Captain Atom #20 (October 1988)

Tags

Blue Beetle, Bob Smith, Booster Gold, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Carrie Spiegle, Cary Bates, Dennis O'Neill, Dick Giordano, Dr. Spectro, Frank McLaughlin, Henry Yarrow, Mister Miracle, Modern Age Captain Atom, Pablo Marcos, Pat Broderick, Shelly Eiber, Starshine Stone

 

“The Silver Lie”

• Writers: Cary Bates & Greg Weisman
• Pencils: Pablo Marcos
• Inks: Frank McLaughlin
• Colors: Shelley Eiber
• Letters: Carrie Spiegle
• Cover Artists: Pat Broderick & Bob Smith
• Editor: Dennis O’Neil
• Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

When is Nate going to learn to stop relying on “the lie” to get what he wants? It blows up in his face every time! Maybe not right away, but eventually the truth comes out for sad sack Nathaniel Adam. And the lie he spins in this issue marks a turning point in his history. Things are set into motion and his future with the Justice League is at risk.

The last time we saw Captain Atom in action was in Justice League International #17. This issue opens in the JLI’s New York Embassy, and right away things look… odd. Not bad at all. Just different. That’s because (for the first time) this issue was not penciled by Pat Broderick. Pablo Marcos did a lot of pencils and inks for both DC and Marvel throughout the 1970s to the 2000s.  He did ink Blue Beetle #13 a year prior to this comic’s publication.

Mister Miracle and Booster Gold enter the monitor room just as Cap and Blue Beetle are taking off on a mission. They are puzzled by BB and Cap’s new bromance.

The mystery is solved when the pair come across a file entitled “Captain Atom Blue Beetle, The Covert Casebook.” I know, I know.  Comics.

According to the casebook, when Cap was operating in secret (which never happened), he occasionally teamed up with the previous Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett. According to the fake history, Dan tried to convince Captain Atom to go public with his super-heroing years before he actually did.

Nate flashes back to the beginning of this latest piece of The Lie. It began one day when he was stocking shelves at Mellow Yellows and Henry Yarrow came in. Yarrow was Nate’s defense attorney in 1968 when he was first put on trial. He’s been trying to find evidence to clear Nate’s name. He’s also gotten a face-lift, as he is on the run from some crime organization that wants him dead. Nate closes up the shop and takes a ride with Yarrow, knowing that doing so will anger Starshine.

Yarrow reveals that Lester Bryant, chairman of Zyco Industries, has been buying up small R and D companies. In the 60s, Bryant was one of the Generals who sat in on Nate’s court martial. According to a “deathbed confession” by a “bitter employee,” there is a codebook in a safe in Bryant’s office that incriminates him as a member of a Vietnam, drug ring. Zyco security are on to Yarrow, thinking he is a corporate spy. He can’t break into the office safe, so he gives Nate all the info he has and lets Nate decide how to proceed.

Nate decides the best way to proceed is to lie to one of his Justice League team-mates and use him to gain access to Zyco Industries.  He meets Blue Beetle in a secluded area where Beetle demands to know how Nate found out he was Ted Kord (Kord Industries was one of the companies purchased by Zyco). Beetle, who claims he and Atom never saw eye-to-eye since Cap joined the league, asks Nate why he thinks he’d help him. Nate hands him the secret casebook.

Blue Beetle reads about a time when Dr. Spectro attacked the first Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett. The Bronze Age Captain Atom came to Dan’s rescue. This story is told in flashback form throughout the book. It is enough to convince Ted, who agrees to visit Zyco.

Ted calls on Lester Bryant, who is rather portly. He visits Zyco under the pretense that he is seeking a job with the company. Bryant is all too happy to oblige, and sends Ted off with the lovely Miss Devon to take a tour of the company. As Ted flirts with Devon, mini cameras in his cufflinks are snapping pics, which Beetle and Cap pull up on the JLI computer later on.

Captain Atom spots the safe behind Bryant’s desk. He opts to listen in on Bryant’s bugged phone while Blue Beetle goes on a date with Miss Devon. Cap feels like crap for lying to Ted – not only about the “secret casebook,” but also that the airman who’s name they are trying to clear is actually Nathaniel Adam.

Back at Zyco, Bryant places a call. He tells the person on the other end that he was aware of Ted’s wrist cameras, but clearly isn’t aware of the bugged phone. The individual on the other end shares Bryant’s concern about Ted Kord and Miss Devon going on a date, and orders Bryant to have them both killed.

Out on the town, Ted pushes Devon out of the path of a speeding taxi. Before the offending cab can speed away, Captain Atom shows up and grabs the driver. Miss Devon confesses to Ted she knows a lot more than she’s let on, and tearfully offers to tell him everything.

Later, after he’s dropped Miss Devon off with the police, Blue Beetle meets up with Captain Atom at the JLI Embassy to compare notes. After dropping the would-be assassin off at a nearby police station, Cap went over the surveillance footage and discovered that Zyco’s “research submersibles” are being equipped with military-grade weapons. Miss Devon revealed to Ted that two of these prototypes were sold to major drug rings operating in the Gulf of Mexico.

In flashback land, Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett) is strung upside down in Dr. Spectro’s lair. Spectro is torturing the Beetle, hoping to learn his and Captain Atom’s secrets. But before Dan can talk, Captain Atom bursts in to the rescue.

Back in the “real world,” Cap and Beetle come upon the bad guys testing out their new submersibles on an unsuspecting cruise ship. Beetle swings down to take on the baddies while Cap provides air support. Ted’s plan is to confiscate the subs for his repo business. He shatters one of the canopies but isn’t overly concerned as that is an easy fix. He seems mostly concerned with impressing his business partner Booster Gold. Cap accidentally sinks one on the subs and apologizes to Beetle as he rescues the pilot. The second sub is also destroyed by its’ pilot.

