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.

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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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Convergence: Blue Beetle #2 (July 2015)

Tags

Andromeda, Apparition, Blue Beagle, Blue Beetle, Brainiac 5, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Catspaw, Chameleon, Chip Kidd, Colossal Boy, Computo, Cosmic Boy, Dave McCaig, Dick Giordano, Element Lad, Ferro, George Pérez, Inferno, Invisible Kid, Karate Kid, Kid Quantum, Leviathan, Live Wire, Saida Temofonte, Saturn Girl, Scott Lobdell, Sensor, Spark, Star Boy, The Question, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, Yishan Li

“Legion of Doom!”

• Writer:  Scott Lobdell
• Pencils & Inks:  Yishan Li
• Colors:  Dave McCaig
• Letters:  Saida Temofonte
• Cover Artists:  Chip Kidd, George Pérez, Dick Giordano

>>>SPOILERS<<<

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(You’ve been warned.)

So this is the exciting conclusion to the Earth-4 heroes’ Convergence adventure.  It was better that Cap’s last “battle” in Convergence: Justice League International #2.  This time around he was a little more than just a punching bag.  And I really like the dynamic between Blue Beetle, the Question, and Captain Atom.  I would totally read an Earth-4 series with these three as the primary characters.

This issue opens with a quick reintroduction of the characters.  And I immediately have something to pick at.

Captain Atom is identified as “Nathaniel Adams.” Now, the Charlton Captain Atom’s name was Allen Adam, but I didn’t so much mind the retconning of him to Nathaniel.  After all, the Nathaniel Adam version of the character was my favorite.  But “Adams?”  It was revealed in the last issue that his last name was “Adam!”  See the panel below from Convergence: Blue Beetle #1:

I would love to be DC Comics’ “Captain Atom Fact Checker.”  Heck, I’d do it for free.  I enjoyed this issue and would really like to see more, but that was a little sloppy.  I know it could be worse.  These things happen.  The superhero Breach was once referred to as “Major Adams” (he was originally conceived as a reboot of Captain Atom).

On a downtown Hub City rooftop, the Legion of Super-Heroes descends from the sky to meet with Blue Beetle, the Question, and Captain Atom.  The three Hub City heroes climb atop Beetle’s Bug to meet with them.  The Legionnaires do not come out swinging though.  Cosmic Boy introduces them politely and asks which of the three is their leader.

After naming himself leader, Blue Beetle demands that the Legion surrender.  Cosmic Boy declines, saying he has no fear that the three Hub City heroes can take the Legionnaires.

Beetle electrifies the hull of the Bug to slow down the Legion while he, Cap and the Question jump inside.  Onboard, Tracy reveals that she has hacked into the Legion’s flight rings and has gathered tons of data on them.  Cap says he’s uncomfortable with a civilian like Ted Kord having this kind of tech but the Question shuts him up.

The Bug lurches, knocking them all off their feet.  Colossal Boy has grown to the size of one of the neighboring buildings and is shaking the ship.  Andromeda tries to stop him, but the Bug vanishes from Colossal Boy’s hands, teleporting about a mile away to another rooftop.  Their arrival is observed by a stray dog.

I’m wondering, did Blue Beetle always have this advanced tech?  I know he’s supposed to be super smart, but I don’t recall his ship teleporting. And if he had the technology to teleport objects, why did he even need the Bug?

Beetle tells his partners to keep the Legionnaires of his back for six minutes while he cooks something up.

The Legionnaires continue to search Hub City for its three heroes.  They seem split on the task at hand.  No one really wants a fight, but Telos has warned them that the losers’ cities will be destroyed and to not fight is to lose.  Brainiac 5 is confident the Legion can take on the other heroes.  He says only Captain Atom has real “powers,” and he is essentially raw energy.  Of course, Brainiac is wrong, and soon learns it when Cap blinds the Legion with some sort of light blast (new power?) and plows into them.

