Convergence: Blue Beetle #2 (July 2015)

Tags

Andromeda, Apparition, Blue Beagle, Blue Beetle, Brainiac 5, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Catspaw, Chameleon, Chip Kidd, Colossal Boy, Computo, Cosmic Boy, Dave McCaig, Dick Giordano, Element Lad, Ferro, George Pérez, Inferno, Invisible Kid, Karate Kid, Kid Quantum, Leviathan, Live Wire, Saida Temofonte, Saturn Girl, Scott Lobdell, Sensor, Spark, Star Boy, The Question, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, Yishan Li

“Legion of Doom!”

• Writer:  Scott Lobdell
• Pencils & Inks:  Yishan Li
• Colors:  Dave McCaig
• Letters:  Saida Temofonte
• Cover Artists:  Chip Kidd, George Pérez, Dick Giordano

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(You’ve been warned.)

So this is the exciting conclusion to the Earth-4 heroes’ Convergence adventure.  It was better that Cap’s last “battle” in Convergence: Justice League International #2.  This time around he was a little more than just a punching bag.  And I really like the dynamic between Blue Beetle, the Question, and Captain Atom.  I would totally read an Earth-4 series with these three as the primary characters.

This issue opens with a quick reintroduction of the characters.  And I immediately have something to pick at.

Captain Atom is identified as “Nathaniel Adams.” Now, the Charlton Captain Atom’s name was Allen Adam, but I didn’t so much mind the retconning of him to Nathaniel.  After all, the Nathaniel Adam version of the character was my favorite.  But “Adams?”  It was revealed in the last issue that his last name was “Adam!”  See the panel below from Convergence: Blue Beetle #1:

I would love to be DC Comics’ “Captain Atom Fact Checker.”  Heck, I’d do it for free.  I enjoyed this issue and would really like to see more, but that was a little sloppy.  I know it could be worse.  These things happen.  The superhero Breach was once referred to as “Major Adams” (he was originally conceived as a reboot of Captain Atom).

On a downtown Hub City rooftop, the Legion of Super-Heroes descends from the sky to meet with Blue Beetle, the Question, and Captain Atom.  The three Hub City heroes climb atop Beetle’s Bug to meet with them.  The Legionnaires do not come out swinging though.  Cosmic Boy introduces them politely and asks which of the three is their leader.

After naming himself leader, Blue Beetle demands that the Legion surrender.  Cosmic Boy declines, saying he has no fear that the three Hub City heroes can take the Legionnaires.

Beetle electrifies the hull of the Bug to slow down the Legion while he, Cap and the Question jump inside.  Onboard, Tracy reveals that she has hacked into the Legion’s flight rings and has gathered tons of data on them.  Cap says he’s uncomfortable with a civilian like Ted Kord having this kind of tech but the Question shuts him up.

The Bug lurches, knocking them all off their feet.  Colossal Boy has grown to the size of one of the neighboring buildings and is shaking the ship.  Andromeda tries to stop him, but the Bug vanishes from Colossal Boy’s hands, teleporting about a mile away to another rooftop.  Their arrival is observed by a stray dog.

I’m wondering, did Blue Beetle always have this advanced tech?  I know he’s supposed to be super smart, but I don’t recall his ship teleporting. And if he had the technology to teleport objects, why did he even need the Bug?

Beetle tells his partners to keep the Legionnaires of his back for six minutes while he cooks something up.

The Legionnaires continue to search Hub City for its three heroes.  They seem split on the task at hand.  No one really wants a fight, but Telos has warned them that the losers’ cities will be destroyed and to not fight is to lose.  Brainiac 5 is confident the Legion can take on the other heroes.  He says only Captain Atom has real “powers,” and he is essentially raw energy.  Of course, Brainiac is wrong, and soon learns it when Cap blinds the Legion with some sort of light blast (new power?) and plows into them.

Cap blasts Cosmic Boy with a burst of energy.  Andromeda goes after Cap, but is knocked back by Chameleon (who seems to be bouncing off buildings for some reason).  Invisible Kid takes Cap from behind and grabs him as Ferro and Star Boy swoop in.