Cap thinks Ted will be angry and this actually relieves him. He feels bad for lying to Beetle. However, back on board the JLI shuttle (with the baddies stowed away), Ted tells him he isn’t sore. After all, they have a tradition to uphold. The non-existent tradition of a Blue Beetle/Captain Atom team.

Back at the JLI embassy, Ted and Nate listen in on Lester’s office. He’s on the phone with a very upset third party. They hear and eplosion and take off for Zyco to investigate (this is where we entered this story). They arrive only to find Lester has been killed.

The fake flashback story wraps up with old Cap and old Beetle leaving Spectro’s lair and promising to always have each others’ backs. The issue closes with current Cap and current Beetle (after discovering the safe they were looking for was destroyed along with its contents) making the same promise to each other. Cap flies away feeling like a total a-hole for using Ted that way. Which he is. Honestly, did he really think Ted wouldn’t help him without the lie? I mean, they’re Justice League team-mates. Those guys always look out for each other, don’t they?

So I give Pablo and Frank and A for art. This was beautiful. I love their take on the Bronze Age Captain Atom and the Golden Age Blue Beetle. And I can’t complain about not having seen Pat Broderick’s take on Beetle, because he drew the cover. Cary and Greg get an A for story, too. I’ve always really liked this issue. It was super fun seeing Captain Atom and Blue Beetle teaming up and I will never not love these two Ditko creations.

Silver and Gold Episode 12: At Last! The Origin of Booster Gold

Tags

Alan Gold, Augustin Mas, Bob Smith, Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Carl Gafford, Cary Bates, Dan Jurgens, Dennis O'Neill, Doctor Spectro, Duncan Andrews, Mike DeCarlo, Modern Age Captain Atom, Nansi Hoolahan, Pat Broderick, Skeets, Superman

Like Julius Caesar in 49 BC, FKAjason and Roy “Charlemagne” Cleary cross the Rubicon with Booster Gold, Skeets, Superman, and their new pal Z. Finally, the origin of Booster Gold is revealed by Dan Jurgens, Mike DeCarlo, Nansi Hoolahan, Augustin Mas, and Alan Gold. We then turn our sights on the new Doctor Spectro trying to get a piece of Captain Atom’s lie with Cary Bates, Pat Broderick, Bob Smith, Carl Gafford, Duncan Andrews, and Dennis O’Neil. All of this and more are found in today’s reviews of Booster Gold (vol 1) #6, and Captain Atom (DC, vol 1) #6. Plus, your listener feedback!

Music
Heart of Gold – The Roy Clark Method
Channel Z – The B-52’s
Kiss – Prince
With or Without You – U2

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Secret Origins #34 (December 1988)

Tags

Alan Weiss, Babylon, Buddy Larson, Captain Atom, Cary Bates, Dr. Megala, General Datko, General Eiling, Green Lantern (G'Nort), Greg Theakston, Greg Weisman, Harry Denison, Helen Vesik, Jerry Ordway, Joe Rubinstein, Matilda Denison, Modern Age Captain Atom, Rocket Red #4, Silver Age Captain Atom, Stove Datko, Theresa Delgado, Ty Templeton, Uri Voskof

“Yesterdays Once More”

Writers: Cary Bates & Greg Weisman
Pencils: Alan Weiss
Inks: Joe Rubinstein
Cover Artists: Jerry Ordway & Ty Templeton
Colors: Greg Theakston
Letters: Helen Vesik
Editor: Mark Waid
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

Secret Origins was an ongoing comic book series published by DC Comics from 1986 to 1990. It spanned a total of fifty individual issues as well as three annuals and one special. Unlike Secret Origins (Volume 1), this series did not rely on reprinted material, but provided new and sometimes updated origin stories based on the framework provided by their original authors. The initial format of the series focused on the history of a single character, alternating issues between Golden Age characters and Modern Age characters. Beginning with issue #6, the title changed to a double-sized format and featured at least two character stories per issue, one Golden Age tale, and one modern tale. Occasionally, the series would alter its format to accommodate multi-title tie-in stories including the Legends crossover event and the Millennium crossover event. With the exception of issues #32-35, each issue of Secret Origins was a self-contained comic with no lead-ins to previous or later issues. Secret Origins #32-35 was a multi-issue event chronicling the entire career of the Justice League of America and its various members. This issue featured the Modern Age Captain Atom, Rocket Red #4, and Green Lantern Gnort.

The cover art of this issue was fine. I found it nothing special. Jerry Ordway and Ty Templeton did a good job and I have nothing to complain about. It isn’t spectacular but it is by no means bad. I like the red eyes and the yellow energy aura surrounding Cap. I thought they were a nice touch. As far as action shots go, it isn’t astounding. Just three super-heroes flying out of a building.

The big payoff is inside!

The opening splash page of the Silver Age Captain Atom is beautiful. Alan Weiss really seems to have captured Steve Ditko’s essence. Cap even has the little stars following him! Unfortunately, there are places later in the story where the art was less than stellar.

I have one complaint about this page. Why is Pat Masulli given creator credit for Captain Atom? I’ve never seen him credited before. He was Executive Editor of Charlton Comics when Captain Atom first appeared in Space Adventures #33, so I suppose a case could be made. I’ve just never seen him credited as a creator. Oh, well. On with the story.

A group of people have gathered in a Las Vegas hotel conference room to discuss Captain Atom. They are calling themselves “Friends of the Captain,” and appear to be a support group for people who have interacted with Captain Atom in some way. They’re a fan club of super-hero groupies. They’re discussing their thoughts on Captain Atom’s “classic” costume when the youngest among them, Theresa Delgado, calls the “meeting” to order. Theresa, regular Captain Atom readers will know, is part of the Air Force’s “Captain Atom Project” PR team.

