DCU Comic Book Reviews

THE ALL NEW ATOM #17

The Atom And The Amazon

January 2008

Written by Gail Simone

Pencils by Mike Norton

Inks by Trevor Scott

Cover by Ladrönn

Synopsis

In the midst of teaching class, Ryan Choi (aka The Atom) realizes that the students are more interested in the fact that he is a superhero than what he is teaching.  After class, professor Doris Zuel (aka Giganta) appears to confirm their date for later that night.  However, closely watching Giganta are Agents Tom Tresser and Diana Prince from the Department of Metahuman Affairs.  Elsewhere, Panda is visited by a stranger who hypnotizes Panda to kill the Atom.  Meanwhile, Agent Prince contacts Ryan and asks that he wear a wire during his date.  During the date, Ryan becomes infatuated with Doris and is determined he can rehabilitate her.  So, he removes the wire.  Agent Prince tries to get him to put it back on, but he refuses.  She then turns into Wonder Woman and tries to tell Ryan that are not after Giganta, but someone else.  Just then Doris spots them and thinks she has been betrayed by Ryan with Wonder Woman.  Giganta attacks and Wonder Woman fights back.  When Ryan tries to stop Wonder Woman, Giganta is able to get away.  Meanwhile, Agent Tresser decides to quarantine Ivy Town and shut it down for good. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

“Will you be needing help pumping gas, Agent Prince?”

It was announced some time ago that Simone would be taking over the writing chores for Wonder Woman and her first issue will come out the same month as this issue.  However, I would be curious to know if this issue was written before or after she was picked to write Wonder Woman.  Not that really makes a difference.  Despite Diana’s guest starring role, this is still Ryan’s book (but it doesn’t stop Simone for making a pointed barb at a moment for Jodi Picoult’s run on the WW book).  Simone makes a good decision to keep the focus on Ryan rather than turn this issue over to Wonder Woman and make it the Diana Show.  Because of that, this issue works.   

Moreover, I enjoyed this issue if simply for the relationship between Doris and Ryan, a contrast in different people that work well together.  She is the strong one of the duo, the one who grows in stature and dominates them while Ryan shrinks in stature and tries to accommodate his date.  I like both of their scenes together and was actually disappointed when Doris became so enraged at Ryan’s “betrayal” so quickly.  Perhaps at the end of the day Simone will keep Doris around; I think it would be an interesting character arc to keep her as Ryan’s girlfriend trying her best to turn her life around.

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