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?
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)
Writers: Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis Pencils: Kevin Maguire Inks: Al Gordon Colors: Gene D’Angelo Letters: Bob Lappan Editor: Andrew Helfer
This appearance of Captain Atom is just another cameo. It’s as if the creative team just didn’t know what to do with the character. I wonder why they even added him to the line-up. In this issue, Maxwell Lord and Cap have an off-panel discussion about Major Force.
If my memory serves me right, it wasn’t until the foundation of Justice League Europe that Captain Atom really contributed much to the team.
Pencils: Â Ethan Van Sciver, Gary Frank, Ivan Reis, Phil Jiminez
Inks: Â Gray Frank, Joe Prado, Matt Santorelli, Ivan Reis, Ethan Van Sciver
Colors:  Jason Wright, Brad Anderson, Gabe Eltaeb, Hi-Fi Design
Letters: Â Nick J. Napolitano
Cover Artists: Â Gary Frank, Brad Anderson, Ivan Reis, Joes Prado, Alex Sinclair
Editors: Â Andrew Marino, Eddie Berganza
Executive Editor: Bobbie Chase
I do not wish to spoil this ongoing series. This issue just hit the shelves of my LCS yesterday. It is another wide-sweeping universe-changing deal and I’m sure you can find better spoilers elsewhere in the internetsphere. I will say that so far I am pleased with the book. I still have faith in Geoff Johns and I look forward to the DCU more closely resembling “my” DCU (post-Crisis on Infinite Earths, pre-Infinite Crisis).
It was certainly good to see some of my old favorites again, including this happy little cameo:
Who is that standing with Black Canary? Why, it sure looks like the Modern Age Captain Atom…
I do believe that is Captain Atom! So what does this mean for the character? I honestly don’t know. It has been almost a year since we heard there may be a new Captain Atom series in the works. And this guy certainly isn’t the New 52 Captain Atom. There have been news reports of late that the Watchmen universe is being absorbed into the new DCU. Dr. Manhattan is the analog for Captain Atom. Given the similarities of the New 52 Cap and Dr. Manhattan, it would make sense to not have both of them running around at the same time. So it looks to me like maybe we’re getting the classic silver-skinned, time-jumping Captain Atom back!
If nothing else good comes from Rebirth, I’ll at least be happy if we get our old Cap back. Even happier if he gets an ongoing series.
“What Could Have Been, What Still Can Be, and What Is”
Writer: Gene Luen Yang
Pencils & Inks: Howard Porter, Ardian Syaf, Patrick Zircher, Jon Bogdanove
Colors: Hi-Fi Design
Cover Artists: Dave Johnson, Dave McCaig, Kaare Andrews, Danny Miki, Arif Prianto, and John Romita, Jr.
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editors: Andrew Marino & Eddie Berganza
Executive Editor: Bobbie Chase
The New 52 Captain Atom (sporting pants) has a brief cameo in this issue of Superman. Vandal Savage and Superman are visiting a simulated possible future in which Earth is under Savage’s rule, with Superman as his general. Earth is under attack by the Dominators, but a group of heroes and villains led by Superman quickly ends the invasion.
It is fine as far as cameos go, but I have to wonder why they gave him pants. He never needed pants before. Also, I’m sad to say I don’t know who some of these characters are. Is that Killer Croc and Gorilla Grodd? And Rita Farr, the Elasti-Girl of the Doom Patrol?
It has been one year since the New 52 Captain Atom was last seen.
(All characters and images belong to DC Comics and I am not making any profit off this blog.)
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. Â 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. Â Could we have an Extreme Justice reunion on our hands? Â 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. Â 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.)
Pencils: Â Stephen Segovia, Carlo Pagulayan,Eduardo Pansica, Ethan Van Sciver
Inks: Â Jason Paz, Scott Hanna, Trevor Scott,Stephen Segovia, Ethan Van Sciver
Colors:  John Starr, Peter Steigerwald
Letters: Â 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.)