Captain Atom: Pure Nuclear Energy

Captain Atom: Comes in with a nuclear blast

The Captain Atom series is just a sizzling atomic blast.  Truth be told, I am not a fan of Captain Atom and have not been since the Charlton reprint era in the 70s.  I always loved The Blue Beetle better.  I had no idea how Captain Atom would be when I saw the cover solicits.  To me it looked like the original was going to now copy the facsimile of Dr. Manhattan, but boy am I glad I was wrong.  JT Krul and Freddie Williams II are doing an extremely wonderful job. Reading this series has introduced me to  lots of new characters and new delights.  In this brand new DC Universe, there are so many clandestine organizations and laboratories.  I have yet to encounter Star Labs, but there are the CADMUS, CHECKMATE, NOWHERE laboratories/organizations among others.  In Captain Atom, we have the Continuum off somewhere in Kansas.  This immediately reminded me of Kingdom Come.  This seems to be the Haven for Nathaniel Adams/Captain Atom when he needs rest from his adventures.  The staff provides an intriguing supporting cast. 

Captain Atom

Dr. Megala The first is Dr. Megala. He is a wheelchair bound scientific mind, perhaps an homage to Steven Hawking.

Rinata Rinata is a wide-eyed doctoral candidate that works with Dr. Megala.

The Continuum The Continuum is somewhere in Kansas and it looks like a super colider.

Self Awareness

The first two issues of Captain Atom deal his journey through becoming self aware.  The story begins with Captain Atom's narration as why humans are the more evolved species.  I think this ominous intro is to show how Captain Atom himself  is the next stage of evolution. The first action sequence shows fighting an armored man and his discovery a new power.  As he fights the armored man, he begins to see the atomic bonds that bind atoms and learns how to destroy those bonds and in doing so, he disarms that individual. Now this is something that is new to him and we see his disbelief. Then he feels something in his hand, and sees the atoms of his hands dissipate and he rushes off to The Continuum to confer with Dr. Megala.  After explaining the manifestation of his new remarkable power, Megala states that it is the S.N.F.  (Strong Nuclear Force) that binds the atoms.  Ok, I have to digress here a little, the use of acronyms in this book was not to my liking, it reminded me of the 90s, especially the Cyberforce comic series where EVERYTHING, and I mean everything, was an acronym.  I shall now return to my analysis.

When you see the concern at the continuum, you can almost guess what will come next.  Captain Atom will no longer be able to use his powers because they can kill him.  Also, some huge crisis will appear and Captain Atom will have to stop it and sacrifice himself. 

Suddenly Rinata shows that there is not only a huge Earthquake, but also a volcano.  Easier said that done, but then we find out that it is in Manhattan.  Captain Atom is off to the rescue and he stops some nuclear power plants from going to meltdown and he averts the disaster by turning the  lava into snow.  Then at the very end, he dissipates.



Stay tuned for the Captain Atom: Healing Factor