Ugh, too many characters.  Guy Gardner seems like he should be on the front lines.  His ring is, after all, the most powerful weapon in the universe.  But this is during that brief time period after Batman hit him on the head and he became a gentle pacifist.

Down at street level, the other heroes begin rescuing innocents while still trying to bring the creature down.  Martian Manhunter remarks, “…It’s able to absorb even my mightiest blows.”  Mightiest blows?  Who talks like this?  Martians, I guess.  Just when the League is trading quips on how to best dispose of Guy Gardner, the creature rabs Cap and throws him against a building, knocking him out.  (Captain Atom has been knocked out cold so many times since 1960, it’s a wonder he doesn’t have permanent brain damage.)

*

After being almost smooshed by the creature, Rocket Red, Martian Manhunter, and Booster Gold concentrate their fire at it’s face (MM fires psionic blasts from his eyes).  The creature fires back, appearing to vaporize the trio.  But no, they were pulled out at the last second by Mr. Miracle and Captain Atom (who was unconscious for a remarkably short amount of time).

*

Back in Dimension X, Rangor is watching the battle in Minneapolis unfold on a monitor.  Skeets and Goldstar lurk in the shadows.  Meanwhile, at Booster’s mansion, a shadowy figure on a computer transfers money from a Swiss bank account.  This is an ongoing subplot that ties into Millenium.

*

In Minneapolis, Captain Atom uses his quantum blast powers to bore a hole into the monster.  Booster Gold flies into the hole and begins expanding his force field.  The creature expands until it bursts, leaving it’s gray putty gore all over the streets of downtown Minneapolis.

*

Meanwhile, Goldstar has been discovered.  The aliens beat her down and get ready to kill her when Booster appears and blocks their blasts.  Rangor tells them all their efforts are in vain.  He has an army poised to pass through a much larger gate, ready to invade and conquer Earth.  Goldstar and Booster book it to the chamber where the invasion force waits.  Booster has a moment of self-doubt, thinking he should have sent his sister home; she needs medical attention.  Skeets advises Booster to overload the sphere above the army from which they draw their power.  Booster does this, and it weakens the entire structure.  He scoops up his sister and flies back toward the gateway.

*

The gateway is set to receive rather than send.  Goldstar hurries to the controls to reset it and is hit with an electrical cable.  Booster sees her struck as he is propelled through the gateway.  It spits him out under the Metrodome again and then it explodes.  Out of the wreckage, Booster finds a scrap of his sister’s costume, knowing instantly that this means she is dead.

Twenty-four hours later, off the coast of Maine, a memorial service is held for Goldstar.  The Justice League is in full attendance now, including Dr. Fate.

Fate sends the hovering grave marker of Michelle Carter into “a different realm,” where it will be “forever safe from the ravages of time.”  Booster says his goodbye to his sister via internal monologue.

*

So, Captain Atom’s appearance here is really just a cameo, but it was a really important cameo because it was the first time we saw him in action as a member of the Justice League.  He remained a member – sometimes leading different branches of the League, sometimes lurking in the background – until at least 2011 (a decent 24-year run).  This issue of Booster Gold was well-written and drawn.  An important issue for Booster Gold fans, I’m sure.  If I remember correctly, Michelle “Goldstar” Carter came back to life eventually (as most dead super-heroes do).  When this came out, I didn’t give it a second glance.  Since then I’ve begun a fan of Dan Jurgens’ style.  And he’s a package deal, writing and drawing.  This is A material.

Americomics Special #1: Sentinels of Justice (August 1983)

Tags

Bill Fugate, Blue Beetle, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Captain Fisher, Dan St. John, Fiery Icer, Greg Guler, Iron Arms, Matt Feazell, Nightshade, Sentinels of Justice, The Banshee, The Madmen, The Manipulator, The Question, Vic Sage

“Sentinels of Justice”

• Writers:  Dan St. John and Greg Guler
• Pencils:  Greg Guler and Matt Feazell
• Inks:  Greg Guler and Matt Feazell
• Colors:  Bill Fugate
• Letters:  Greg Guler

After a year’s absence, Captain Atom returns and he brings Charlton’s heavy hitters with him.  AC Comics editor and head writer Bill Black had been making plans for a superhero team to be named the Sentinels of Justice when he was contacted by Charlton Comics with a request that AC provide material for the Charlton Bullseye comic book. The team concept was quickly revised, with a roster of Charlton characters. Charlton Bullseye was cancelled before the story could be published, but AC was granted a limited license to publish the material already prepared for Charlton.  That is how this special issue came to be.  Although not a Charlton book, it was authorized by Charlton and therefore was the last time they had anything to do with the publication of these characters.

This story opens with a news broadcast by Vic Sage (aka The Question).  He is reporting live from Ebcom International where the “latest in the recent series of related crimes has been committed.”  Millions of dollars worth of equipment has been stolen.  The thieves had been identified as Iron Arms, the Fiery Icer, and the Madmen.  Iron Arms and the Fiery Icer are, of course, super-villains that Captain Atom has faced (in Captain Atom #84 and Captain Atom #87, respectively).  The Madmen were a terrorist group the first plagued Blue Beetle in Blue Beetle #4 (Charlton Comics).

Captain Atom versus Iron Arms in Captain Atom #84

The Fiery Icer (and his henchmen) versus Captain Atom in Captain Atom #87

Blue Beetle versus the Madmen from Blue Beetle #4

(So they’re dusting off all the “greats” for this one. Ugh.)

Vic Sage asks, “When will the men running this city realize they are out of their league trying to stop these super-criminals?”  He calls on them to “stop hamstringing those who can help now!!”

