CAPTAIN ATOM
This article came from OVERSTREET'S GOLDEN AGE
QUARTERLY - Issue #2, Oct-Dec '93; pg 100-105 by Guy Budziak.
''A Ripple Of Silver''
Ask anyone who's knowledgeable about comics what they think was Steve Ditko's most
important contribution to the Silver Age, and they'll probably say "Spider-Man". However, ask
that same person what Ditko's first superhero contribution to that era was and see how readily
they answer. It was the resurgence of the superhero that established the Silver Age, and it was
not Marvel, not DC, but Charlton that was the company responsible for bringing to the world
Ditko's first superhero creation. Captain Atom initally appeared in nine issues of Space
Adventures, #33 through #40 and #42. His debut issue hit the stands in December 1959 or January
1960. By this time Ditko had already produced a substantial body of work for both Atlas/Marvel
and Charlton. Charlton had over half a dozen titles in the fantasy /sci-fi vein during the
fifties, and Ditko had done work here and there for all of them, including Strange Suspense
Stories, Out Of This World, and Unusual Tales. Then, in 1959, his work began to appear on a
regular basis in Atlas/Marvel's pre-hero line, in Strange Worlds, Strange Tales, Journey Into
Mystery, and others. So by the time Captain Atom blazed into being, Ditko's distintive drawing
style was pretty well-honed. It's for this reason that these nine issues are of interest to
admirers of Ditko's work.
Now that is not to say that these issues are without their shortcomings. To begin with,
most of the early Captain Atom stories were a mere five pages in length, which didn't allow for
much in the way of plot or charactor development. Also, Charlton had the disappointing habit of
taking panels from the stories and using them for cover art. And, to make matters worse,
contest blurbs were placed on most of these covers as well, further limiting their visual
appeal. Nonetheless, Steve Ditko's talents were the best thing the company ever had going for
it. His efforts succeeded in lifting his Captain Atom work out of the dust of mediocrity and
securing it a place in comic book history.
Charlton could never make up it's mind about supporting the charactor. After the short
Space Adventures run, the company later reprinted those same stories in 1965 in three issues
of Strange Suspense Stories, #75, #76, and #77. Then, starting with issue #78, all-new Captain
Atom stories were presented. He lasted for twelve issues, only to once again be consigned to
oblivion after #89. This second batch of stories, though written with more involvement than the
first, suffered for a different reason. With few exceptions, almost any time you have someone
other than Ditko inking over his pencils, his work is diminished. Such was the case here, with
Rocco Mastroserio handling the inking chores for the first ten issues, and Frank McLaughlin
taking over for the final two. Many years later, in 1987, Captain Atom returned again, only
this time it was DC doing the publishing, after purchasing the rights to most of Charlton's
Silver Age line-up. However, just as before, he was destined to last for only so long; DC
folded the title after 57 issues in 1991.
And just what were the these early Ditko stories like? His illustrative gifts imbued them
with a gentle charm that worked to transcend the limitations of their brevity. There were comely
Venusian vixens and little boys whose eyes were filled to the brim with the wonderment of space,
there were spies and saboteurs intent on undermining our country's noblest efforts. With the
space race well under way at this time, missles, jets, and satillites played a large part in
these stories, especially since Captain Atom was himself an Air Force officer, Captain Atom by
name. The Red Scare was also in full tilt; so we had our fair share of dirty Commies up to their
subversive tricks. There were only two recurring characters in this series (aside from the
Captain): Sgt. Gunner Goslin and President Eisenhower. It was Ike who presented our hero with
his outfit, specially created to contain the otherwise lethal radiation that eminated from
his body.
For collectors, tracking down these issues can take some time. I was able to locate all
nine issues within a space of two to three years, though their condition varies from good to
near-mint. I rarely saw them turn up, either ads or at conversations, and any time one surface
I pounced on it. I'd advise anyone actively seeking these books to keep their eyes peeled,
since some dealers file these in the miscellaneous zone.
Here is a rundown covering all the Ditko Captain Atom stories that appeared in the Space
Adventures issues, with a brief synopsis of each one.
