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Splitting Atoms

Category Archives: Millennium

Captain Atom #11 (January 1988)

08 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by FKAjason in "The Lie", Captain Atom Versus Super-Heroes, Captain Atom's Family, Millennium, Origin Stories, Team-Ups

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Bob Smith, Captain Atom, Cary Bates, Duncan Andrews, Firestorm, General Eiling, Greg Weisman, Harry Hadley, Jerry Bingham, Modern Age Captain Atom, Nansi Hoolahan, Pat Broderick, Silver Age Captain Atom

“A Matter of Choice”

  • Writers:  Cary Bates & Greg Weisman
  • Pencils:  Pat Broderick
  • Inks:  Bob Smith
  • Colors:  Nansi Hoolahan
  • Letters:  Duncan Andrews
  • Cover Artist:  Jerry Bingham

This issue came out October 6, 1987 and was a tie-in with the Millennium crossover event.  Since Cap was seen (briefly) in Justice League International #9, he appeared in Secret Origins #22, Blue Beetle #20, Millennium #3 & 4, Teen Titans Spotlight #18, and Action Comics #596.  Suicide Squad #9 leads into this issue and it is followed by Firestorm #68, both of which also feature Captain Atom.

Four of the books tied in with week four of Millennium had covers that combined (not perfectly) to form one complete picture.  They were Captain Atom #11, Spectre #10, Detective Comics #582, and Suicide Squad #9.

At this point in the Millennium story, Firestorm is working with the Manhunters, having been convinced they are his creators.  Captain Atom has been sent by General Eiling to butt heads with Firestorm in the swamps of Belle Reve, Louisiana.  He’s unhappy that Eiling has given him this assignment and he’s super unhappy that he has to deal with that “most immature hotheaded superhero on Earth” again.  But Cap is unaware of the changes Firestorm has recently undergone.

In the apex of a nuclear explosion were Ronnie Raymond, Martin Stein (the two people who make up Firestorm) and Mikhail Arkadin (a Soviet super-hero with nuclear powers of his own that went by the code-name “Pozhar”).  The result was that a new Firestorm emerged with a body created by Martin Stein but a consciousness that held both Arkadin and Raymond (neither of which had control over Firestorm at this point).  This change began in Firestorm: The Nuclear Man Annual #5 (which hit the shelves in July 1987, three months prior to Captain Atom #11).  Firestorm is still trying to figure himself out (FIRESTORM FAN calls him the “blank slate Firestorm.”  Captain Atom also refers to Firestorm’s “blank slate” in this very issue).

The first part of this book is narrated by Firestorm.  And when he first shows up on page 2, the artwork is just fantastic.  Pat Broderick actually drew Firestorm regularly from June 1982 to November 1983.  I don’t know if he had any great love for the character, but I certainly like his take on this version of the Nuclear Man.

Firestorm has thrown up a wall of flame to stop Captain Atom.  He is protecting a Manhunter stronghold.  Of course, Cap blasts right through this wall.  He flies toward Firestorm, who calmly asks Cap to “please disengage.”  Captain Atom keeps coming, and knocks Firestorm into the trees.  I think this proves who the hot-head really is.

Firestorm tells Cap that he has given his last warning.  He means to stop Cap from waging war on his creators.  Firestorm referring to the Manhunters as such leaves Cap somewhat taken off guard.  Firestorm whips up a pink “molecular storm” within a metal sphere to hold Cap.  Atom begins to suspect the nuclear man might be brain-damaged.  When he tried to blast his way out of the sphere, Cap finds his powers useless.  And Firestorm has locked himself in with Captain Atom.  He can regenerate the sphere’s shell as quickly as Cap can disintegrate it.  Checking his watch, Nate realizes he only has 55 minutes until the explosive (brought into the swamp by the Suicide Squad) detonates.  He decides to relax and have a chat with Firestorm.
captain.atom.11.02

Realizing that this new Firestorm has a very simplistic world view, Captain Atom attempts to explain why the Manhunters are a threat via a story.  He tells of a young boy with a love of airplanes and a gift for aeronautical design.  This boy, however, had an intense fear of flying.  Determined to rid the boy of his fear, his father took him to an airfield owned by a friend.  Explaining that he was a pilot himself, the father strapped the boy into a crop duster and took to the skies.

As they flew, the father talked to the boy, calming him and reassuring him.  Soon, the boy grew to love flying as much as he loved planes.  When he grew up, he joined the Air Force.  As a result, he one day became Captain Atom.  Firestorm says he realizes, thanks to the story, that it would be bad if the Manhunters prevented mankind from realizing their true potential.  But they have never given Firestorm a reason to distrust them (indeed, he is still convinced they created him).  Captain Atom realizes he’ll need another story.