Theresa asks General Datko, an aging soldier, to share his story. His name being “Datko” was not lost on me, and I had to wonder if his first name was “Stove.” Datko holds up a screwdriver and says his Captain Atom story is probably the oldest one, as it is the origin story. He tells the story (sort of ripped from the pages of Space Adventures #33) of the young Air Force man trapped in an Atlas rocket after dropping a screwdriver inside minutes before the launch.

The fact that the airman got stuck in the rocket seconds before launch always seemed a bit hokey to me, but in this telling of the origin, it seems a bit more believable. The screwdriver bounces further into the rocket and he scrambles in deeper to recover it, becoming horribly stuck. He thought the ground crew knew he was still inside and wouldn’t launch. But, as in the original Gill/Ditko story, the ground crew realizes he’s still inside when it is too late and the rocket launches. Of course, the rocket detonates in the upper atmosphere and the airman is vaporized.

“Even though my head is smaller than my hand, I still love Captain Atom!”

Later, while glumly sitting in the dark, Stove Datko is contacted by the airman, who was able to survive the blast and return to Earth. “Maybe it was something in the mix of the atomic radiation and the cosmic rays… or maybe it was some unknown ‘X-factor’ that will never be found for sure. I didn’t know or care about the explanation,” finishes Datko. “All I knew was my friend was alive and back on the base that very night.”

Miss Delgado then introduces Buddy Larson, a folksy country boy. He says he owes his life to Captain Atom, and begins to share his story.

As a boy, Buddy was very sick. Doctors didn’t know exactly what he had, but knew he’d be dead within a week. Buddy mentions that his father was a n Air Force mechanic, and that is presumably how Captain Atom found out about his sickness. Cap shows up in Buddy’s hospital room, takes the boy by the hand, and abducts him.

The two fly off into space. Luckily, Buddy has a child-sized astronaut suit to wear as he rides Captain Atom’s back into outer space. They land on an asteroid and begin to play tag. What the kid didn’t know, but Captain Atom did, was that the asteroid’s radiation had healing properties that completely cured the boy.

This story was lifted from Space Adventures #40, and was titled “The Boy and the Stars.”

Theresa Delgado next gives the floor to Matilda and Harry Denison. Matilda tells a tale of she and her then-new husband Harry being lost at sea on the other side of the world in a life raft after their boat capsized. They drifted into a Naval atomic testing area and were in danger of being vaporized by a hydrogen bomb when Captain Atom appeared out of nowhere. They watched him come in as the bomb detonated. He scooped up their raft and flew them to the safety of a nearby resort island. He swore the Denisons to secrecy, promising that they would be able to tell their story one day.

The last speaker introduced is a Russian cosmonaut named Uri Voskoff. Twenty-five years earlier, the guidance system on his orbiting spacecraft failed and he began to spiral towards the planet’s surface. Out of his window, he sees Captain Atom grab hold of the craft and guide it safely to the spot where it was intended to splash down.

Uri says that Captain Atom revealed himself to the Soviets only because he knew they’d never admit their cosmonaut was rescued by an American super-hero. This part of the story is a paraphrased version of “The Second Man in Space,” which appeared in Space Adventures #34.

Miss Delgado excuses herself and goes into an adjoining room, where General Eiling and Dr. Megala were watching the meeting through a two-way mirror. The two are not happy with the performance they just witnessed. Of course, the story of Captain Atom gaining his powers in a NASA mishap and being a super-hero in secret for years was a lie. All of the speakers at the Friends of Captain Atom meeting are paid actors. And the General and Megala found inconsistencies in their stories.

Eiling suggests changing Buddy’s story from being flown to the asteroid belt to being flown to the Arctic, where he was exposed to healing radiation. He suggests changing the Denison’s story and having Cap approach from a different direction, as they would have been blinded if they watched him come from the direction of the blast. Eiling also suggests they change Uri’s story so that Captain Atom releases the capsule’s parachute and can remain unseen by everyone except Uri. Lastly, he orders “Datko” to lose the screwdriver prop.

“But, General! It distracts people from my disproportionately small head!”

Dr. Megala finds the whole charade distasteful, prompting General Eiling to very breifly sum up Captain Atom’s “real” origin story (from Captain Atom #1).

Nathaniel Adam, an Air Force Captain, was a condemned traitor who volunteered to be the test subject in a government experiment. Megala and Eiling detonated an atom bomb under him to see if an alien metal would protect him. The metal not only protected Nate, but bonded with him and transported him 18 years into the future and endowed him with amazing powers.

Megala leaves in a huff. Miss Delgado hands the actors their new scripts and they run through their parts again.

Now, knowing what I know about Wade Eiling, after all these actors get their parts right and have them recorded for posterity, they are all going to be killed. With the possible exception of Theresa Delgado, these peoples’ days are numbered. Eiling does not like loose ends.

I give this story an A. Bates and Weismann were writing the regular Captain Atom series at the time, so this fits right in within the continuity. And I definitely liked all the nods to Steve Ditko’s original stories. And it was great to see Cap back in his yellow suit.  The art, however, was not the best. After a really promising start, things went a bit “Liefeld.” Alan Weiss did some work for DC Comics and Marvel in the 70s-80s, but not a long run on any one book. Joe Rubinstein, who inked this issue, said of Alan Weiss, he was “the most difficult guy in the business to ink, without exception.” He went on to say he really liked inking Weiss’ pencils. I guess you had to be there. It isn’t the worst I’ve ever seen and perhaps Weiss was under some pressure to meet a deadline. I give the art a D, making this adventure of Captain Atom a C.

Captain Atom next appears in Justice League International #20.

I discussed this issue of Secret Origins on Ryan Daly’s Secret Origins Podcast on 4/18/2016. Although I was a bit hard on Alan Weiss, Ryan did open my eyes to how good Weiss could be with inanimate objects. Check out this image below as an example:

The tubes and wires and whatnot of the rocket really do look great and adds to the whole claustrophobic nature of the scene.