Back on the Bug, Beetle is reading up on a group of Legionnaires, hoping he has found the right ones for his plan.  Tracy tries to shoo away the stray dog (who has now boarded the ship), but Beetle decides to adopt him.

The Question takes on Brainiac 5 (no longer blinded) and seems to defeat him with a riddle.  Karate Kid asks the Question what he’s done to Brainiac.  I wonder, am I the only one who sees a missed opportunity here?  Karate Kid ends up fighting Earth-4 Charlton characters, but Judomaster is not among them?  How coold would that have been?  I mean, it seems like a no-brainer to me.

And just what the heck did the Question do to Brainiac 5?

Saturn Girl, Sensor, and Computo board the Bug.  Their Legion flight rings led them to Beetle’s hiding place.  Beetle tells them he needs the three of them for his plan.  They say it is crazy, but is it crazy enough to work?

Outside, Cap is facing off against Cosmic Boy, Andromeda, and Colossal Boy.  It looks as if this battle will soon be over for Captain Atom.

Just then, Hub City is hit by an earthquake.  In a matter of seconds the city is decimated.  All the heroes are seriously bummed out by this unexpected turn of events.

The Hub City heroes and the Legionnaires board the Bug, where they make a shocking discovery.  Looking outside the Bug’s windows, Hub City appears standing tall and suffering no damage.  Beetle reveals that he, Saturn Girl, Sensor, and Computo used their powers to make Hub City appear destroyed to the outside world.  This way Telos thinks he got his winner and the heroes can focus on teaming up to defeat him.

I really enjoyed this comic.  After the let-down of Convergence: Justice League International #2, I was not expecting much from this issue.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Not only did Captain Atom have a nice juicy role, but Blue Beetle got to show off his brains.  And the Question was there.

Okay, so the Question didn’t do much, but I like seeing him in action with Cap and Beetle.

I liked this story. It was clever and cute (particularly Blue Beagle).  And I really like Yishan Li’s style.  I wish this was an ongoing series.  I give this issue an A.

(All characters and images belong to DC Comics and I am not making any profit off this blog.)

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Captain Atom to Return in JLU?

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Bizarro, Captain Atom, Captain Carrot, Jeff Parker, Jeromy Cox, New 52 Captain Atom, Travel Foreman, Travis Lanham

It was just yesterday that I said we  might not see Captain Atom again in the DCU. As soon as that post went up, fellow Captain Atom fan Anthony Saavedra pointed out that the New 52 Cap appears in the Justice League United online sneak peak!  Below is the one image of Cap that we got:

This does not necessarily mean he is rejoining the Justice League.  Captain Carrot is on this page too, and I can’t imagine they’d add him to the roster. And that’s Bizarro right above Captain Carrot, and I seriously doubt he’s going to be a team player.

As Shag pointed out on Firestormfan.com, Firestorm also appears in this sneak peak but it is also unclear if he’s a regular.  Could we have an Extreme Justice reunion on our hands?  Do we want one?

I’m just happy to see he’s still out there and DC hasn’t forgotten him.

This JLU sneak peak was written by Jeff Parker with art by Travel Foreman.  Jeromy Cox was the colorist and letters were by Travis Lanham.

(All characters and images belong to DC Comics and I am not making any profit off this blog.)

Convergence #8 (July 2015)

Tags

Andy Kubert, Barbara Gordon, Batman, Blue Beetle, Brad Anderson, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Carlo Pagulayan, Dick Grayson, Dr. Fate, Eduardo Pansica, Ethan Van Sciver, Green Lantern (Alan Scott), Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), Green Lantern (John Stewart), Jason Paz, Jeff King, Jill Thompson, John Romita Jr., John Starr, Judomaster, Nightshade, Peacemaker, Peter Steigerwald, Scott Hanna, Scott Lobdell, Stephen Segovia, Supergirl, Superman, The Flash, The Question, Tomeu Morey, Tony S. Daniel, Travis Lanham

“Last Stand”

• Writers:  Jeff King, Scott Lobdell
• Pencils:  Stephen Segovia, Carlo Pagulayan,Eduardo Pansica, Ethan Van Sciver
• Inks:  Jason Paz, Scott Hanna, Trevor Scott,Stephen Segovia, Ethan Van Sciver
• Colors:  John Starr, Peter Steigerwald
• Letters:  Travis Lanham
• Cover Artists:  Andy Kubert, Brad Anderson, Tony S. Daniel, Tomeu Morey, Jill Thompson, John Romita, Jr.