So Cap makes a colossal mistake and shares with Firestorm a story from his “early” super-hero days when he was still “working in secret.”  He tells of a time when he was called upon by his superiors to assist in a search for two career military men who had stolen a van full of top secret government equipment and fled.  Cap was ordered to bring back the equipment and kill the two deserters.  Not liking the order, yet reluctant to disobey his C.O., Cap discovered the van and realized his intel was wrong.  It was a communications van and the two men were on death’s door with radiation sickness.  They had been exposed to radiation in atomic warfare tests in the desert.  They stole the van to take their story to the public, hoping the end result would be compensation to insure the welfare of their families when they succumbed to the sickness and died.  As they explained this to Cap, the Air Force fired an air-to-ground rocket at the men.

Captain Atom intercepted the rocket.  When the smoke cleared, he, the men, and the van were nowhere to be found.  Captain Atom had moved them to a new location and allowed them to broadcast their story.  His C.O. was furious, but Cap said he would not follow orders that he felt were unjust, choosing instead to follow the dictates of his own conscience.  The two men did receive compensation and all charges against them were dropped.

Firestorm darkens and says he understands. He understands that Captain Atom is a liar.  The Manhunters had revealed to Firestorm the true story of how he became a super-hero.  He knows Cap’s story is a lie.  He leaves the sphere, leaving Cap still trapped within.  Firestorm fills the sphere with “toxic gas” and taunts Captain Atom’s attempts to blast his way out.  Old flame-top turns out to be a bit of a bad-ass in this one.  I’ve certainly learned a lesson here – don’t EFF with the Nuclear Man!

At that moment, “a thousand miles to the northeast,” Captain Atom is missing an interview on WGTV.  G. Gordon Liddy is preparing to go on in his stead, but Harry Hadley is waiting in the wings.  He thinks he will go on instead of Liddy, and plans to expose the Captain Atom Project’s “Big Lie.”  A stage hand directs him to the alleyway outside the studio when Hadley begins to light a cigarette.  Outside, he is confronted by General Eiling.

Eiling reminds Hadley that no one from the Captain Atom Project is ever to appear in public anywhere near Captain Atom.  Hadley showing up at the studio at a time when Cap is supposed to appear is tantamount to treason.  When Hadley pulls a high-tech-looking gun, a sniper takes him down.  Eiling remarks that he had suspicions about Hadley all along.

Back in the swamp, Captain Atom is paralyzed in the sphere while Firestorm chides him.  Cap keeps thinking to himself, “Damn the lie.”  He’s beating himself up for lying to Firestorm.  He should have known that the Manhunters, with all their knowledge, would have briefed Firestorm on his true background.  He doesn’t blame Firestorm for not believing him.

Cap confesses that he lied.  He admits it was wrong.  He tries to point out that the Manhunters also lied to Firestorm.  Their plans to conquer the human race are the truth.  Firestorm angrily exclaims, “The truth?  Someone who has been living a lie still dares to talk to me of truth?”  Cap responds by telling Firestorm the whole truth about his past.

Captain Atom tells Firestorm that he was a convicted murderer.  He says that he was part of a secret government project in 1968.  Yadda yadda yadda, he recounts his origin.  We all know it.  He goes on to say that he wants to clear his name and reconnect with the children he left behind.  Firestorm says, “Enough!” and dissolves the sphere.  He tells Cap he is going with his instinct and following his conscience.  He realizes he’s been duped by the Manhunters and wants to help Cap now.

Explaining the bomb the Suicide Squad placed, Cap flies off with Firestorm.  The Squad won’t be able to evacuate from the blast radius in time.  They have less than a minute to act.  Firestorm says he knows what to do.

The bomb detonates.  Captain Atom absorbs as much of the blast as he can without bumping himself into the future again.  That which he cannot absorb is transmuted by Firestorm… into snow.  He says he saw the Suicide Squad escaping to the west; all of them are safe.  The target – the Manhunter base – was decimated.

Firestorm explains that he changed his mind about Cap when he heard him talk about his kids.  His intuition told him Captain Atom was being honest.  The two walk off together with Firestorm full of questions and Captain Atom declaring, “Super-hero school is now back in session.”

Generally I don’t like issues of comics that tie in with big crossover events, but I really dug this one.  It helped that at the time I was reading Firestorm and was invested in both he and Captain Atom.  It also helped that it was a good story.  Cap’s doubt and Firestorm’s ire were compelling.  I always like it when those two butt heads.  The art is great except for one little thing.  Pat Broderick’s style of drawing children is a little weird.  Like Steve Ditko, his kids seem really cartoony.  Other than that, great great work.  A for art and A for story.

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Justice League International #9 (January 1988)

24 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by FKAjason in Justice League, Millennium

≈ 1 Comment

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.

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Captain Atom #10 (December 1987)

22 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by FKAjason in Millennium, Miscellaneous

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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.

