Isaac’s Book
The All-New Atom #22
Written by Rick Remender
Pencils by Pat Olliffe
DC Comics, 2008
Now this is how you jump into a story arc. This issue is the second in the story and we are caught up right away in the dialogue —and it’s a good thing too, because things are pretty crazy. Ryan Choi (the titular “All-New Atom”) is being blasted by some crazy red creature thing, where did it come from? Why, Ryan’s blood of course! Ryan is still figuring out why this is going on — and no, he doesn’t figure it all out this issue. He is a little busy after all.
With survival!!!
This thing doesn’t let up, and it’s just action after action, and our hero gets really banged up in the process. He tries to use sulphuric acid as a weapon and ends up just burning himself… he’s talking about the nerve damage he must be suffering (though he can’t feel it) and I’m just sitting here really worried about how this guy is going to win in the end. Naturally, one of the last sentences in the book is “I-It… It killed the Atom!” Now I’m (mostly) confident that Atom will pull the big win out in the next issue, but this was a great cliff-hanger.
There’s nothing wrong with the art on the inside, it’s Pat Olliffe doing what Pat Olliffe does best. Uh, super hero comics. He does super hero comics best. Just in case you weren’t clear. Most of my acquaintance with him has been with his work on Spidey in the 80s, and these days he can be found in the Amazing Spider-Girl, so I didn’t expect him to be working the DC side of things, but it’s good to have him. Solid stuff.
Along with all the action in here, there’s an interesting part inside where a paranoid man won’t let the Atom into his house to fight this giant monster, and going counter to general super hero convention Atom backs off. If the guy refuses help, Ryan figures he can’t forcibly help. This addresses the ‘fascist commando’-style charge laid against the spandex set, where they always figure they know best and have the right to dictate that to the public. Now, usually the heroes do know what’s best (the paranoid man does die in the house monster movie style), but in reality it is really arrogant for these super characters to assume they know best. This kind of consideration really humanizes Ryan, even while he’s trying to fight giant murdering cells that grew from his blood.
However, even if all of this stuff was lame, if the comic was 22 pages of nothing, this comic would be worth it just for the unbelievable cover (by Ladrönn). It’s such a classic sci-fi hero pose, facing off against an uncanny threat that is surely going to consume him. Check out that cover!
Miles’ Book
Young Avengers Presents: Wiccan and Speed
Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art by Alina Urusov
Marvel Comics, 2008
I don’t think I have a lot to actually say about this issue. Partly because I have a pretty intense fever going on, partly because it was just enjoyable. I like that Marvel is doing something to follow up on the Young Avengers line of comics — the first series was so good, after all. I also like that the book features a positive homosexual male relationship (as far as I know, it’s the only one from the big two on the stands), but that it’s not the focus of this issue — it’s about the brothers, who have little page time together, looking for their crazy mother.
You see, Wiccan and Speed are the magically created sons of the Scarlet Witch, who, about three or four years ago, went super crazy and started magically creating all kinds of fucked-up shit. Now she’s been in hiding, save for one brief appearance in an issue of New Avengers, but the boys want to meet their troubled mother.
They don’t, which makes this issue mostly filler. There are some nice character moments and it’s nice to see Wiccan and Speed bond, but that’s pretty much all you get. That, and Wiccan being a really nice guy. I like that kid a lot. Especially the part where he admits he can’t pull off third-person narration.
Urusov’s art is good, but the colour choices are better. It’s a muted palette, mostly, but it looks really good and clean. It’s nice to see an artist colour their own work, I think it makes a difference.
So yeah, nothing really to complain about, except that I really do want to see Scarlet Witch and her kids meet. But, alas, another time.
“All-New Atom” is a great comic. To me, that fact that it and “Blue Beetle” are on the brink of cancellation is a travesty.