From their secret lair, the Fiery Icer, Iron Arms, and the Madmen are also watching the broadcast.  They turn it off and bring up an image of a masked man on their viewscreen, addressing him as Manipulator.  He tells them that the next day will see their “greatest and most daring attack.”  He will lead them when they attack the Whittier Hall exhibit.  After he signs off, the Fiery Icer refers to the Manipulator as a nut case (glass houses, Fiery Icer).

At Cross Industries (another secret lair of the Manipulator), the masked villain is addressing what looks to be a board of directors in a conference room.  He tells them it is time for Jonathan Barrington Collingsworth, Jr. to “burn his mark upon the history of mankind.”  He plans to steal the Rockwell Solar Battery at Whittier Hall to gain “control.”  Control of what he doesn’t specify.  The world?  There is a shrouded figure in green standing behind him in the shadows as he speaks.  The Manipulator is obviously unhinged.  He screams at his people about complete raw power and strips off his mask.  One of his men refers to him as “J.B.,” so he must be Jonathan Barrington Collingsworth, Jr.  The man, Hartford, seems concerned about the potential loss of innocent lives.  J.B. tells Hartford he should be more concerned about his own hide.  The man in the shadows steps forward and puts a hand on Hartford’s shoulder.

Meanwhile, in the lab of Ted Kord, his blonde assistant (girlfriend? wife?) Tracy enters with the daily paper.  She informs him that Dr. Rockwell is exhibiting “that new solar cell you were interested in.”  As Ted reads the article, his special phone rings, meaning that Captain Fisher is calling him.  After a brief conversation, Ted instructs Tracy to activate the “Sentinel Beacon.”  He removes his lab coat to reveal his Blue Beetle costume underneath.  He boards the Bug and we are treated with that iconic image of it rising out of the river, sadly only witnessed by a drunk on the docks.

As he flies to the police station, he thinks to himself how well the Sentinels of Justice work together, “even with Captain Atom in charge.”  What the hell is that supposed to mean?  Does Blue Beetle have a problem with Captain Atom?  Old Ted Kord needs to lighten up.  He seems a bit full of himself (something Tracy remarked upon back at the lab).  He seems, ironically, a lot like Booster Gold.

Beetle arrives at Captain Fisher’s office to find Captain Atom and Fisher talking to the mayor.  The mayor doesn’t want Hub City to be turned into a super-hero battleground.  Nightshade enters the room (she’s dropped her old mini-skirt costume from the 60s in favor of a form-fitting catsuit deal).  She says to Fisher that the Sentinels are at his disposal, which prompts Fisher to remind the mayor that the Sentinels have authorization from the Governor.  With a mysterious mist surrounding him, the Question checks in and Fisher asks the sixth man in the room to tell them about his solar battery.

Dr. Rockwell addresses them from a mounted display of blueprints.  He has created false plans for a solar battery to be used as bait to draw out would-be thieves.

The next day, at Whittier Hall, Dr. Rockwell is unveiling his “important discovery.”  In the crowd (undercover) are Nightshade and Captain Atom.

Blue Beetle is watching the Whittier building from the rooftops while the Question lurks in an alley.  The Question spots the approaching hovercar first, and when it pulls up in front of the hall, “pandemonium roars forth” in the form of the Madmen, Iron Arms, and the Fiery Icer.

The group breaks into to building, followed closely by the Manipulator.  He orders the Fiery Icer to secure the solar battery and scare the hell out of the audience.

Captain Atom goes after Iron Arms, sending Nightshade to face the Fiery Icer.  This I have a problem with.  Iron Arms was defeated easily by Cap back in Captain Atom #84.  The Fiery Icer is the super-villain who gave Cap the most trouble.  So he sends his girlfriend after the hard one while he takes the easy one?  Bad form, Cap.

Captain Atom informs the Manipulator he is under arrest, then punches Iron Arms in the face, throwing the villain backward.  He leaps at Cap, who discovers Iron Arms has upgraded his equipment and is much stronger.  Just as the Manipulator is ordering Captain Atom’s death, Blue Beetle swings in through a window.  He takes on the Madmen, kicking their asses in his acrobatic style.

More Madmen show up (probably arriving via a second hovercar), as does the question.  He helps Beetle hand the Madmen their butts.  Meanwhile, Nightshade sneaks up on the Fiery Icer in her shadow form.  She demands he hands over the stolen plans for the solar battery.  When he refuses, Nightshade kicks the Fiery Icer in the chest.  He shoots her with ice, which she dodges.  She then flings an ebony bomb at the Fiery Icer, who finds himself “consumed in utter total blackness… and absolute terror!”

Captain Atom finds his hands full with Iron Arms after all, who is THOKing the heck out of Our Hero.  Just when Cap gets his second wind, the Manipulator shoots him from his floating chair.  He’s surprised the blast didn’t kill Cap.  Atom regains his composure and throws an atomic fireball at the Manipulator.  The Manipulator emerges from the wreckage of his chair, offering “ten million in gold” to whomever kills Captain Atom.  This peaks Iron Arms’ interest greatly.

The Question and Blue Beetle are just finishing off the last of the Madmen when the Manipulator calls forth his secret ally (the man in green from earlier).  He crashes in through a window, being referred to as “the Banshee” by the Manipulator (the Banshee was an old nemesis of the Question).  Beetle leaps into action but the Banshee blasts him with a stun bolt shot from his arm.  Blue Beetle is dropped to his knees and the Banshee scoops up the Manipulator and flies away with him.  Beetle calls to Cap, who is punched through the wall by Iron Arms while distracted.

