General Adam (Flashpoint – 2011)

Tags

Alexandra Gianopoulos, Andy Kubert, Art Lyon, Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Carlos Mangual, Dan Jurgens, Dave Sharpe, Don Ho, Doomsday, Flashpoint Superman, Gene Ha, General Adam, Geoff Johns, Hi-Fi Design, Ibraim Roberson, Ig Guara, Jeff Lemire, Norm Rapmund, Pat Brosseau, Pete Pantazis, Rick Leonardi, Rob Leigh, Ruy Jose, Scott Snyder

Flashpoint was a five-issue mini-series centered around the Flash and leading into the New 52.  The plot was beautiful in it’s simplicity and a pretty good read, if you overlook the abundance of convenient coincidences.  Basically, the Flash learned that Professor Zoom (Reverse Flash) was the man who murdered his mother.  So Flash used his speed powers to travel back in time to save her.  This action screwed up the time stream in such a cataclysmic way that he himself no longer had superspeed, Bruce Wayne was gunned down as a child and his father became the Batman, and Wonder Woman and Aquaman were having a war to end all wars.  And Superman’s rocket didn’t crash in Smallville but in the heart of Metropolis, where the baby Kryptonian was kept a prisoner his entire life.  Pretty crazy stuff.

The mini-series was written by Geoff Johns with art by Andy Kubert.  There were several tie-in series in 2011 that expanded the new universe the Flash had inadvertently created.  Just about every major character in the DC Universe was altered in some way, and Captain Atom was no exception.

Nathaniel Adam is first seen in Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #1 (written by Jeff Lemire, pencils and inks by Ibraim Roberson, colors by Pete Pantazis, and letters by Pat Brosseau).  After being frozen for 60+ years, Frankenstein and his creature pals awaken in the same military/science complex that was holding Superman.  Upon their escape, the director of the facility is introduced.  It seems Nathaniel Adam was never accused of murder, never signed up for the Captain Atom project, and never got a quantum boost into the future.  Now he’s a hardened military man somewhat reminiscent of General Eiling.

We next see General Adam in Flashpoint: Project Superman #1 (written by Scott Snyder and Lowell Francis, pencils and inks by Gene Ha, colors by Art Lyon, and letters by Rob Leigh).  Nate now appears as an ineffectual failure, more doughy and less stern, even though his appearance in the issue was thirty years ago (maybe he has that Benjamin Button disease).

General Adam then appears in Booster Gold #45 (written and drawn by Dan Jurgens with inks by Norm Rapmund, colors by Hi-Fi Design, and letters by Carlos M. Mangual), where he’s controlling Doomsday from a remote location.  This freaks the dimension-hopping time-traveling Booster out because he remembers who Nate was in the “original” universe.

Booster manages to give Doomsday/General Adam the slip, leading Adam’s cohorts to be a little miffed.

Booster hacks into a stranger’s desktop computer and learns the horrible truth about this world.  He learns Batman is operating in Gotham City (or at least, “a” Batman) and heads that way.  Nate’s crew manages to track him down.  They believe Booster to be a terrorist in cahoots with Aquaman.

General Adam’s team manages to get the jump on him just outside Wayne Manor.

A young woman with powers of her own (whom Booster met earlier in this issue) attacks Adam’s mobile command center, causing his link with Doomsday to be broken.

This is pretty bad news for Booster Gold.  Doomsday was, after all, powerful enough to actually kill Superman.

So we are left with that little cliffhanger for 30 days as General Adam next appears in Flashpoint: Project Superman #2 (with the same creative team as issue #1).  It takes place twenty years in the past and tells the story of Sam Lane’s inability to maintain control over young Kal-El.  General Adam pops up at the end and is once again an evil bastard.

General Adam next pops up in Booster Gold #46, continuing his head-butting with Booster (Ig Guara helped with pencils on this one and Ruy José aided with inks).

So Doomsday is no longer under Adam’s control and the General’s command plane is going down.  Booster tries his best against Doomsday but his attacks have little effect.  As the creature uses the hero as a punching bag, Adam’s team regains control of their plane.

Of course, Adam’s assumption that Doomsday is mindless is completely wrong.  He learns the truth once the link with the helmet is reestablished.

Booster takes advantage of Doomsday’s disoriented state and hits the beast with everything he’s got.  In a moment when Doomsday is distracted, Booster slaps the psi-helmet back on his head.

