It was clear from last week's DCU: Brave New World that there was some potential in this new incarnation of the Atom, but I really had no idea how strong the core concepts and writer Gail Simone presentation of those ideas would be. I'm not surprised to read that Grant Morrison developed the premise for this new series, but the script is classic Simone entertainment. Now, I wasn't completely won over by John Byrne's art in the Brave New World preview, but I was definitely more impressed with the visuals on this inaugural issue. The All New Atom is shaping up to be a great new series, embracing traditional Silver Age storytelling while incorporating a more modern attitude, a la All-Star Superman.
Dr. Ryan Choi may be young and awkward, but the native of China is also one of the most respected young minds in the academic world of nuclear physics. Choi is also a big fan and pen pal of another noted physics professor, Ray Palmer, and that's why he's agreed to take Palmer's old position at Ivy University in the United States. But it's not Palmer's curriculum he's after but the fantastic secret of size-changing and how it can improve the world. But before he can begin his quest, he's inducted into a fraternity of scientific genius -- one that happens to need another player for a weekly poker game. Meanwhile, a conspiracy against mankind is unfolding under everyone's noses.
I'm still not wild about the designs for the other dimensional soldiers and its insectoid weaponry that Byrne provides here (as he did in Brave New World). Those visuals struck me as being particularly derivative and overly familiar. But fortunately, they're not the main focus of this first issue. Byrne impresses with a key component of the book, and that's the depiction of the protagonist's youth and wide-eyed enthusiasm. Furthermore, the artist's efforts to convey the radically different textures and terrain of a microscopic world are thoroughly successful. Bleyaert's colors are bright, bordering on garish, but that's a positive trait in this instance. That brighter look reinforces the more traditional super-hero tone of the book.
The tense-challenged dialogue of the alien invaders is surprisingly intriguing, and it really drives home the notion of their radically different culture. But what I found most entertaining about the script was Simone's inclusion of quotations to illustrate the truth behind a scene or a character's utterance. It's an unusual device, and it makes for a multi-layered, dense and challenging read... but ultimately, an engaging one. Those quotable asides are also in keeping Simone's trademark sense of humor, which is plentiful throughout the script.
The Morrison-esque science-fiction elements in this book are actually more than a little reminiscent of the blend of real-world science and fantasy that one could find in Silver Age DC titles such as The Atom and Flash. Obviously, that's by design, as Morrison and Simone bring the property back to its roots, ironically with a new character in the title role. Of course, that's what DC did in the Silver Age as well. What's new is the supporting cast, and Simone's script introduces them clearly and effectively. There's a lot of personality around that poker table, and as Brave New World indicated, The All New Atom will evolve into something of a team title as well as a solo super-hero romp. 8/10
