Customer Reviews

All-New Atom (Book 1): My Life in Miniature

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Entertainment Weekly called this book the "Best New Ongoing Comic Book of the Year." Based upon the first six issues collected here, it appears that the hype may have been a little too much for the creators to handle. The handoff of art chores between veteran John Byrne and Eddy Barrows isn't quite seemless, as it comes between issues #3 and #4 in the middle of the first story arc. The writing, by Gail Simone, is fresh and funny, but the story (about a war between science and magic in Ivy Town) is too much for just six issues where the main character and supporting cast are also introduced.

"The All-New Atom" faced an uphill battle, as newcomer Ryan Choi replaces long-time fan favorite Ray Palmer as the World's Smallest Superhero. But it's a battle Simone fights with glee, and one that, by the end of this volume, she's begun to win.

The story focuses around Ryan Choi's arrival in Ivy Town, home to the legendary (but missing) Ray Palmer. Ryan is a genius scientist from China and a long-time pen pal of Ray's, so he leapt at the chance to fill in for his mentor as a professor at the presigious Ivy University. But not all is right in Ivy Town, and that's where the wonder kicks in.

Ivy Town is a place that could only truly exist in the DC Universe. It's quirky concept - a city where so many weird things have happened, that nature has begun to bend and reality break - takes an issue or two to get used to, despite how much it delves into DC History. But, soon enough you'll find yourself laughing as you realize the quirks and eccentricities that make Ivy Town special...and don't worry: no prior knowledge of the DC Universe is necessary to understand or enjoy the story.

Ryan Choi proves to be an entertaining hero as he combats such threats as Giganta, an alien invasion from a race called the Waiting, and a Lovecraftian cancer god, but a lot of the best aspects of the story come from the supporting cast - most notably, from the Lighter than Air Society, a group of scientific geniuses who gather to play cards, drink, and invent insane devices to aid Ryan in his struggles.

If you have a thirst for the bizarre, arcane, or occult, The All-New Atom might be the hero for you. If you like quirky science adventures, The All-New Atom might be the hero for you. And, most of all, if you like a book that's just flat-out fun, The All-New Atom might be the hero for you.

You can read about it at other reviews, but frankly, although I love earlier comics by Gail Simone, this one is for die hard DC fans only. No humor, no intriguing plot...just a superhero book with all stars creative team which , well, almost failed...unfortunately !

This book could have been a lot better. For as much as he's hyped, John Byrne killed enjoyment for me. The art just wasn't that good. The volume as a whole is mediocre. I don't think I will be picking up volume 2.

Ray Palmer, best known to DC Comics readers as the Atom, had good reason to go into hiding. But DC, in its tireless effort to make sure all standing heroes are instantly replaced by new, hipper versions, might have rushed a bit in getting this all new Atom onto the shelves.

"My Life in Miniature," starring Palmer's Hong Kong protege Ryan Choi, is not a very good story.

It strives to be serious -- an entire town has gone crazy, the U.S. president is a target and the world as we know it is at risk -- but it also tries to be funny with a massive and sentient cancerous mass, a 30-foot-tall naked woman, wacky scientist sidekicks, flea-sized invaders who live on dogs and alien attackers whose syntax comes from the Yoda School of Good English. And yet, for all its attempts at humor, I laughed only once -- when Choi, who has been swallowed by the giant naked woman (at the end of their first date), stimulates her gag reflex from within, and she vomits both Choi and the remains of her burrito dinner onto a horde of attacking insect-like aliens. Ha ha ha!

That one panel aside, the book isn't very funny, the threats never feel very serious and a lot of stuff just happens without much explanation. We already know Ray Palmer will soon be returning to the fold, so DC probably would have been wiser to let the Atom costume sit in the closet for a few months. Instead, they hurried this anemic replacement along and tarnished the Atom's good name.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.NET editor

There's no doubt that Ms. Gail Simone is one of the best writers in comics, and her work on ALL-NEW ATOM is further proof. The characters, the storylines, and the general sense of fun make this series a must-read. Reading about superheroics amidst life on a college campus makes me recall the early issues of SPIDER-MAN, when stong plots, outlandish villains, and great supporting characters appeared issue after issue. Finally, kudos to Ms. Gail for introducing an Asian superhero, who isn't just a mere sidekick and who isn't yet another martial arts expert. Ryan Choi is portrayed as being smart, funny and sexually attractive, a true rarity (unfortunately) in today's books. I gave up reading comics years ago after entering college, but Ms. Simone's work is the reason why I've picked them up again. Highly recommended.

I won't recap the story here, but it's good. What's not to love about a young professor of science who comes to Ivy City to take both Ray's day job and night job (sometimes)?

The books doesn't waste a lot of time depicting why and how Ryan Choi takes up the mantle of the Atom, it just cuts right to action and mystery. Gail Simone has done some great writing in the last few years and I think this is a prime example of it. Also I thought John Byrne's art fit the comic great. It's simple and fun. The story is fun but not so simple. It's just great comic booking.

Thumbs up!

A breath of fresh air. Gail Simone's wildly imaginative and inventive ALL-NEW ATOM is one of the few books on the stands that's consistently fun and original, blending Silver Age and postmodern ideas to create a comic with a hip, tongue-in-cheek vibe. Ryan Choi is part young rookie and part mad scientist, never coming across as a cipher or token minority, and he's surrounded by a nicely geeky supporting cast. Ivy Town itself is a nexus for the bizarre and the unusual, where cancer gods and sideways-speaking aliens exist alongside pilgrims and curiously cheery townsfolk. Simone blends old and new characters, alien armies, B-list supervillains, and a giant crazed naked woman.

The collection does suffer from uneven art- John Byrne's work is scratchier than normal, and is a sharp contrast to the work by Eddy Barrows later in the trade. But it's a minor quibble when the writing is this good. In an era where superhero comics are pressured to be gritty and deadly serious, it's good to see one that bucks the trend, and revels in just being fun. It's witty, snazzy, sharp, and sexy, and grab it while you can, because you can't find this sort of lunacy anywhere else.

I'm going to have to reread this one sometime. First impression - so, so. I'm a diehard Gil Kane fan and a silver age Atom fan and this will take some getting used to, at least until Ray Palmer gets back. And make no mistake about it, Ray Palmer will be back. Maybe it won't be for a couple of years until DC decides to pull another one of it's "Crisis" events and kill off some other "minor" characters and return Ray, along with Blue Beetle and who knows who else...but Ray will be back. In the meantime, as the saying goes.."the jury's out on this one." As for the rating, I would give this a 2 1/2, not a 3, but there are'nt any 1/2 ratings.

Right after Identity Crisis a Ray Palmer story would have been amazing but no, lets take a random teenager and have him for no real reason at all put on the Atom costume and call himself the Atom. Complete crapola.