• About
  • Cameo Appearances
  • Captain Atom Brigade
  • Captain Atom in Who’s Who
  • Captain Atom’s Amazing Friends
  • Captain Atom’s Powers
  • Captain Atom’s Rogues
  • Captain Atom’s Secret Identity
  • Crossover Events
    • 1985 – Crisis on Infinite Earths
    • 1988 – Millennium
    • 1989 – Invasion!
    • 1989 – The Janus Directive
    • 1991 – Armageddon 2001
    • 1991 – War of the Gods
    • 1994 – Zero Hour
    • 1995 – Underworld Unleashed
    • 1996 – Final Night
    • 1997 – Genesis
    • 2004 – Identity Crisis
    • 2005 – Infinite Crisis
    • 2008 – Final Crisis
    • 2010 – Brightest Day
    • 2014 – Futures End
    • 2015 – Convergence
  • Every Appearance of Captain Atom
  • Know Your Captain Atom
    • Breach
    • Dr. Manhattan
    • Golden Age Captain Atom
  • Publication History
  • Silver & Gold Podcast
  • Supporting Cast
  • The Voice of Captain Atom

Splitting Atoms

~ A Captain Atom blog.

Splitting Atoms

Monthly Archives: January 2016

Silver and Gold Episode 03: Captain Atom… A True American Hero?

28 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by FKAjason in Espionage, Podcast

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Batman, Blue Beetle, Bob Smith, Brian Mulroney, Captain Atom, Cary Bates, Dr. Megala, Firestorm, General Eiling, Jeffrey "Goz" Goslin, John Costanza, Martin Allard, Modern Age Captain Atom, Pat Broderick, Plastique, Ronald Reagan, Superman

In this episode of Silver & Gold, we discuss what I like to call “Captain Atom versus the French Canadian Separatists.” After a brief discussion about Captain Atom’s junk, we review Captain Atom (vol 1, DC) #2 by Cary Bates, Pat Broderick, Bob Smith, Carl Gafford, and John Costanza.

Remember to use the hashtag #SNGPOD when commenting on social media!

Music

Heart of Gold – The Roy Clark Method
Silver Threads and Golden Needles – The Springfields

Download this episode now on iTunes!

Direct Link.

Check out our tumblr page for images from this episode.

 

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The L.A.W. (Living Assault Weapons) (September 1999 – February 2000)

21 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by FKAjason in Justice League, L.A.W., Sentinels of Justice, Team-Ups

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Aquaman, Avatar, Batman, Big Barda, Bill Clinton, Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, Fate, Golden Age Blue Beetle, Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), Judomaster, L.A.W. Captain Atom, Martian Manhunter, Nightshade, Orion, Peacemaker, Plastic Man, Rama Kushna, Sarge Steel, Steel, Superman, The Flash, The Question, Wonder Woman, Yves Fortè

Writer: Bob Layton
Pencils: Dick Giordano
Inks: Bob Layton
Colors: Tom Ziuko
Letters: John Workman

The L.A.W. (Living Assault Weapons) was a six-issue mini series published by DC Comics starting in September 1999 and running to February 2000. The series logo on each of the six covers spotlighted one specific member of The L.A.W., with the first issue featuring Blue Beetle. The following five issue covers featured old Charlton characters the Question, the Peacemaker, Nightshade, Judomaster and Captain Atom. The six covers, when lined up, formed one complete picture. And everybody got a new costume!

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So what was the world like in September 1999? Bill Clinton was in the White House with Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street. Rescuers were still searching for survivors of the İzmit earthquake (there were just over 17,000 dead from the 7.6 magnitude quake in Turkey). Greece was hit by an earthquake and multiple aftershocks. If you had a time machine and a hankering to go to the movies, you might catch American Beauty, The Sixth Sense, or The Iron Giant. Of course, you might also see Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, or Wild Wild West, so it’s sort of a crapshoot.

The basic story of L.A.W. (Living Assault Weapons): the team was formed in response to the disappearance of the JLA after they were attacked by the Avatar (who used to be Judomaster’s sidekick “Tiger”).

After causing the Justice Leauge  to disappear along with their Watchtower, Avatar then attacks a European Space Agency launch facility. During the attack, Captain Atom shows up to stop him, but he is quickly defeated and captured by the Avatar (way to fail, Cap). The Avatar keeps Captain Atom trapped within a large crystal that contains his powers, which he needs to carry out his plan.

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Nate references his wife Plastique, which I love, even if it is something of a continuity headache.

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Senior Advisor of Metahuman Affairs, Sarge Steel, is asked by President Clinton to go to the Swiss Alps (where the Peacemaker Project is located). The Peacemaker Project has a wide variety of information; specifically, information regarding the Avatar and the disappearance of the JLA. As Sarge Steel is arriving, the Avatar’s Ravanans are attacking the Peacemaker Project. With the help of the new Peacemaker, Mitchell Black, they are able to defeat Avatar’s henchmen before too much of the base is destroyed.