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

Silver and Gold Episode 05: Fighting Mad!

Tags

Augustin Mas, Blackguard, Booster Gold, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Dan Jurgens, Dirk Davis, Dr. Megala, General Eiling, Jeffrey "Goz" Goslin, Margaret Eiling/Peggy Adam, Mike DeCarlo, Mindancer, Modern Age Captain Atom, Nansi Hoolahan, Silver Age Captain Atom, Skeets, The Director, The Love Boat, Thorn, Trixie Collins

In episode 05 of the Silver & Gold Podcast, we discuss Booster Gold (Vol 1) #3, The Night Has Two-Thousand Eyes (by Dan Jurgens, Mike DeCarlo, Nansi Hoolahan, and Augustin Mas), and Captain Atom (DC Vol 1) #3, Blast from the Past (by Cary Bates, Pat Broderick, Bob Smith, Carl Gafford, and John Costanza). Also, FKAjason and Charlemagne’s secret origins are revealed, that’s what friends are for, Booster in peril, Thorn’s fashion choices, The Love Boat, Booster Gold looks like an idiot, typical Eddie, a wall of balls, Mindancer’s brain bolt, Firestorm as the star of the book, Captain Atom’s creepy meeting with his daughter, and Nate going critical.

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Music
Heart of Gold – The Roy Clark Method
Gold – Spandau Ballet

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Captain Atom #18 (August 1988)

Tags

Babylon, Bob Smith, Captain Atom, Cary Bates, Colonel Uber, Dr. Megala, Duncan Andrews, General Eiling, Greg Weisman, Major Force, Margaret Eiling/Peggy Adam, Martin Allard, Master Militarius, Modern Age Captain Atom, Pat Broderick, Shelley Eiber

“Power Play”

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

This issue was published in May of 1988.  It opens with General Eiling paying a visit Dr. Megala.  He demands that Megala quit “playing sick” and gets back to the base.  Eiling wants Megala on hand for the launch of something called the Force-One.  Megala points out he is convalescing and that he is no longer needed for the Force-One project anyway.  Eiling tries to convince him that he needs to come because the Force-One is a vital key to keeping Major Force in check.  The General leaves, meeting Allard outside with a chopper.  Allard asks if there is any improvement in Megala’s condition.  Eiling says Megala feels guilt over unleashing Major Force on the world.  More likely, he feels guilt over the government’s treatment of Nate and could care less about Clifford Zmeck.

Later, as Nate tries to wrap a gift, he receives a call for help from a Colonel Uber.  It seems that Eiling’s helicopter never made it back to base.  Uber, fully aware of Nate’s secret identity, is asking for Captain Atom’s help finding the General.  Nate is not amused.

Back at the base, it seems Megala decided to come in after all. He says it was the General’s “pep talk” that brought him in.  Noticing a glitch, he goes up into the gantry to repair the faulty Force-One.

Later, Nate presents Peggy with the birthday gift he bought her: a bracelet she’s had her eye on for a while.  Peggy begins to cry because this is the first birthday Eiling hasn’t called her since he became her stepfather.  Not expecting this guilt trip, Nate drops in on his ex-wife Angela after dropping Peggy off.  Of course, Angela has been dead for a few years so he visits her at the cemetary.  He still doesn’t understand why she married Eiling after his own “death,” but concedes that he was a good father and must have been a good husband.  He drops flowers on her grave and tells her he knows what she’d want him to do.

Cut to some place completely dark where Eiling and Allard are being held.  Allard lights a match, but visibility is near zero.  We get a rare glimpse of Eiling’s human side when allard apologizes for passing out and the General says there no shame in it; he passed out himself.

Back at the base, Captain Atom shows up with Eiling’s crashed helicopter.  He found in on the north face of Wiley’s Peak.  Colonel uber appreciates Cap’s help but when pressed, Nate refuses to tell him why he changed his mind.  Uber theorizes that the General was kidnapped by Major Force, who has been AWOL for ten days.  The Major has strayed 200 miles outside of their sensor range.  Uber explains that Megala’s Satellite (set to launch that night), the Force One, will fix that glitch and give the military constant tabs on Force.

All the while Cap and Uber are talking we see Megala hard at work on his rocket.  Atom flies off to continue his search for General Eiling.

Eiling and Allard manage to burst out of their dark cell.  Allard is convinced that Major Force is their captor, but the General is not so sure. Allard recall nozzles coming out of the helicopter’s control panel and shooting nerve gas at them.  Eiling says the gas only could have been put in at Megala’s retreat.  The evidence doesn’t add up to Major Force.  Eiling can recall seeing someone beat their downed helicopter with an iron mallet before passing out.

Just then, a television mounted on the ceiling outside their cell comes to life and General Eiling meets his kidnapper.

 “Master Militarius,” according to Allard, was one of the villains Captain Atom fought while he was working in secret (the “Big Lie” – Nate’s cover story).  Whomever this is, they most likely know Cap’s cover is a lie.  Allard and Eiling don’t have a chance to work this out.  A cannon emerges from the walls and begin to shoot bouncy black balls around the room.  The two captors use the wooden door of their cell as a shield, but the balls begin to smash it to bits.  Clearly Master Militarius means to kill them or do serious bodily harm to them.  The two prisoners use the door to jam the cannon, which destroys it.  They go into the next room, the room that housed the cannon, only to find another monitor.  Master Militarius tells them that the entire house was recently renovated with booby traps.  Allard hears rushing water.  The room begins to fill with water while back at the base Uber continues with the countdown for Megala’s rocket.

General Eiling and Allard duck under the water.  Eiling finds a weak spot in the wall where the wood had been rotting and shoves his weight into it.  The two captors burst out of the room, and completely out of the house onto a tranquil hillside.  Eiling thinks their escape was too easy.  He finds Militarius’ costume in some nearby bushes along with a note warning him that he’s in danger of being listed as AWOL.  Allard points out the launch of Megala’s rocket in the distance.

