Green Arrow #2

I'm not sure what overall 'good purpose' Green Arrow thinks he's serving by going after party hard people with super powers. It's only the second page of Issue #2 and he's, yet again, going after some people who were just out having a good time AND happen to have super powers. And he's pretty frickin' judgmental to boot!

I wonder if Green Arrow had to pay the $20 to get to the top of the Space Needle to bust a paying customer through their window? Why is Green Arrow causing so much trouble? Was his family killed by watching Reality and Gossip Television? Maybe they starved to death watching YouTube videos?

Why so bitter, DUDE?! Can't a bunch of wanna be super villains just hang out and get wasted? Dance a little?

The woman he's being a big chauvinist to (which I think is something he's always been anyway!) is Lime. Or Light. Yeah, more lame Super Villain names. They're the ones I thought might be Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen from the last issue.

Green Arrow battles Light and Lime while saying a whole bunch of things I'm pretty sure I've heard 13 year olds say during a game of Call of Duty. Okay, maybe he doesn't call them faggot niggers. But his repartee is almost as unimaginative.

I was hoping with all the Super Villains shown at the end of the last issue that this comic was going to be interesting. But so far, it's just disappointing. Why is Green Arrow hunting these celebrity Super Villains? Why are they criminals?

In the first issue, Naomi says that Doppleganger terrorized Milan during fashion week. Okay, but that doesn't expressly mean she committed any crimes. And Overcharge blacked out Monte Carlo with his powers. It could have been an accident from partying too hard. Did he break any other laws once the power was out? And Lime and Light haven't done anything the Rolling Stones never did!

Wait. The kids might not know who The Rolling Stones are. What's a good group to replace them with that the kids would know? Hmm. Lady Gaga?

So we have a Super Hero who really just seems to be wasting his time upset that no talent super villains are becoming celebrities of the gossip tabloids and reality driven television scene. Who cares, Green Hornet? Leave them alone!


His super power is making you not know what he's looking at.

So then this kid comes along and explains it all. I guess. These guys go around destroying property. Those are their disgusting YouTube videos.

Not exactly your most horrible threats to America. Why isn't Green Arrow going after the white collar criminals? That seems more his usual speed instead of going after destructive attention whores.

Except this kid doesn't just explain it all. He also becomes a victim of this super group hunting for fame. And they post it on the internet. And Naomi's reaction is the stupidest reaction I've ever seen from someone not on the network news.


I'm beginning to think J.T. Krul is not a very good writer.

But that's okay! Because I just looked up J.T. Krul to see if I knew him from other books. And it looks like he stops writing Green Arrow with issue #3. And since I have four issues of Green Arrow sitting here, I took a look at the cover of issue #4 because I remember in my previews saying something about Giffen or something.

And...YES! Keith Giffen takes over the writing for Green Arrow on issue #4. Fuck me. I'm super excited about that. Okay then! Let's just power through these Krul issues and get to some good times! Green Arrow's dialogue is going to be so much better in a couple of issues!

So, back to Green Arrow and his crusade against entertainment!

Green Arrow decides to go after the Villain Gang of the Month since he so cleverly figured out that the internet video was a call for Green Arrow to come and try to stop them.


It does sound like that! Good work, Batman!

And then he checks out his techie's new air bag arrow.


Oh you clever, clever boy! I was going to suggest Helium!

After that, Green Arrow heads out to fight the gang that either doesn't have a name or I missed it while yawning. He takes out the first enemy, Chupacabra!


I have no idea what this arrow does. Emit anti-chupacabra pheromones?

Next, Green Arrow punches out French Wonder Woman or, as the comic book calls her, Stunner while calling her a skank. Classy, Green Arrow! Just because she's a hot woman, she's a skank? She dresses exactly like Wonder Woman. Would you call her a skank? Maybe. But not to her face, I'm betting!

And hey, Stunner?! Are you trying to riff off The Outsider's character, Looker? I mean, sure, you're definitely way hotter! But anybody not drawn by Jim Aparo is going to be way hotter than Looker!


I feel bad about putting down Jim Aparo's art because he's dead.

