| Comic Review | Paul Milligan |
Captain Atom: Armageddon #8 (of 9)
Writer: Will Pfeifer
Penciller: Giuseppe Camuncoli
Inker: Sandra Hope
Colorist: Wildstorm FX
Captain
Atom takes on Apollo and Midnighter of the Authority, who
have determined that in order for their universe to live,
Atom must die. His only allies are Grifter and a woman with
powers she can’t even control. Yeah, this’ll go well.
I haven’t read a single issue of this series since I
reviewed the
first one some time last year. So why does it seem like
I haven’t missed an issue? Issue one ends with Atom
fighting a Wildstorm hero on the streets of New York. Issue
eight begins with Captain Atom fight two Wildstorm
heroes on the streets of New York. I guess I can’t really
blame the comic for that though. I just thought it was kind
of funny.
I’ll admit that I wasn’t very nice to this comic when I
reviewed the first issue. I feel a little more forgiving
this time because the book actually seems to have improved
somewhat. Camuncoli’s artwork certainly seems to have
improved since then. There are some great fight scenes and
explosive action, not to mention a few surprises that left
my mouth hanging. And Pfeifer doesn’t seem quite as
uncomfortable playing in the Wildstorm Universe as he did in
the first issue. This book actually seems like it might end
up being as important as it’s been touted as being.
Having said all that, this is still not a book I would pick
up on a regular basis. It’s certainly improved and I
normally love the work of both Pfeifer and Camuncoli, but
this book just isn’t for me. I don’t care about Captain Atom
(or his awful, awful costume). I don’t really care for the
current incarnation of the Authority (when did they go from
being just anti-heroes to straight-up bad guys, was it in
this book?) I just don’t care.
I am definitely looking forward to the Wildstorm relaunch
that will be coming shortly after this series ends. But for
now I’m content to sit on the sidelines and wait patiently.
I’m sick of all these “event” books anyway.
Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance preview books for review purposes.
