Captain Atom preview for Action comics #879!

[Karl O'Neill]

Looks awesome.

he is back!

http://dcublog.dccomics.com/2009/04/28/get-a-first-look-at-the-captain-atom-co-feature/


I will be buying this feature.

[DonC]

Well, he's back to being a naked silver dude. That's a good sign.

[Sean Whitmore]

I hope this turns out well. I have fond memories of the Bates/Broderick series, but not very many since then.


SEAN

[Captain Jim]

I hope this turns out well. I have fond memories of the Bates/Broderick series, but not very many since then.


Ditto. That was an awesome series; best thing Bates ever did IMO.

[Retro315]

I'm looking forward to it.

I'm figuring he'll be tied into General Lane's anti-Superman cabal (good choice, and good excuse for giving us our Capt. Atom back), but just having Captain Nate Adam back and not frigging Monarch is about bloody time.

There's so many ways to use him, and the Superman books are a great place to start. There's the Watchmen resurgence and potential for him to be a little Doctor Manhattan-ish ... there's the Legacy aspect, since he's Captain Atom II (preceded by JSA era Allen Adam) ... there's the new Blue Beetle and Question he'll get to be teamed with maybe ... there's the similarities to the original "Atom", Al Pratt, and the modern Atoms, Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi (not to mention Al Pratt's Legacies, Atom Smasher and Damage). There's the rivalry and similarity to Firestorm, who's had a few versions himself. There's the way he was used as a military pawn by Cadmus in Justice League Unlimited ... there's even similarities to Reactron (both military men with nuclear powers).

And hey, just for good measure ... I mean ... Nuclear Man from Superman IV: The Quest for Peace ... (I don't want to see Captain Atom do the fingernail grow trick and scratch Superman).

Come to think of it ... there are a frigging LOT of Atom/Nuclear based DC heroes and there's got to be some kind of potential there.

[Kelman]

I already buy Action, but I'm very stoked seeing Captain Atom restored to his post-CoIE glory. His book was the first series I started to collect as a child, so he's always been a nostalgic favourite, though nothing interesting has been done with him since the end of his series and JLE.

[WorstThingUS]

Just no more whiny "I wanna be loved like Superman" Captain Atom.

[Babylon23]

I hope this turns out well. I have fond memories of the Bates/Broderick series, but not very many since then.

Same here. I loved that series, but there hasn't been a lot of joy for Captain Atom since then.

[marshal99]

Let's be honest , Atom does quantum jump a lot so that captain atom could feasibly be one from the past.

[Retro315]

I've been trying to compile a list of various Atomic/Radioactive powered super heroes and villains, (naturally barring the Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi Atoms who have a name tie-in, and powers connected to atomic research, but their real gimmick is shrinking). I've barred Metallo as well ... I know he runs on radiation, but he's a machine ...

Boy oh boy, are there a lot of radiation instances in comics ...

So far I've got;

The Atom I - Al Pratt
Atomic Knight - Gardner Grayle
Atomic Skull I - Albert Michaels
Atomic Skull II - Joseph Martin
Captain Atom I - Allen Adam
Captain Atom II - Nathaniel Adam, A.K.A. Monarch
Chemo - Oop!
Doctor Phosphorus - Alex Sartorius
Kryptonite Man I - Kenny Braverman, A.K.A. Conduit, classic goes modern
Kryptonite Man II - K. Russell Abernathy, modern goes classic ...
Damage - Grant Amerson
Firehawk - Loraine Reilly
Firestorm I - Ronnie Raymond/Martin Stein
Firestorm I.2 - (Elemental years, with Mikhail Arkadin)
Firestorm II - Jason Rusch/Martin Stein
Human Bomb I - Roy Lincoln
Human Bomb II - Andy Franklin
Multiplex - Danton Black
Neutron - Nathaniel Tryon
Nuclear Man - Kal-El Clone (Superman IV)
Nuklon I - Albert Rothstein, A.K.A. Atom Smasher
Nuklon II - Gerome McKenna
Plasmus - Otto Von Furth
Reactron - Martin Krull

I know I'm missing some ... but I can't help but notice if they're not a nuclear-based hero, they're a Superman villain ...

[Will44]

I just hope it's Nathaniel Adams and not some new "legacy" character.

[Ryan Day]

I just hope it's Nathaniel Adams and not some new "legacy" character.

Nathaniel Adams is a legacy character. He's the second Captain Atom.

[Captain Jim]

Nathaniel Adams is a legacy character. He's the second Captain Atom.

Huh? Who was the first? (And isn't it Nathaniel Adam?)

[Sean Whitmore]

Unless they've stuck the Charlton Captain Atom (first name Allen) into New Earth continuity's past, Nate isn't really a legacy.


SEAN

[CYOTI]

Huh? Who was the first? (And isn't it Nathaniel Adam?)

The original pre-dc version.

[Sean Walsh]

...y'know, before people mentioned he was Monarch in COUNTDOWN (and BATTLE FOR BLUDHAVEN before it), I had completely forgotten about that development.

[Retro315]

Unless they've stuck the Charlton Captain Atom (first name Allen) into New Earth continuity's past, Nate isn't really a legacy.


SEAN

Right. Nathaniel Allen Adam is more a revamp of the costume and origins of Allen Adam than a legacy ... I'm not sure if say, on Earth-2, he'd still be just plain Allen Adam with the classic Charlton costume ... but when DC picked up the Charlton characters he got a new, shinier look. (Which is weird, since The Question and Blue Beetle didn't get huge makeovers).

I like both looks, to be honest.

[Ryan Day]

Unless they've stuck the Charlton Captain Atom (first name Allen) into New Earth continuity's past, Nate isn't really a legacy.


It's not a legacy concept in-story, but it is in all other respects. There used to be a Captain Atom, DC took the name and very basic concept and created a new character. Really, "legacy" is just an explanation for a revamp (a la Firestorm or Blue Beetle), not the reason for it happening in teh first place.