The Atom's in the Spotlight
I'm going to preface this by saying I didn't enter Blackest Night knowing much about Ray Palmer. Through Blackest Night, I have developed a lot of interest in the Atom. I'm not alone in the growing fandom of Atom, Mera, Flash, etc. In that sense, you can call Blackest Night a success since it has highlighted non-Trinity characters and grown an interest in them to the point where you buy issues with those characters.
I enjoyed AAH46 far more than I expected. I felt as if I, as a new Atom reader, got enough history and background on his character while not slowing down the progression of the story. You also get sold on why Ray Palmer is a great fit for the compassionate tribe of Indigo.
The story ties out of BN6 and Green Lantern 50 and ends with a note that ties back to BN7. The issue is a tie-in that provides more fleshing out for the main story. There's a good pacing for Geoff's story while we see Ray have a moment similar to John Stewart had recently in the pages of GL49.
Sook does a good job with the art as the pages look clean and vibrant. I loved the nice touch of Ray radiating light out in an atom pattern. Like Mahnke in GL 50 this week, Sook captures the different emotions well on Palmer's face as he taps into the emotional spectrum. The background touches with The Spectre battle is a nice touch of continuity.
My negatives? Well, you don't learn much about the Indigo Tribe. Of course, that leaves plenty of stories to tell, but it would've been nice to get a little bit of new information through the eyes of a newcomer tribesman. While the big moment of this issue was great, I felt like it deserved a splash page for that significant moment. Also, for it being The Atom and Hawkman there wasn't enough Hawkman to warrant that title as opposed to Sword of the Atom or something Atom-centric.
After reading this issue, I had one question on my mind: Why did DC miss the boat on giving us one-shots on the Deputy Lanterns? Ray, Diana, and Barry each have had an issue showing their interactions with the ring, but what about Mera, Lex Luthor, Ganthet, and Scarecrow? That would've been more relevant than some of these resurrected titles. Overall, I came in with moderate expectations and was pleasantly surprised with a good story that has continued to grow my interest in The Atom. This issue is definitely worth checking out.