They all dance around a little bit doing no actual harm to each other (even though Green Arrow gets absolutely electrocuted by Static Overcharge, the Human Superconductor (unless a superconductor does something else)) so that they can get to the last panel where Green Arrow finds himself surrounded and streaming live on the internet! OMG!


This doesn't look like a big fight about to happen. It just looks like general disapproval.

Green Arrow #1

The first thing about Green Arrow that worries me is that it was written by J.T. Krul. You might remember him as the writer who wasted two issues worth of Captain Atom before getting to the beginning of the story! Should I just skip to issue three right now?! No, no. Give it a chance, me. Okay, you, I will.

Hmm. Can I be worried when on the third page J.T. Krul writes this:




I don't ostracize vermin.

Oliver Queen. Green Arrow. He's always been DC's Robin Hood. Help out the poor and unwashed masses kind of guy. The liberal to Hawkman's conservative.

I'm not sure they're taking him this way this time. Perhaps Krul is retaining some of this aspect of him. But in this issue he seems mostly about hating on the status quo and hunting super villains. In a mini-series I didn't read, Green Arrow apparently obsessively hunted Super Villains but he killed at least one in that comic. In this new version, he's definitely anti-killing.

He's also incredibly wealthy as usual. Queen Industries seems to think WayneTech and LexCorp are small time.

Imagine a picture is here where Green Arrow is throwing a disc.

Why the hell is Green Arrow throwing discs? And where does he keep them? Has he always thrown discs? Is this because it isn't always realistic for him to quickly string a bow and shoot it at the enemies?

This is a picture of a guy shooting blue lightning bolts out of his hand but missing Green Arrow.

And this guy, Static Overcharge! I mean, Supercharge! He's shooting lightning at and around Green Arrow and it's missing! That's a really bad shot to not be able to hit something that conducts electricity and instead hits the wooden floor beside Green Arrow!

At least Green Arrow goes in and beats the three villains he's been following. It's nice to see another competent hero like Aquaman. Although he busts these guys before they even do anything! Is this actually illegal?



Because once Doppleganger (that's her name!) does that, Green Arrow busts in and begins fighting them. As far as Green Arrow has let us know, these three Super Villains' only crime is a disgusting YouTube video!

Oh wait! Here's a picture that can be used in place of those two times I told you to use your imagination:


I tore a corner off a page in my giant 52 book for this picture!

I'm not sure why the French put these guys in jail. Perhaps because they had super powers. Or maybe because Green Arrow was fighting them and as Green Arrow's Wade, Naomi, says (or Batman's Oracle if you're not into Kim Possible), "At least, we know we're the good guys."

Top ten lessons learned from Green Arrow #1:

10. Green Arrow is damned if he does.
9. Green Arrow is jealous of Mark Millar.
8. Green Arrow thinks reality shows and the people who star in them are ridiculous.
7. Green Arrow telecommutes.
6. Green Arrow fights the good fight because he sat there and watched people he loved die (like Spiderman, kind of!).
5. Green Arrow is damned if he doesn't.
4. Green Arrow doesn't think pirates are sexy.


He's being ironic!

3. Green Arrow has no time for losers.
2. Green Arrow doesn't play games.
1. Green Arrow talks a lot!

The comic ends with this bunch of people breaking out the other three villains who were arrested for partying too hard:



Starting from the left and going clockwise, I'm going to try to guess who they are:

1 & 2: Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen
3: Cameltoe
4: Six Pack (the non drunk version)
5: Chupacabra
6: French Wonder Woman
7: Scoliosis
8: Big Guy

Firestorm #4

I just wanted to post that because I was excited to see Qurac on there. Qurac was basically the DC country where all of the super terrorists came from. Suicide Squad dealt with Qurac a lot. I think even Giffen's Justice League (possibly it was Europe) had some big run-ins with Qurac as well.

It's nice to be able to make a made-up nation so the readers can hate and revile everybody in the country without feeling racist or guilty. DC says Qurac is just filled to the brim with horrible people! They're ALL bad!

Of course, Qurac is in the Middle East! Racists!

So a guy I don't know (or don't remember) is selling a Firestorm maker to Qurac so that Qurac can have a never ending supply of nuclear suicide bombers. During the demonstration, we get a nice piece of Comic Book Logic.