Cap blasts Cosmic Boy with a burst of energy.  Andromeda goes after Cap, but is knocked back by Chameleon (who seems to be bouncing off buildings for some reason).  Invisible Kid takes Cap from behind and grabs him as Ferro and Star Boy swoop in.

Back on the Bug, Beetle is reading up on a group of Legionnaires, hoping he has found the right ones for his plan.  Tracy tries to shoo away the stray dog (who has now boarded the ship), but Beetle decides to adopt him.

The Question takes on Brainiac 5 (no longer blinded) and seems to defeat him with a riddle.  Karate Kid asks the Question what he’s done to Brainiac.  I wonder, am I the only one who sees a missed opportunity here?  Karate Kid ends up fighting Earth-4 Charlton characters, but Judomaster is not among them?  How coold would that have been?  I mean, it seems like a no-brainer to me.

And just what the heck did the Question do to Brainiac 5?

Saturn Girl, Sensor, and Computo board the Bug.  Their Legion flight rings led them to Beetle’s hiding place.  Beetle tells them he needs the three of them for his plan.  They say it is crazy, but is it crazy enough to work?

Outside, Cap is facing off against Cosmic Boy, Andromeda, and Colossal Boy.  It looks as if this battle will soon be over for Captain Atom.

Just then, Hub City is hit by an earthquake.  In a matter of seconds the city is decimated.  All the heroes are seriously bummed out by this unexpected turn of events.

The Hub City heroes and the Legionnaires board the Bug, where they make a shocking discovery.  Looking outside the Bug’s windows, Hub City appears standing tall and suffering no damage.  Beetle reveals that he, Saturn Girl, Sensor, and Computo used their powers to make Hub City appear destroyed to the outside world.  This way Telos thinks he got his winner and the heroes can focus on teaming up to defeat him.

I really enjoyed this comic.  After the let-down of Convergence: Justice League International #2, I was not expecting much from this issue.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Not only did Captain Atom have a nice juicy role, but Blue Beetle got to show off his brains.  And the Question was there.

Okay, so the Question didn’t do much, but I like seeing him in action with Cap and Beetle.

I liked this story. It was clever and cute (particularly Blue Beagle).  And I really like Yishan Li’s style.  I wish this was an ongoing series.  I give this issue an A.

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

Convergence #8 (July 2015)

Tags

Andy Kubert, Barbara Gordon, Batman, Blue Beetle, Brad Anderson, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Carlo Pagulayan, Dick Grayson, Dr. Fate, Eduardo Pansica, Ethan Van Sciver, Green Lantern (Alan Scott), Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), Green Lantern (John Stewart), Jason Paz, Jeff King, Jill Thompson, John Romita Jr., John Starr, Judomaster, Nightshade, Peacemaker, Peter Steigerwald, Scott Hanna, Scott Lobdell, Stephen Segovia, Supergirl, Superman, The Flash, The Question, Tomeu Morey, Tony S. Daniel, Travis Lanham

“Last Stand”

• Writers:  Jeff King, Scott Lobdell
• Pencils:  Stephen Segovia, Carlo Pagulayan,Eduardo Pansica, Ethan Van Sciver
• Inks:  Jason Paz, Scott Hanna, Trevor Scott,Stephen Segovia, Ethan Van Sciver
• Colors:  John Starr, Peter Steigerwald
• Letters:  Travis Lanham
• Cover Artists:  Andy Kubert, Brad Anderson, Tony S. Daniel, Tomeu Morey, Jill Thompson, John Romita, Jr.

Going into Convergence, I said I was going to wait until it was over to review it.  As Captain Atom’s role in the actual mini-series was limited, I decided not to.  Besides, as a kid I was always told if I couldn’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.  And I’ve found very little “nice” to say about this series.  I understand what DC Comics was doing here but I didn’t like it.  From 1935 – 1985, the DC Universe was never “rebooted.”  Since 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, we’ve had Zero Hour, Final Crisis, Flashpoint, and now Convergence.  Why are they so trigger-happy with that reset button?  I’ve decided I’m done with DC for a while.  If they bring back Captain Atom or Firestorm, I’ll buy them.  But that might not ever happen (however, if the Legends of Tomorrow TV series is a success, Firestorm may be back in a big way, and the door was left open on The Flash for a season 2 Captain Atom appearance).

