30 Saturday Apr 2016
Posted in Origin Stories, Personal, Podcast, Silver and Gold
In this episode of the Silver and Gold Podcast, Jay discusses the similarities between the origin of Captain Atom and the subject matter of the Peter Schilling song “Major Tom (Coming Home).”
Music
Living a Boy’s Adventure Tale – A-Ha
Major Tom (völlig losgelöst) – Peter Schilling
Also available on iTunes and Stitcher.
12 Tuesday Aug 2014
Tags
Bob Smith, Captain Atom, Cary Bates, Doctor Spectro, Douglas Eliot, Duncan Andrews, General Eiling, Greg Weisman, Major Force, Martin Allard, Modern Age Captain Atom, Nansi Hoolahan, Pat Broderick, Theresa Delgado
“Slugfest”
This issue of Captain Atom, released to the public on February 2, 1988, will always be one of my favorites. It opens with General Eiling reading a report submitted by Nathaniel Adam detailing the events of Justice League International #11 and #12. At the end of the report, Nate has tacked on the extremely mature phrase “Eiling bites it.” Nate thinks to himself how dirty it makes him feel, spying on the Justice League for the government. Eiling’s underling Douglas Eliot clearly finds Nates extra jab amusing. Eiling clearly does not.
As a news report mentions the fact that no one has seen Major Force in public lately, Randy calls his dad to let him know he’s out of Project Majestic. Randy explains it was Peggy’s idea for him to call. Randy is still upset with Nate for “walking out” on the Air Force, just like he “walked out” on his family. Nate has trouble hearing Randy and battles with the TV remote. Randy hangs up and boards a plane as Nate angrily smashes his TV screen with the remote control.
At Eiling’s base, the General and Martin Allard are meeting with the newly-released-from-prison Tom Emory (Doctor Spectro). He reveals that the UFO used in the Major Force fake origin was one of Emory’s toys. Emory says he doesn’t mind, as his new government employers have sprung him from prison. Eiling lets the ex con know he’s not entirely pleased with his Spectro persona and that Emory’s sloppy tech almost blew the whole deal. Eiling had to transfer his stepson because Randy was close to uncovering the plot.
Eiling gives the floor to Theresa Delgado, who begins to explain how Spectro’s upcoming “battle” with Major Force is going to go down.
Tom says there’s no way he’s putting on the Spectro costume again and getting thrown back into prison. Eiling calls in Major Force to “persuade” Emory. The Major bursts through a wall and picks up Tom. Force says Tom is lucky their battle is scripted because otherwise he would kill Dr. Spectro. Tom fishes a small disk out of his pocket and flashes Force with dazzling light that knocks the Major out.
When Tom tries to walk out, Martin Allard grabs his arm and twists it behind his back. Tom threatens to go to the police, to which Eiling counter-threats that he will have Major Force kill Dr. Spectro.
In his apartment, Nate gets a call from his new employer. Turns out that “Cameron Scott” has some “improprieties” in his service record and the job offer is rescinded. Nate realizes Eiling has gotten to them. He checks his mail and reads more rejection letters as he strolls downtown (past an interesting comic book store, I might add – signs in the window exclaim “Comic Cafe featuring DC and that other company,” and “Millennium week 368 is here.”).
Nate thinks to himself that he shouldn’t have quit Eiling; he should have killed the man. He is completely oblivious to the newspaper headlines in a nearby news-stand that reveal Dr. Spectro’s release from prison.
Two days later, Spectro is fleeing the scene of his latest crime. He has robbed a bunch of rich snobs who were attending some sort of function in what looks like the Seattle Space Needle (This is New York City so maybe it is The View? I don’t know if it was around in 1988.). Major Force leaps from a helicopter onto the back out Spectro’s glider and they begin to go down. All scripted, of course. They “crash” right in front of a lucky camera crew. On the streets of DC, Nate catches the live broadcast on a store-front TV.
The Major forgets his lines and begins to ad-lib. The scripted scene takes an unexpected turn when Captain Atom appears to lend a hand.
Spectro runs. He’s not wanting to face Captain Atom again. Cap goes after him, and Major force hops on his back to go with them. Cap shoots Spectro down and shakes off Major Force. Tom uses his holograms to appear as a gorilla, but Cap isn’t fooled and knocks Spectro back.
Major Force attacks Captain Atom. Dr. Spectro thinks Force is a fool to go off script, but the Major points out there are now cameras nearby (they’re in a wooded area – Central Park?). Tom likes the sound of this. He uses one of his doo-dads to temporarily blind Cap. Major Force then channels Ben Grimm and goes to town on Captain Atom, mercilessly beating his disabled opponent. It says a lot about his character. He knows he can’t beat Captain Atom in a fair fight and is determined to bring down his enemy any way he can. But the only reason Cap is his “enemy” is because of the Major doing douchebag stuff like this.
The splash page of the Major beating Cap is some of Broderick and Smith’s best work, but the true hero of the page is Duncan Andrews and his addition of the word “plopffff.”
Major Force and Dr. Spectro leave Captain Atom’s unconcious body in the woods, reminding each other to give the good Captain credit for assisting in Spectro’s capture.
I liked the idea of Captain Atom trying to mess with Eiling’s party and then getting beaten for his trouble. Very well written and drawn, I give this issue an A. But why is it one of my favorites? Well, the answer to that lies on the letters page with this little gem:
“TO: Captain Cameron Scott/Captain Nathaniel Adam/Captain Atom
FROM: Sergeant Jason *****
RE: The Captain Atom Project
MSG: Sir,
I have noticed over the past few comics that you’ve been taking a lot of unwanted abuse from General Eiling. As a fellow Air Force officer, I should remind you that you have the power to simply desert the Air Force and forget about the entire Captain Atom Project. I say this knowing how much you despise being a super-hero in general, and most of all you hate spying on the Justice League International. You should simply get up in front of the General and retire from the Air Force. Everyone knows you didn’t kill General Lemar anyway. You’re too swell a guy!