So the outside of a person's skin protects against the Firestorm explosion rays? Is that why all you need is the goggles for protection? So the rays don't get inside you and burn through your skull and your brain and the inside of your skin? What happens if your mouth is open when the bomb goes off? Or is it the binoculars that somehow magnified the damaging rays? Or did he go blind so badly that his eyeballs exploded?

Man, comic books rule! I should keep a running list of insane comic book logic but that'll probably take up too much time and distract me from the enjoyment of Ronniestorm's mom.

Okay. Back to the Firestorms. Remember how I thought maybe Ronnie had a crush on Jason? Well, look at the way Ronnie runs!



Maybe he runs like that because his mother taught him how to run. Tonya is at the bottom of that picture (sorry, I cropped her out!) but, seriously, she has the exact same thighs as Ronnie in that picture. Maybe Ronnie is just wearing his mom's hand-me downs.

Back to the terrorists, Gail Simone isn't done criticizing unthinking patriots.

Lead Bad Guy Arms Dealer Terrorist: A toast to selfless patriotism, friends. Because without it, men like us would live in poverty.

But then!

Russian Firestorm: You dare to steal from Pozhar?
Most of the Bad Guys: AWWWW! OOOWWWW! DIE.
Lead Bad Guy Arms Dealer Terrorist: Surprise! I'm a Firestorm too! We're ALL Firestorms!

How many fucking Firestorms are there?

In a world where being a Firestorm is possible, only everyone will be Firestorms.
Firestorms don't kill people. Firestorms kill Firestorms?
If you're not a Firestorm, you're probably going to become one in a special twist ending.

This Firestorm comic is making Captain Atom obsolete! They basically have the same powers. So why does the American military want to keep Captain Atom out of the hands of the enemies? Everyone has a Firestorm! Fuck, I think Peru has a Firestorm! Belgium too probably!



That's the Russian Firestorm. Apparently he was Martin Stein's partner in creating the Firestorm Protocol. I like him.

This comic is just swarming with adversaries! Or possible friends as well? Russian Firestorm seems to like the justice. But that doesn't mean he isn't crazy and his sense of justice might be a little skewed. And then there was Dog Team. One of Dog Team had been turned into a super villain (possibly Killer Frost? Or with the 'Z' scar on her face, Absolute Zero?). The Hyena Patrol. The half-Cobra lady. Roger the American Hulk-Firestorm. Fury. Two Firestorms. The Arms Dealer Firestorm. Qurac. And I may be missing some somewhere! This comic is crazy.

Back in Walton Hills, the Ronnie's mom never gets any screen time! But Ronniestorm confronts a bunch of Hyenas and blinks his long, luscious eyelashes at them before they're all killed by their leader, Ms. Zither Zather Zuth. She asks him to come with her. Hmm? Will he betray everyone because she's hot?!



Probably not.

Meanwhile, Jasonstorm takes Tonya to the hospital where the doctor says this:



Bone fragments!? Jasonstorm can cure that by turning them into Oxygen! So the artist decides to draw:



It looks like the bullet did more than just fracture the skull! Stupid artists never listening to the writer!

Oh, why do I even bother trying to figure out what these stupid Firestorms are going to do?! When Jason leaves the hospital, Ronniestorm is there with Z-tech and Ronniestorm is all, "Oh, they're so awesome! I just met them and I just looooooove them to death! You've got to join up with me!"

So, what happened? Z-tech tries like hell to take out the Firestorms. Z-tech fails and loses their psychopathic Firestorm. So is Z-tech acting like Captain Atom's General Eiling except doing it all backwards? Eiling tried to get Captain Atom to join them and when that didn't work, they tried to kill him. Z-tech tried to kill the Firestorms and when that didn't work, they're going to get them to join them.

I wonder if Gail Simone has run into J.T. Krul in a hallway at DC and yelled, "You got your Captain Atom in my Fury of Firestorm The Nuclear Men!" And then they probably do it.

Firestorm #3

Half-sister of Cobra?

In the first panel of issue #3, we actually get a lot of information. Z-tech Compound is the base of operations for the Dog Commandos and Director Zither is the woman in charge. Not having been a follower of Firestorm before this, I'm not sure if these are clues to who these people are.

Let's hope the guy who's asking for her is interesting!

