I like this take on Captain Atom. After his transformation into a nuclear-powered superhero, the Captain has all this power, attention, and fear at what he might do. He no longer sees or interacts with the world the same way, and desperately wants to reintegrate himself into society.

For all the comic nerds out there, he’s basically Doctor Manhattan, if Manhattan actually tried to retain his humanity and re-enter society. There are moments of action, but the book itself is mostly laidback and introspective. The story shows the Captain interacting with different parts of the world (the government, the general public, the superhero community), and showing how they react to his presence. It’s a *very* different kind of superhero story, especially when compared to the other New52 books that were coming out at the time.

The art is different too. While normal humans are drawn with regular inks, Captain Atom is made with these chalky, pastel brushes that really sell him as someone separated from the rest of the world and emphasize how his powers continually destroy and rebuild him, molecule by molecule. It’s a cool look that distinguishes Captain Atom from other books that helps accentuate the story. Big thumbs up in my book!

So why is this just 3 stars? That comes down to Captain Atom himself. For someone who wants to rejoin humanity, he has a difficult time showing it. He’s a very distant character, and I wish he actually took some steps *himself* at reintegrating. Like joining the Justice League or something! Without that, Atom comes across as a little mopey. Come on man, go for it! Push yourself!

So yeah, Captain Atom vol 1 is a *very* different kind of superhero book. It’s not great, but it’s not bad either. I don’t think it’s a must read, but for those of you out there looking for story that has a very different tone from most superhero books, you may want to give this a look.