The Four Color Media Monitor

I've read the synopsis for the All-New Atom #4, and can safely say that it will NOT be finding it's way into my house, neither in pamphlet issues nor in trades (I tend to buy the latter formatting much more these days). It doesn't get any more aggravating than this:

We shift back to Dean Maryland’s palatial estate. Dean Maryland tells the Atom that he knows he is actually Ryan Choi. Dean Maryland tells Ryan how Ivy has transformed. It has mutated. Each neighborhood has its own special psychosis. One believes they live in the Old West of the 1850’s, another are still attempting to burn witches and another where the people only speak in a series of barks and whines.

Dean Maryland then reveals that Ray Palmer caused all of this to happen. Ray didn’t do it intentionally, but Ivy is now a nexus for the bizarre and nonsensical and these forces have made Ivy a battlefield. Ryan says that he will use his powers as the Atom to protect Ivy. Dean Maryland tells Ryan that being the Atom cost Ray to loves of his life: Laethwen and Jean Loring. Laethwen and her people were killed and Jean became a murderer. Dean Maryland tells Ryan that he would rather see him alive than die as a hero. Suddenly, Ryan’s father walks into the room. Ryan’s father tells Ryan to pack his things. That he is here to take Ryan home. We then see Dwarfstar outside the house watching this entire scene through a window. End of issue.

And end of any chance that this'll ever find its way into my house. Granted, it's not like they've written Sword of the Atom and the Katarthan princess Laethwen out existence, but they've still stuck with Identity Crisis elements such as Jean being a crazed psycho. And they cannot make up excuses here like "Ray didn't do it intentionally", that's still character assassination, pure and simple, and a perfect excuse to try and not use Ray as a protagonist ever again. And if that's all they can do, and just go along and ruin Ray Palmer's character some more, then not only have they made me more of a Ray Palmer/Jean Loring fan than ever, but, any chances that I'd be willing to buy this new Atom series are now in the dustbin, permanently.

I'm also powerfully disappointed in Gail Simone. I shouldn't be? Actually, this could've been written by Roger Stern, who wrote Power of the Atom years ago, and it would still have stunk. I'll certainly have to attribute some blame to the overrated Grant Morrison, as he was the one who wrote the basic premise that Simone worked upon.

Labels: Atom, dc comics, moonbat writers