Iron Arms stands over Captain Atom’s prone body.  He readies to deliver his killing blow when Nightshade smacks him in the back with the solar battery.  His power pack short circuits, causing his arms to freeze.  Unable to support the weight of his arms without the power pack, Iron Arms topples over headfirst onto the floor.  Nightshade checks on Cap (calling him “John”), who awakens and says he’s okay.  He flies after the Manipulator, leaving the others to deal with the Fiery Icer (again, delegating his most dangerous foe to others).

Blue Beetle and the Question approach the Fiery Icer, who is holding Dr. Rockwell up by his neck.  He tells them to get back or he’ll burn Rockwell to a crisp (he reveals in his inner monologue that he has no desire to kill anyone and is simply bluffing).  In a swift movement, the Fiery Icer throws Rockwell at Beetle and the Question and melts a hole in the wall through which he escapes.  Captain Fisher’s men show up to help control the room and arrest those that were subdued.

However, Captain Atom returns to the scene, having lost the Manipulator and the Banshee.  A Madman, on his way to jail, utters the phrase “gag me with a spoon,” just to remind us that it is 1983.

The team knows that when the Manipulator discovers that his solar battery plans are fakes, he’ll come back for them.  Cap vows that when that day comes, the Sentinels of Justice will be ready for them.

In the epilogue, yet another shrouded figure is watching a recorded tape of the Manipulator ranting.  The Manipulator says he knew the plans were fake all along because their is a traitor in the midst of the Sentinels of Justice.  He says he attacked them and sacrificed Iron Arms and the Madmen to test the Sentinels.  The shrouded figure erases the tape, calling the Manipulator a fool (saying to himself that he had been manipulating the Manipulator from the start).  He vows to destroy the Sentinels.

There is a note from the editor at the end of this story.

Basically, it says there will be no followup to this story as the characters were purchased by DC Comics.

This was a fun book.  I liked the team.  It is almost the Crimebusters from The Watchmen.  All that is missing is Thunderbolt and the Peacemaker.  This was a good first issue for a super team, and it is a bit sad that it was not possible for this to go anywhere.  Dan, Greg, and Matt did an awesome job.  There were also some great pinups in the back of the book.  This issue was definitely a B+.

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

Captain Atom #9 (November 1987)

Tags

Bob Smith, Bolt, Captain Atom, Carl Gafford, Cary Bates, Corporal Hart, Duncan Andrews, General Eiling, General Lemar, Harry Hadley, Henry Yarrow, Jeffrey "Goz" Goslin, Major Gargan, Martin Allard, Modern Age Captain Atom, Pat Broderick

“Blood and Betrayal”

• Writer:  Cary Bates
• Pencils:  Pat Broderick
• Inks:  Bob Smith
• Colors:  Carl Gafford
• Letters:  Duncan Andrews

This opens on Nathaniel Adam writing a letter to his son Randy.  Although he is only two years older than his son (which he mentions in the letter), Pat Broderick has somehow make him look his real age.  It is kind of creepy.  Must be the white hair.

Nate is writing to Randy because he missed seeing his son when he was in town for Eiling’s third star ceremony (in Captain Atom #8).  He tells Randy he is spending all of his free time working his case, trying to prove that he was set up, that the murder and charge of treason were part of a bigger conspiracy.  He gives Randy details of his trial in the letter; his side of the story.

Earlier, in Westport, Connecticut, retired Major Alfred Gargan is killed by super-villain-killer-for-hire Bolt in such a way that it looks like an accident.  Later, after the explosion, Captain Cameron Scott shows up at the Gargan home.  Scott is working a 20-year-old Air Force case (the murder trial of Nathaniel Adam, of course), and Gargan figured prominently in that case.  Gargan was Nate’s prosecutor.  Nate recalls his trial.  We finally get details of the crime he was accused of.

In 1968, Captain Nathaniel Christopher Adam was in command of Mayday Company, an “elite Air Force recon team well-trained for infantry action in the bush.”  Their mission during the period leading up to Adam’s crime was to find the remains of a downed reconnaissance aircraft a few miles from the Laos border and retrieve the classified data on board before it could fall into the hands of the North Vietnamese Army (this must be the X-Ionizer).  According to Nate’s account, once they sighted the the wreckage on a hillside, he radioed a request for a two-company perimeter that was denied by General Lemar.  Nate argues that he needs those men but Lemar will not bend.  The NVA can’t get that downed aircraft (seems it would in Lemar’s interest to send Adam the soldiers he needs).  Nate goes to Sergeant Goslin to tell him they need to take the hill now without backup.  Gargan points out this exchange happened while Nate’s RTO (radio telephone operator) was indisposed so they have only Captain Adam’s word that Lemar ordered Mayday Company to take the hill.  Mayday Company found themselves in a three-way VC ambush with AK-47s opening fire on them from all sides.  Goz is wounded but he and Nate manage to disperse the VC with frag grenades.  There are only four survivors from Mayday Company (including Nate and Goz), not – Gargan posits – because of “non-existent” orders from Lemar, but because Captain Adam recklessly exceeded his authority.

Back at Winslow Air Force Base, General Eiling is walking across the tarmac with Allard and Hadley, discussing the death of Gargan.  Hadley mentions it is suspicious that Gargan died the same day as Cameron Scott’s visit.  After Eiling calls it bad timing, Allard agrees with Hadley that it is incredibly suspicious.  Eiling says Nate has his own private agenda and that he’s surprised Adam hasn’t started this digging expedition some time ago (of course, he was busy saving Canada, a sunken nuclear submarine’s reactor bumped him further into the future, and he was lost in Cambodia with Plastique).  Allard tells the General that he updated their files on the other two surviving key personnel from the 1968 court-martial, both of which returned to civilian life some time ago.  They will know if Nate comes into contact with them.  He says that most likely Adam will head out west next, in search of Colonel Yarrow in Las Vegas or Corporal Hart in Los Angeles.  Adam is, in fact, on a boat speaking to Hart at that moment.