However, this does not exactly mean success for Booster Gold, as General Adam has a serious desire to kill him.  This issue leads into Booster Gold #47, and General Nathaniel Adam’s final appearance in the DC Universe (for now).

This issue was written by Dan Jurgens with pencils by Rick Leonardi and Dan Jurgens, inks by Don Ho and Norm Rapmund, colors by Hi-Fi Design, and letters by Dave Sharpe.  

Booster’s friend Alexandra (a meta-human with the ability to mimic others’ powers – a woman Booster met when he began tangling with Doomsday) pleads with the General, telling him that Gold’s story of time-travel and alternate realities is true.  Adam doesn’t buy it, however, and threatens to use a powerful truth drug on the bound hero.

Booster catches a glimpse of Superman on a monitor, but so does Doomsday.  Doomsday was originally drawn to Superman and killed him.  Booster warns Adam and his team that it is about to happen again.  Before Adam can get the psi helmet back on, Doomsday becomes alert and begins to wail on Booster Gold.  Alex manages to slip the helmet on herself, stopping the monster in his tracks.  Now under her control, Doomsday reaches into his own chest and kills himself.

*

With Doomsday defeated, Booster and Alex go on to Europe to catch up with the Flash.  General Adam’s part of this story is over.  When the universe was reset after Flashpoint, Nate became the New 52 Captain Atom and this version of Nathaniel Adam never existed.  Well, maybe he is somewhere in the multiverse.  But I doubt we’ll ever see General Nathaniel Adam again.

Captain Atom in Countdown to Final Crisis

Tags

Captain Atom, Carlos Magno, Dan Jurgens, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Grey, Keith Giffen, Modern Age Captain Atom, Monarch, Norm Rapmund, Paul Dini, Rodney Ramos, Scott Beatty, Scott Kolins

Nathaniel Adam cropped up a few times in the Countdown series.  He first surfaced in Countdown #45 as Monarch, but not as Captain Atom until Countdown #43 (the series, like Zero Hour, was numbered in reverse) in the backup story “History of the Multiverse Chapter 7,” written and drawn by Dan Jurgens with finished art by Norm Rapmund. Countdown was a weekly series that ran from May 2007 to April 2008.  Issues #26-1 bore the title Countdown to Final Crisis.  The final issue, #1, was followed by DC Universe #0, which was then followed by Final Crisis.

from Countdown #43

Captain Atom next appeared in Countdown to Final Crisis #17, in the back-up story entitled “The Origin of Monarch.”  As the title suggests, it tells the story of how Nathaniel Adam became Monarch.  It leaves out the events of Extreme Justice, and actually contradicts them.  Instead of Monarch being a part of Nate that was left in the quantum field, his rise to power is much more direct.  This story was written by Scott Beatty with pencils and inks by Scott Kolins.

from Countdown to Final Crisis #17

from Countdown to Final Crisis #17

from Countdown to Final Crisis #17

from Countdown to Final Crisis #17

Captain Atom gets a brief mention and cameo in Countdown to Final Crisis #8 as well.  Darkseid reveals that he is aware of the Monitor’s attempt to push Nathaniel into becoming Monarch in Blüdhaven.  This issue was written by Paul Dini, Justin Grey, and Jimmy Palmiotti with Keith Giffen credited as “story consultant.”  The pencils were the work of Carlos Magno with inks by Rodney Ramos.

from Countdown to Final Crisis #8

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #20 (July 2013)

Tags

Black Bison, Dan Jurgens, Firestorm, General Eiling, Hi-Fi Design, Jason Rusch, Killer Frost, Major Force, Multiplex, Norm Rapmund, Plastique, Professor Martin Stein, Ronnie Raymond, Superman, The Hyena, Travis Lanham, Typhoon

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

“Problems Multiplied Part Three”

• Writer: Dan Jurgens
• Pencils: Dan Jurgens
• Inks: Norm Rapmund
• Colors: Hi-Fi Design
• Letters: Travis Lanham
• Cover: Dan Jurgens & Ray McCarthy

I had not intended to review this book on this blog.  It is a Captain Atom blog, and the only reason I let myself get away with this whole “Firestorm Appreciation Month” was because each of the books I reviewed featured Captain Atom.  This book, this final issue of The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man, does not feature Captain Atom at all.  But it does introduce Major Force into the New 52 continuity.  And based on the fact that Force is working with General Eiling, it is a safe assumption that the New 52 Major Force is somehow tied in with the New 52 Captain Atom.  So I decided to slap this issue up on my blog after all.  I think that maybe that was Dan Jurgens’ goal all along, to trick me into reviewing his book.