Hmm. Well, he looks like a cross between Killer Croc and The Hulk. And he's delusional! That'll be fun! The fourth page gives us a whole bunch of information about the Firestorm Protocols!


And a couple of panels later, we see her in her bra!

The Firestorm comic has the same narration problem as The Flash and Captain Atom. It's his inner monologue during the action of the comic but it all ends up being recaps directed at some unknown audience. I guess it's just a trope I'm going to have to get used to! It's either a standard thing with the editors at DC or it's just something that never bothered me before. I'll have to go through my old comics and see. Maybe it was a standard DC move to get rid of the omniscient narrator in favour of the Heroes doing all the recap and explanation. But it really is kind of weird.

I mention that because Firestorm thinks a recap for us about how spies were sent to take him out and how much he hates the black guy. Not because he's black (probably)! But because he's a jerky nerd! And Ronnie is a Jock so he obviously has to hate the Nerd!

Then there's a big fight that ends with Jasonstorm threatening the lead Hyena but Ronniestorm ends it like this:



But I think maybe he is that guy and Ronniestorm blinked because this is what happened to the other Hyenas:



So the Nerd has a bit of a temper when his girlfriend has been shot! Oh yeah, his girlfriend was shot. Except he's a nerd so she isn't actually his girlfriend and she doesn't even actually know he likes her. So you know what I'm hoping happens? Ronnie bangs her!

Or maybe Helix! Helix is America's Firestorm! He's huge! He's got a flaming head! And he's shitbat crazy! I think he's my favorite Firestorm. Why isn't the comic book about him?

Eagle eyed readers who used to ace the comprehension part of the standardized tests might realize by this point that I love crazy heroes! I want to read about more psychologically damaged heroes!

Speaking of: whatever happened to The Doom Patrol? Now there was a team!

Back to crazy ass Helix. Here's how he sees the world:



Helix is the best Villain of the Month so far (I'm not counting Hera since she's Villain of the Entire Run of Wonder Woman, I'm guessing. She was actually very bad ass and jealous and bitchy)! Here are the phrases Helix shouts while pummeling the Firestorms:

"God bless the U.S.A."
"A hero's welcome. A soldier's homecoming."
"What are you doing down there, terrorist?"
"These colors don't run."
"Love it or leave it."

He's just a big dumb stupid crazy patriot! And he's the bad guy! Sounds about right to me!

So the Firestorms get their asses kicked until they realize they have to become Fury again. And the only way to become The Hulk is to get really angry! At each other! So they do that and they're still getting their asses kicked. Until Jasonstorm finally learns (or accidentally happens) to control Fury. And my favorite new Villain of the Month ends up like this:


We had so little time together.

And that about wraps up this issue of Firestorm.

I'm sorry there were no pictures of Ronnie's mom in this issue. But next issue promises to have at least one!

This issue was much better than the last issue. The only problem is, and I'm sure this is on purpose, is there is too much action too fast and not enough of the relationship stuff between Jason and Ronnie. And I mean real relationship stuff. Not the occasional panel where one of them reminds you how much he doesn't like the other one. Stuff that happens across dialogue. Things said wrong. Reasons for their dislike surfacing. Ronnie's incestual relationship with his mom!

But I understand it's the first story arc! They're trying to catch new, young, male readers with a bang! I guess if I want more relationship stories, I should be reading the independent comics written by lesbians and/or Terry Moore.

If you understood that joke, you are a true comic nerd. Thank you!

Firestorm #2

Oh Firestorm #2? Why were you so mediocre?



Well hurry it up, will you? I haven't got all day! I need to sleep sometime!

Maybe I'll just answer the question for you. We needed more story with Jason and Ronnie before putting them in this kind of action.



Yeah, yeah. Okay. Y'all needed to get Firestorm into the comic before all your fans dropped the thing. And I suppose you had some conflict with Jason and Ronnie while they were in the Quantum Field.


Now Ronnie knows how Professor Stein felt!

