On this birthday anniversary of the late great Steve Ditko it is only fitting and proper that I reflect on one of my favorite heroes, his Cold War co-creation with Joe Gill, the awesome Captain Atom. Captain Atom flew out of the pages of Charlton when superheroes were relatively rare and never had his own comic book title. When Charlton revived superheroes in the late 60's under the guidance of Dick Giordano, it was only appropriate that Captain Atom was the spearhead of that brief movement. But these were "Action Heroes" to quote Giordano, so Captain Atom's mighty powers were necessarily diminished to allow him to fit into a universe somewhat less overwhelming splendid.
While some prefer the golden uniform, I've always cottoned to his red, blue and silver suit which showcased his face and the shocking white hair. Captain Atom like most of the "Action Heroes" was a brief encounter on the stands, but was scooped up by DC and has become a linchpin of that company's many iterations of its universe.
Captain Atom has proven to be a lasting concept at DC, but I'll always remember his halcyon Charlton days.
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Hands down, Ditko is right up there with the best.
ReplyDeleteIt's odd, I miss him now even though he was pretty much a recluse and did no interviews or such, the reality of his passing leaves a hole.
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