The Fall and Rise of Captain Atom #1 (March 2017)

Tags

Captain Atom, Cary Bates, Cyborg, Dr. Megala, Gabriel Hardman, General Eiling, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Greg Weisman, Ivan Nunes, Jason Badower, Jim Chadwick, Jordan Boyd, Kristy Quinn, New 52 Captain Atom, Saida Temofonte, Superman, Will Conrad

“Blowback”

• Writer: Cary Bates
• Co-Plotter: Greg Weisman
• Pencils/Inks: Will Conrad
• Colors: Ivan Nunes
• Letters: Saida Temofonte
• Cover Artist: Jason Badower
• Variant Cover Artists: Gabriel Hardman & Jordan Boyd
• Editor: Kristy Quinn
• Group Editor: Jim Chadwick

This issue opens at the Continuum, beneath Kansas City, on December 19, 2012 at 8:38 central time. The New 52 Captain Atom is seated on a chair inside a dome, demanding that Dr. Megala tell him how many people he killed today. Megala, speaking via intercom from a control room, tells Nathaniel that they don’t yet know how many casualties there were. The destructive power of Atom’s quantum flare-ups exceeded Megala’s projections. Even the intervention of the Justice League couldn’t control the damage. General Eiling, standing in the control room with Megala, says that he can spin the story so the Justice League takes part of the blame.

Captain Atom is being held in what Eiling refers to as a subterranean suppression dome, which Megala says should be equipped to handle whatever comes next. Nate worries what will happen to the world around him when he can no longer control the power him. Eiling tells Cap to stow the stinkin-thinkin and pull himself together. Atom doesn’t pay Eiling any mind as he goes on to say that he knows he cannot hold on to his last shreds of humanity. He says his good-byes to Megala, saying he’ll miss the doctor. But Eiling? Not so much.

Captain Atom begins to surge with energy. He tells Megala he’ll see him on the other side, and he explodes with energy.

Wow. Right out of the gate some powerful stuff. Something has obviously gone down and Nathaniel Adam has lost all hope. He has basically committed suicide in front of Megala and Eiling. And although this is clearly the New 52 Captain Atom, these aren’t the New 52 Megala and Eiling. Megala is in a wheelchair, but his body isn’t bent and he doesn’t have the Popeye look. It is unclear if this is supposed to be the Megala who went crazy and took over Firestorm’s body but he doesn’t look like him. Nor does he look like the post-Crisis Megala either. That Megala could not use his arms or legs and his chair served as a life-support system, kind of like Davros from Doctor Who.

This could possibly be the New 52 Eiling, though. He is an African-American again, but seems much younger. And slightly less douchey. The post-Crisis Eiling raised Nate’s kids as his own, but it seems as if this Cap has no kids. If he did, he probably wouldn’t have killed himself.

Twenty three minutes prior to Nate’s meltdown, Captain Atom is flying over the Pacific Ocean, heading back to the Continuum. He is speaking to Megala via an internal nano-com array that has been injected into Nate’s body. Megala tells him he’s detected a minor glitch in the last nano-diagnostic. The rate at which Cap’s atoms are splitting and reforming has elevated slightly. Megala tells him to hurry back so they can assess this new development, but Atom refuses. He’s spotted a cruise ship that’s about to be capsized by a mega wave. Megala sends for Eiling as Cap attempts to change the water around the ship into a jello-like mass. However, Captain Atom’s powers appear to be fizzling out. Cap compensates by pouring on more power.

His efforts pay off and as soon as the gelatinous mass steadies the ship Atom flies away quickly. As Eiling bitches about Nate’s inability to follow orders, there is a spike in Cap’s “quantum fever.” There is a flare-up, similar to the one he killed himself with a few pages back, and Eiling tells Nate to get back to the Continuum as quickly as possible. He wants Captain Atom contained in the suppression dome. Nate tries to make it back, but the increasing flare-ups slow him down.

Just then, three Justice Leaguers show up on the scene, drawn to Cap’s flare-ups that they detected from their Watchtower. Cap explains to Superman, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, and Cyborg that he urgently needs to get to Kansas, but the Leaguers won’t let him fly over populated areas. Megala taps into Cyborg’s tech and transmits a hologram of himself explaining the situation.