Okay, probably not.

Anyway, this issue opens up at the Continuum, where Eiling is monitoring a battle between Firestorm and his rogues (Hyena, Multiplex, Killer Frost, Black Bison, Typhoon, and Plastique) on a monitor.  This is a battle continuing from The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #19.  An aide tries to tell Eiling he has a visitor but the General is far too busy.

Jason Rusch’s dad and Ronnie Raymond’s sort-of girlfriend Tonya drag Firestorm’s semi-conscious body into an alleyway (Ronnie and Jason, for the uninitiated, are the two dudes who combine to form Firestorm).  The three are attacked by Hyena (which Tonya says is a werewolf – sort of a running gag with the character).  Hyena is about to rip Alvin Rusch to shreds when a mysterious newcomer grabs his arm and throws him against a lightpost.

It is none other than Major Force.  Regular Captain Atom readers know Major Force all too well.  An anti-hero of the worst kind, the modern age Major Force was created as part of the Captain Atom project in the 1960s. Unlike his predecessor Nathaniel Adam, Clifford Zmeck (Major Force) was guilty of the crime he had been accused of.  And with his new-found powers he became even worse.  Remember Green Lantern’s girlfriend Alex?

(DC Comics can have a thousand “New 52″s and keep bringing back Major Force but they can never erase the stink of this act.  Ron Marz had Major Force murder Kyle Rayner’s girlfriend Alex and then stuff her dead body in the refrigerator. This act prompted Gail Simone to compile a list of dead female comic book characters and a corresponding web site.)

Major Force tells the now-conscious Firestorm that Eiling sent him to help.  Firestorm doesn’t trust Eiling and Mr. Rusch warns the boys to be careful what they say to the government.  Killer Frost attacks with a blast of ice.  Back at the Continuum, General Eiling’s impatient visitor punches in a thick metal door.

Major Force tells Firestorm to go see about the hostage (Ronnie’s mom) while he takes on Killer Frost, Black Bison, and Multiplex.  Down on the dock, Plastique is holding Ronnie’s mom.  As Firestorm approaches, he is body slammed by a tidal wave generated by Typhoon.  But Ronnie is super pissed and one good punch sends Typhoon flying.

At the Continuum, Eiling’s guest turns out to be Superman (who is younger and brasher in the New 52), and Professor Martin Stein.  Stein says “there are plans for Firestorm that supercede any notion of his falling under your control.”

(In the previous, Post-Crisis Pre-New-52 continuity, Martin Stein was originally the other half of Firestorm, along with Ronnie Raymond.  In this current continuity, he was the brains behind the Firestorm Protocols that gave Ronnie and Jason their powers, as well as Jason’s friend.  He was believed to be dead.)

Jason and Ronnie are formulating a plan to take down Plastique when Alvin Rusch clocks the villain from behind with a board.  Firestorm and Major Force then take out the other rogues together – except for Multiplex, who manages to skip away.  Major Force leads Firestorm to his ride, a military vehicle of some sort.  Force asks Firestorm to pose for a picture, but the “camera” turns out to be some sort of neural shocker that knocks the boys both out.

They come to (as Firestorm) at the Continuum, where Eiling, Stein, Superman and Major Force are arguing.  Stein says he came out of hiding when he learned of the military’s plans for Firestorm, and sought the help of the Justice League.  Major Force tells Superman that the two of them have no authority there.  Superman flicks Major Force in the chest, sending him flying through a wall.

Firestorm and Superman leave together, with Superman offering Firestorm a position with the Justice League.

And that is the end of The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man.  Beautifully drawn and inked by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund, the issue naturally left me wanting more.  The story was wrapped up far too quickly (but to be fair, Dan had to condense a whole storyline into just a couple of issues).  As much as I love Captain Atom and his universe, I think the New 52 could’ve done without Major Force.  His new costume is better than the old one, for sure.  But I never really was a fan of the character.  Taking into consideration the rush job on the story, I give this issue a B+.

That also wraps up Firestorm Appreciation Month at Splitting Atoms.  Thanks for joining me.  Thanks also to Luke Daab for the picture I used as an avatar this month, and a big huge thank you to The Irredeemable Shag for organizing and pulling off the social media event that was #FirestormFarewell.

FAN THE FLAME!