DCU Comic Book Reviews

THE ALL NEW ATOM #16

Forward! Into The Past!

December 2007

Written by Roger Stern

Pencils by Mike Norton

Inks by Trevor Scott

Cover by Ladrönn

Synopsis

In 1967, a police is hassling a hippie when a visitor from space knocks the officer unconscious because the alien as also suffered at the hands of such petty tyrants.  Now...Ryan Choi (aka The All-New Atom) is troubled because he feels like someone is hindering him in his search for the original Atom, Ray Palmer.  Elsewhere, Dean Mayland informs an unknown person that his plans to hinder Ryan is working.  Meanwhile, Ryan and Panda head out to town where they find an old vinyl record store.  Inside, Panda suddenly turns into a hippie.  Through Ivy Town, everyone and everythign is slowly reverting to the way things and people were in the late 60s.  Ryan tracks the one responsible, Xotar from the 120th century and is able to return everything back the way it should be. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

As I was reading this issue, something just did not feel right.  It had all the earmarks of a typical issue, but it just didn’t have the zing and zeal I usually associate with Gail Simone’s writing.  Then I chanced to look at the credits and noticed that Simon wasn’t the writer.  I must give credit to guest writer Stern, or perhaps to the editors, for producing an issue in the tradition of Simone’s writing.  With usual artist Mike Norton on board, this truly felt like it belonged as part of the book, a rarity for most fill-in issues that usually stick out like a sore thumb.  All of the usual cast of characters are here from Panda to the floating head and the Lighter Than Air Society and they all just as goofy as usual.  Even if Simone’s peculiar trademark humor is missing, Stern is still able to achieve a level of looniness (space hippies?) that works so well for this title.  I wish all fill-ins were not only this good, but also so much rooted in the books which they fill in.   

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