Nuclear Fiction - Atomic Heroes!

This month is all about the mighty atom. Steve Diko's first superhero creation was Captain Atom. Joining forces with the indefatigable Joe Gill, Ditko created a hero born of his era in the 1960's, a time besotted with concerns and fascinations with atomic power. It was a time when atomic doom could arrive anytime, but also a time when naively folks thought that atomic power could create a future filled with wonders and with little or no cost. It was a dream and Captain Atom was born of that dream, a military man who was both destroyed and resurrected by an atomic blast. 

A few years later Gold Key designed and presented their own version of an atomic superman in the form of Doctor Solar - Man of the Atom. Like Captain Atom, Solar was subjected to lethal atomic energy, only to have that energy reconstruct him in impossible ways giving him vast powers but also isolating him from his fellow man. Expect weekly excursions into the long career of Doctor Solar as the month goes on. 

I've collected Captain Atom stories many times over. I have all of them in their original comic book form, which we will take a look at as the month rumbles along. But I will be reading rereading them in the sundry collections I have from DC Comics, Famous Comics and elsewhere. The Captain Atom stories, both the earliest yarns from the 60's and the later material from the middle of the decade have fascinating aspects to explore. 

I'll be using the Dark Horse reprint collections to read the Doctor Solar stories. Doctor Solar ran for quite a long time and was handled by some of the best comic artists of the time. I'm very much looking forward to diving into these again. 

So, this month should be fun as the Dojo lights up with atomic power. 

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