Hart says he can barely remember the trial and that Captain Scott’s best bet would be to just read the transcripts.  Adam leaves his number with Hart, telling him to call if anything comes to mind.  Nate’s departure is watched by two men in blue suits who notify Allard of the meeting.  Nate flashes back to the trial, when Hart was on the stand.  He was the radio operator for General Lemar at Dau Tieng.  He testifies about a conversation he had with Lemar the day of Mayday Company’s failed assault on hill 409.  Lemar was upset with Hart, because they had only one working radio (there had been a bombing raid the night before that took out the other radios).  According to Hart’s testimony, it would have been impossible for Captain Adam to make radio contact with Lemar on the day in question.  However, back in the 80s, Hart calls Cameron Scott after their meeting and says Lemar had a second radio in his quarters that no one else knew about.  Hart says Lemar was heavily involved in some sort of drug trafficking operation.  Hart’s call is cut short when a slim beam of energy cuts his phone line.  He looks up to see Bolt standing over him.  At the other end of the line, Nate suspects that Hart is about to face the same fate as Gargan.  He transforms into Captain Atom and hightails it to the marina.  But Cap gets there too late.  Hart’s boat is on fire with Hart’s charred corpse on board.  He swoops down and absorbs the flames before flying away.

Later, Bolt appears in an abandoned building outside Sparta, Illinois.  Contacting his employer via video link, he demands more pay because his job has become more difficult with Captain Atom involved.  Although he hasn’t had to deal with Cap himself, he knows they are on the same trail and it is a matter of time before their paths cross.  His employer agrees that eventually the two will end up at odds, and asks Bolt to open the package on the table before him.  It holds a large amount of cash; it is triple the amount Bolt was meant to be paid.  His employer tells Bolt he’ll receive a comparable amount as final payment when the two remaining people on his list are terminated.  Pleased, Bolt says that for this kind of cash, he’d take on the Justice League (and considering that the Justice League at this point doesn’t include Superman or even Captain Atom himself, Bolt could probably pull it off).

In his letter to Randy, Nate admits he did hate General Lemar.  Almost his entire unit was wiped out and his best friend was put in the hospital.  He held Lemar personally responsible.  But Gargan posited that Adam saw Lemar as a potential threat because he knew Mayday Company was not ordered to take the hill or retrieve anything from the downed aircraft.  He says Adam went into Lemar’s office to kill him in order to cover his own tracks.

In Las Vegas, Captain Scott meets with Henry Yarrow, now a private investigator.  Henry was Nate’s defense attorney in 1968.  Yarrow isn’t fooled by “Cameron Scott” and recognizes him as Nathaniel Adam.  He also says that if Hart’s information is correct, they may have finally found the real reason Nate was framed.  The two men drive away, unaware that Allard’s men are watching them.  Adam reminds Yarrow that in 68 he had entered Lemar’s office to confront him.  He wanted Lemar to confess.  He remembers Lemar reaching for something in his desk but then Nate passed out.  When he came to, sprawled over Lemar’s desk, he saw his own knife sticking out of Lemar’s dead body.  That was when the MPs entered the office and arrested Nate.  Nate then says he thinks Yarrow didn’t give him the best defense.  If he had, the drug ring should have come up in his investigation.  Hart confessed he kept quiet because he was afraid for his life and asks if Yarrow did the same.  Yarrow, insulted, tells Nate he’s heard enough “garbage” and kicks Nate out of his car.  He tells Adam not to look him up again.  This is witnessed by Allard’s men.

As Yarrow drives away, he is zapped by Bolt, who is flying above him.  Bolt ignites the gas tank, but the resulting explosion is absorbed by Captain Atom.  Bolt punches Cap in the stomach before blasting him.  But before Cap can retaliate, Bolt vanishes, teleporting out to fulfill the rest of his contract.  Atom touches down to check on Yarrow, who is fine.  Allard’s men radio their boss to let him know what’s going on.  Yarrow confesses that someone did approach him before Adam’s trial, paying him $10,000 to keep the drug ring out of the trial.  Yarrow accepted because it looked like Adam was guilty anyway.  Captain Atom keeps his temper in check, knowing that Yarrow is confessing this to Atom because he is thankful for the rescue and feeling guilty.  Yarrow says Nate was right, that there is a hit list and Yarrow was on it.  Considering this, Captain Atom takes off.  There was one more man involved in the court martial that must be on the hit list.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the last person on the hit list was Eiling.  Allard has already warned Eiling that Bolt may be moving against him.  Even as Captain Atom streaks towards the General’s house, Bolt appears in Eiling’s front lawn.  The assassin enters the Eiling home, seeing the general sitting on the sofa in front of his wide-screen TV.  Bolt shoots a fine beam through the General’s head.  But it isn’t Eiling; it was a dummy.  Eiling steps out of the shadows and draws a weapon.  They both are about to fire at each other when Captain Atom bursts through the window between them.  Atom punches Bolt out.  Eiling tells Captain Atom he is willing to admit that maybe Nate was, indeed, set up.  He says he won’t acknowledge Nate innocence until he has solid proof, but is willing to be more open-minded on the subject.

