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" In the latest of our comprehensive series of reviews of DC Comics&amp;#039; 52 relaunched titles, we take a look at Captain Atom #1. Who&amp;#039;s it by? Captain Atom #1 is written by JT Krul (Green Arrow) and drawn by Freddie Williams II (JSA All-Stars). What&amp;#039;s the history? Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko in 1960&amp;#039;s Space Adventures #33. Allen Adam was a man vaporised in an exploding experimental rocket only to reform himself and gain superpowers. The property was one of those obtained by DC (alongside others including Blue Beetle and the Question). Re-introduced in 1987 by DC, Captain Atom was now Nathaniel Christopher Adam, a US Air Force officer framed for a crime he did not commit. Sentenced to death, he was offered the alternative of participating in a dangerous experiment with an alien spaceship and a nuclear warhead. Surviving, Adam was bonded with the ship, granting him invulnerable metal skin and powers linked to the &amp;#039;Quantum Field&amp;#039;, and thrusting him 18 years into the future. Captain Atom played a central role in the &amp;#039;Armageddon 2001&amp;#039; event and much-maligned Countdown to Final Crisis, and also spent some time in the WildStorm universe. Atom was the inspiration for the far more famous Dr Manhattan from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons&amp;#039; Watchmen. Adam most recently appeared in the &amp;#039;Brightest Day&amp;#039; tie-in Justice League: Generation Lost, which concluded with him lost in the time stream. What&amp;#039;s new? Captain Atom appears largely unchanged by the relaunch. He retains the same power set and his origin seems to be unaltered. It seems that the events of Generation Lost have been undone - as far as Adam&amp;#039;s disappearance is concerned, at least - though he does continue to struggle with his developing powers. Williams depicts Adam as a blue energy being more in keeping with Dr Manhattan than the metallic-skinned version of recent years. Captain Atom is another title that does not directly address any of the overarching changes introduced in the New 52, and could have easily appeared as it is before the relaunch. What happens? Captain Atom is introduced fighting against a generic, robot-suited foe, when he discovers that something strange is happening to his powers. Visiting his ally Dr Megala at the Continuum laboratory, Atom learns that the changes in his powers may prove fatal. Cautioned to refrain from using his abilities until they can be more certain of their limits, Captain Atom nevertheless rushes to prevent a catastrophe in New York City. Disaster ensues. Meanwhile, a very unusual rodent is haunting the alleyways of San Francisco... What&amp;#039;s the verdict? Captain Atom suffers from some poor decisions in the storytelling. JT Krul attempts to inject some drama into the proceedings, but an insufficiently established star leaves it to fall flat on its face. This debut issue is very much focused on Captain Atom&amp;#039;s powers - the way they are changing, and how this might spell disaster for him. It would have been better served introducing Nathaniel Adam to us first, explaining to new readers just who he is and where his powers came from. Instead we are thrown in at the deep end with some not-altogether clear explanations of his changing abilities. It is quite difficult to be interested or concerned at this point. Catpain Atom is not the only character that suffers in his introduction. The young assistant Ranita is fleshed out quite well, but the apparently more significant Dr Megala remains a mystery. Who is he, and what is his connection to Atom? Why is he wheelchair bound? New readers will be confused, not to mention put off by his irritating speech and propensity to insert acronyms into the dialogue for no reason. Freddie Williams&amp;#039;s art is the saving grace of this comic. It is not clear whether Captain Atom has lost the metal shell or if this is just the way it is being illustrated, but nevertheless he contrasts brightly against the darker shades of the world, and it really establishes him as the star of the title. Unfortunately, the art of the last scene confuses, and it is not clear whether New York is under attack by a volcano or some huge smokestacks. Captain Atom is confusing and underdeveloped. Any concern the reader might have at the climax (and there is plenty of potential for that) is lost because there is no emotional connection established with the comic&amp;#039;s star. The issue is a pleasure to look at, but we do not think that it will be dragging readers back to find out what happens to Atom.  &amp;gt; Buy the digital version of Captain Atom #1 &amp;gt; Read our review of Wonder Woman #1 Watch The New 52 introduction video from DC Comics below:      "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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