Yeah, that's the place. Just hanging out in the mind of Fury! Maybe that someone else is that Martin Sheen guy! Because they definitely aren't controlling this creature in the least. So there has to be a third mind helping out. Later in the comic, they get into an altercation while in the mind of Fury and Fury says some of there lines. So they can obviously control this thing. Perhaps the 'someone else' is some sort of Fire or Nuclear Elemental or Electron Creature or something that is the source of their power but is very hard to control! So it's going to be these two kids fighting about who is the bigger jerk while Nuclear Hulk smashes the hell out of everything.

The evil Corporation they're up against has some sort of weird canine fetish. The original group of black op assholes were Dog Team. And in this issue, Hyena Patrol, is sent in to take care of Fury the Furious Firestorm Who Is Definitely Not The Hulk.


I cropped this picture to retain Tonya's ass.

See? Red! Not Green! And on fire! Not not on fire!

Hyena Scouts are called Hyenas because they take some super drug to allow them to jump out of helicopters and survive and it makes them giggle continuously.



By the end of the issue, Team Hyena has the upper hand because the Firestorm that knows how to use his powers is hurt and at gunpoint and Ronnie is trying to think, like that picture I posted way up there. I think that's supposed to be a huge cliffhanger! Having the football player thinking!

Since I don't have anything else to say about this fairly run-of-the-mill issue and most of that other stuff I said was just blathering and filling space, here's another picture of Ronnie's Mom!


I think she's upset that there is a black man in the house.

Firestorm #1

I always wondered why Firestorm was so furious! Now I'll get to find out! As you can see by the title, Firestorm is composed of several Nuclear Men. Do they merge like that kid and the professor? Are the two different heroes featured on the cover different aspects of Firestorm? Can either one be the body this time? Or do they go separate and go solo? Will they all just be called Firestorm? Or are they all just Fires until they get together and then, LOOK OUT! FIRESTORM!

Man, a Firestorm sounds dangerous! Don't go outside!
"You'll get burned to a crisp!"
"Take your asbestos umbrella!"
"Wear your fire rubbers?!"

I should probably read the comic book now.

It begins with some black ops or terrorist (same thing) squad of jerks causing trouble with some boy and his family. This boy apparently knows where some thing is. This thing is worth killing for and the boy points out that if he had it, he could kill all these big jerks.

So it's probably another one of those weapons like Captain Atom that governments want in their hands because they're afraid what will happen if it's in somebody else's hands. Even if that someone else was the Dalai Lama.

After some off-panel murder, the action moves to some everytown high school football field where we get to meet the two halves of the new Firestorm! I don't know much about the old Firestorm but I think he consisted of an adult professor and a young football player. I guess the old/young, teacher/student thing isn't going to be enough of a dichotomy to play around with in the 21st century! To make the most friction possible, Firestorm is going to be half-black and half-white and half-smart and half-not-really-dumb-but-average-anyway and half-journalist and half-quarterback! That's a lot of halves but it all adds up to one whole, believe you me! One whole lot of conflict!

I wish Firestorm would have been a Puerto Rican female prostitute and an autistic Mexican wrestler! You know, if it's the Fury of the Nuclear Men (using Men as the generic, non-sex person term), the writers of this comic can have a blast with sticking two people together from vastly different social and economic backgrounds!

Maybe we can see Firestorm with a half-dog, half-cat pet!


Someone isn't feeling cool enough!

I'm focusing on the white half of Firestorm because I'm racist. No, no! It's because the white guy half was on the outside of the page which is the only part of the page I can scan in that frikkin' gigantic 52 First Issue compilation book.

Why would this kid ask his mom why they have no black friends? Excuse me, Ronnie Raymond, why don't YOU have any black friends? Don't rely on mommy! Isn't Trev from the football team your friend? Why don't you hang out with him? Did Jason strike a nerve?

Of course, Jason was just as big a jerk in their first confrontation of the comic. He's a major jock hater! I actually think he has a great big faggy gay crush on Ronnie! I use the term 'faggy' as an endearing term here! Like in cute and manly and erotick and illegal in most states, all at the same time! I'm a firm believer in words meaning what we want them to mean and you shouldn't ever let someone else gain power over you by using a stupid word. You got me, you fucking cunt?

So if they made Ronnie a total homophobe, what would that be like when the two merged? Would Ronnie be totally freaked out by it? Why am I wondering about this if one was gay and the other was straight?! This is probably exactly what is going to happen when big racist Ronnie has to merge with jock-hating Jason the Journalist!