Going into Convergence, I said I was going to wait until it was over to review it.  As Captain Atom’s role in the actual mini-series was limited, I decided not to.  Besides, as a kid I was always told if I couldn’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.  And I’ve found very little “nice” to say about this series.  I understand what DC Comics was doing here but I didn’t like it.  From 1935 – 1985, the DC Universe was never “rebooted.”  Since 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, we’ve had Zero Hour, Final Crisis, Flashpoint, and now Convergence.  Why are they so trigger-happy with that reset button?  I’ve decided I’m done with DC for a while.  If they bring back Captain Atom or Firestorm, I’ll buy them.  But that might not ever happen (however, if the Legends of Tomorrow TV series is a success, Firestorm may be back in a big way, and the door was left open on The Flash for a season 2 Captain Atom appearance).

The Bronze Age Captain Atom appears in the background four times in this issue, although his costume coloring is slightly wrong.

That last panel seems to indicate that the original Charlton heroes do indeed “evolve” into their Multiversity counterparts.  This means we already know their fates and Captain Atom is dead once again.

(All characters and images belong to DC Comics and I am not making any profit off this blog.)

Convergence #7 (July 2015)

Tags

Aaron Lopresti, Amanda Conner, Brett Booth, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Carlo Pagulayan, Green Arrow, Jason Paz, Jeff King, Mark Morales, Paul Mounts, Peter Steigerwald, Scott Lobdell, Supergirl, Telos, Tomeu Morey, Tony S. Daniel, Travis Lanham, Ultra Boy

“Showdown”

• Writers:  Jeff King & Scott Lobdell
• Pencils:  Aaron Lopresti
• Inks:  Mark Morales
• Colors:  Peter Steigerwald
• Letters:  Travis Lanham
• Cover Artists:  Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, Peter Steigerwald, Tony S. Daniel, Tomeu Morey, Amanda Conner, Paul Mounts, Brett Booth

Not only did the Bronze Age/Earth-4 Captain Atom make one of the covers (the direct sales cover, that is), but he actually saw some action.  This kind of makes up for last week’s Convergence: Justice League International #2.  He’s still basically in the background, but at least he’s doing something other than having his metal plated butt handed to him.  I’m still not reviewing these issues, but I’m sure glad to see Cap is still around.

Here he is about to straight up kill Green Arrow (spoiler: he doesn’t):

Here he is having a moment of dialogue with Supergirl and Ultra Boy:

(All characters and images belong to DC Comics and I am not making any profit off this blog.)

Convergence: Justice League International #2 & Convergence #6 (July 2015)

Tags

Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Bret Blevins, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Captain Marvel (Shazam), Chip Kidd, Creeper, Fire, Huntress, Ice, Jade, Joe Rubinstein, Ken Branch, Kevin Conrad, Mark Campos, Martian Manhunter, Mike Manley, Modern Age Captain Atom, Nightstar, Obsidian, Paul Renaud, Red Tornado, Ron Marz, Sotocolor, Tom Napolitano, Wonder Woman

“Punchline”

• Writer:  Ron Marz
• Pencils:  Mike Manley
• Inks:  Joe Rubinstein, Mike Manley, and Bret Blevins
• Colors:  Sotocolor
• Letters:  Tom Napolitano
• Cover Artists:  Paul Renaud, Chip Kidd, Mark Campos, Ken Branch, and Kevin Conrad

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(You’ve been warned.)

Okay, a couple of things that bug me right off the bat.  First, no mention is made of Ted’s broken arm from the previous issue, and second is the title.  If the prior issue was called “It Only Hurts When I Laugh, Part 1,” shouldn’t this one be titled “It Only Hurts When I Laugh, Part 2?”

I was super excited about Convergence and was really digging it at first.  Now, not so much.  While this issue had a few good moments, overall I felt it fell flat.  And Captain Atom was really under-used.