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During the fight at the Peacemaker Project, the Blue Beetle and the Question are investigating a group of Avatar’s followers. They meet up with Judomaster who was going out on his own to correct a wrong that he had committed (although the particular “wrong” is not revealed, we do learn Judomaster was sent away from Nanda Parbat by Rama Kushna). The three heroes are attacked by Avatar’s group of followers and they flee in Blue Beetle’s Bug. While fleeing, they are contacted by Sergeant Steel to come and meet him in the Swiss Alps.

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When they arrive at the Peacemaker Project’s base, they discover that Nightshade is also there, recovering from a procedure that Fate had performed to remove a succubus that was inhabiting her body. She has developed new powers as a result of the procedure. She can now easily travel through shadows and use them to form a shadow cyclone as a weapon against the Avatar’s Ravanans. She is able to prevent the Ravanans from capturing French Ambassador Yves Fortè.

During a battle with Avatar and his Ravanans, Peacemaker, Blue Beetle, The Question, and Judomaster are defeated and Judomaster is taken back to Avatar’s base. While they are detained, Judomaster reveals to the group that the Avatar is actually his former sidekick, Tiger.

Nightshade is able to locate the missing JLA and the Watchtower by utilizing her new powers. She is able to free them from the stasis that the Avatar had placed them in and the JLA help her repel the attacking Ravanans. The JLA return to Earth to battle the remaining Ravanans while Peacemaker, Blue Beetle, and The Question travel into outer space to destroy the targeting system that the Avatar has in place to destroy all of the military outlets in the world. Blue Beetle successfully shuts down the system and averts a major catastrophe. Judomaster then meets with the Avatar and, knowing that he is beaten, the Avatar gives up his mission.

The L.A.W. are able to free Captain Atom and all of the members go their separate ways. (When Cap emerges from the crystal, he is wearing his “Kingdome Come” costume.) The Blue Beetle decides that he is going to take some time off from being a super-hero for a while so that he can better understand who he truly is.

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The reason for the wikipediaish entry for this series and lumping it all into one entry is simple: this is a Captain Atom blog, not a Charlton Comics blog. Don’t get me wrong, I love the old Charlton books. But Captain Atom hardly figured into this series at all. There is lots of Blue Beetle action though, including a dream sequence that features the Golden Age Dan Garrett Blue Beetle.

Dick Giordano and Bob Layton’s art is superb and Bob’s story is pretty good. If this had turned into an ongoing series, I certainly would have picked it up. I give The L.A.W. (Living Assault Weapons an A.

Captain Atom next appears in JLA Showcase 80-Page Giant #1.

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

 

 

 

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Captain Atom #19 (September 1988)

19 Tuesday Jan 2016

Posted by FKAjason in Captain Atom Fights Crime, Captain Atom's Family, Captain Atom's Love Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bob Smith, Captain Atom, Cary Bates, Greg Weisman, Helen Vesik, Jeffrey "Goz" Goslin, Margaret Eiling/Peggy Adam, Modern Age Captain Atom, Pat Broderick, Shelly Eiber, Starshine Stone

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“Life After the Dead”

  • Writers: Cary Bates & Greg Weisman
  • Pencils: Pat Broderick
  • Inks: Bob Smith
  • Colors: Shelley Eiber
  • Letters: Helen Vesik

This issue of Captain Atom was published June 7, 1988. It opens with a stunning drawing by Broderick & Smith of Captain Atom flying over Washington, DC, reflecting on the Washington Monument. His inner monologue reads, “Every time I fly past the Washington Monument I can’t help remembering the civil rights movement… and the 200,000 people who marched here back in ’63.  Hard to believe a whole generation has come and gone since the turbulent times of the Sixties. Those were the days, my friends…”

I like these little reminders that Nate is displaced from time. It is the thing that most sets him apart from other versions of Captain Atom. I also like his dangerously-close-to-a-mullet new hairdo. Since he’s quit the military, Nate has grown his hair out. With his new ‘do, he’d look right at home in 1976. Like his hair is slowly catching up with the times.

Nate calls on Starshine Stone, the proprietor of Mellow Yellows. He met her in Captain Atom #16 when he sold her a keychain. This time he’s selling her a leather peace medallion signed and dated by Dr. Timothy Leary. Starshine is quite impressed and offers Nate $200 for the item. Nate asks her for a job, which she gives him but warns she can’t pay as well as the Air Force.

Their quaint conversation about 1960s sitcoms is interrupted by a bedraggled homeless-looking guy entering the shop. He’s Mitch, Starshine’s ex-husband. With him are two thugs in suits who inform Starshine that Mitch owes them $600 (for cocaine he has used without paying for, apparently) and Mitch told them Starshine would pay. Starshine says she will not pay for Mitch’s drugs and Nate asks the men to leave. The bigger thug begins to draw a gun.

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Nate smashes open a lava lamp and throws the contents in the larger thug’s face. It burns him, naturally (lava lamops don’t really have lava inside – that would be impossible – but they do have super hot wax inside). Nate drop kicks the other thug as he draws his weapon and throws them both out of the store. He turns to deal with Mitch but Starshine stops him. She says basically Mitch is her cross to bear.

Starshine refuses to give Mitch money as she knows he will just spend it on more drugs. She kicks him out of the store and locks up for the day.