The Bronze Age Captain Atom appears in the background four times in this issue, although his costume coloring is slightly wrong.

That last panel seems to indicate that the original Charlton heroes do indeed “evolve” into their Multiversity counterparts.  This means we already know their fates and Captain Atom is dead once again.

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

Convergence #7 (July 2015)

Tags

Aaron Lopresti, Amanda Conner, Brett Booth, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Carlo Pagulayan, Green Arrow, Jason Paz, Jeff King, Mark Morales, Paul Mounts, Peter Steigerwald, Scott Lobdell, Supergirl, Telos, Tomeu Morey, Tony S. Daniel, Travis Lanham, Ultra Boy

“Showdown”

• Writers:  Jeff King & Scott Lobdell
• Pencils:  Aaron Lopresti
• Inks:  Mark Morales
• Colors:  Peter Steigerwald
• Letters:  Travis Lanham
• Cover Artists:  Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, Peter Steigerwald, Tony S. Daniel, Tomeu Morey, Amanda Conner, Paul Mounts, Brett Booth

Not only did the Bronze Age/Earth-4 Captain Atom make one of the covers (the direct sales cover, that is), but he actually saw some action.  This kind of makes up for last week’s Convergence: Justice League International #2.  He’s still basically in the background, but at least he’s doing something other than having his metal plated butt handed to him.  I’m still not reviewing these issues, but I’m sure glad to see Cap is still around.

Here he is about to straight up kill Green Arrow (spoiler: he doesn’t):

Here he is having a moment of dialogue with Supergirl and Ultra Boy:

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

Convergence: Justice League International #2 & Convergence #6 (July 2015)

Tags

Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Bret Blevins, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Captain Marvel (Shazam), Chip Kidd, Creeper, Fire, Huntress, Ice, Jade, Joe Rubinstein, Ken Branch, Kevin Conrad, Mark Campos, Martian Manhunter, Mike Manley, Modern Age Captain Atom, Nightstar, Obsidian, Paul Renaud, Red Tornado, Ron Marz, Sotocolor, Tom Napolitano, Wonder Woman

“Punchline”

• Writer:  Ron Marz
• Pencils:  Mike Manley
• Inks:  Joe Rubinstein, Mike Manley, and Bret Blevins
• Colors:  Sotocolor
• Letters:  Tom Napolitano
• Cover Artists:  Paul Renaud, Chip Kidd, Mark Campos, Ken Branch, and Kevin Conrad

>>>SPOILERS<<<

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>>>SPOILERS<<<

(You’ve been warned.)

Okay, a couple of things that bug me right off the bat.  First, no mention is made of Ted’s broken arm from the previous issue, and second is the title.  If the prior issue was called “It Only Hurts When I Laugh, Part 1,” shouldn’t this one be titled “It Only Hurts When I Laugh, Part 2?”

I was super excited about Convergence and was really digging it at first.  Now, not so much.  While this issue had a few good moments, overall I felt it fell flat.  And Captain Atom was really under-used.

Picking up where the last issue left off, Shazam is counseling Wonder Woman atop the Daily Planet building..  He asks if there is really a need to fight the other heroes.  Wonder Woman says she doubts the other heroes will simply surrender, as it is something they would not do themselves.  She jumps off the roof.

On a nearby rooftop, Blue Beetle and Martian Manhunter are having a similar discussion.  Beetle says he has to try and talk some sense into the other heroes, and swings down to the street to talk to Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman assures Beetle that she is not the Diana he knows and that it is her intention to fight as Telos wants.  She will not entertain the notion of anything other than fighting, and warns him that her team will win.  Beetle says he won’t put Metropolis in danger and says if they have to fight, they’ll do so outside the city in the wasteland.  Wonder Woman leaves, telling Beetle to meet her when he is ready.