Space Adventures #33 (Mar 1960)
"Introducing Captain Atom" 9 pages
Captain Atom's origin story stands out as his longest. Trapped aboard an Atlas missile with
an atomic warhead, Air Force career-man Captain Adam is presumed dead when missile explodes in
space. He doesn't die, however, but is instead transformed, into being composed of pure
radiation. Returning to earth, he informs his military superiors of his survival and
transformation and is enlisted as a force against the enemy. It's notable that his costume
(although it's gold on the cover) is shown as blue in the story - the only time it's depicted
as such.
Space Adventures #34 (Jun 1960)
"The second man in space" 7 pages
The space race between the United States and the Soviet Union was in full swing, hence this
story of a Russian cosmonaut who loses consciousness as his ship leaves the earth's atmosphere.
Captain Atom flies out to rescue him from certain death, and the Russians are astonished to
learn that their man was not the first in space after all, but was in fact preceded by a
platinum-haired super-being in a gold costume. Right.
Space Adventures #35 (Aug 1960)
"The little wanderer" 5 pages
In "The Little Wanderer", the unique charm of Ditko's art is given a chance to shine when
Captain Atom flies to a distant uncharted Galaxy in order to retrieve a little boy's dream self.
It seems that whenever the lad lapses into sleep, he leaves his body to go cavorting with the
fantastic giant birds in the far reaches of space. Our hero convinces the boy that it would be
best for him to return home to earth, where his parents are worried sick about him. Also in
this issue is a Ditko sci-fi story that does not feature Captain Atom, entitled "Spies From
Another World".
Space Adventures #36 (Oct 1960)
"The Wreck Of X-44" 5 pages
"On PLanet X" 5 pages
Finally, an issue with more than just one Captain Atom story. The first as Captain ''Adam''
at the helm of an experimental space jet, which explodes in flight as the result of sabotage.
Since Captain Adam is also Captain Atom, he not only survives the explosion but is able to
salvage the jet, then attends to the capture of the saboteurs. In the second story he's called
upon to protect Planet X, an American-made satellite that orbits the earth and assists in the
national defense. The satellite itself looks as if it was designed by Rube Goldberg, but
that's part of it's kooky appeal.
Space Adventures #37 (Dec 1960)
"The Space Prowlers" 5 pages
"A Victory For Venus" 5 pages
"Who were these beautiful creatures? Has Captain Atom met his match?" So it asks on the
cover of this issue, where our hero is shown mixing it up with a trio of Venusian females.
After a rocket is launched to orbit Venus and photograph its surface for study, scientists are
surprised to find that the first images to return to earth show these women, hovering in space
around our observation rocket. When they dismantle its cameras, Captain Atom flies out to see
what's up, only to be soundly subdued by blasts from their stun-pistols. His fallen form is
then returned to earth, where he is informed via video screen that the rocket will be destroyed.
In "The Space Prowlers", an alien is discovered trying to steal secret government documents,
and is downed while trying to escape in his ship. Then Captain Atom finds a whole fleet of of
aliens hovering above earth, and he is nearly overcome by the force of their combined firepower.
Before succumbing, however, he chooses to self-detonate, creating an explosion of nuclear
proportions. That eliminates the threat of the fleet, but the Mothership from whence they came
still has to be dealt with, and it is summarily destroyed with a beam focused by the Captain
through a telescope in the White House. Thanks Ike.
Space Adventures #38 (Feb 1961)
"One Second Of War" 5 pages
"Backfire" 5 pages
"The Force Beyond" 5 pages
This particular issue is of special interest for a couple of reasons. One is that this is
the only one containing three Ditko stories. Also, none of these stories were included in the
Strange Suspense Stories reprints published a few years later. Raging scientists, malevolent
dictators, and mysterious alien forces all figure into this batch of stories. In the first,
a nuclear holocaust is imminent, until Captain Atom is able to herd a group of deadly missiles
into space, where they can explode far enough away to do no harm. The same sort of threat is
also presented in the second story, only this time a slighly different solution is applied. And
in the final tale, an unknown force is meddling in the affairs of mankind, hurling meteors at
Captain Atom as he tries to communicate to earth the message that will advert the threat of war
between the two superpowers.