Captain Atom tells Superman he can get him to the Continuum quickly and Green Lantern and Cyborg say they can help contain Cap in the meantime. Just as Nate begins to flare up again, Superman grabs him and heads for Kansas. Green Lantern encloses Atom in a protective bubble while Cyborg just says encouraging things like, “Your ring’s kicking quantum ass!”

Just as they are over Kansas, Hal apologizes as he loses control of his construct. Captain Atom flares again, and the Leaguers do what they can to protect the innocent lives down below. However, as we see the scale of the destruction, it seems unlikely that many lives were saved.

Captain Atom staggers into the dome, crawls to the chair, and demands that Megala tell him how many people he killed. This is where we came in.

Nate appears to be dead. His chair was melted and there is no sign of him. Megala says that even though he isn’t a religious man, he hopes Nathaniel Adam will find peace in the afterlife. Eiling can’t get past the loss of a military asset long enough to consider the passing of the human inside. But, as we see up on the surface in the ruins of Kansas City, our hero may not be dead after all.

A naked man lies in the rubble with no blue skin. A newspaper nearby indicates the current year is 1994. To be continued…

This was awesome. Will Conrad’s art is beautiful. Of course I’m going to love Bates and Weisman, and I’m super excited about what comes next. If it goes the way I think it is going to go, I’m going to be a very happy Nathaniel Adam fan. This is the best Captain Atom I’ve seen in recent memory. A for story and A for art. I’m hoping this is the beginning of something big and long-lasting for Captain Atom.

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Superman (Vol 3) #50 (May 2016)

Tags

Aquaman, Ardian Syaf, Black Adam, Captain Atom, Captain Marvel (Shazam), Elasti-Girl, Gene Luen Yang, Gorilla Grodd, Hi-Fi Design, Howard Porter, Jon Bogdanove, Killer Croc, New 52 Captain Atom, Patrick Zircher, Rob Leigh, Superman, Vandal Savage

“What Could Have Been, What Still Can Be, and What Is”

• Writer: Gene Luen Yang
• Pencils & Inks: Howard Porter, Ardian Syaf, Patrick Zircher, Jon Bogdanove
• Colors: Hi-Fi Design
• Cover Artists: Dave Johnson, Dave McCaig, Kaare Andrews, Danny Miki, Arif Prianto, and John Romita, Jr.
• Letters: Rob Leigh
• Editors: Andrew Marino & Eddie Berganza
• Executive Editor: Bobbie Chase

The New 52 Captain Atom (sporting pants) has a brief cameo in this issue of Superman. Vandal Savage and Superman are visiting a simulated possible future in which Earth is under Savage’s rule, with Superman as his general. Earth is under attack by the Dominators, but a group of heroes and villains led by Superman quickly ends the invasion.

It is fine as far as cameos go, but I have to wonder why they gave him pants. He never needed pants before. Also, I’m sad to say I don’t know who some of these characters are. Is that Killer Croc and Gorilla Grodd? And Rita Farr, the Elasti-Girl of the Doom Patrol?

It has been one year since the New 52 Captain Atom was last seen.

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

Original Captain Atom Artwork by Adamantis

Tags

Adamantis, Batman, Blue Beetle, Bombshell, Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Elongated Man, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Ice, Ironfire, Lobo, Major Force, Maxima, Modern Age Captain Atom, New 52 Captain Atom, Oberon, Power Girl, Rocket Red, Silver Shield, Supergirl, Superman, The Ghost, Waverider, Wonder Woman

I recently posted one of adamantis’ pieces here on this blog.  It was a Captain Aom/Captain Marvel team-up of sorts.  Upon exploring his deviantart page, I found a whole slew of great Captain Atom pieces.  This guy really has a great eye and imagination.  Honestly, I’d be pleased if he was tapped to be the artist on a new Captain Atom series (if that were ever a thing).  If you haven’t already, you should really check out his art.

Convergence – Power Couples

Filling In – Power Girl and Captain Atom (as Wonder Woman and Superman)

Power Girl and Captain Atom – Another Time

Threes a Crowd – Power Girl, Captain Atom, and Maxima

Power Girl and some other people…

Captain Atom and Power Girl – Don’t I Know You?