Later, the two teams face off outside of Metropolis.

And it is ON.

Martian Manhunter takes on Shazam (which makes sense, as I think they are pretty evenly matched), and Captain Atom takes on Jade and the elder Blue Beetle (which makes no sense – sure, Jade and her constructs can give him a run for his money, but an old man in beetle armor?).

Young Beetle manages to get his hands on Wonder Woman’s sword, but she grabs him by the throat and flings him against a boulder some distance away.  There, he meets old Beetle, who says he walked away from the fight because he believed there had to be a better way.

The two are immediately set upon by a squad of Telos robots.  Young Beetle makes a joke which chagrins old Beetle.

The two trade jokes as they combat robots, but an earthquake (telosquake?) drops a boulder on top of old Beetle, pinning him down.  Young Beetle uses robot parts as a lever to pry the boulder off his older self and the two limp back to the battlefield.  There, they discover the JLI has been defeated.

Wonder Woman says she did what Telos wanted: defeated the other heroes.  She never intended to kill them.  Somehow, I think this goes against the spirit of what Telos said (but – as revealed in the pages of Convergence itself – Telos may have switched his loyalties and perhaps no longer gives a damn about the cities).

The JLI returns to their HQ battered and bruised, but alive.

Ted goes off to “think things through” (again with the offer from Fire to keep him company).  He’s upset no one remembered that this was his birthday, but also realizes that might not be a high priority for his super buddies.  Entering his room, he is doused by a bucket of water and finds his room decorated by the one super hero buddy who’d never forget his birthday: Booster Gold.

So the story ends.  Very little Captain Atom (he had no lines, did most of his combat off-page, and was easily defeated).  This series should have been titled Convergence: Blue Beetle.  It wasn’t bad.  I liked the interaction between the old Blue Beetle and the young Blue Beetle.  I liked the acknowledgement of how close Beetle and Booster were.  But, overall, I’m unhappy with Convergence.  It seems as if all this buildup was for nothing.  I loved the artwork of this issue and give it an A but the story limps along with a C.  Overall, I’d say this is a B book.

Also, the Bronze Age Captain Atom had a cameo in Convergence #6:

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

Justice League #40 (June 2015)

Tags

Alex Sinclair, Brad Anderson, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Dan Jurgens, Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Jerry Ordway, Jim Lee, Kevin Maguire, Phil Jimenez, Rob Leigh, Scott Kolins, Scott Williams

This has been quite the month for Captain Atom spotters.  So far we’ve seen the Modern Age Captain Atom in Convergence: Justice League International #1 and he had a cameo in Convergence: Green Lantern Parallax #1.  Monarch has appeared in Convergence #3 and Convergence #4 so far.  The Bronze Age Captain Atom popped up in Convergence: Blue Beetle #1 as well as this quick cameo in Justice League #40:

This is an often-repeated image from the Crisis on Infinite Earths series.  In this issue, Metron is talking about his involvement in the Crisis (among other DC events).

Justice League #40 was written by Geoff Johns with pencils by Kevin Maguire, Phil Jimenez, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Scott Kolins, Jason Fabok, and Jim Lee, inks by Kevin Maguire, Phil Jimenez, Jerry Ordway, Scott Kolins, Jason Fabok, and Scott Williams, colors by Brad Anderson and Alex Sinclair, and letters by Rob Leigh.

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

Convergence: Blue Beetle #1 (June 2015)

Tags

Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Chip Kidd, David McCaig, Dick Giordano, Doctor Spectro, George Pérez, Nightshade, Saida Temofonte, Scott Lobdell, The Ghost, The Madmen, The Question, Yishan Li

“Convergence”

• Writer:  Scott Lobdell
• Pencils & Inks:  Yishan Li
• Colors: David McCaig
• Letters: Saida Temofonte
• Cover Artists:  George Perez, Dick Giordano, Chip Kidd

>>>SPOILERS<<< >>>SPOILERS<<< >>>SPOILERS<<< >>>SPOILERS<<< >>>SPOILERS<<< >>>SPOILERS<<<

(You’ve been warned.)

