This event is one of those 'don't think about it too hard' sort of stories for me. If you try to actually understand what is happening - a Heart of Apokolips chaos engine pitting characters against each other in a tournament to create the King Omege to fight Darkseid - you'll probably get a headache. Or say 'comic book science'.
A bigger problem I have with this event is it was built as a bracket style tournament but the first round was a battle royale. So why put out a bracket for fans to fill out? Why not do two promos? First pick the 16 Battle Royale winners and then set up the bracket for fans to fill. It sort of let some air out of the fun.
Still, everyone likes a good brawl and certainly Superman vs. Captain Atom is a great brawl. Writer Joshua Williamson does his best to inject some characterization into the proceedings. The point of this book is 'who will go the farthest' to get this power. No one thinks Superman can take that step. And Captain Atom, who has flirted with being a despot, just might. There are some good bests here.
Sean Izaaske is on art here and has a lot to contend with. Multiple rounds. Multiple versions of the characters. Multiple settings. And an ending that veers into a Grant Morrison-esque fourth wall busting. The work is pretty impressive.
But in the end, this seems like a wrestling match with a good pre-bout speeches.
Wondering about Captain Atom's intentions?
Well right off the bat he contemplates that despite all the roles he has had, all the identities and looks he has had, he has never been a god. And it looks like he might want to be.
Well right off the bat he contemplates that despite all the roles he has had, all the identities and looks he has had, he has never been a god. And it looks like he might want to be.
He wants that Omega Energy.
And knowing Captain Atom has been Monarch in some iterations (and should have been Monarch in ALL iterations), it makes sense he would want to play this role.
That was a lie.
Instead we see how in the scrum of DC KO #2, it was Captain Atom who ousted Supergirl with a backstab sort of move.
Anyways, this move of a hero turning on a hero, especially his cousin, has ticked of Superman. He isn't happy with the Captain.
Even the set-up is like a video game. Best out of 3. Different forms/skins allowed. Different environments.
It sounds like the old Dead Or Alive game!
The whole fight the two are squabbling about their outlook on this tournament with Atom saying Superman can't make the tough decisions, can't cross the lines.
And then Williamson takes some liberties with Captain Atom's powers ... I think.
Manifesting red sun energy and Kryptonite energy? Can he do that? He isn't Firestorm!
But at least here and now, Captain Atom can. And does. And wins the first round, killing Superman. Solid work by Izaaske.
But it is best out of three, so Superman re-spawns. Time for a new form. All the past and future forms these characters have had appear for them to pick from.
Makes perfect sense for Atom to pick Monarch, someone with more control over time and space and energy. Superman picks an ultimate form ... some might say his FINAL FORM ... Prime from the 853rd century.
Again, I can't think too hard about this. The Heart of Apokolips has this much power ... and sentience ... to think this up?
But it's a quick fight.
Superman wins by freezing everything, even extinguishing the sun.
Not sure why that would incapacitate Monarch but it does.
So on to round three.
And here is the best moment of the book.
Again, don't ask me how but Captain Atom picks 'all his forms' becoming an amalgam of his many forms ... a touch of Monarch, a touch of post-Crisis .. etc. Because he wants all the powers.
Superman? He picks his regular form. Because despite the insanity of this tournament, despite the goal of being the most ambitious to wield the Omega Force, he wants to be true to himself.
That is a great moment not surprising given Williamson has been killing it on the Superman book.
In this new form, Atom figures why not go for the peach and tries to just absorb the energy from the Heart of Apokolips. The Heart isn't happy. So it begins unwinding time, reversing Atom's timeline.
One thing I liked here is we hear Atom's perfect world. In it, he doesn't have to be a soldier; he isn't needed. But then he turns it around on Superman, assuming Superman would change nothing.
We don't get confirmation that is true. What is Superman's dream world?
But before we can dive into that ... which would have been interesting ... the fight has to finish.
And in a insane turn, Atom begins grabbing floating panels of his timeline and wielding them as weapons. What in the heck of the world???
I will admit I laughed out loud at 'Eat an Origin Bomb!'
This is the beauty of comics. Stuff like this. I don't even know what I read. Great art here by Izaaske. That must have been a blast to draw.
It's not enough.
Suffice it to say one more thing that makes little sense happens giving Superman the win.
But even he is feeling the temptation of the Heart of Apokolips.
So this was pretty fun. A bizarre, wild ride. But I get the sense this issue and this event will be like cotton candy, a fleeting thrill but not lasting or filling.
Seriously though, at least Sean Izaaske made a meal of this.
Overall grade: B
1 comment:
Nice review, sir, and now that I understand what a bracket tournament is, I get your frustration at the misleading advertising. I wonder if the bouts changed after the ads came out.
Anyway, I was startled by how much I enjoyed this comic, it had much more heart and smarts than expected, and Sean Izaakse just gets better.
I wonder if Supergirl will return. Maybe her connection to Darkseid could be useful.
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