As the two hike back to base, we see Babylon hiding in the bushes wearing Militarius’ coat.

Later, back at the base, Eiling confronts Megala.  He has figured out that it was Babylon that kidnapped him on orders from the doctor.  Megala explained that he needed Eiling out of the way while he added something special to the satellite’s payload.  There is a monitor connected to a device in the rocket. At the point of Megala’s death, a message will be broadcast to the world by the satellite.  The message will expose the truth about Captain Atom and expose Eiling’s involvement.  It is Megala’s insurance policy (Eiling has tried to have the doctor killed at least once before).

Captain Atom appears, with a very drunk Major Force in tow.  He found the Major stinking drunk in the Swiss Alps, and returned him to Eiling as a favor to the Swiss people.

The issue charmingly ends with Major Force puking on General Eiling’s shoes.

This was not my favorite issue of Captain Atom.  There was not a lot of super-heroing going on.  While I do like to see Nate’s human life, I’m not overly fond of Eiling-heavy stories.  And Allard is such a dork, I wonder how he ever rose so high.  Also, Babylon’s deathtraps really could have killed Eiling and Allard.  Like dead for realsies.  Is that really the kind of guys Babylon and Megala are?  The art was great, though.  Pat Broderick was doing great.  I give this issue an A for art and a C+ for story.

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

 

Captain Atom #17 (July 1988)

Tags

Angela Adam, Black Canary, Black Racer, Blue Beetle, Bob Smith, Booster Gold, Brainwave Jr., Captain Atom, Cary Bates, Firestorm, Greg Weisman, Helen Vesik, Mister Miracle, Modern Age Captain Atom, Pat Broderick, Red Tornado, Shelley Eiber, Swamp Thing

“Battle Beyond the Green”

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

This is a continuation of the story from Captain Atom #16 in which the Justice League was facing off against an angry Red Tornado (in hurricane form) and called Cap in for support.  Available for sale April 5, 1988, this story featured Cap’s first real brush with elementals (at this point Firestorm was not yet solidly established as the fire elemental), and his introduction to the Black Racer.  This book opens with what I feel is one of the greatest renderings of Cap ever to appear in print.  Broderick, Smith, and Eiber did not fool around with this one.  It is the Modern Age Captain Atom at his absolute best.

Absolutely beautiful artwork.  Art like this is a big reason I loved Captain Atom in the 1980s.  The only beef I have with the artwork is a minor one (Cap’s bruises from the fight with Major Force have miraculously faded away).  I truly love the artwork of The One and Only Pat Broderick.  Not sure I can get behind his dislike of cosplayers.

The storm declares Captain Atom is “less than nothing” to an elemental like him, and knocks Cap to the ground.  Red Tornado threatens to scatter Cap’s atoms into the stratosphere.  Cap warns him (with the Captain-Atom-is-mad-eye-flare) of the kind of damage he can do when he is angry.  It is at this point that the swamp declares it has had enough. Vines creep up from the ground and pull Cap down.  His Justice League team-mates Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Mr. Miracle, and Booster Gold find Captain Atom tangled up in the vines, unconscious.

Nate suddenly finds himself out of his metal skin (completely naked) in a grassy field with his deceased wife Angela.  Angela is pulled away from him by an angry windstorm (Red Tornado) and Nate switches to his Captain Atom persona.  In reality, Cap is on board the JLI shuttle, unresponsive.  Beetle and Booster are trying to fly out of the storm while complaining about the rest of the League failing to show up.

Checking Cap’s vitals, Mr. Miracle makes a huge discovery.  He learns that the metal exo-shell Cap wears is alien in origin.  This contradicts the origin story Cap fed the media (“the lie”).

Back in Nate’s mind, Red Tornado and Captain Atom continue to battle.  Tornado muses over Cap’s refusal to just die.  Cap gives a sarcastic non-answer about the quantum field, and the two find themselves engulfed in a huge explosion.  The turmoil around them suddenly dies down and they find themselves floating in non-space next to each other.  Tornado has a fuzzy recollection of the two of them fighting.

Then their host shows himself.

It is Swamp Thing, the Earth elemental, who has brought the two together through the Green.

Booster Gold instructs Beetle to fly the shuttle to California.  The JLI realizes no doctor can help Cap and they can’t stand idly by.  They need a psychic, and since Martian Manhunter was a no-show, they’re paying a visit to Infinity Incorporated and Brainwave.

Back in Cap’s head (or whatever existential plane they are on), Swamp Thing explains they will not be able to return to their physical bodies until the three of them exist in total harmony.  Meanwhile, a fourth entity makes an appearance in their crazy mindscape: an ominous aerial skier.  Swamp Thing says this means they are running out of time.

Red Tornado explains that he does not think he can exist in harmony with Captain Atom as Cap is “one of them.”  He says “they” are “polluters of the bio-sphere.”  He goes on to explain that he once fought alongside humans (he was a member of the Justice League alongside Cap’s frenemy Firestom), even giving his life to them when the Justice League space station was destroyed (this was in Justice League of America (vol 1) Annual #3 [1985] – this actually marks Red Tornado’s return to the post-Crisis mainstream DCU).  Rather than kill him, the explosion transformed Red into a being of wind.  He watched man destroying Earth (abusing the bio-sphere) until he decided he’d seen enough and felt totally justified trying to destroy humanity.

Swamp Thing tells Red they are brothers.  He quickly recounts his own origin story and how he became the Earth elemental.

Meanwhile, Captain Atom’s body has been taken to the headquarters of Infinity, Inc.  where Brainwave, Jr. announces Cap is not in an ordinary coma.  His “silver cord” is dangerously “over-extended.” Brainwave says he cannot help Cap unless he goes to him and promptly passes out.  Mr. Miracle explains that Brainwave has used astral projection to enter Captain Atom’s mind.