This is what I’ve been waiting for.  The Bronze Age (and “original”) Captain Atom returns in this Convergence tie-in.  Cameos aside, this version of Cap hasn’t seen this much action since Americomics Special: Sentinels of Justice #1 in 1983 (yes, Cap was a prominent character in Multiversity: Pax Americana #1, but he was not sporting the white hair, red tights, and silver arms designed by Steve Ditko in 1967).  And even this Captain Atom isn’t exactly the Bronze Age Cap (but close enough).  While I thoroughly enjoyed his return to the printed page, I’m wondering why this issue was a Blue Beetle and not called something else (Sentinels of Justice, perhaps).  Blue Beetle isn’t really the focus of the book.  There’s as much Captain Atom and the Question in this as there is Blue Beetle.  But that minor complaint does not make me enjoy this issue any less.  I was happy with it from start to finish and am extremely pleased to see Captain Atom in any form.

The issue opens with WHUB News reporter Vic Sage (aka the Question) reporting on a terrorist attack on the already-besieged Hub City.  One of the many cities domed and cut off by Telos, Hub City is at the mercy of the Madmen.  The Madmen – armed to the teeth – are facing off against the National Guard (led by Captain Nathaniel Adam).

Okay, so Irritating Minutia Point #1: This version of Captain Atom’s real name is Allen Atom, not Nathaniel Adam.  But they are essentially the same dude so I’ll let that one slide.

The Madmen open fire so Captain Adam’s men retaliate in kind.  However, they’ve brought some more heavy weapons than the Madmen.

Vic sends his crew to upload the story and approaches Captain Adam in the aftermath of the destruction.  The Madmen appear to have all been killed.  Donning his Question mask, Vic says he’s not pleased with Adam’s handling of the Madmen situation, but that isn’t what he wants to talk about.  He tells Adam that Ted Kord requires his help.  The two part ways, with Adam not very thrilled at the prospect of hanging out with Ted.

Later, in the rooftop lab of Ted Kord at the top of Kord Industries headquarters, Ted’s assistant Tracy questions Ted about his latest “nothing burger” invention and his need to put a door in the roof of the building.  Captain Adam enters (with his side-arm drawn!?!?!?) and Ted accosts him at once about the attack on the Madmen.

Ted reveals his new invention may free Hub City from the dome and wants Nate’s approval to try.  Thinking back on the pile of dead Madmen, Nate says he has no objection.  Ted pulls a lever and the machine fires a pink blast at the dome.  It appears to not even scratch the surface.  Ted collapses, sure he’s failed, but Tracy tells him to take a look at Nate.

Captain Atom has returned to full power.  As the two heroes bicker over whether or not Ted should be allowed to suit up as Blue Beetle, Cap notices a bunch of swirly colors in the sky.  Figuring he knows what this means, Captain Atom flies off to investigate.

Irritating Minutia Point #2:  There is clearly a door in the ceiling of the room they’re in.  Tracy questioned Ted about it earlier and Ted shot a pink ray at the dome through it.  Why did Cap burst through a wall to exit the room?  Is he just being an ass?  I do like that Yishan Li drew the little sparkles around Cap, though.  Haven’t seen those in a while.

Above the streets of Hub City, Cap finds Dr. Spectro blasting the dome with his colorful rays.  Cap automatically (and wrongly, of course) assumes Spectro is behind the dome and demands answers.  The two are interrupted by the bizarre appearance out of thin air of a costumed individual neither of them recognize.

It is Booster Gold, who does not exist in the Hub City Earth (Earth-4 for those of you keeping score).  Cap assumes Booster is in league with Spectro and gives him an atomic blast.  Blue Beetle, now in costume, hurries to the fight and arrives just as Booster fades away.  This scene has played out before.  We saw it from Booster’s perspective in Booster Gold: Futures End #1 in November 2014.

