DCU Comic Book Reviews

THE ALL-NEW ATOM #11

Jia, Part Three:  The Border Between

July 2007

Written by Gail Simone

Pencils by Eddy Barrows

Inks by Trevor Scott

Cover by Ladronn

Synopsis

Ryan Choi (aka the Atom) is being forced by Alvin (former bully and current Zombie) to either kill Jia, the girl he loves, or his father.  At first, Ryan refuses to make that choice.  However, Alvin has stolen Ryan’s size-changing belt and threatens to kill them both if he doesn’t choose.  Ryan eventually capitulates; he will choose, but he needs some time to think.  Alvin leaves to let him decide.  Jia then tells Ryan that there might someone who can hep.  When Ryan confronts Alvin, Ryan refuses to choose.  Instead he fights them, attacking the zombies with the very thing that caused them to die, as suggested by Jia’s Moderator.  In the case of Alvin, Ryan puts a shovel to his head.  Afterwards, Ryan wants Jia to come back to the States with him, but Jia tells Ryan that there is someone else in her life.   

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

My overall feeling of this issue and this three-part story is that Simone and Barrows are competent craftsmen (craftspeople?) who know how to tell a story and tell it well.  Reading this story, I enjoyed and there is something to be said for liking it as you go along.  But by the same token, there was nothing really in these stories that struck me hard enough to make me want to suggest to others they should pick this up.

The final twist at the end, the one where Jia admits she is in love with someone else, was not all that surprising to me.  Based on the fact that Simone hit us over the head with shovel (ha!) with Ryan’s feelings about the girl and it was fairly obvious that Jia was not completely innocent.  Plus, I doubt Simone, after just starting this new series, would be willing to add an other character to the current list, especially since many of the supporting players have not been seen since this story began.  Before she can add anyone new, I think she needs to establish the rest of the cast first. 

I think I’d like this issue a little bit better if the villains didn’t commit one of the stupidest mistakes any villain could make:  they walked away from the hero.  Alvin has the hero by the shorties.  He demands Ryan make a choice.  But then he decides to wait until later to get the answer?  Worse, he walks away to let Ryan make up his mind.  In the meantime, Ryan can get his stuff and devise a plan to win the day.  I say, once you got the hero backpedaling you don’t step back and let him get his footing.  You take him out then and there!  But that may just be me.

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Last updated: 08/06/11.