Oh wait wait wait! I can't believe I just passed up his mom's reaction in that last panel!


What the hell is for dinner? Dog dick?

Somebody just found out mom's little secret! But what secret is that? Is she racist? Or is there something we don't know about Ronnie's father?! Or soon to be step-father, at least.

Speaking of the dog dick they're having for dinner: from the food on the tables in the different families panels, it looks like maybe Jason is a veggie and Ronnie is a carnie!

You know, that would make a good Firestorm as well! A braindead guy in a coma and a sleazy carnival midway hawker!

I'm never going to finish this comic! Stop distracting me, brain!


Always be courteous and address your torturer by profession!

This guy spills the beans on Martin Stein which, if I remember correctly, was the name of the professor part of Firestorm. Everyone is acting like Martin is dead but I'm willing to bet he's the third, all-fucked up and burned Firestorm from the cover. There are apparently four containers of this Captain Atom stuff out there. And the way the big Firestorm's circles are filled in on his chest, does that mean we're going to get at least four other Firestorms?!

Well, the next page proves me right! And wrong at the same time!



So, a corporation (coproation?) is designing Firestorms to sell to nations as weapons. And one container that can create a Firestorm is loose and the corporation is trying to get their hands on it. I suppose if a Firestorm with free will is out there, it could harm the company's reputation or bottom line or something.

Is this the first of the 52 to have a corporation as the Villain of the Month? Let's recount:

Justice League: Darkseid, the military, the police.
Justice League International: Protestors, Peraxxus (I just had to dig through my comics to remember that stupid name)
Aquaman: The Public, Cannibal Fish
Wonder Woman: Hera, Centaurs
The Flash: Mob Rule (puke!)
Captain Atom: A Volcano, Alexander Scott (or Scott Alexander), the military, some vagrant hobo monster

Nope! No corporations yet! Way to go, Firestorm! Although your corporation is no Vagrant Mutant Hobo Monster! It's just a bunch of killer black ops thugs! With a preacher, apparently, in their midst.

I'm now finished with the comic. Wrong about Martin Stein. The middle monstery Firestorm is actually what happens when they merge. It becomes a Hulk-like beast called Fury that seems to have some sort of mind of its own. Or else it's just the way their two minds combine.

So the nerd, Jason, already had the Firestorm canister in his locker. He'd already been approached by Dr. Stein to use it in an emergency. Apparently only people with the right DNA profile can use the Firestorm Protocol.

When Jason transforms, Ronnie also transforms. So they bicker and fight amongst themselves while the corporate thugs try to beat a hasty retreat (while one of them is down and possibly transmuted into a Super Villain!). And then they merge and are all, "FURY SMASH!" The end!

I think I had the most fun reading this comic so far but I don't know if that was entirely due to the comic or just due to myself! Anyway, I laughed a few times and not because it was bad writing or bad art! So that's probably pretty good! At this point, it can easily sit in the rankings just above Justice League and just under Justice League Internationl! Mmm, Firestorm filling!

Captain Atom #4

I don't have a lot to say about Captain Atom #4-2. The pacing for this issue and what they wanted to say was way too slow. The gist of this issue is the U.S. military wants Captain Atom back to use as a weapon of fear against the rest of the world. Captain Atom wants no part in being a weapon, especially since we saw in Issue #3-2 that he's more interested in healing and helping people. But the military refuses to take no for an answer since they're deathly afraid of him themselves and don't want a walking, thinking atomic bomb that isn't under their control.

It took most of the issue to say this. Probably could have been done quicker. My favorite panel of the military confict was this one:



The general in the foreground recruited the guy in the background to help capture Captain Atom. The guy in the background is that Scott Alexander (or Alexander Scott?) guy from the lab who hates Captain Atom. He set up a whole thing that was sure to capture Captain Atom. And now here he is, after failing, telling the general 'You have NO idea.'

Yeah! That's the point of hiring you! You were supposed to know and then capture him! Are you holding back information so that you could fail in front of the general? What a jerko!

But even though the pacing was slow, I'm letting Captain Atom move up the ranks to get ahead of The Flash. Partly it's because of this panel that happens just after you think a little romance is about to happen as Ranita shows Captain Atom that she isn't afraid of him:


Whoops!