As soon as Booster vanishes, Cap loses his powers.  He drops from the sky and Blue Beetle scrambles to catch him.  Neither of them are concerned about Dr. Spectro, who also loses his powers and drops out of the sky.  The Question appears on the rooftop with them, but neither Blue Beetle or Captain Adam are interested in what he has to say.

Thinking Hub City is falling victim to an earthquake, the three heroes jump off the roof onto Beetle’s Bug (piloted by Tracy).  The building they were on transforms into Telo, who tells them they must fight the heroes of the other captive cities.  The dome drops, resulting in Captain Atom’s powers returning again.

The dome drops and the heroes brace themselves for what comes next (in Convergence: Blue Beetle #2).  To be continued.

We are treated with a brief history of the Charlton characters of Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, and the Question.

Yishan Li is a capable artist, perhaps not my favorite but by no means bad.  I give his art an A.  Scott Lobdell, I feel, did the best he could with what he had (basically this is just setting up the big fight with the Legionnaires next issue) so I give this issue an A for writing as well.

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

Convergence #1 (June 2015)

Tags

Blue Beetle, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Carlo Pagulayan, Ivan Reis, Jason Paz, Jeff King, Joe Prado, John Starr, Peter Steigerwald, Scott Lobdell, The Question, Travis Lanham

“Domesday”

• Writers:  Jeff King & Scott Lobdell
• Pencils:  Carlo Pagulayan
• Inks:  Jason Paz
• Colors:  John Starr & Peter Steigerwald
• Letters:  Travis Lanham
• Cover Artists:  Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Peter Steigerwald

As this is an ongoing title, I’m not going to spoil it here just yet.  I’ll just say it is a huge endeavor and it will have repercussions felt throughout the DC multiverse.  Multiple versions of Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, etc. will appear as will characters from little-seen-or-heard-from-Earths.  Like Earth-4 (the “Charlton” Earth).  It is kind of like this generation’s Crisis on Infinite Earths.  Captain Atom (the Bronze Age Charlton Cap, that is) will be featured and has a cameo in issue #1 (see below) along with the Question and Blue Beetle (all Ditko creations).  I’m not reviewing the series at this time but will say that so far I’m pretty pleased.

The Multiversity: Pax Americana #1 (January 2015)

Tags

Blue Beetle, Bronze Age Captain Atom, Captain Atom, Frank Quitely, Grant Morrison, Iron Arms, Jae Lee, L.A.W., Nathan Fairbairn, Nightshade, Patrick Gleason, Peacemaker, Rob Leigh, Sarge Steel, Sentinels of Justice, Silver Age Captain Atom, The Question, Tiger, Vincent Deighan

“In Which We Burn”

• Writer:  Grant Morrison
• Pencils & Inks: Frank Quitely
• Colors:  Nathan Fairbairn
• Letters:  Rob Leigh

Yes, I am a fan of Grant Morrison.  Yes, I am a fan of Frank Quitely.  I mean, I have EYES, don’t I?

The concept of DC Universe’s “multiverse” was scrapped as a result of the 1985 maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths.  But, as with all things in comics, it was not to stay dead.  After the events of Infinite Crisis there was another maxi-series entitled 52.  It was in the pages of 52 that DC revealed that the multiverse still existed.  The Multiversity was a limited series of one-shots set in the DC Multiverse in The New 52. The one-shots in the series are written by Grant Morrison, each with a different artist. The Multiversity began in August 2014.  This issue was published November 19, 2014.

This issue takes place on Earth-4 (The Charlton Universe) and opens with the rather gruesome assassination of the President of the United States by Peacemaker (aka Christopher Smith).  Chris has been captured and is being questioned by government suits.  But the Peacemaker isn’t talking.

