REVIEW: DC K.O. Superman vs. Captain Atom #1
Woah, mama! It’s THAT kind of fighting in DC K.O. Superman vs. Captain Atom #1! All Fight Month couldn’t have come later, but its finally here and already breaks out a Man of Steel rivalry born out of Crisis of Infinite Earths and DC’s acquisition of Charlton Comic characters in 1983. We’ve seen these two titans of power clash multiple times across media, and this is a tribute to all those and more.
Jorge Corona, with colors by Sarah Stern, gives us exactly what come to expect from a Superman and Captain Atom brawl –two absolute powerhouses powered by different sources of radiation punching the life out of each other. Glorious battle-damaged costumes and a bulky, Miller-esque Superman help make this a truly gritty, bareknuckle cover.
Lucas Meyer brings back Superman’s miniature-sun brass knuckles in his variant. As awesome as these things are, they’ve appeared on more DC K.O. covers than they have been in actual panels. We need more of them in the pages! Meyer’s variant is also the polar opposite of Corona and Stern’s with the smoother textures and more cinematic lighting.
Issue artists Sean Izaakse, with colors by Trish Mulvihill, gives us our Captain Atom variant cover They truly were the perfect visual team for this issue, and this variant lets us know that it’s the Captain’s book just as much as Superman’s. The reflection of the Man of Steel on his arm is just golden. It’s at this point when you also notice that background environments are never dull with Superman and Captain Atom, it’s always something crazy like a nuclear explosion, sun, or space.
Other unique variants are available from John Giang and Sanford Greene.
In DC K.O. #2, Captain Atom had eliminated Supergirl from the King Omega tournament. Now, it looks like he’s come face-to-face with her cousin in the first official round of the matchups. Nathaniel Adam is kind enough to catch us up on him and his backstory since it has been quite a bit since he had any sort of starring role in a story. This is his first big break and he’s not going squander it. Clark begrudgingly has to fight back as Nathaniel charges into battle, as is the case with most of their fights.
The first fight of the two out of three match takes place in the fabricated skies of Metropolis, and in true high power level fashion, buildings are rocked as they fly through the air. Spectacular onomatopoeias cover the panels in some cases they are hitting each other so loudly. It’s when Captain Atom uses Red Son and Kryptonite radiation to gain the upper hand and win the first round by completing draining him. The second round is where things get even more interesting –they get to pick forms throughout their histories. Naturally, they pick their most overpowered –Monarch, the Captain Atom that can control the atoms that make up reality and, Superman One Million (labeled as Superman Prime), whose power can never be drained. And with another round after that, how much wilder can it possibly get?
Joshua Williams doesn’t need to flex his Superman writing with the work he’s been doing on the main series. He sets the stage with Captain Atom as Superman needs no introduction in this event. Nathaniel is still the hardboiled military-esque hero he’s always been, something to play against the boy scout-like Clark. The first round is simple and classic enough, but when the second round begins it’s here where Williams reveals just how deep this match up, and possibly the others, go. Different forms from different stories and points in time is internet-type vs-writing, by fans for fans who seem to consider every aspect of the characters’ theoretical power. It’s like the debate of the comic book world, and we all love it. Letters are by Dave Sharpe.
Sean Izaakse’s illustrations bring to life everything we love about Superman vs. Captain Atom fights while also testing the limits of how far they can go, throwing the reader in a whirlwind of images in the process. This is honestly some of the best Captain Atom comic material of not just the year, but the decade. I swear that I’ve never seen him like this. DC made the right decision choosing an artist that prioritizes sleekness over complexity. Dare I say, I even see a bit of Dan Jurgens in Izaake’s art when it comes to comes to Superman. Colors are by Trish Mulvihill.
(10/10) DC K.O. Superman vs Captain Atom #1 delivers the reading experience equivalent of being punched into orbit. This is what we like to see! The only criticism is that DC didn’t start All Fight Month sooner.