But mostly it's because we're learning about who Captain Atom is. The creative team is fleshing him out much better in these last two issues (last one most especially). And The Flash team is not doing a good job of that. I think you may actually learn more about The Flash in Justice League! The Flash has been more about Mob Rule than anything else.

So good job, Captain Atom! Keep it up!

Captain Atom #3

Before I continue reading Captain Atom #3 (I've read up to the title page), I'm going to make a declaration:

Captain Atom, you get a clean slate! Let's leave those last two issues behind us and pretend they never happened. From here on out, let's call Issue #3 'Issue #3-2'. I know you were just a soldier and not a scientist, so let me clear that up for you. That makes this Issue #1! Okay? Sound good? Okay, buddy! Let's try this again!

Now this is how the entire series should have began! Who are the editors at DC? How could they not have seen that this is the beginning of this series? I'm not saying it's good or that I entirely like Captain Atom yet. But it's intriguing. And it makes sense! So I'll post all of Captain Atom's narration boxes up to the title page here and then discuss what I like and dislike about this start.





















During this narration, the panels show people in trouble being saved by Captain Atom. But Captain Atom isn't in any of the panels. Just his symbol appears at those moments the person is saved. And they never know he was there helping them out.

What do I like about this inner monologue? It rings true to the character. Captain Atom is a broken person. He died and, somehow, miraculously came back to life. And he came back with crazy huge (one might say 'God-like') powers. He's exactly the type of person who would be looking for meaning in life. He can't chalk it all up to some accident. There's got to be something more at work. Someone behind the curtain.

What do I dislike about this inner monologue? Most definitely his conclusion at the end. 'Am I part of it or working against it?' If this accident made him begin to think there was something more, some meaning to it all, he would almost certainly believe he was saved for a reason and therefore part of the plan. This kind of questioning might come later, maybe. But that final question seems too cynical for someone just beginning to question whether there is meaning behind it all.

Now, it still works. That's just how I feel about it. He is, after all, just asking questions.

I also dislike his bit about 'how do the non-believers answer that one'. I'm not against him saying it! I just feel it's a bit silly to even think that way in a world where super heroes exist. "So those guys who should have been shot and weren't? You're asking me how did they survive if it wasn't a miracle of God? Um, how about, well, SUPER HEROES?!"

I don't believe any of the Master Plan nonsense. My answer to all of Cap's questions here is his first answer: luck. But I like this characterization of him. This feels right! This works.

Except I have a bad feeling they won't go far enough with it or they'll handle it poorly further down the line. But I guess I'll have to read more than 4 pages to find out!

These four pages also show that this Captain Atom is heavily inspired by Doctor Manhattan. Who, of course, was heavily inspired by Captain Atom. But the beginning to this comic reads like Doctor Manhattan has taken over and the Captain Atom from the old Justice League days is definitely gone. He may have been gone 8 years ago but I haven't been reading comics for awhile!

And just like that, in the space between paragraphs, I've finished reading it!

This comic does everything the first two issues does but better. The first two issues were extremely boring and definitely not needed. This one shows how Captain Atom feels about his power and his place in the world. This issue shows Captain Atom's powers at work. This issue shows how the other Super Heroes feel mistrustful of him.

In three intriguing panels, it shows us the mystery Villain of the Month better than in the four or five pages used previously. Sure, we know less about him here. But the mystery and tension are so much fucking better!



Even the Continuum, the laboratory where Captain Atom spends his down time, is introduced better here! When he complains that the other heroes have families and jobs and homes to go home to. He has a lab. And the panel shows him arriving. That's all they need! You can fill stuff in later, little by little!

Even if this was the first time we see his co-worker Ranita, we can see how much she cares for him. And how much Scott (who I think may be involved with Ranita) dislikes him!

If this were the first comic of the series, it would be rated just between Aquaman and Justice League International. But because this is the third issue (but I will henceforth refer to it as Issue #1 and forget about those others), I'm leaving it at the current bottom of the rankings. If the next issue is well done, it'll pass up Flash. If it's really well done, I'll move it ahead of Justice League!

Prove yourselves, Storytellers Krul and Williams!