Back in his home, Nate crumples up the letter to Randy and throws it away.  He can’t be completely honest with Randy without revealing he is Captain Atom and he can’t reveal he is Captain Atom, even to his family.  He gets a call from Henry Yarrow.  Yarrow tells him he is investigating his case again, and is doing so full time.  He says he owes Nate as much.  Nate thanks him, and says if Yarrow’s willing to talk, he is willing to listen.

This was another wordy issue, light on the action.  But it was an important issue.  We finally know exactly what Nate’s crime was.  We know the major players in the case.  We have people working to clear his name, and we have Eiling willing to admit perhaps Nate is innocent.  Cary Bates has given us another A story and Broderick & Smith have given us A art.  Although I know how this all turns out for Nate, I’m still eager to reread the series again.  It should come as no surprise to anyone, but I really love Captain Atom.

Charlton Bullseye #7 (May 1982)

Tags

Benjamin Smith, Bill Black, Captain Atom, Charlton Bullseye Captain Atom, Claw, Dan Reed, Green Lantern (Tomar-Re), Janet Rogers, Krog, Mathew Hopkins, Nightshade, Stone, Talnor, The Ghost, Wendy Fiore

“The Games of Ragnath”

• Writers:  Dan Reed and Benjamin Smith
• Pencils: Dan Reed
• Inks: Dan Reed
• Colors: Wendy Fiore
• Letters: Mathew Hopkins

This is not the same Charlton Bullseye fanzine series that Captain Atom appeared in before.  This series was actually published by Charlton Comics and was in color.  This issue is the only appearance of this particular version of Captain Atom.

Charlton Bullseye was a short-lived Charlton Comics showcase comic book series published from June 1981 through December 1982.  It featured several new stories using Charlton’s action heroes before they were sold to DC Comics in 1983.  Several other unpublished stories for the title were published by AC Comics.  This version of Captain Atom, who hadn’t seen publication since 1975, featured Ditko’s original Silver Age costume, a new secret identity, and a new origin story.

So, to set the stage, what was the world like in May of 1982?  On May 1, 1982, a crowd of over 100,000 attended the first day of the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, which was kicked off with an address by U.S. President Ronald Reagan.  On May 5, a Unabomber bomb exploded in the computer science department at Vanderbilt University and secretary Janet Smith was injured.  The Falklands War raged on.  And on May 30,  Cal Ripken, Jr. played the first of what eventually became his record-breaking streak of 2,632 consecutive Major League Baseball games.

This story begins with a retelling of Captain Atom’s origin.  But, it is a slightly different origin than the one presented by Steve Ditko and Joe Gill in Space Adventures #33 twenty-two years earlier.  What we have here is a brand new Captain Atom.  In the early 1960s, NASA launched a rocket bound for “the fringes of space.”  Trapped aboard was Captain John Adam.  The plutonium engines overloaded and bathed the helpless Captain in deadly neutron radiation.  The rocket exploded but this did not kill John Adam.  It only served to aid his transformation into a powerful being that would come to be known as Captain Atom. The origin is similar to the original.

Gone is the partially metal skin.  Back in his Silver Age costume and renamed “John” Adam, he is now a Colonel in the Air Force and has been fighting space baddies for twenty years at least (presuming this story takes place in 1982).

In downtown Miami, Colonel Adam and his fiance Janet Rogers are preparing for their wedding (to take place in two days) and honeymoon.  They are stopped on the street by an Airman who has a message for Adam.  He is to meet up with his C.O. as soon as possible.  Upset that he would be bothered while on leave, the Colonel vows to Janet that he’ll be as quick as possible and races away.  Once he is gone, the Airman turns to Janet and knocks her out with a special gas.

Ducking into a nearby alley, out of sight, Colonel Adam transforms into Captain Atom (So John gets promoted but Atom has to remain a Captain.  I wonder if he is paid a Captain’s salary or a Colonel’s.  Oh, who am I kidding?  It is the United States!  Of course he is paid a Captain’s salary!).

2.703 seconds later (how’s that for precision?), Captain Atom arrives at Cape Canaveral.  He approaches the General (the General is never named, but let’s call him General Eiling for the hell of it), surprised to see many other Airmen around.  As soon as he touches down, the General and his men open fire on Cap with futuristic ray guns.  Captain Atom is knocked out, and the men drag him to a lift that takes them to an underground installation.

The General delivers Captain Atom to a green-skinned alien identified as “Talnor.”  Talnor zaps Captain Atom with energy from his hand, going on about how Cap is a slave and will represent him in “the games.”  Captain Atom awakens and says he isn’t anyone’s slave and isn’t going to take part in any games.  Talnor projects an image of Jan, saying she will only remain safe if Atom doesn’t resist his commands.  Predictably, Cap tells Talnor to do with him what he will, but to release his fiance immediately.  The alien says he will not be commanded by his slave, saying he made a fair trade with the General; Captain Atom in exchange for high tech weapons.  The General says Atom is government property and therefore he can be sold.  This seriously angers Captain Atom, who tells the General he just made the biggest mistake of his life.  Talnor teleports himself and Cap away.  One of the soldiers asks the General if they did the right thing, and the General makes it clear he feels the world is better off with one less super-hero.

Talnor and Cap reappear 2,500 million light years away, having traveled at the speed of light, on a stage surrounded by aliens on the planet Ragnath.  The Gamemasters of Ragnath are hopeful that Captain Atom will provide him with entertainment.  Cap wonders if his abilities mean nothing to them.  They read his thoughts and think he is arrogant.  They decide to test him and summon forth a “beast-man” named Krog (another slave).

