This week: All Fight Month begins with DC’s first KO tie-breaking one-shot, Superman vs. Captain Atom #1!
Note: The following review may contain spoilers. If you want a quick, spoiler-free buy/pass recommendation for the comic in question, check out the final verdict at the bottom of the article.
DC KO: Superman vs. Captain Atom #1
Screenplay: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Sean Isaacse
Colorist: Trish Mulvihill (P. 1-16, 20-26) and Hi-Fi (P. 17-19, 27-30)
Author: Dave Sharp
Cover Artist: Jorge Corona & Sarah Stern
We’re now two months into the publisher’s latest big crossover, DC KO, and after a lot of table setting and a mad dash to collect tons of artifacts, the main event within the event is fast approaching. All Fight Month is here, with issue 8 featuring one-on-one battles between the remaining 16 tournament contestants. This week begins with DC KO: Superman vs. Captain Atom #1, a one-shot that pits the Man of Steel against one of the DCU’s most complex heroes.
Rather than treating this one-shot as just another issue of Superman, Joshua Williamson shifts the focus to another titular hero in the issue. In recent years, DC has leaned into the fact that Captain Atom was the inspiration for Watchmen: Doctor Manhattan, and the Black Label Jenny Sparks series and All in Justice League: The Atom Project series both cast Nathaniel Adam as a god-like being with great powers. DC KO: Superman vs. Captain Atom #1 also explores the theme of this character, but does a good job of portraying Captain Atom in contrast to Superman. Williamson depicts the conflict here not as a conflict between Superman and the Atom, but as a conflict between the combatants and the very omega energy influences they are contending with. This arrangement adds a lot of nuance to the pages Atom narrates as he becomes more and more captivated by its energy. His sensitivity to that influence, and his belief that he’s right to accept it and do what Superman can’t do, humanizes Captain Atom in a way we haven’t seen in a while. This is effective work from Williamson, providing a convincing entry into what can be a very difficult character.
This issue’s artwork by Sean Izaakse, Trish Mulvihill, and Hi-Fi brings the action to life. Izaakse’s line art is clean and not overly stylized, presenting the mostly realistic-looking characters and the story around them in a straightforward manner. Once the battle begins in Izaakse, you’ll find some very dynamic figurework and interesting page layouts. Mulvihill and Hi-Fi’s coloring work complements Izaakse’s storytelling nicely with a bright color palette that really makes the action pop. But it’s a sequence that takes the visuals to the next level later in the issue, with Superman and Captain Atom fighting back through the latter’s personal history, presented as the two of them smashing through the previous pages of the issue. As the battle rages in the gutter space, the panels are used as weapons and shields. This is a visually striking sequence that perfectly captures Captain Atom’s inner conflict.
Unfortunately, since this is a tie-in to a series of events in a shared universe, we have to have some questions about continuity, mainly regarding Man of Steel. Last week’s DC KO #2 saw Superman lose his Hand and gain the powers of Darkseid’s Omega Sanction, two major developments that strangely weren’t seen in this one-shot. Perhaps that’s because if Superman had simply attacked Captain Atom with The Death That Is Life, the fight would have ended far too quickly. Perhaps neither Isaacs nor the editor of this issue got the memo that Superman’s hand was chopped off by Lex Luthor. Whatever the reason, the absence of these two elements from the previous issue is distracting and feels like a glaring oversight in a one-shot that, like all All Fight Month tie-ins, is positioned as an important part of the event.
Nevertheless, DC KO: Superman vs. Captain Atom #1 is a very strong comic. To be honest, the whole KO event up until this point didn’t do much for me, so this one-shot was definitely a pleasant surprise, focusing on characterization and interpersonal conflict rather than just smashing characters and plot elements together. I was skeptical that All Fight Month would be among them, but if this one-shot is any indication of what the rest of the month will be like, it should be a pretty interesting sight.
Final verdict: Buy.
round up
Another DC KO tie-in this week, Nightfight #2 from Williamson, Dan Mora, and Triona Farrell finds Batman facing off against the Batmans of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, respectively, in not one, but two alternate realities. The Grayson/Batman sequence is a great wrap-up of last issue, while the Todd/Batman sequence is great, with Maura and Farrell instantly establishing the tone of the world and employing a Sin City-esque visual style that highlights the red of Jason’s suit. Back on the mainland, Matt Fraction, Jorge Jimenez, and Tomeu Mory’s Batman #4 continues to build on the creative team’s vision for the city, introducing new characters and a new status quo to Gotham’s underworld. The way this team packs so much information into each page while still allowing the characters and scenes to breathe is honestly amazing. The four-page scene between Bruce Wayne and Dr. Annika Zeller is very captivating. This book just keeps getting better. It’s heist time with Cheetah and Cheshire Robb in Justice League #5, the penultimate issue by Greg Rucka, Nicola Scott, and Annette Kwok. I’ve grown very attached to this group of characters in previous issues, and seeing them bring their plans to fruition and come into direct conflict with the JLU is well worth the wait. It’s a shame there’s only one issue left in this series, but I’m grateful I got this book in the first place. I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out next month.
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