Things have seemed happy-go-lucky era in the DCU since All In, but the Atom Project is shaping up to be where all the problems go. You might have seen the Atom Project pop up in Justice League Unlimited, helping Atom Smasher, Plastic Man, and Phantom Girl with their powers. In this issue, however, we can see that things didn’t work out as nicely as they seemed. That bit of play between the two series is fun and helps to show that DC Comics is indeed going All In. Even in our preview of the issue, you can see some questions brewing between Atoms Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi. What are writers Ryan Parrott and John Ridley planning as they take us deeper into the Atom Project?
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As I mentioned in my review of last issue, the voices seem off from the characters they represent, but they are consistent with what has played out so far. The writers have found a way to make their versions of Ray Palmer, Ryan Choi, and Nathaniel Adam interesting. The powerful mystique of the Atom Project is riveting as you read on discovering who is involved and what is happening or has happened.
I referenced issue #2 of Justice League Unlimited and how the Atoms helped Atom Smasher regain his powers. That scene has a follow-up in this issue, and we are privy to a conversation between Atom Smasher and Captain Atom. While I like the connectivity between the two series, they might not be playing out coherently in their series. Hopefully, it is a bigger plan, and I wonder about Plastic Man and Phantom Girl, which is fun!
DC
Artist Mike Perkins and colorist Adriano Lucas handle the art in this issue and do a great job of keeping things moving forward. Lucas is very heavy on the darks in the art, and I like the choice, but only to a point. Sometimes, it helps to show the hidden emotions in a scene and remind us of the darkness coming from the Atom Project. Other times, it can just be too dark and eat up the scene. Perkins plays around in this issue as we get scenes of character interaction ranging from warning to pleading for help, and then the main bout of men versus “Atomicly Powered Bear.” A bear with the powers of Captain Atom is a wild concept, and the scene makes for a fun couple of pages showing the heroes in action, the power stabilizer in action, and just how much pain Captain Atom can take.
The story leads to military characters getting involved after the last issue with the escape of Captain Atom. Both sides question Ray Palmer, which is fun as he could play both against his agenda. I look forward to more reveals as the story continues, and with the new players involved, this will be fun for Captain Atom fans as these two are integral cast members of his story. If you read the solicitations and remember your character logos, you’ll know one of the characters. I am a bit bummed to see them regress to their pre-powers era, but such is the nature of DC characters with “Crisis and Continuity.” Still, hopefully, that could change in this series as we dive deeper into the Atom Project; espionage and superheroes equal entertainment as a suspenseful mix.
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