As Chris is lead out of the interrogation room, he passes Senator Warren Eden, who is discussing this turn of events with his daughter Eve (Nightshade).  Eden tells his daughter that Peacemaker’s actions have essentially killed the idea of a “super hero” and made the term a dirty word.  Warren advises his daughter to savor her time as a super hero, as he is putting certain plans into motion.  The government had two super heroes on the payroll, but Peacemaker has killed the President and Captain Atom is missing in action.  The government needs a convincing exit strategy to distance itself from the heroes.

Elsewhere, Blue Beetle has been tracking the Question with his Bug.  The Question is trying to run from the Bug, but Beetle points out that is impossible.  The Question tells Beetle he’s barking up the wrong tree by chasing him, that he is trying to find the murderer of Nora O’Rourke and solve the mystery of “algorithm B.”  He refers to this as “The Yellowjacket Case” (four unsolved murders of four prominent scientists).  Beetle tells him there is no Yellowjacket case and for Question to be reasonable.  “His people” are all over the Question.

Blue Beetle says he made peace with the government but the Question contends that Beetle is going about crime-fighting all wrong.  The Question pulls a device out of his coat and activates a crane that Beetle has conveniently parked the Bug under.  The Questions tells Beetle he should never rely on technology and takes off.  He ducks into a subway station where he is then confronted by Nightshade.

The Question quickly overpowers Nightshade and hops onto a passing train.  But before he does so, he tosses her one of his calling cards.  It bears a question mark that has been augmented to resemble the symbol for infinity.

The Question then goes to the crime scene where Nora O’Rourke was murdered.  She was apparently Chris Smith’s girlfriend.  He had left early that day when someone crept into his apartment, picked up a heavy statue, and crushed Nora’s head with it.  That killer may look familiar to fans of Charlton comics.  He appears to be Captain Atom’s old enemy Iron Arms.

This is when Captain Atom enters the story (the same Captain Atom that Warren Eden said was missing in action).  He is at some science facility working on a particle accelerator, apparently some time prior to the president’s assassination.  The scientists are working in the control room as Cap is reading a comic book.  He is commenting on how he can read the story any way he chooses, flipping through it backwards or starting in the middle, and there is nothing that the characters in the story can do about it.  He can perceive time any way he wishes but they are limited in their perceptions.  The characters are unaware of his scrutiny.  It is hard to tell if he is talking about the comic book, the scientists he is with, or even us as the readers.  The scientists switch on their device (just as Cap says he can “read” their “thought balloons” and knows what they are planning.  Once the device is activated, Cap vanishes, the comic books bursts into flames,  and one of the scientists announces that Captain Atom has left the universe.

There is another man in the control room; a man whose face we do not see but can assume is Sarge Steel because he has a metal hand.  He pulls a gun on the scientists, who argue they did everything he asked.  They opened a black hole inside Allen Adam’s skull.  This does not sway Steel, who shoots them all dead.

We then cut to Nightshade visiting her mother.  Mom seems a little on the senile side and bitter about her ex-husband.  Nightshade tells her mom that Allen Adam is helping her dad to harness the power of a black hole so the empire will no longer rely on oil.

The scene switches to Chris and Nora having a discussion about someone named Harley (the President’s father and comic book writer) as Sarge Steel beats the living hell out of someone.  The story is kind of hard to follow as it isn’t presented as a linear path.  It is as if we are reading the comic the way Captain Atom sees the world.  The scene does reveal that Peacemaker had plans to run away with Nora after he did “what had to be done.”

The next scene is night on a rooftop.  The Question is standing over a man who is pinned under a fallen sign.  The Question reveals this man is not the high-level mob fixer he pretended to be but an undercover dirty cop on the payroll of the Vice President.  He lays a revolver on the floor in front of the prone man and begins to drone on about an eight-stage color coded system of development that all societies must pass through.  The cop begs the Question let him go (an exposed wire from the sign is sparking nearby and the cop is in a puddle – he fears he will be electrocuted).  The cop tells him that his orders come from the Sarge and that he really doesn’t know anything.  All he knows are rumors – about Captain Atom being killed and something about a secret formula.  The Question leaves the man to die on the rooftop.