Later, Nate and Peggy are jogging with Gos huffing and puffing behind them, trying to keep up. Peggy is warning her dad to take it easy with Starshine. He might freak her out with his trippy 1960s knowledge. Also, while he is physically ten years younger than Starshine, Nate is actually 20 years older (because of his quantum boost through time). Nate says the age difference doesn’t matter and runs on ahead of his daughter and friend, who are now holding hands. Wake up, Nate!

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Let me just point out right here that I do not have a problem with May-December romances or interracial relationships. This is a sticky subject that comes up in the pages of Captain Atom later on. Fan reaction to Peggy and Goz’s relationship was dissapointing to say the least. Nate himself struggles with some backward notions when he discovers the truth. No, the thing that bugs me (and makes me say “Wake up, Nate,” is the fact that Goz is Peggy’s godfather and Nate’s best friend. While I personally think my own daughter Tabby is free to date whomever she wishes, if she were to date my best friend Roy, I may have to kill him. You don’t date your best friend’s daughter.

Later, Nate is walking Starshine home while she reminisces about how she and Mitch met and how good their relationship had once been. I’m not entirely sure Nate was listening though. When she says, “See you tomorrow at the store, Cameron,” he thinks to himself, “Tomorrow at the store. I’ll ask her tomorrow at the store.” Nate’s thinking with the wrong head.

Was that crass?

Nate hears Starshine scream and charges into her house. Mitch has broken in, and collapsed in a pool of his own sick. While Nate calls an ambulance, Starshine blames herself for not heloping Mitch earlier. When the paramedics haul Mitch away, Starshine asks for alone time and runs into her house. Nate is left on the sidewalk, withthe two goons from earlier watching him. They plan to come back later to get their money from Starshine and hope Nate is still around so they can get another crack at him. Nate sees them and glares but does not yet go all Captain Atom.

That evening, when the two crooks do try to break in, Cap shows up and melts their guns. He flies them high above the city and demands information. Nate wants to go after the big boss. They quickly give him an address and he dumps them into a nearby dumpster.

At the aforementioned address, the boss is on the phones making plans for a deal, completely unaware that Captain Atom is listening outside his window.

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Captain Atom bursts in and gives “Ramone” the angry-sparky-eyes. Later, in a dark downtown alleyway, a car approaches an overcoated, fedora-wearing, briefcase-carrying figure. The men in the car identify him as Ramone. They are fellow gangmembers sent to shoot Ramone down because he “talks too much.” They open fire on the man and reach for the briefcase.

Of course, it isn’t Ramone. It is Captain Atom. And he didn’t get gunned down. Because he’s Captain Atom. When they discover the briefcase is empty, Cap blasts their guns out of their hands before grabbing the ringleader and flying off with him.

At 4:30 the next morning, fifteen miles south of the Florida Keys, Captain Atom witnesses a plane dropping off a shipment of drugs to a nearby fishing boat. He sinks the boat and heads after the plane. He’s hoping the plane will lead him to “the last link in the pipeline.” He follows the plane to an island where poppies are being grown and harvested.

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Captain Atom begins burning the poppy fields. The cartel opens fire and launches missiles at the hero. Of course, they fail. Cap destroys all their equipment, confident that he’s brought these particular bad guys to their knees.

Later, Starshine is remembering when Mitch proposed to her at an outdoor music festival. It was a good memory of a good time but the reality of the present creeps in. Mitchell has died. Starshine slips a peace symbol momento into the corpse’s hand and buries her face in Nate’s shoulder.

“Captain Atom Versus the South American Drug Lords” was a fine story. I like to see him taking down common thugs and criminals instead of always slugging it out with super-villains. Cary and Greg told a concise, solid story with some hints at subplots hat will come up later. Pat and Bob did some great work, particularly when Cap was burning the poppy fields. My one complaint was that Captain Atom looked a little awkward when he was hovering outside Ramone’s window. That aside, I give this issue an A.

Captain Atom next appears in Animal Man (vol 1) #1.

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

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Silver and Gold Episode 02: Enter Mindancer, Enter Madness!

12 Tuesday Jan 2016

Posted by FKAjason in Podcast

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Augustin Mas, Booster Gold, Dan Jurgens, Knight Rider, Mike DeCarlo, Silver & Gold, Skeets, Star Wars, tom ziuko

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After some brief Force Awakens spoilers and a correction to last episode (followed by more Star Wars talk), we review Booster Gold (volume 1) #02 by Dan Jurgens, Mike DeCarlo, Tom Ziuko, and Augustin Mas. We also cover a little Knight Rider, 80s comic smells, and listener feedback.

Music
Heart of Gold – The Roy Clark Method
Silver and Gold – Country Joe and the Fish

Download this episode now on iTunes!

Check out our tumblr page for images from this episode.

 

 

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Categories

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  • Captain Atom #23 (December 1988) July 7, 2021
  • Captain Atom Annual #2 (1988/1989) June 30, 2021
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  • Crossover Events
    • 1985 – Crisis on Infinite Earths
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    • 1989 – Invasion!
    • 1989 – The Janus Directive
    • 1991 – Armageddon 2001
    • 1991 – War of the Gods
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