Justice League International – Celebration

Clearly, Adamantis loves the Captain Atom/Power Girl couple.  There’s so much more than this on his page. You’ve got to see it!

This last one is my absolute favorite:

Captain Atom #2 (December 2011)

Tags

Captain Atom, Dr. Megala, Freddie E. Williams II, J. T. Krul, José Villarrubia, Mikey Parker, New 52 Captain Atom, Ranita Carter, Rob Leigh, Scott Alexander, Stanley Lau

“Rebuilding Blocks”

• Writer:  J.T. Krul
• Pencils & Inks:  Freddie E. Williams II
• Colors:  José Villarrubia
• Letters:  Rob Leigh
• Cover Artist:  Stanley Lau

This issue came out on October 19, 2011.  When we last saw the New 52 Captain Atom (excluding his cameo in Justice League International #1), he had been torn apart while trying to extinguish a volcano.  As he was melting down, he thought to himself, “If this is the end, at least I died doing some good for once.”  A news reporter covering the story says that Cap vanished right after he put out the mysterious Manhattan Volcano.  She suggests he has disappeared because he is hiding something.  Meanwhile, Cap begins to reconstitute his body in a nearby river (the East River maybe?).

This is not a new power for Cap.  The first time he used it was in his original origin story way back in 1960 (by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko).  The Modern Age Captainm Atom never used this power (and most likely didn’t have it) but Dr. Manhattan did.  Like the Silver Age Captain Atom, it was the first trick he learned (and he said as much to Ozymandius in Watchmen #12).  While it is an interesting power, it is a bit problematic.  It means that the New 52 Cap is really indestructible.  Godlike.  Or, as my stepson is fond of saying, “OP” (over-powered).  And Cap doesn’t have a Kryptonite weakness like Superman.  What would it take to defeat him?

This is the fundamental problem with Captain Atom.  He’s just too powerful.  Impossible to defeat with no end of powers.  Who could possibly challenge him?  After the Bronze Age, when the DC Universe was first rebooted in 1985, from which the Modern Age Cap was born, he was less powerful than his earlier incarnation.  He worked better as a character.  He didn’t lose touch with his humanity as Dr. Manhattan did.  Captain Atom works best when he is not indestructable.  At least, that’s my opinion.  Anyway, Cap resurrects himself.

Cap is briefly pleased that he saved Manhattan from the Volcano, but is soon bombarded by a “strange new energy pattern” pounding his brain.  His mind is beset by images and text gleaned from the internet, some of them about himself and not very flattering.  He hurries to the Continuum, where he begs Ranita Carter to “make it stop.”  Megala quickly submerges Cap in “superfluid” (your guess is as good as mine) which appears to calm him.

When Ranita remarks that Cap is lucky to have Megala, the doctor reveals that he feels responsible for Cap’s “current state.”  He’s surprised Cap confides in him at all.  He quickly tells Ranita of how Captain Atom came to be.

Unlike the previous, Nathaniel Adam (The Modern Age Cap), this fellow was a volunteer and not a convicted murderer (although that Nate was innocent – but that’s another story).  Though the project did not kill Nathaniel, it did change him forever.  Touched by Cap’s struggle, Ranita reaches out to him.  Her boyfriend Scott Alexander then bursts into the lab, angry with Ranita.  Cap tells Scott to relax and Scott tells Cap to stay away from Ranita.  Scott says Cap should be under quarantine and mentions that the Justice League “didn’t want him.”

Cap leaves the Continuum and flies about “reading” the internet images he can see in the air around him.  He is his own wifi hot-spot.  He comes across a message (email?) from a kid dying from cancer who is begging Cap to help him.  Making himself invisible (just like the original Captain Atom!), Cap enters the boy’s room at the hospital.  He learns the boy (Mikey) has a brain tumor that is more or less inoperable.  Shrinking himself to a microscopic level, Captain Atom enters Mikey’s body to attack the tumor.

A drug the doctors inject into Mikey mistake Captain Atom for a foreign object (which he is, to be fair) and attack him.  Cap dispatches the attacking drug and focuses his efforts on the tumor he has found.  We are treated with a really stunning splash page.