Back in the astral world or whatever, Swamp Thing admits that he, too, once lost patience with humanity.  He tells Red that he can learn to temper his fury with mankind as he did himself.  Cap sees the skier in the skies again and decides to go and confront it but Swamp Thing erects a barrier and tells Cap not to go.  Swamp Thing explains it is the Black Racer, a “pure elemental force who deals a fatal touch to his chosen victims with a single stroke.”  And he’s gunning for Nathaniel Adam.

Like Red Tornado, this is the Black Racer’s first post-Crisis appearance.  Created by Jack Kirby in 1971, the Black Racer’s corporeal form is that of bedridden Sgt. Willie Walker, who was paralyzed during the Vietnam War.  Walker was contacted by the Source when Darkseid first brought the war of the gods to Earth, and told it was his responsibility to take on the role. The Racer makes use of what appear to be skis as his means of transport, much like how the Silver Surfer, another Kirby creation, uses a surfboard. New Gods are collected by the Racer at the moment of their deaths, and taken to Hadis (the Fourth World version of Hades).  Thanks, Wikipedia.

Assuming they can not be harmed by the Racer’s touch (Red Tornado and Swamp Thing’s human bodies are dead), Red goes after the Black Racer.  Swamp Thing leads Cap to a strange swirly mass that he senses is sanctuary, with Red not far behind.  However, the Black Racer can not follow them in, leading Swamp Thing to believe the danger has passed for Nate.

Within the sanctuary, they come across Brainwave.  Brainwave explains he is there to lead Nate back to Earth.  Red Tornado leaves them, saying he has some deep thinking to do.  Before Swamp Thing can leave, Cap poses a question to him: If the Earth elemental was born out of a violent explosion that killed Alec Holland, and the Wind elemental was born out of a violent explosion that killed John “Reddy” Smith, then what elemental was born out of the violent explosion that killed Nathaniel Adam?  Swamp Thing tells Cap he’ll have to work that one out for himself.

The Black Racer makes one last grab for Captain Atom, but misses his mark when Cap and Brainwave find themselves in reality once again, surrounded by the Justice League.  Captain Atom thanks Brainwave and leaves, much to Blue Beetle’s chagrin.

This is not the end of Captain Atom’s brushes with the Black Racer or Red Tornado.  He and Red end up as allies and the Black Racer never gives up on catching Nathaniel Adam.  The art of this issue is superb, truly Pat Broderick did not phone this one in.  The story was pretty good as well, raising some really important questions about exactly WHAT Captain Atom really is.  I give this issue an A.

Captain Atom #15 (May 1988)

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”

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

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.

Captain Atom Annual #1 (1988)

Tags

Bob Smith, Captain Atom, Carl Gafford, Cary Bates, Dr. Megala, Duncan Andrews, General Eiling, Greg Weisman, Major Force, Martin Allard, Modern Age Captain Atom, Pat Broderick, Randall Eiling/Randy Adam

“The Dark Side of the Force”

• Writers:  Cary Bates & Greg Weisman
• Pencils:  Pat Broderick
• Inks:  Bob Smith
• Colors:  Carl Gafford
• Letters:  Duncan Andrews

Although this annual is cover-dated “1988,” it probably should have been the 1987 annual.  It picks up where Captain Atom #12 left off, and was on sale November 24, 1987.  But because comic books are dated 2-3 months after they are published (as are magazines, and I never knew why), this was the 1988 annual.  When annual #2 was published nine months later, it also bore the date “1988.”  So Captain Atom looks like it had two annuals in 1988 when really it was one in 1987 and one in 1988.

Confused?  Me too.

The annual opens to a radio broadcast in a small unnamed community.  Several listeners have reported a UFO in the skies that seems to have gone down in a nearby abandoned limestone quarry.  The DJ suggests that it all just some sort of government plot.  How right he is.

Meanwhile, in his apartment (I think maybe he lives in Washington, DC, but it hasn’t really been established with any certainty yet), Nathaniel Adam is awakened by a phone call.  General Eiling is ordering Captain Atom to investigate the crashed UFO.  Nate seems none too interested until Eiling tells him that Randy will be there.

Indeed, Majestic Squadron is on its way to the quarry via helicopter.  Randy is cracking jokes just like his dad used to do before a dangerous op.  Doctor Megala and General Eiling are watching Randy and Captain Atom’s individual progresses as they head for the crashed ship.

Captain Atom is first to arrive on the scene (aside from some locals).  He touches down in front of the large silver craft as it begins to open.  Cap tries to welcome the aliens to Earth, but the response he gets is an angry rock-man flying out of the open hatch (this is the fellow we met in Captain Atom #12, Clifford Zmeck – aka Major Force).  He lands and then stands before Cap, towering over him.  Nate tells the “alien” that he is his friend, impressing the locals who are watching (Nate is not in the loop – unaware that this alien is actually an Air Force Sergeant).  The alien smacks Cap, sending him flying.

So Cap gets pissed.  He tried the “diplomatic” approach.  Next he tries the “blasting quantum death into the face of the enemy” approach.  The locals cheer for Captain Atom as Megala and Eiling monitor the Major’s vitals.  When Cap goes to investigate the rock face he embedded the Major into, he is blasted by black matter.  Major Force leaps at Captain Atom, calling him “dork face.”

It is the use of the phrase “dork face” that tips Nate off that maybe this dude isn’t an alien after all.  Eiling is proud of “Mr. Zmeck.”  He poses a threat to Captain Atom that Nate hasn’t had to face yet.  Zmeck manipulates matter the way Nate manipulates energy.  It is a welcome surprise to Eiling.  Megala says the use of matter instead of energy could be from the amount of alien metal used on Zmeck, or the lower mega-tonnage of the nuclear device used; or even a variable they don’t even know.