Cap throws Krog aside, saying if he fights anyone he’s fighting the Gamemasters.  Loyal to his masters, Krog leaps forward again but Cap kicks him in the face.  Talnor teleports or vaporizes Krog, thanking Captain Atom for the demonstration of his abilities. Captain Atom is supremely pissed off, wanting to know what gives Talnor and his people the right to make other creatures fight to amuse them.   Talnor says their power gives them the right and they enjoy the pain and suffering.  Cap calls them sick.  Talnor says it is their right as immortals.  The logic escapes me.  To prove their power, the Gamemasters teleport Jan in, whom they have dressed in an alien dress.  She looks like Dale Arden from the Flash Gordon movie, only wearing blue instead of red.  Captain Atom promises Jan that he will get her out of this, but has no idea how.

Talnor teleports them to the arena, which appears to be on a desolate moon or asteroid.  His opponents are to be Earthmen who have trained for ten years who have no desire except to see Captain Atom’s “cracked bones bleached by our sun.”  But if these men are from Earth, they’ve been surgically altered.  They are three men, two of them enormous; one very musclebound and the other quite flabby with a big metal right arm.  The third man…

Well.

The third man is a chicken.

Weird, yes.  But not without a precedent.  Twenty-one years prior to this issue, DC Comics introduced Green Lantern Tomar-Re.  He was a space-cop chicken-man.  So I guess it takes all kinds in the universal melting pot.

Space Chicken Man

Cap puts Jan behind him as the fat one, Claw, approaches.  Moving faster than Captain Atom can see, Claw grabs Cap in his metal hand.  Claw also has a life-draining power, which he uses on Cap and begins to drain his atomic power away.

Green Lantern Tomar-Re

Captain Atom, his power draining and his costume ripped in places, builds up his atomic energy and overloads Claw.  Claw instantly weakens and passes out, loosening his grip on Captain Atom.  But, while Cap was focused on Claw, Space Chicken Man grabbed Jan and began to fly away with her.  Cap gives chase, flinging atomic fireballs at Space Chicken Man.  Space Chicken Man throws Jan back towards the surface of the planetoid from a great height.

The Gamemasters, watching all this from a distance, increase their bets.

Captain Atom races after Jan, scooping her up inches from hitting the hard ground.  He momentarily thinks she does not deserve this; having her life endangered just because she is a friend to Captain Atom.  He gently sets her inert body down – she has fainted.

Space Chicken Man and Muscle Head approach Captain Atom, who vows that even if they kill him, he’ll see to it they never lay a hand on Jan again.  He dodges Muscle Head’s attack and then kicks Space Chicken Man in the beak.  Muscle Head demands that Cap face him, but Cap finds he can barely remain upright.  As Captain Atom tries to pummel Muscle Head, Space Chicken Man calls out to his comrade (calling him “Stone”), saying something is wrong.

Space Chicken Man collapses, as does Stone (but not before Cap nearly breaks his hand on Stone’s bicep).  Talnor reappears, congratulating Captain Atom on his victory.  Cap is confused, saying he did nothing.  Talnor says it doesn’t matter; that Cap is his most honored slave thanks to the unexpected victory.  He zaps himself and Cap back to the stage on Ragnath.

As he is addressing Captain Atom, the king of Ragnath also keels over, followed by Talnor and several Gamemasters in the audience.  That is when Captain Atom realizes (as his strength returns), that they are all being sickened by his own radiation.  It is leaking through the rips in is costume (like the Silver Age Captain Atom, the costume serves as a radiation shield).  Cap increases his output and announces to his captors that he is the reason they are sick.  He tells them he is a free man and that the Gamemasters will all die if they don’t follow his instructions.  The king quickly agrees.

Captain Atom demands that he and Jan be returned to Earth, and that the Gamemasters never bother Earth again.  The king agrees, but as Cap doesn’t trust Talnor, he creates a radiation belt around Ragnath that will limit their powers for a thousand years.  It takes the combined strength of all the Gamemasters to send Cap and Jan home, much to Talnor’s chagrin.

They reappear in a city park.  Captain Atom quickly leaves Janet, to do “something I should have done a long time ago.”  He dons a new Captain Atom uniform and flies to Cape Canaveral.  Bursting into the General’s office, he throws his Air Force uniform at his desk.  He says he is no longer Air Force property.  Cap tells the General he is not turning his back on his country but will not answer to the government.  The final panel has the caption “The Beginning.”  But it isn’t.  Captain Atom would not see publication again until the next year, and this version of Captain Atom was only seen this one time.

Dan Reed did a great job on the artwork of this issue.  Cap is more ripped than he’s ever been.  It isn’t my favorite look for the hero, but also isn’t bad.  It is nice to see the old Silver Age costume again (he even leaves sparkles in his wake like the Ditko Cap).  A solid A.  The story wasn’t spectacular, but by no means bad. It is clearly setting up new adventures for Cap that just never came.  We’ve seen heroes forced to fight many times, across all forms of entertainment media, but the way Captain Atom actually defeated his opponents was unique (and dumb luck).  I really liked Space Chicken Man, Rock, and Claw, but would’ve loved a little back story on them. I’d love to know where Colonel John Adam was going next. I give the story a B+.

There is also a back-up story in this issue called “You Look Like You’ve Seen a Ghost” in which Nightshade battles the Ghost.  Credited as writer and illustrator is Bill Black.  The Ghost is again referred to as Alec Nois (as he was when he first appeared), but by the end of the story he is Alec Rois again.

The Charlton “universe” was absorbed into DC Comics’ Multiverse when the Charlton characters were purchased by DC.  Because of the change of costume, rank, and name, I do not consider this the Silver or Bronze Age “Charlton” Captain Atom. Although most likely intended to be the Earth-4 Cap we know, the Charlton Bullseye Captain Atom is a separate character.