This is Freddie E. Williams II and José Villarrubia at their absolute best.  And I’m not a huge fan of Williams’ work on this title.  This is a truly beautiful work of art.

Mikey awakens as Captain Atom leaves his body.  The tumor was destroyed.  Mikey is certain that it wasn’t a miracle drug that saved him.  He asked Captain Atom for help and Captain Atom saved him.  He’ll live a long, healthy, normal life (cue ominous foreshadowing music here).  Cap, happy that he has done something non-destructive for once, flies away from the hospital room.

Meanwhile, in a dirty city alleyway, a man goes to chase fighting dogs away from his door.  He is shocked to discover that one of the dogs has a human face on his back. It is the face of the rat guy from the last issue (cue even more ominous foreshadowing music here).

I like this issue a whole lot.  It has a lot of nods to the Silver Age Captain Atom (rebuilding his body atom by atom, healing a sick child, becoming invisible and shrinking) and the Bronze Age Captain Atom (public mistrust of the hero).  This is a good amalgamation of the Silver/Bronze Age Cap and the Modern Age Cap with a bit of Dr. Manhattan thrown in.  Though very short (what’s that about anyway?), the story was well-told and compelling.  And the art in this one was stunning.  Upon rereading this series, I’m slowly warming up to Freddie Williams.  This issue deserves an A.

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

Captain Atom to Return in JLU?

Tags

Bizarro, Captain Atom, Captain Carrot, Jeff Parker, Jeromy Cox, New 52 Captain Atom, Travel Foreman, Travis Lanham

It was just yesterday that I said we  might not see Captain Atom again in the DCU. As soon as that post went up, fellow Captain Atom fan Anthony Saavedra pointed out that the New 52 Cap appears in the Justice League United online sneak peak!  Below is the one image of Cap that we got:

This does not necessarily mean he is rejoining the Justice League.  Captain Carrot is on this page too, and I can’t imagine they’d add him to the roster. And that’s Bizarro right above Captain Carrot, and I seriously doubt he’s going to be a team player.

As Shag pointed out on Firestormfan.com, Firestorm also appears in this sneak peak but it is also unclear if he’s a regular.  Could we have an Extreme Justice reunion on our hands?  Do we want one?

I’m just happy to see he’s still out there and DC hasn’t forgotten him.

This JLU sneak peak was written by Jeff Parker with art by Travel Foreman.  Jeromy Cox was the colorist and letters were by Travis Lanham.

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

Justice League: Futures End #1 (November 2014)

Tags

Captain Atom, Cyborg, Dawnstar, Equinox, Gabriel A. Eltaeb, Grodd, Jed Dougherty, Jeff Lemire, Killer Frost, Martian Manhunter, Mechaneer, Mike McKone, Mongul, New 52 Captain Atom, Stormguard, Taylor Esposito, The Flash, Vostok, Wildfire

“HomeWorld Part 2 of 2”

• Writer:  Jeff Lemire
• Pencils & Inks:  Jed Dougherty
• Colors:  Gabriel A. Eltaeb
• Letters:  Taylor Esposito
• Cover Art:  Gabriel A. Eltaeb & Mike McKone

In the interest of remaining spoiler-free (and because I still haven’t caught up on Futures End), I’m just going to be posting some images from the book for now.  Captain Atom is still out there and still doing the super hero thing (or possibly the super villain thing, depending on your perspective).  I like Jed Dougherty’s Captain Atom, but I’m not super crazy about his Captain Adam.  Weird, I know.

The New 52 Captain Atom (at his most Dr. Manhattan-like) leaves the DCU (again) in a blaze of glory.  We thought he had died in the pages of The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man, but five years down the road he’s back in Futures End and not taking any crap.

Unable to best his foes (and proving he has lost touch with his own humanity), Cap decides his only option is to destroy himself.

Equinox (or is it Martian Manhunter?) stops Cap in his tracks and saves the day.  She (he?) sets Nathaniel Adam free.

It was Martian Manhunter, of course, using his telepathic powers to give Captain Atom inner peace.  This may be (at last) the end of the New 52 Captain Atom.  The upcoming Convergence series may make the New 52 Captain Atom a thing that never even existed.  Time will tell.