Local news has picked up the battle, which appears to be at a stalemate.  Megala warns Eiling that Zmeck is about to enter his final molting stage.  Eiling orders his man at the scene to step in.

At the scene of the “crash,” a man dressed as an Air Force Major (but wearing green goggle-like glasses that Pat Broderick seems to love drawing) bursts into the crowd of onlookers, saying “My pal, the Captain, needs help.”  He repels into the quarry before the camera crew can get a good look at him.

Zmeck encases Captain Atom in a ball of matter.  Cap tries to break free, but can only manage to get his head and hand out before passing out (from exhaustion I guess).  The mysterious Major has Zmeck in his sights and fires his rifle at the beast just as the final molting process begins.  He then charges at Zmeck, who picks him up to break his back.  Zmeck passes out and the quarry fills with a thick black smoke that obscures the view from above.

Captain Atom revives and sees the alien ship open once more.  General Eiling and Dr. Megala emerge.  A medical team dressed in haz-mat suits check on Zmeck and the mysterious Major (who is actually Lieutenant Martin Allard).  Cap bursts out of his prison, angry that he was used by his superiors.  He says he’d heard rumors of a second experiment with the alien metal.  Eiling explains Major Force Project to Cap (which we learned about in Captain Atom #12).  He tells Cap that the “alien ship” is going to explode and he expects Nate to absorb the flames.  Megala makes a lame apology to Nate for using him like this.  He says Eiling threatened to simply kill Zmeck upon his arrival if Megala didn’t play along.

Cap asks Megala to “please just get out of my sight.”  The doctor follows Eiling into a tunnel that will protect the team from the blast.  The smoke clears just as Majestic Squadron shows up.  Randall Eiling requests a meeting with Captain Atom.  Nate ignores his son (much to his own disgust), picks up Major Force, and flies away.  He pauses long enough to absorb the explosion of the “space craft,” per General Eiling’s orders, before leaving the scene altogether.

Over the next few days, news programs report what little info they have on the crash.  The Air Force isn’t releasing any details, and the identity of the mysterious Major, Captain Atom’s “friend,” is still unknown.  Back at the base, Major Force has been debriefed and has a symbol etched onto his metal skin.  He doesn’t like the implants that monitor his every move or the Delta-9 gas pellets or the head-blowing-off explosives.  Megala doesn’t trust Zmeck but Eiling feels he has complete control over the Major.

Later, Captain Atom holds a press conference.  He explains that Major Force is his ally, an amalgam of the alien and his mysterious Major friend.

Over the course of the next ten days, it becomes clear what a menace General Eiling has unleashed upon the world.  In trying to stop up a breach in the Carson Dam (in Nevada, maybe?), Major Force inadvertently causes the crash of a rescue helicopter and the deaths of everyone on board.  Afterwards he is indignant with witnesses and brags about the thousands of lives he’d saved.  Later, when Major Force responds to a hostage crisis at a “downtown tenement building” (the city is still not identified), he guts the building, sending hostage-takers and hostages alike flying to the ground.  They end up in a local hospital’s ICU.

In an effort to distance himself from Major Force, Captain Atom appears on a news program called Newsprobe.  He apologizes to the public for unleashing Force upon them.  He pleads with Force to curtail future use of his powers.  Eiling, watching the broadcast while on the phone with Megala, thinks he can still spin the Major Force story positively.

Outside the studio, Major Force confronts Captain Atom.  He tells Cap that he’s right – Zmeck has no business being a super-hero.  Upon Force’s request, Cap gives him a lift to the base to see Eiling and Megala (Major Force does not have the ability to fly).  As they approach the base, Force grabs Cap around the neck.  Cap flips Major Force, pissed off that he has been drawn into Eiling’s insane plans.  He thinks to himself, “Never again!”

It appears that, due to his size and strength, Force begins to get the upper-hand.  However, just as he is about to blast Cap with matter, Allard uses the implanted explosives to blow off Major Force’s left hand.  Cap realizes Force is fitted with microphones, cameras, and explosives.  Eiling chides Allard, saying he was supposed to release gas, not blow off the Major’s hand.

“Sorry,” says Allard, “wrong button. Gas activated now.”  (Martin Allard has reason to hate Clifford Zmeck – the Air Force Sergeant killed Allard’s mother in 1969.)

The gas knocks the Major out.  Nate thinks to himself that Eiling made two mistakes.  The first was to underestimate how mentally unstable Zmeck was.  The second was to get Captain Atom involved in the first mistake.  Nate uses concentrated quantum blasts to etch something on Major Force’s chest before tossing the unconscious “super-hero” into Eiling’s headquarters.

Force crashes into Megala’s lab in front of General Eiling, Lieutenant Allard, and Dr. Megala.  Etched on Zmeck’s chest are the words, “I QUIT!”

I vividly remember the first time I read this issue, back in 1987.  It blew my poor little fifteen-year-old mind (for reasons I will clarify when I review Captain Atom #15… How’s that for foreshadowing?).  It was an exciting story.  I loved the idea of another quantum powered dude out there, a less-intelligent Moriarty to Captain Atom’s Sherlock Holmes.  I don’t know why Greg Weisman started shouldering the writing responsibility with Cary Bates, but they seemed to be a good team.  And Pat Broderick and Bob Smith did a great job.  An A effort all around.

This was another important milestone in Captain Atom’s history, although I did not realize it at the time I first read it.  From 1960 to 1975, Cap only appeared in 24 comics as a major character.  That’s just 24 issues spread out over 15 years (and two of those appearances were just in fanzines).  He was always on the fringe of the DC Universe from the time he was purchased from Charlton Comics.  He was included in the Crisis on Infinite Earths mini-series but not as a major player.  He really came into his own with this particular series, and was popular enough to warrant two annuals.  I remember (not knowing about the character’s history pre-1987) being anxious about how this was all going to play out when I was a kid.  Rereading this annual transported me back to simpler times in my life, when my $8 a week allowance was blown at Komix Kastle the day I got it.  Ah, youth.

