What is the real Atom Project? For starters, it’s a comic book series by writers Ryan Parrott and John Ridley, with artist Mike Perkins. For the why, we saw when Amanda Waller went head-on against the superheroes, part of her attack was the stripping of power sets. After her downfall, the Justice League was reformed, and part of that team consisted of two Atoms, Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi, with Captain Atom; their mission appeared to be to help restore the powers to whom they belonged. This issue discovers why the Captain is fleeing the team, and lays the groundwork for a split between the Atoms could be nuclear for the future.
DC
Remember that this series fluctuates between time periods, but nothing too radical. The opening takes us to the past, which appears when all three Atoms worked together. There is nothing much to glean from this, but Ryan and Ray have some good discussion. Ray says a great phrase: “People are more than just their powers.” I appreciated that phrase as it brings some humanity to remind us who is very important regarding DC Comics characters; it reminds me of an issue of Captain Atom from the ’80s, which was adapted into an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. I wonder if that could hint at the ending of this arc. Maybe someone loses their powers for good?
DC
As the issue progresses, we get to the present, where the Atoms track the Captain down. In the Captain’s dialogue with Dr. Elsworth, you can see just how desperate the Captain is about being found and used. This take is a different twist for who Captain Atom is, and having him in a fugitive state is interesting, especially with his military ties. Before the final conflict of the issue, we have one more flashback that reveals the Captain’s new ability regarding power control. When we shift back to the present, I like how Ryan Choi appeals to the Captain’s good nature and how this new ability could work, but it doesn’t seem to align with Ray’s ideas. Which could cause another split in the team.
The best part of the issue is the character reveal at the end, as it will be great to see these two arch-enemies face off again. Issue #3 read like issue #2, which slows the series’s momentum and makes a six-issue arc less exciting than playing it to four issues. I enjoy these characters, but at times, they don’t seem in character, so it would be nice to roll out more reveals, and hopefully, that could explain and make the buy-in better for this series. The idea of the Captain’s new ability is great, and I can’t wait to see him use it in the next issue. Hopefully, there will be some insights into why Ray Palmer acts like he does in this series.
A secret revealed could further split the Atom Project. The Atoms are hunting down Captain Atom, and we learn why, but does General Eiling know this secret, too? Will he force the military to get Captain Atom at any cost? Why is Ray Palmer acting the way he is? Many questions arise with little answer from the project as the issue ends with a potential showdown that has been long awaited.
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