So, Steel has an adventure in space! And the newly-formed EXTREME Justice team is on hand. Again, it’s just a little cameo for Captain Atom. He really needed his own solo title again at this point.
Now, I like Steel as a character. There still aren’t enough heroes of color in comics. But, can we all agree as a society that comics in the mid 1990s kind of really sucked?
This version of Captain Atom sprung from the pages of the New 52’s Legion Lost series. How he fits in with the New 52 Captain Atom is a bit strange. When we first meet him, he’s a captain in the science police stationed on the planet Zuun in the early 31st century. He displays no discernable powees. His partner calls him “Nate,” and he has an interest in the burgeoning “career” of the super-hero known as Timber Wolf.
Legion Lost #0 – November 2012
The next time we see Nate Adym, it is much later in his career and he now has an ominous scar over his right eye. He is in charge of a branch of the science police called Echo, and has installed spies with the Legion of Super Heroes. After he finds Wildfire’s 1,000-year-old mask and Tyroc’s mysterious grave, he travels back to “present day” to make contact with the Legion Lost.
Legion Lost #13 – December 2012
Joining the Legionaries in combat, he calls for backup while blasting baddies with his cool wrist lasers. However, one of his opponents seems to know a little too much about him.
Legion Lost #14 – January 2013
In order to stop the world killer that is threatening the planet, Adym hatches a scheme to use his time bubble to detonate a singularity bomb. As it will result in countless deaths, the Legion opposes.
Legion Lost #15 – February 2013
Harvest helps Adym return to his time bubble and gives him a null field that will shield him from the singularity. The bubble is damaged, however, and he cannot return to the 31st century. He can only go into the past. It is the last we see of Nathaniel Adym except for a curious epilogue…
Legion Lost #16 – March 2013
In The Fury of Firestorm the Nuclear Man #15, the New 52 Captain Atom crashed into Firestorm, which apparently (temporarily) killed Cap. His consciousness was split across time and space and part of him was dumped in Metropolis in the 31st century. Already sporting the scar he obtained later in his life, he identifies himself as “Adym.” A real head-scratcher that was never adequately explained. Given the retconning of the whole New 52 line, it is unlikely to ever be fully explained.
The Fury of Firestorm the Nuclear Man #15 – February 2013
It has been a while since I updated the “Cameos” page of this blog. I’m currently laid up in bed after a pretty serious car crash and have little else to do with my time, so here’s a quick update.
Justice Leagues #5: Justice League of Aliens (March 2001)