Space Adventures #39 (Apr 1961)
"Test Pilot's Nightmare" 5 pages
"An Ageless Weapon" 5 pages
This issue also contains three Captain Atom stories, bu only two are illustrated by Ditko.
The third is renderd by Charlton stalwart Rocco Mastroserio, who would also draw two more
stories for #42. Mastroserio's work never exactly lit the world on fire, and seeing his art
juxtaposed alongside Ditko's makes it that much easier to see why Ditko is considered such a
distintive talent. In "Test Pilot's Nightmare", Captain Atom succeeds in saving the life of a
flyer on board an experimental test plane. In "An Ageless Weapon", he is assigned in civilian
guise to deliver secret documents to NATO headquaters in Berlin, where he is forced at gunpoint
to travel behind the Iron Curtain. In East Berlin he encounters Valdimir Kossi, a leading
Communist intelligence agent, but the Reds don't stand a chance against the Captain's special
powers.
Space Adventures #40 (Jun 1961)
"The Crisis" 7 pages
"The Boy And The Stars" 5 pages
A rocket misfires, and the fault lies with one man, a technician whose son lies dying
from a fatal disease. Captain Atom senses his distress, and travels with the child through
distant space, to where a star radiates a healing force that counteracts the effects of the
illness. "The Boy And The Stars" is reminiscent of "The Little Wanderer" in #35, where another
kid was in peril. In "The Crisis" some cosmetic slight of hand is used to disguise Captain Atom
as an American diplomat. Kidnapped by the Reds en route to a summit conference, he is advised
to speak exactly as told during the event, under threat of certain death. Instead, he reveals
their plot to all in attendance, weathering the force of their bullets before the real diplomat
is brought in to conclude the conference, as Captain Atom speeds to Russia to stop their
missile attack in the nick of time.
Space Adventures #42 (Oct 1961)
"The Silver Lady From Venus" 5 pages
The final issue starring Captain Atom, with three stories, but only the third is drawn by
Ditko. He ends the series with "The Silver Lady From Venus", yet another sultry seductress
from the planet of love. Her otherworldly beauty and hypnotic allure work to effectively addle
the senses of our greatest scientific minds, forcing Captain Atom to act. But instead of
returning her to her home planet, he transports her to a location somwhere behind the Iron
Curtain, so she can work her mischief against the Reds rather than on us. Thus ends the first
series of Captain Atom stories, who won't be seen again in print until 1965.
So during the dawn of the Silver Age the Charlton Comics Group chose to test the waters,
so to speak. They dipped their toe into the silvery stream, and from the ensuing ripple Captain
Atom was born. Granted, it was merely a ripple, not the kind of splash created by Marvel or DC.
But there are times when even a ripple deserves a closer look, especially when both the ripple
and the splash were created in part by one individual, a memorable and prolific artist named
Steve Ditko.
STRANGE SUSPENSE STORIES - CAPTAIN ATOM REPRINTS
#75 (Jun 1965)
"Introducing Captain Atom" (SA #33)
"On Planet X" (SA #36)
"The Second Man In Space" (SA #34)
#76 (Aug 1965)
"The Wreck Of X-44" (SA #36)
"The Little Wanderer" (SA #35)
"Test Pilot's Nightmare" (SA #39)
"A Victory For Venus" (SA #37)
#77 (Oct 1965)
"The Silver Lady From Venus" (SA #42)
"An Ageless Weapon" (SA #39)
"The Boy And The Stars" (SA #40)
"The Space Prowlers" (SA #37)
For those unable to locate or afford the Space Adventures series, these reprint issues
tend to be much easier to find, and are just as much worth collecting. Charlton did a top-notch
job of presenting them the second time around, giving them handsome covers and almost no filler
material.
If you have any stories or articles concerning Ditko's Captain Atom, please E-MAIL me.
You will receive full credit for your contributions.