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Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #68 (February 1988)

15 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by FKAjason in Millennium, Team-Ups

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Arisia, Captain Atom, Dennis Janke, Dr. Fate, Driq, Firestorm, Green Lantern, Harbinger, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Janice Chiang, John Ostrander, Katma Tui, Martian Manhunter, Modern Age Captain Atom, Nansi Hoolahan, Richard Howell, Steve Mitchell, Superman, The Manhunters

“Planetfall”

  • Writer: John Ostrander
  • Pencils: Richard Howell
  • Inks: Steve Mitchell, Dennis Janke
  • Colors: Nansi Hoolahan
  • Letters: Janice Chiang

Millennium was a comic book crossover event that ran through an eight-issue, self-titled, limited series and various other titles cover dated January and February 1988. The limited series was published weekly and was written by Steve Englehart, and with art by Joe Staton and Ian Gibson.  Guardian of the universe Herupa Hando Hu, and his Zamaron mate, Nadia Safir, traveled to Earth and announced to the world that they would select ten people who would become the new Guardians of the Universe, and give birth to a new race of immortals. They gathered Earth’s superheroes and sent them to find the chosen persons, who came from various parts of the world.  The robotic cult known as the Manhunters (precursors to the Green Lantern Corps) had found a sphere that Harbinger had used to store all the information she had gathered about the universe after the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Because of it, they knew the secret identities of Earth’s heroes, and had planted their agents (including androids, willing human agents, and mind-controlled ones) close to them. On finding out about the search for The Chosen, the Manhunters decided to prevent it, and had their agents reveal themselves and attack the heroes.

Captain Atom #11 was a Millennium crossover that paired Captain Atom with Firestorm.  At this point in Firestorm’s history, the Nuclear Man has undergone a “rebirth” and is very childlike.  This issue falls after the events of Captain Atom #11, in week 5 of the Millennium event.

This issue opens with a group of Earth’s heroes gathered on an asteroid above the Manhunters’ homeworld.  In attendance are Firestorm, Captain Atom, Green Lanterns Hal Jordan, Katma Tui, and Arisia, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, Dr. Fate, Superman, and Hawkwoman and they are planning a strategy.  Firestorm is not paying any attention to the heroes.  Captain Atom tries twice to get Firestorm’s attention before the Nuclear Man simply takes off and heads for the Manhunter homeworld.  Captain Atom goes after him, telling Superman, “Firestorm seems to have become my personal problem lately.”

Beneath the surface of the Manhunter homeworld, Harbinger is on the run having been captured once by the Manhunters and then released by Green Lantern Driq.  She creates duplicates of herself to distract and attack the robot drones that are after her.  Just as one of the drones gets the drop on her, Driq shows up and blasts it with his ring. Then Driq himself is blasted.

Driq was blasted by Firestorm, who thought the zombie Green Lantern was attacking Harbinger.  Hot on Firestorm’s heels is Captain Atom, who tells Harbinger to lighten up on the nuclear man, as he is new to the duper-hero game.  Harbinger says, “New? Firestorm I know: you I don’t.”

Firestorm creates a fire extinguisher to put out Driq while Harbinger and Captain Atom chat about Driq (Driq was a Green Lantern killed in the line of duty whose ring would not let his spirit leave his body).  Firestorm apologizes to Driq, shaking his hand and knocking some of the GL’s fingers off in the process.  Firestorm quickly uses his powers to fuse the fingers back on.

Harbinger bitches at Captain Atom while Firestorm attempts to make small talk with Driq.
There is a rumble as four of the drones descend on the four super-heroes.  Firestorm creates a bridge that causes the drones to crash into each other.  As the heroes blast away at more and more oncoming drones, they cause the cavern walls to collapse.  Firestorm is knocked out as they are buried by the avalanche.

When he wakes up, he finds he is in the bayou and his friend (and Manhunter agent) Ferguson is with him.  They are outside the Sonic Temple on Earth.  Ferguson tells Firestorm that the destruction of the sonic temple was a delusion.  He thanks Firestorm for bringing him a “new ally,” Captain Atom.

Captain Atom and Ferguson tell Firestorm that he must kill their enemies.  Firestorm does not like the idea of killing anyone.  He realizes that this isn’t the real Captain Atom and that he is still on the Manhunter planet.  When the Manhunters tell him, “No man escapes the Manhunters” Firestorm responds with “I have not come to escape, but to end,” before he starts blasting the androids.

Ferguson warns that the planet is being destroyed.  He promises to reveal secrets to Firestorm if he sides with the Manhunters.  He tells the Nuclear Man that Firestorm is made up of two different beings (a fact Firestorm seems unaware of).  He rejects Ferguson, but realizes there is truth to the Manhunter’s words.

Firestorm makes contact with Ronnie Raymond and Mikhail Arkadin, the two men who are inside his head (what will later be referred to as the “Firestorm matrix”).  He seems to be on the verge of freeing them when Driq, Harbinger, and Captain Atom show up and distract him.  They blast through the planet’s crust as it shakes apart and then meet up with the other heroes up in outer space.

The comic ends with Firestorm’s inner monologue: “There is more to me… to my life… than I had imagined.  But not more than I can imagine.  This… existence – this life – begins to make sense to me, at last.  It is a wonderful thing – this life I have.  I shall strive to be worthy of it.  I cannot wait to see what happens next.”

As far as crossovers go, Millennium was okay.  Not the greatest.  With this particular issue, I was far more interested in what Firestorm was up to than the Manhunters or the New Guardians.  Richard Howell’s art is fine and John Ostrander’s story is a little flat – but good considering what he had to work with.  I give Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #68 a C.

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