Futures End: Justice League United #1 (November 2014)

Tags

Captain Atom, Gabe Eltaeb, Jed Dougherty, Jeff Lemire, Mike McKone, New 52 Captain Atom

>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS<<<<<<<<<
(You’ve been warned)

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Okay.  I haven’t been keeping up with the Futures End crossovers.  Honestly, I found the thing a little confusing and kind of boring.  So I passed after the first issue of Futures End.  So this kind of came out of nowhere for me.  Had it not been for tumblr, I wouldn’t have even known Captain Atom returned to the DC Universe.  I guess I’m not the superfan I thought I was.

Because I haven’t read the crossovers or even tried to follow any of the storylines, I can’t really give this book the attention it deserves.  However, if you really want the low-down on Futures End right now, click this link.  Shag (Firestorm Fan) enlisted the aid of fellow match-head Tim Wallace in sorting through the whole thing.

So here’s Cap’s return to glory (maybe):

This issue was written by Jeff Lemire with pencils and inks by Jed Dougherty.  The covers (see below; they aren’t exactly variants but a holographic-3D-image-thing) was the work of Mike McKone and Gabe Eltaeb.

Captain Atom, Dr. Manhattan, Blue Beetle, and Firestorm by Raymund Lee

Tags

Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, Dr. Manhattan, Firestorm, New 52 Captain Atom, Raymund Lee

This piece, the New 52 Captain Atom, is by Raymund Lee.  He is an artist from the Philippines (here’s his DeviantArt page).  I really think it is possibly the most beautiful rendition of this particular version of Cap that I’ve ever seen.  And he doesn’t stop there.  Below are Dr. Manhattan, and Captain Atom’s “pals” Blue Beetle and Firestorm.

He has lots more superheroes on his site; this is just a small sampling.

Captain Atom #1 (November 2011)

Tags

Captain Atom, Dr. Megala, Freddie E. Williams II, J. T. Krul, José Villarrubia, New 52 Captain Atom, Ranita Carter, Rob Leigh, Stanley Lau

“Evolution of the Species”

• Writer:  J. T. Krul
• Pencils & Inks:  Freddie E. Williams II
• Colors:  José Villarrubia
• Letters:  Rob Leigh
• Cover Artist:  Stanley Lau

And then there was the New 52.  In September, 2011, DC Comics consolidated and relaunched their comic lines, discontinuing some series, and introducing yet other series, resulting in 52 titles, each with a new #1. That consolidation included the incorporation of both WildStorm Productions and the reincorporation of certain Vertigo properties into the mainstream DC Universe.  One of the characters given another shot at a series was Captain Atom (the New 52 also saw the return of Firestorm, the Nuclear Man – one of Cap’s old buddies).  Captain Atom (volume 3) #1 was available for sale on September 21, 2011.  It did not feature an origin story (that was to come a year later in Captain Atom #0), but did again establish that Nathaniel Adam was an Air Force pilot who somehow gained super powers.

The story opens (after a brief interlude in San Francisco with a rat rummaging around a sleeping homeless guy) in Chicago with Captain Atom blasting a robot dude on the streets.  He chides his enemy, telling him that “firing energy cannons at the guy who absorbs energy – not the smartest strategy.”  Preparing to punch the guy and “crack his eggshell,” Cap pauses as he notices something on a microscopic level.  He evaporates the man’s robot armor – turning it to dust – then gazes at his hand (which appears to begin dissipating), thinking he is losing his control over his body at the molecular level.

Cap returns to his home base, the Continuum (located “somewhere in Kansas”).  He briefly flirts with Dr. Ranita Carter before she is dismissed by Dr. Megala.  The New 52 Megala is even more crippled than the Modern Age Megala.  Megala asks Cap what went wrong with robot guy.  Cap sums up the exchange.

Dr. Megala explains that Captain Atom’s powers are nuclear in nature; that he taps into the SNF (Strong Nuclear Force – the energy that binds protons and neutrons in the nucleus).  His body seems to split atoms repeatedly, giving him incredible energy.  His hand became unstable because it did not reform the atoms as quickly as it split them.  Megala explains to Nathaniel that he was lucky it was his hand and not his brain.  He would cease to exist.  In simple terms, using his powers could kill Captain Atom.

