Turtles Rule
Captain Atom #5 at long last forces our hero to confront the creature that has been foreshadowed throughout the first 4 issues, which puts to rest some of the fears I was developing, but at the same time I feel Krul has introduced the beast in such a strong way in this part of the story that it kinda makes it's appearances in the previous issues meaningless: everything we gleamed from past events is told to us in a very satisfactory way in a couple of pages. This is in no way a negative thing for this issue, though, as the story continues on, tying the stories together and exploring the guilt and turmoil Cap is experiencing in a very well done manner.
J.T. Krul really sells the regret and conflict going on in Atoms mind as he reflects on what he did last issue and what he could possibly cause because of a single accident. The character work is also done well. Doctor Alexander comes across as a just another cliche "obviously in love with the hero's romantic interest so he naturally acts like a dick" type of person, but in his last appearance of this book he seems to relent in a very, very subtle way as he wonders if Cap could in fact save her after what happened last issue. He also expresses more ideas about the nature of Captain Atoms powers and what he's capable of, making him a necessary, while somewhat unlikable, character. Megala is another character that plays in slight ways on the tropes, being technical and calculating and almost sinister while at the same time admitting to his sense of responsibility to the Captain, again making him subtly different from other such stock characters (though whether it's intentional and if I'm reading too much into this is up to you). The plot itself is done very well, and the meeting between the creature and Atom feels very natural and hints at the things yet to come.
The visuals are just fantastic. The inking, the colors the pencils and, more than anything, the contrasts between characters and scenes really make this issue shine. Plus I loved the turtle in the opening page. Just looked really cool. Don't pay too much attention to that.
While I can't say it's the most well done issue that came out this week on a technical or emotional or even story-telling way (that honor would probably go to Batman, IMHO), this is probably my favorite issue to come out this week, and probably the best issue of this arc thus far. After reading the string of disappointing pieces Krul has done recently (did NOT like Green Arrow at all this reboot), it's nice to see him pull off such a fantastic series. Shame this title is getting little attention. C'est la vie.