Captain Atom #11 (January 1988)

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.

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.

Captain Atom #6 (August 1987)

Tags

Bob Smith, Captain Atom, Carl Gafford, Cary Bates, Doctor Spectro, Duncan Andrews, General Eiling, Martin Allard, Modern Age Captain Atom, Pat Broderick, Theresa Delgado

“A Piece of the Lie”

• Writer: Cary Bates
• Pencils: Pat Broderick
• Inks: Bob Smith
• Colors: Carl Gafford
• Letters: Duncan Andrews

The story opens with a man wearing a heavy raincoat, ridiculously large red sunglasses, and a fedora with the brim pulled down over his face walking down the street in Tampa, Florida with his hands in his pockets.  A passer-by thinks he must be a flasher, as it is too warm on a cloudless day to warrant such a getup.  A homeless man in the gutter asks the raincoated man if he can spare some change.  The fedora man removes his coat and hands it to the homeless man.  And so we get our first look at the new Doctor Spectro.

His costume is vastly different from the Silver Age Dr. Spectro.  It appears to be a black leotard with a pattern of red, yellow, and blue circles all over it.  Spectro appears to transform into a giant, red, three-headed demon.  The homeless man runs.  Two security guards who are making a payroll delivery see not a demon but a grey muscle-bound monster that bears an uncanny resemblance to a certain incredible Marvel character.  The monster snatches the bags of cash the two men were carrying.

A cab driver who is relating this story to the police (along with the homeless man and the two security guys) says he saw a giant green snake carrying the two bags of cash.  He fled, and the snake stole his cab.  A school bus narrowly misses hitting the cab, ending up on its side in the street.  All of the witnesses claim that Doctor Spectro said he was back in business.  But the police have no files on Spectro because he didn’t exist.  He was part of Captain Atom’s fake backstory.  One of the cops holds out an issue of National Penetrator (ew) with Captain Atom on the cover.

Cut to General Eiling briefing Theresa Delgado.  He reminds her (and us) of the intricacies of “The Lie” (The Captain Atom Project), which is good because this is the sixth issue and we may have forgotten all about it.  They know Dr. Spectro was made up by them, and Delgado vows to get to the bottom of who this clown is.  She thinks the appearance of Dr. Spectro lends credibility to Cap’s back story.  Eiling sees him as a potential threat – that Spectro must know Cap’s story is made up.

As Delgado leaves, Allard calls Eiling and says he has a call from someone who “claims to know the truth about Dr. Spectro.”

Meanwhile, Captain Atom is meeting sick kids in a hospital, explaining how his powers work.
It turns out these kids were on the school bus that Spectro caused to wreck.  Captain Atom clearly feels guilty, saying to a doctor that he is responsible for what happened to those kids “in more ways than you can imagine.”

Two days later, Eiling shows up in an isolated section of forest in northeast Colorado.  Alone in a Jeep, he is meeting with the mysterious caller.  He is soon joined by a holographic projection of Dr. Spectro.  He wants money from Eiling and says he’ll stop with the Spectro nonsense if the government pays up.  Besides, he says, he really doesn’t want to face Captain Atom for real.  Eiling drops the “first payment” and drives away, leaving the hologram behind.

As he is driving away, Eiling’s Jeep is picked up by Captain Atom and deposited on a mountain peak.  Cap demands answers regarding Spectro.  Eiling lies and says the whole thing was staged, and that the kids on the bus was a stupid mistake.  Cap isn’t buying it and says as much.  As he drops Eiling’s Jeep back on the road, the General is warning Captain Atom not to investigate the matter further.

Captain Atom shows up at a Florida police impound where Spectro’s getaway cab is being searched.  The car has been cleaned but the investigator found a trace of mud on the fender that has been sent to the lab for analysis.  They are able to narrow down the location of the mud to a place in north Florida called Breezy Point.

We cut to Tom Emory, laying in a bed full of cash and dreaming of beautiful women.  He is awakened by an angry, shouting Captain Atom outside of his house.  Atom warns Spectro if he doesn’t give up, their first fight will be Spectro’s last.  Spectro suits up and flies away on a flying motorbike contraption (the Rainbow Raider’s flyer).  Captain Atom chases him, and they are filmed by two documentary filmmakers who happen to be in the area.

Cap quickly realizes he’s been duped and has been chasing a hologram.  When the real Spectro emerges from the house, Atom gives chase.  Spectro tries to scare Cap with images of aliens but Captain Atom us undeterred.

The ensuing fight takes place off-panel.  Back in his office, reading the newspaper article about Spectro’s capture, Eiling is on the phone with Delgado.  He tells her that despite Cap going against orders and taking down Spectro, it has been a p.r. win for the Captain Atom Project.

In prison, various inmates begin attacking Tom Emory.  They appear to have been hired by Eiling to do so.  Tom thinks they’re the Rainbow Raider’s loyal flunkies and asks Captain Atom to help him.  As a result, Cap addresses the prisoners in the yard.  He turns up the heat, and has the whole pissed-off-eye-flare thing going on.  He tells those gathered that Emory is under his protection and hopes the inmates don’t give him a reason to come back.  Emory walks away with a smug expression and Captain Atom flies home, pissed off that he has been drawn further into “the lie.”

Nothing too special about this issue.  I liked Captain Atom visiting sick kids in the hospital.  Dr. Spectro with his illusions is a lot less threatening than the original Charlton Dr. Spectro.  I like how, despite his best efforts, Cap gets pulled further and further into the lie.  I particularly like the way Pat Broderick worked in the Incredible Hulk!  Overall a B+ book.