Review: Captain Atom Vol. 2- Genesis
Quick Summary
Pros: The opening arc is an awesome adventure with intriguing concepts and satisfying twists. The closing arc is a touching sendoff to the series that works well with the comic’s larger narrative. The artwork captures the essence of the book well.
Cons: The book’s pacing feels rushed at times.
Overall: This is a big improvement on the series and a great volume of Captain Atom stories. The adventures contained here are exciting and have unexpected twists that make them even more fun to read. However, they are also emotional and directly relate to themes that have been present throughout this series. All in all, this is a solid showing from Captain Atom that fans of him are sure to appreciate.
Story
Captain Atom Vol. 2: Genesis, by J.T. Krul and Freddie E. Williams II, takes this comic to a whole other level. It embraces the possibilities present in Captain Atom’s powers and uses them to launch story arcs involving time-travel, crazy twists, and bizarre wishes. These adventures allow for a satisfying examination into Captain Atom’s identity as a near-deity and as a human being, while also being exciting to experience. The only real problem is that some chapters are paced poorly. However, for the most part, this is a thrilling and interesting read.
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The opening arc of Genesis immediately elevates the Captain Atom series from a standard superhero comic to an insane warp through time and space. Captain Atom encounters future versions of himself and is told that, in the future, his influence creates a religion that will unleash a power that will destroy the world. The concept driving the story forward is fresh and consistently interesting.
However, what makes it even better are the unexpected twists. It is eventually revealed that the power that will destroy the world is an ego-mad Captain Atom from an even more distant future. To defeat this future, Atom is forced to go back in time and remove the one moment that kicked off this ego shift, a seemingly innocuous decision to cure a young boy’s cancer. Thematically, this twists serve as a reminder that, despite his unbelieve power levels, Captain Atom is not a god. They also are simply entertaining to experience and work as a way to highlight the book’s key moments.
The closing arc of Genesis has Captain Atom go from nearly becoming a god to making an attempt at becoming human. He creates a physical form that allows him to experience humanity again, which is touching and satisfying to see. However, his powers cause chaos while in this form and he soon realizes that his bliss cannot last. It reaffirms Captain Atom’s position as a loner and fits well with the general narrative of this comic.
The problems in Genesis are mostly derived from the pacing. The conclusion of the opening arc comes about rather suddenly, especially considering how much time was spent developing it. Meanwhile, the time spent on secondary characters in the book’s closing arc makes the rest of the story feel rushed.
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Art
The artwork in Genesis also feels like an advancement over the artwork of its predecessor. As the story in this collection is more far-out than it was before, Freddie E. Williams II has more opportunities to get creative with the book’s visuals. This allows for some unique Captain Atom redesigns and some glances into the future that are cool to see. It also allows for some really epic battles that capture the intense energies Captain Atom constantly finds himself surrounded by. There are still places where individual characters look a little strange or where facial expressions are distorted but, as a whole, this comic looks good.
Continuity
Captain Atom Vol. 2: Genesis continues the story started in Captain Atom Vol. 1: Evolution (Review).
The Captain Atom series ends with this volume. However, Captain Atom’s story continues in Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #14, collected in The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man Vol. 3: Takeover (Review).