DC Comics Rebirth and Spoilers follow for the Fall and Rise of Captain Atom #2.
After the events of last issue where Captain Atom went super-nova, exploded and seemingly died, he actually traveled 20 years into the past to 1996.
It is a DC Rebirth world without super-heroes… yet.
Captain Atom appears to be de-powered so when he steps in to help someone from being robbed, he is badly beaten and taken to hospital. Naturally, he becomes smitten with his attractive physician Dr. T. Sato.
Through the issue, we learn how Captain Atom got on his feet after arriving in 1996 from acquiring clothes…
…to money.
He has befriended a professor – to help with trying to understand what happened / is happening to him – by explaining he was a student who wanted to pick his brain and be mentored. The professor believes super-heroes are too unbelievable a concept for Captain Atom speculative fiction thesis.
Without concerning himself with time paradoxes, Captain Atom marries Dr. Sato.
Four years later in 2000, they have a home and Captain Atom has problems that require him to see his old professor friend. That professor we learn benefited from Captain Atom’s tip to get out of some stocks before the tech bubble burst. The professor now believes Captain Atom is a time traveler…
…which is good because Captain Atom appears to somehow begin to manifest his old hero silver skin away from the gaze of his wife. Also, it turns out, as time paradoxes go, it seems she and Captain Atom are about to have a baby, but she wants to surprise Cap with the news.
Before Cap can head home, the professor takes him to a museum MRI machine to get to the bottom of Captain Atom’s skin issues. The MRI explodes as it appears Captain Atom’s quantum essence, which has been dormant for the last 4 years, starts to re-emerge.
On his way back home, Captain Atom stops to help a woman lying in the middle of the road; turns out its a robbery! Captain Atom is shot which triggers his manifestation into Captain Atom and…
…a journey into the time stream where a voice indicates that the “universe will neutralize any future time paradoxes“.
Captain Atom lands back in 2017 where a new reddish skin appears under the cracking classic silver-blue skin.
However, that last page’s sky writing about giving to the super-hero fund, I think, is the subtitle for this issue or from the voice in the time stream. Seems silly to use the sky writing in light of the preceding page in the time stream.
Anyhow, we know with the cover to Fall and Rise of Captain Atom #4 that Captain Atom’s new costume will look like this.
And, the likely editorial motivation for a costume / skin change, beyond refreshing and reinvigorating the character, was to make Captain Atom visually distinct from the Watchmen’s Dr. Manhattan who will tangle with DC Rebirth later in 2017.
As many know, in the 1980’s because DC did not allow writer Alan Moore to use the Charlton Comics characters, including Captain Atom, Moore created analogues for his classic Watchmen tale. Dr. Manhattan was based on Captain Atom.
Anyhow, with issue #2 of this DC Rebirth Captain Atom mini-series, just who was the voice in the time stream? Dr. Manhattan, fate, someone / something else? Will Captain Atom’s child survive into 2017 making him or her a 17 year old teenager? Stay tuned.
This is the cover to the Fall and Rise of Captain Atom #3.
Looks like Captain Atom’s wife died a few years ago. :(
So…
A really entertaining issue. Loved the story and art. Time travel stories are tough to make accessible, but this was a fairly non-headache inducing and entertaining read. 8 out of 10.