Ranita interrupts the two with information that there is significant seismic activity detected in New York City.  As a result, the nuclear reactors at Indian Point are critical and a breach is iminent.  It is not the result of an earthquake, but a volcano in Manhattan.  Captain Atom doesn’t hesitate, flying for New York.

Cap makes it to Indian point from Kansas in about an hour (the original Captain Atom could also fly at super speeds).  Cap absorbs the leaked radiation while Megala’s words haunt him (“Using your powers could kill you.”).  That part of the crisis averted, he moves his attention to the volcano.  Realizing there are too many people in harm’s way to effectively move them all to safety, he transmutes to lava into snow (“the opposite of lava,” he thinks).

Meanwhile, on the streets of San Francisco, a homeless man is chasing a rat.  His homeless pals thinks he plans to eat it, but the rat (with ominous glowing red eyes) has been stealing his food and he wants to break it’s neck.  But before he can get his hands on it, the rat transforms into a multi-limbed, multi-mouthed monster.  Interesting interlude that I’m sure will pay off later.  Back in New York, Captain Atom is determined to stop the volcanic threat at the source.  The heat is producing too much energy for him to absorb (it isn’t yet established whether or not the New 52 Cap will “time bump” when absorbing too much energy [as he predecessor, the Modern Age Cap, did], but clearly there are limits to how much he can take in before harming himself).  He jumps into the volcano, trying to neutralize it at the source.  Although he does manage to “put out” the volcano, the heat begins to tear him apart and he can feel himself losing control.

As he melts down, he thinks to himself, “If this is the end, at least I died doing some good for once.”  Meaning what exactly?  Is this Nate also a war criminal?  Has he hurt people?  When the New 52 was introduced, the readers were tossed into the new books with their stories already in progress (for the most part).  After a year, DC launched a “zero month” with special issues that featured the character’s origin stories (although this wasn’t the case for Firestorm and some others, it was for Captain Atom).  This means we are fed little bits and pieces of Captain Atom’s history and abilities as the series progressed.  Of course, he didn’t die in this issue because there was a #2.  As well as 3-12 and #0.

I have to be honest.  This is not my favorite version of Captain Atom.  I don’t hate it.  Just not entirely in love with it.  I think he’s too much like Dr. Manhattan.  The original Cap was a brilliant scientist as well as an Air Force Captain.  He was almost omnipotent.  So was Dr. Manhattan.  The Modern Age Cap was just a soldier who gained powers.  And he had some serious limitations.  It is hard to get excited about a guy who can do practically anything.  That’s why I lost interest in Superman.  No real challenges for the heroes.  Also, at first, I was not super crazy about Freddie Williams artwork.  I thought it looked kind of sloppy.  It has since grown on me and I now think it is quite good.  It has a certain dark and ominous tone.  And J. T. Krull certainly had me hooked with the story.  I wanted to know more about Nate, more about Ranita, and was extremely curious to find out whether General Eiling or Major Force would return.  Or perhaps someone from Cap’s Silver or Bronze Age days.  Nightshade?  The Ghost?  Dare we hope, the Fiery Icer or Iron Arms?  One can dream.  I give this issue an A-.

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #15 (February 2013)

Tags

Captain Adym, Captain Atom, Dan Jurgens, Dataxen, Dr. Megala, Firestorm, General Eiling, Hi-Fi Design, New 52 Captain Atom, Ray McCarthy, Scott Alexander, Taylor Esposito

“Takeover, Part Three”

• Writer: Dan Jurgens
• Pencils: Dan Jurgens
• Inks: Ray McCarthy
• Colors: Hi-Fi Design
• Letters: Taylor Esposito

This story opens on Jason Rusch (half of the New 52 Firestorm) waking up in a black void.  He is in the Firestorm matrix, and should be able to see whatever Firestorm sees.  The last thing he remembers is Firestorm being pulled inside the Dataxen robot in The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #14.  Jason calls out to Ronnie Raymond, who controls the Firestorm body, then realizes he is not alone.  Ronnie is in the matrix with him.  The boys quickly realize a third party is controlling Firestorm.