Picking up where the last issue left off, Shazam is counseling Wonder Woman atop the Daily Planet building..  He asks if there is really a need to fight the other heroes.  Wonder Woman says she doubts the other heroes will simply surrender, as it is something they would not do themselves.  She jumps off the roof.

On a nearby rooftop, Blue Beetle and Martian Manhunter are having a similar discussion.  Beetle says he has to try and talk some sense into the other heroes, and swings down to the street to talk to Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman assures Beetle that she is not the Diana he knows and that it is her intention to fight as Telos wants.  She will not entertain the notion of anything other than fighting, and warns him that her team will win.  Beetle says he won’t put Metropolis in danger and says if they have to fight, they’ll do so outside the city in the wasteland.  Wonder Woman leaves, telling Beetle to meet her when he is ready.

Later, the two teams face off outside of Metropolis.

And it is ON.

Martian Manhunter takes on Shazam (which makes sense, as I think they are pretty evenly matched), and Captain Atom takes on Jade and the elder Blue Beetle (which makes no sense – sure, Jade and her constructs can give him a run for his money, but an old man in beetle armor?).

Young Beetle manages to get his hands on Wonder Woman’s sword, but she grabs him by the throat and flings him against a boulder some distance away.  There, he meets old Beetle, who says he walked away from the fight because he believed there had to be a better way.

The two are immediately set upon by a squad of Telos robots.  Young Beetle makes a joke which chagrins old Beetle.

The two trade jokes as they combat robots, but an earthquake (telosquake?) drops a boulder on top of old Beetle, pinning him down.  Young Beetle uses robot parts as a lever to pry the boulder off his older self and the two limp back to the battlefield.  There, they discover the JLI has been defeated.

Wonder Woman says she did what Telos wanted: defeated the other heroes.  She never intended to kill them.  Somehow, I think this goes against the spirit of what Telos said (but – as revealed in the pages of Convergence itself – Telos may have switched his loyalties and perhaps no longer gives a damn about the cities).

The JLI returns to their HQ battered and bruised, but alive.

Ted goes off to “think things through” (again with the offer from Fire to keep him company).  He’s upset no one remembered that this was his birthday, but also realizes that might not be a high priority for his super buddies.  Entering his room, he is doused by a bucket of water and finds his room decorated by the one super hero buddy who’d never forget his birthday: Booster Gold.

So the story ends.  Very little Captain Atom (he had no lines, did most of his combat off-page, and was easily defeated).  This series should have been titled Convergence: Blue Beetle.  It wasn’t bad.  I liked the interaction between the old Blue Beetle and the young Blue Beetle.  I liked the acknowledgement of how close Beetle and Booster were.  But, overall, I’m unhappy with Convergence.  It seems as if all this buildup was for nothing.  I loved the artwork of this issue and give it an A but the story limps along with a C.  Overall, I’d say this is a B book.

Also, the Bronze Age Captain Atom had a cameo in Convergence #6:

(All characters and images belong to DC Comics and I am not making any profit off this blog.)

Justice League #40 (June 2015)

Tags

Alex Sinclair, Brad Anderson, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Dan Jurgens, Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Jerry Ordway, Jim Lee, Kevin Maguire, Phil Jimenez, Rob Leigh, Scott Kolins, Scott Williams

This has been quite the month for Captain Atom spotters.  So far we’ve seen the Modern Age Captain Atom in Convergence: Justice League International #1 and he had a cameo in Convergence: Green Lantern Parallax #1.  Monarch has appeared in Convergence #3 and Convergence #4 so far.  The Bronze Age Captain Atom popped up in Convergence: Blue Beetle #1 as well as this quick cameo in Justice League #40:

This is an often-repeated image from the Crisis on Infinite Earths series.  In this issue, Metron is talking about his involvement in the Crisis (among other DC events).

Justice League #40 was written by Geoff Johns with pencils by Kevin Maguire, Phil Jimenez, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Scott Kolins, Jason Fabok, and Jim Lee, inks by Kevin Maguire, Phil Jimenez, Jerry Ordway, Scott Kolins, Jason Fabok, and Scott Williams, colors by Brad Anderson and Alex Sinclair, and letters by Rob Leigh.

(All characters and images belong to DC Comics and I am not making any profit off these characters or images.)