Pre-Crisis Primer: Redux?

Atom Special #1

“The Atom's Farewell”

None of this happens in this issue.

While not the worst story I've read thus far in the Pre-Crisis Primer, 'The Atom's Farewell,' especially coming off the exciting adventure of the previous Atom mini-series, is the most disappointing so far.

The format of this particular issue, a double-sized (48 pages!) one-shot special, promised a rousing new adventure presumably concerning Ray Palmer returning to the Amazon jungle and searching for the lost Morlaidhans. Morlaidhans, if you don't feel like clicking the link above, are small, yellow and believe Ray to be some kind of god-warrior. Women want to fuck him and men want to be him. Not bad for the ego and not really all that surprising that Ray wants to divorce is wife, leave his teaching job at Ivy University and live in the Amazon with the tiny alien lemons. While the issue does technically deliver on most of what I mention above, it fails on the 'rousing' part, which is kind of important for a comic book.

Ray's angry his ex-wife saved him from certain death in the Amazon. Gritty.

What's cool about this book off the bat: the story is structured from the point of view of numerous characters, among them Ray's ex-wife Jean Loring and her lover, Paul Hoben, reading the autobiography that Ray wrote with his ex, titled 'The Atom's Farewell.' Written before Ray leaves for the Amazon, deciding that he will uncover the whereabouts of Laethwyn and the Morlaidhans or perish, the book goes into some detail about Ray's history, the discovery that turned him into the superhero, The Atom, as well as his and Jean's courtship and eventual marriage. All good information and an interesting set-up for the dissolution both of the marriage and Ray's life, but then the book launches into a not-so-rousing adventure.

This 48-page comic, pretty art notwithstanding, spends almost half its length recapping the events from the previous 'Sword of Atom' mini-series. I'm a big fan of the adage that 'every comic is someone's first' and that some exposition on the characters and situation should be worked into the story, but usually this can be done in a few panels, a page at most, not half the freaking book.

Here, in case you forgot what happened. Loin cloths and ladies.

Under the assumption of being so clever, the writer fell in love with the concept of telling his story through an autobiography written by his characters, that the actual meat of the story, Ray returning to the site of the wrecked Morlaid and reuniting with Laethwyn and his fellow warriors, is relegated to epilogue. Forty pages of back-story and recap; 8 pages of new story that accomplishes little beyond setting up the next Atom adventure.

Not terrible, but highly disappointing. As a fan of the original 'Sword of the Atom' mini, I was looking forward to these continuing adventures, not a summation of what I already know. In terms of overall DC continuity, The Atom, The Justice League's resident scientist will not be available when the impending Crisis hits. 

Reunion! Literally the only new aspect of this story.