It is Dr. Megala who has taken over Firestorm.  Ever since he was briefly freed from his wheelchair in Captain Atom#12, he has longed for more power.

Back at the Continuum, Dr. Megala’s team isn’t sure what he hopes to gain from this takeover.  Scott Alexander says, “He’s spent years imprisoned in a wheelchair.  For him, this is about freedom.”  Which is pretty much what I just said, but maybe most Firestorm readers didn’t follow the Captain Atom series (and shame on them).

Megalastorm flies to South Dakota and changes the faces on Mt. Rushmore to Galileo, Newton, Einstein, and himself.  Inside Firestorm’s head, Jason figures there must be a way for him and Ronnie to push Megala out.

Back at the destroyed lab (from the previous issue), General Eiling is having a discussion with Captain Atom.  He refers to Cap as Nathaniel Adam and reminds him (or the reader) that Cap’s atoms are constantly splitting and reassembling, that he can cause and cure cancer, and that “we’re supposed to trust that you’ll always be benevolent and kind?”

Captain Atom says he was far away but the multiple Firestorms and their activities drew him back (see The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1-12).  With the news that Mt. Rushmore has been defaced and now includes Dr. Megala, Captain Atom realizes Firestorm is now under Megala’s control.

Meanwhile, Qurac launches a nuclear missile.  Megalastorm turns it into a giant Rubik’s Cube while Ronnie desperately tries to get Megala’s attention.

Out in the Pacific, aboard the American aircraft carrier Independence, a Quraci loyalist sets off an IED.  Eiling realizes it is payback and orders the instant response flight group to “find Firestorm and do whatever it takes to remove him as a threat.  Permanently.”

Back at the Continuum, Scott is surprised by the sudden appearance of Captain Atom.  He finds Megala’s inert body and says he knows what must be done.  He instantly zaps himself to Megalastorm’s location over Bikini Atoll.  He smacks Megalastorm and  has a brief discussion with him.  He actually lectures Megala.  He tells Megala that he will become the monster he was afraid Cap would become.  Megalastorm is not pleased.

Megalastorm trash talks Nate as he blasts him.  Inside his heads, the boys can feel Firestorm firing off a tremendous amount of energy.  Megala believes he’s killed Atom, but Cap reappears behind him and reaches through his chest.  Nate reckons that, like himself, Megala has trouble maintaining his form while under a great deal of stress.

Megalastorm goes nearly critical, creating a tsunami that almost capsizes the Independence.  At this point, Ronnie and Jason manage to make contact.  Megala does his best to ignore them, and contacts the Continuum.  His cohorts send the Dataxen droid out to assist Megalastorm against Captain Atom.

Megalastorm blasts Cap with enough power to obliterate a city.  Nate says no one man should have that much power.  He says when he realized that about himself, he left the planet.  The boys feel Megala’s hold weaken further as Cap blasts Megalastorm again.

Megalastorm shrugs the blast off.  He and Captain Atom both charge up and then begin to fly toward each other at top speed.  At this point, the boys pull Megala’s conscience into the Firestorm matrix.  Back at the Continuum, his body begins to seize.  Scott tries to pull him back into his body as Ronnie decks the old man.  This leaves Megala’s body comatose.  Ronnie takes control of Firestorm.

Firestorm calls out to Captain Atom, convincing him Megala is gone.  But Cap has built up too much speed and can’t pull up in time.  He crashes into Firestorm.  When they collide, Cap absorbs as much of the energy as he can.  It is too much for him to handle.  He begins to break up.

Fragments of Cap spread out across the time stream as he comes apart.  He appears to be disintegrating across time and space.  One shard of his body finds itself in 31st century Metropolis, where is seems to take the form of a man.

Back in the present, Firestorm passes out and plummets into the ocean.

I absolutely love Dan Jurgens.  I enjoyed his run(s) on Booster Gold and Superman.  He is a great artist and everything I read that he’s written is thoroughly enjoyable.  This is no exception.  I’m bummed that Captain Atom was essentially killed off in this issue, but I know how comics work and I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of him.  Dan was taking Firestorm in a whole new direction, and it would have been awesome to see where he went next, but five issues after this, the series was cancelled.  I give this one a B+.