Captain Atom #8 (October 1987)

Tags

Babylon, Bob Smith, Captain Atom, Carl Gafford, Cary Bates, Dr. Megala, Duncan Andrews, General Eiling, Jeffrey "Goz" Goslin, Margaret Eiling/Peggy Adam, Modern Age Captain Atom, Pat Broderick, Plastique, Randall Eiling/Randy Adam, Ronald Reagan, The Cambodian

“Live or Let Die?”

• Writer:  Cary Bates
• Pencils:  Pat Broderick
• Inks:  Bob Smith
• Colors:  Carl Gafford
• Letters:  Duncan Andrews

The first thing to strike me about this book is the cover.  It is an homage to Michelangelo’s Pietà sculpture housed in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City.  The statue depicts Mary holding Jesus after he has been crucified.  In this case it is Plastique holding Captain Atom after he has been cut open by the Cambodian.  This touches on a running theme with this incarnation of Captain Atom; he was raised Catholic.  That really comes in to play heavily about thirty issues down the line.  We’ll get there.

As this is a continuation from Captain Atom #7, we are treated with a quick refresher.  Cap is passed out after releasing a bunch of energy from his cut.  Plastique is standing over him, contemplating killing him.

Plastique refers to Captain Atom as the only man who has bested her in a fight.  Is she forgetting Firestorm?  Or does he not count because Ronnie Raymond is a teenager?  Probably she just has a very selective memory.

As she stands over Cap, savoring this moment when she will kill him, a group of armed Cambodians in red shirts and caps emerge from the jungle and approach the Samurai.  He comes to and orders his men to kill Plastique and Captain Atom.  They open fire, but Plastique quickly picks up Cap’s unconscious body and uses him as a shield.

Plastique kills the soldiers with her pink energy blast but the Cambodian is protected by his X-Ionized shield and armor.  She uses her blasts to topple a tree on top of the Cambodian, the picks up Captain Atom’s inert body and carries him deeper into the jungle.

Meanwhile, in General Eiling’s office, he and his stepson Randall are playing chess.  Randy wins just as his tearful sister Peggy bursts in and throws her jacket at the board.  She is upset that Randy and the General don’t care that Captain Scott (aka her father Nathaniel Adam) hasn’t been heard from.  Eiling tries to calm her, but she knows neither the General nor her brother give a damn about Nate.  Randy catches her in the hallway after she storms out and hands her a transcript of Nate’s trial.  He wants her to read it cover-to-cover to find out “exactly what kind of man Nathaniel Adam really was.”

Now, I may be reading too much into this, but Randy’s use of the word “was” seems to indicate – on some level – that he may think his father isn’t the criminal he always believed he was.  Like a part of him desperately wants to believe Nate has or can redeem himself.  I’m probably stretching here.  I really want to like Randy but Cary Bates isn’t making it easy.

Back in Cambodia, every time Plastique stops to rest she notices that Captain Atom’s condition seems to have worsened.  He’s feverish and his wound appears to be bubbling with what looks like lava.  She has no idea what to do for him.  Why does she care?  Perhaps she sees him as her only way out of the jungle.

She finds shelter in a cave just in time to miss a downpour.  She doesn’t think Captain Atom will live through the night.  She watches him sleep, wondering if there is anything she can do about his wound.  She finally decides to attempt using her own powers and cauterize the cut and burn away any infected tissue.  She does so, causing Captain Atom to sit up and scream in pain and revert to his human appearance.

Plastique recognizes Cameron Scott, but already suspected he was Captain Atom.  As he lays there, curled in the fetal position and naked, Plastique approaches him with her right hand charging with power.  She hates both Cameron Scott and Captain Atom.  Now would be a prime time to kill him, in his weakened human form.  She flashes back to a time after her last encounter with Cap.

She was being transferred from Belle Reve Prison in Louisiana to a maximum security prison in Ontario.  The transport was ambushed and Plastique was freed by her comrades, who then dissolve their relationship with her.  That is why she put her terrorist skills on the open market and how she came to be in Cambodia.

Nate awakens the next day, surprised to find himself with Plastique.  He is equally shocked when he realizes he is naked and that she knows his secret identity.  She outfits him with a stolen Cambodian uniform and they begin trekking through the jungle.  She explains that she kept him alive because she knows he is an expert on the Cambodian terrain (she learned this when watching his group and reading their lips).  As they hike along, Nate tells her she knows what he must do once he is strong enough to transform again.  While she doesn’t admire his directness, she is glad she kept him alive.  They make good time.

As they climb the Dangrek Mountains, Nate tells her they’ll be in Thailand soon.  Plastique then decides she will kill him.  But she loses her footing and slips, nearly falling over a cliff.  Nate catches her by the wrist and hangs on, halting her fall.  He can’t keep hold of her without transforming and she warns him this might rip open his wound.

Disregarding the consequences, he transforms and lifts her up.  The wound didn’t open.  Captain Atom says, apart from a little numbness, he feels fine.  He seems to be able to heal at a rapid rate (New power!).  Plastique decides it would not be prudent to kill him now, but will wait until they are out of Cambodia.  They continue hiking (But why?  Can’t he just fly them out now?).

Just as Plastique is preparing to attack, Captain Atom sees something behind her and pushes her to safety. It is the Samurai (the Cambodian), who narrowly misses taking Plastique’s head off.  Cap dropkicks him, but he regains his balance using his sword and amazing reflexes.  The Cambodian smacks Cap in the face with his shield.  He blasts back but the shield protects the warlord.  Plastique decides now would be a good time to head for Thailand.