Sgt. Jason X. Xxxxx”
Yeah, that was me. No, I was never in the Air Force. I was 15 years old. In those days, DC would print the sender’s address along with the letter. Some months later, I got a letter from a kid who was thinking of enlisting in the Air Force and wanted advice from me. I should have written him back and said I was just a kid myself, but it just seemed too embarrassing for me at the time. Also, was I naive or what? Thinking Cap could just quit like that? I mean, he DID quit, but not for long.
Anyway, that’s my brush with comic book fame.
24 Friday Jan 2014
Posted in Origin Stories, Personal
This has been on my mind for a while. Well, for years it has been in the back of my mind, but for the past three years I’ve come back to it a lot.
In the mid-to-late-80s, my brothers and I got into comic books. As I’ve documented before, I had a love of Green Lantern, Jonah Hex, and Captain Atom (DC Comics). My younger brother Jonathan read Solo Avengers featuring Hawkeye (Marvel Comics), and Batman (DC Comics). But my older brother Chris leaned more towards less “mainstream” publishers and had a fondness for Airboy (Eclipse Comics) and the Star Blazers comic series (Comico), but he did like DC Comics’ The Question; I don’t think either of us was aware at first that The Question and Captain Atom were old Charlton characters. Eventually, Chris and Jonathan stopped buying comics, but I kept it up – off and on – for the rest of my life.
Early on in DC’s Captain Atom run, Chris pointed out to me that the Peter Schilling version of “Major Tom” could very well be the story of Nathaniel Adam. The song always brought to mind Cap’s origin story for him. Today I listened to that song and really thought about it. Chris’ theory was solid.
Standing there alone
The ship is waiting
All systems are go
“Are you sure?”
Control is not convinced
But the computer
Has the evidence
No need to abort
The countdown starts
Nate is strapped into the Silver Nemesis “capsule” with a nuclear device under his butt. The countdown has begun. Nate isn’t sure about this experiment, but knows it may be the only way he can put behind him the crime he was convicted of and get back home. Major Tom is not strapped to a nuclear missile, but is in a rocket to be launched into orbit. He, too, has his doubts but the countdown goes on.
Watching in a trance
The crew is certain
Nothing left to chance
All is working
Trying to relax
Up in the capsule
“Send me up a drink.”
Jokes Major Tom
The count goes on…
In the song, Major Tom tries to ease the tension on the launchpad by cracking jokes. In the Nemesis capsule, Nate tries to ease the tension by cracking jokes. Dr. Megala and Colonel Eiling observe the worried, nervous Captain Adam. While I wouldn’t call Eiling’s looking on as a “trance,” I think the word could easily apply to Megala.
Second stage is cut
We’re now in orbit
Stabilizers up
Runnning perfect
Starting to collect
Requested data
“What will it affect
When all is done?”
Thinks Major Tom
Back at ground control
There is a problem
“Go to rockets full.”
Not responding
“Hello Major Tom
Are you receiving?
Turn the thrusters on
We’re standing by.”
There’s no reply
At first everything seems to be going smoothly, but then something goes wrong with Major Tom’s mission. Ground control loses contact with him. Something goes wrong with Nate’s mission (or at least something unexpected). Nate vanishes, and Megala loses contact with him.
Across the stratosphere
A final message:
“Give my wife my love.”
Then nothing more
Major Tom’s final message before contact is lost is, “Give my wife my love.” The last thing Nate thinks of before they lose him is his wife and kids. Before he goes on cracking jokes, he reminds Eiling that the Colonel promised to give Angela a letter if he died. Eiling, of course, threw the letter away. Major Tom’s people presumably actually did pass his message on. He then goes on with his “trying to reach you since yesterday” joke before being (apparently) vaporized.
Far beneath the ship
The world is mourning
They don’t realize
He’s alive
No one understands
But Major Tom sees
“Now the light commands
This is my home
I’m coming home.”
Major Tom appears to have died. His family and friends back home mourn him. But he didn’t die just then. He seems to have died some time after Ground Control lost contact with him. But he does die, eventually. He never comes home.
Nathaniel Adam appears to have died. His family and friends back home mourn him. But he didn’t die just then. He was propelled through the quantum field to the same point in space, 18 years into his own future. He did come home.
Although I enjoyed this song for many years, I never really paid much attention to the lyrics. Until today, I never checked to see if Chris was right. He usually was.
Chris died on February 20, 2011. He was 41 years old. I’d like to be able to say something poetic. That he is out there with Major Tom or something. But I honestly don’t know how much thought he gave that song after he noticed the Captain Atom paralels. The song has always reminded me of my brother and Captain Atom. I guess I felt like I should mention it here on my Captain Atom blog (a blog that I started after his death but I know if he was around he’d read my entries – and correct my grammar and spelling).
Earth below us
Drifting, falling
Floating weightless
Coming home…
Earth below us
Drifting, falling
Floating weightless
Coming, coming
Home
Home
“Major Tom (Coming Home)” was on the Peter Schilling album “Error in the System,” released by Elektra Records (in the U.S.) in 1983 and WEA Records (in Germany) in 1982. It made it to number one on the music charts in Austria, Canada, Germany, and Switzerland, and made it to number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The song can be purchased on iTunes for $0.99 (U.S.).
