CAPTAIN ATOM
Written by JT Krul
Art by Freddie Williams II
TF: Somebody’s gone all “Dr. Manhattan” in more ways than one.
DM: Well to be fair, Dr. Manhattan was all Captain Atom.
TF: Captain Atom was a sleeper hit in the 80s because he was just an ordinary, relatable guy who suddenly got cosmic super powers. Putting this “isolated,” “slowly losing his humanity” stuff on him makes it “Dr. Manhattan: The Series,” and that would be a tough sell even for Alan Moore. Who’d want to sit through issue after issue of cosmic navel-gazing?
DM: In the 80’s you could get away with that. If you did it now, people would fall asleep. I’m thinking JT Krul will fall into the other cosmic guy trap. He’ll write all about how Captain Atom has to be careful of his power lest he destroy the multiverse. sigh.
TF: This is Gødland, isn’t it? Gødland but without the Kirbyness (which is the whole selling point of Gødland)?
DM: I can’t say that but there is one thing that bothers me here. The sheer number of Captain Atom relaunches. I think he’s had more books than (including Breach) Hawkman. The only thing that has ever worked for this guy is making him an order following stiff jerk on the JLU show. THAT only worked because of the characters around him. If you were concerned about Mr. Terrific’s bad guys, you need to be doubly concerned here.
TF: I bought Breach but only because Marcos Martin drew it. Should we count Takion?
DM: I don’t. I thought that was just some fake Kirby stuff.
DM: Breach brings me to my one issue with DC and it’s use of the 52 universes making up the multiverse. DC seems intent to just play around the edges of it. They won’t just flat out use it. It’s like they did the right thing by having a beloved multiverse (a sci-fi and comics staple) but they are afraid to call attention to it for fear of it being called confusing (generally by newer DC fans and Marvel fans).
DM: You can’t use the multiverse in any way that matters unless the thing out, assign it some characters, give them books and live with it. What if they want to “Dr. Manhattan” this book? So what. Shouldn’t that just be a book that takes place on Earth 4 or whatever anyway? Like what’s the point of bringing back all this Silver Age type shit if you’re really too afraid of it or too lazy to just own it?
TF: Why don’t they have an Exiles book? Did you know if Kamandi hadn’t been canceled in the 70s, they planned for him to jump to different Earths with Witchboy and Grandpa OMAC? That’s owning it.
DM: But that was like back in the day right? They’d have trashed that with Crisis on Infinite Earths and it wouldn’t have really mattered anymore. With Captain Atom they seem to want to tell stories about his VAST power. Breach did it. He’s responsible for the death of the Heartland in Kingdom Come and that’s not the end of it. Now it’s JT Krul book and I’d like this to be the point where they tour the Multiverse.
TF: It is a JT Krul book. Will Capt. Atom beat up people with a dead cat while tripping balls on heroin? Except the cat is like, the universe?
DM: That’s what this book needs to be. Let’s invent some villains for him!
TF: The Sun-f***er!
DM: What the...well seriously, why can’t he deal with Solaris the sun eating super computer. He needs an anti matter guy, a nazi scientist not over losing the race to the atom bomb, the Parasite, etc.
TF: Are the New Gods still dead? This comic could really use Metron jerking everybody around.
DM: I think they are on one of those damn Earths! Also I’m not giving JT Krul, Metron. Then folks are just gonna hate the New Gods for no reason.
TF: I’m scared Joe Casey will find this post someday and copyright “Sun-f***er.”
DM: That would be Garth Ennis. This book feels all wrong before I even read it. It’s a solid maybe. JT Krul needs a breakout moment or a JT Krul-iverse. I’d change my tune for a JT Krul-iverse. Sometimes I may not like a writer but give him his own corner of the universe to play in and I'm happy. See Joe Casey and Abnett and Lanning.
4 comments:
Why does someone with the last name of Krul make me angry? Dude has a great name, goddamit live up to it.
I think they're holding off on going full on with the multiverse because they have that Morrison series Multiversity somewhere out there. Hopefully it'll launch soon after the reboot. Mind you, your feelings on him defining the Multiverse all come down to what you think of Morrison.
Cap. Atom does have one good villain with an awful, awful name, Major Force. Same origin, same powerset, only he's a complete sociopath. So there's that. Just rename him Major F***er.
I love Morrison and don't think it should take the length of time between the 52 series and whenever Multiversity comes out to give us that tour.
That's just burning all your goodwill again.
Oh and I left Major Force off because he's a sure fire way to bore readers. He's just make writers do those, "Blank and Blank are gonna CLASH" issues...sigh...
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