Captain Atom jumps and narrowly misses being cut in half, but the Cambodian grabs his ankle and slams him to the ground, dazing Cap.  As the Cambodian prepares to slice Cap in half from the rear, Cap reaches back and blasts him in the face with two-fisted quantum fury.  The Cambodian goes down, but one of his soldiers emerges from the jungle and opens fire.  Plastique returns and takes the soldier out before he can hit Cap’s wound and reopen it.  The two hightail it to Thailand.

Back stateside, Eiling is receiving his third star from none other than President Reagan.  Babylon and Dr. Megala are in attendance as well, though they don’t seem pleased.

Megala and his assistant feel Eiling’s third star is not deserved.  Babylon notices that Randy and Peggy have ducked out of the ceremony early.

Randy is upset with his sister because she maintains her father’s innocence even after reading the transcript.  She says all it did was strengthen her belief that someone framed Nathaniel Adam.  She throws the report at her brother and storms away.

In a little Thai village, Nate meets up with Goz, who was waiting for his friend’s arrival.  Plastique blends in with the villagers, but not before Goz spots her.  Nate pretends he doesn’t see Plastique.  Goz isn’t buying this and disapproves but lets it go.  The two soldiers board a helicopter and fly away, watched by Plastique.

This was a fun (if wordy) issue.  Not a lot of action but what is there is splendid.  The Cambodian, with his X-Ionized sword and lightning-quick reflexes, is a worthy adversary for Captain Atom.  And I really like the vulnerability Cap showed (not that he had much choice; he was unconscious through most of the book).  And the stage has been set for a few interesting things to be resolved (Randy’s devotion to Eiling, Peggy’s devotion to Nate, and the uneasy alliance between Plastique and Captain Atom).  Cary Bates told a good tale and managed to make Plastique a lot less two-dimensional.  And Pat Broderick knocked it out of the park with the cover alone.  A+

Charlton Bullseye #2 (1975)

Tags

Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, David Kaler, E-Man, Joe Staton, John Byrne, Nightshade, Roger Stern, Steve Ditko, Sunurians, The Ghost

“Two Against Sunuria”

• Writer:  Roger Stern (also credited as “Guiding Light” is Dave Kaler)
• Pencils: Steve Ditko
• Inks:  John Byrne
• Letters:  John Byrne
• Cover Artist: Joe Staton

I did a minimal amount of research and learned (thanks to Mike’s Amazing World of Comics) that – although Charlton Bullseye #1 and #2 both carry the vague cover date of “1975,” the first issue was on sale December 1, 1974.  The second issue – which included the conclusion of the previous issue’s Captain Atom story – went on sale May 1, 1975, two months after Captain Atom’s 15th birthday.  This is the last Steve Ditko Captain Atom work that I am aware of.

Picking up right where Charlton Bullseye #1 left off, Nightshade has just awoken to find herself and Captain Atom in unfamiliar surroundings.  Cap explains that they were teleported to Sunuria when Nightshade was unconscious.  The Ghost, leader of the Sunurians and so-called “Faceless One,” is attacking Cap and Nightshade while this explanation is going on.  The Sunurian High Priestess is watching the battle, wary of the Ghost’s motives and methods.  The Sunurians halt the attack and declare that the Ghost is to fight Cap one-on-one.

Captain Atom and the Ghost agree to this, and face off against each other on a raised platform armed only with swords.  Both of their powers have been negated to ensure a fair fight.  The gravity is also disabled as the combat commences.  Cap thinks he and the Ghost are evenly matched, and refers to the Ghost as “Rois.”  We were never treated with a scene in which Captain Atom learns the Ghost is actually his friend Alec Rois.  As a matter of fact, in the Ghost’s last appearance, neither Allen Adam nor Eve Eden had any idea the Ghost was their friend Alec.  The revelation must have happened in the eight years that lapsed from when the Sunurians sent the Ghost to fetch Captain Atom to the time when he actually teleported Cap to Sunuria.  Or it was a mistake on the writers’ part.

The Ghost disarms Captain Atom, sending his sword flying.  From his shoulder, Cap whips off the Sunurian electro-thread they are both also armed with.  He isn’t clear on how to use it, but did see the weapon used by Punch in Captain Atom #85, and did wield them briefly against Punch and Jewelee.  Cap disarms the Ghost with the thread, and the Ghost whips out his own electro-thread.  Watching below, the High Priestess whispers to Nightshade that she wants to help the heroes.  She leads Nightshade away, and the darling of darkness easily dispatches the guard blocking their path.

Captain Atom disarms the Ghost again and throws his own electro-thread away.  He begins to pummel the Ghost.  The Ghost kicks Captain Atom into a nuclear furnace, which should kill the powerless hero.  But the High Priestess and Nightshade have made into the control center and deactivated the dampening field around Cap.  Nightshade hurries back to the arena as Captain Atom goes critical.

The Ghost has vanished, most likely buried under the rubble that was the arena.  Nightshade leads Captain Atom back to the control center, where the High Priestess warns them never to return before teleporting them home.  After they are gone, she destroys everything around her, saying that she and the Sunurians are “going to meet the Faceless One.”  Back on Earth, Captain Atom carries Nightshade off into the night.

And so ends this story.  The Ghost appears to be dead (but he isn’t; he returns to fight Nightshade in Charlton Bullseye #7).  The Sunurian civilization is destroyed, and Captain Atom has a date with Nightshade.  Overall, a pretty good issue.  Again, I give the Ditko/Byrne art team an A+ and Roger Stern’s writing an A.  There is also a Steve Ditko E-Man story entitled “Moonshift” in this issue, as evidenced on the cover.  Sadly, it would be seven more years before we see Captain Atom again.

*

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