Cut to the past, and Nightshade, Peacemaker, Tiger, Blue Beetle, and the Question are meeting with a government official.  They are sporting new “uniforms” and Tiger is unhappy about the changes.  Peacemaker welcomes them all to the Justice League of America (which prompts Blue Beetle to ask, “How about the Sentinels?”).  President Harley then enters the room and tells them their trademarks and code names belong to the U.S. government now.  When the Question complains, the President leans in and asks, “Are you in the box or out of the box, Mr. Sage?”  This reveals that the government knows the Question’s alter ego, but the comment about the box implies that Vic Sage is gay, I guess.

Later, when President Harley reveals the team at a press conference, he announces that their leader is Captain Atom.

Captain Atom has trouble focusing on the task at hand because he is being distracted by a conversation he will have in the future (this is some trippy Dr. Manhattan level stuff – which makes perfect sense when you think about it).

The conversation is actually in the past. Cap is in a park interacting with a dog.  He’s surrounded by strange statues of people in distress and is talking to the dog.  Governor (not-yet-President) Harley is about to meet with him but Cap’s handlers warn him that Cap has been heavily sedated since “the U-235 incident.”  The scientist tells Harley that the statues were once people and he should warn them immediately if Cap’s speech becomes disorganized, anxious, or aggressive.  Another of Cap’s handlers thought it would do him good to be reunited with his pet dog.

Cap disassembles the dog, thinking the “pieces would explain the whole.”  When he realizes he has just killed his pet Butch, Cap begins to cry.  He asks for more sedatives and asks when he will go back to normal.  He then wonders aloud what it would be like if Butch was both alive and dead and suddenly there is a brand new Butch standing next to the old, dead one.  He then says it isn’t the same.  Harley introduces himself to Allen Adam.  Cap says it must be hard work being the president, to which Harley responds he is not.  Harley brushes it off and asks Cap to walk the gardens with him.  Harley says they are a world famous masterpiece of design and organization.

So it was Harley that “inspired” Allen Adam to use his powers as Captain Atom.

Cut to some 2005. A terrorist has crashed his plane on the White House lawn and taken President George W. Bush hostage.  He plans to kill the president.  He stomps and spits on the American flag.  Governor Harley is also present, confident, and a little cocky.  Peacemaker and his drones show up and take out the terrorist’s men.  Harley warns the terrorist that this is just the beginning.  Some day there will be more Peacemakers.

On the streets, the Question and Blue Beetle are confronting a heroin dealer and arguing.  The Question tells Beetle he could use his money to build homeless shelters and try to cure society’s ills rather than constructing a giant flying Beetle.  He force-feeds the dealer a substantial amount of heroin and leaves him tied to a light post.  The Question brings up Yellowjacket (America’s first superhero) and his fate. Yellowjacket has vanished and no one knows what became of him.

We then see a young man (clad in a yellow jacket) visiting the grave of Governor Harley’s father.  He sits and waits for a considerable amount of time.  Captain Atom appears and tells him, “The door has one side and opens both ways.  Let me show you.”

The man in the yellow jacket is then forced to confront a memory.  He was young, snooping in his father’s studio late one night.  He found a scrapbook of newspaper articles about Yellowjacket and a revolver.  Then Yellowjacket himself comes through the window and the boy shoots him dead.  It was his father, and the little boy was future-president Harley.

This was pretty awesome.  It gives us an idea of what Watchmen might have been like if Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons had been allowed to use the Charlton characters.  While visually beautiful, it doesn’t really compare to Watchmen, though.  I love Frank Quitely but I love Dave Gibbons style even more.  Also, I always thought the name “Frank Quitely” was a crazy coincidental name (Quite Frankly, Frank Quitely) but never gave it much thought.  I did not realize it was a pseudonym used by Vincent Deighan.  I give the art an A and the story an A.  I am a sucker for Grant Morrison.