Big news today over on the DC Comics blog, The Source for multiple groups of fans.
First off, it's big news for fans of The Atom (Ray Palmer) as they announced the one shot, Brightest Day: the Atom #1 shipping in July which spins out of the post-Blackest Night event Brightest Day with a new look at the DC Universe's resident science genius. After the one shot is released, fans of the The Atom can get their fix in a new co-feature in the pages of Adventure Comics, starting with issue #516.
But this announcement is big news for fans of independent comics creators as well, as the creative team on both the one-shot and the co-features is none other than Jeff Lemire and Mahmud Asrar!
Fans will recgonize Jeff Lemire as the creator behind the hit Essex Country Trilogy, published by Top Shelf, and more recently the original graphic novel for Vertigo/DC Comics The Nobody as well as the hit ongoing series, Sweet Tooth. We've interviewed Jeff a few times at cons and he's never hidden his love for super hero comics, so it's great to see him branching out in this direction. What's interesting also is that he'll be writing these stories for the The Atom and not illustrating them.
The artwork duties will be handled by Mahmud Asrar, who's artwork I absolutely adored in the pages of Dynamo5 from Image Comics. Asrar's art is perfect for superhero books with a kinetic energy to the action scenes combined with expressive characters. This is a creator combination that I would never have guessed and the more I think about it, the more excited I am to see the end result of their collaboration
To top things off, they're even geting a cover by Gary Frank (featured to the right), not too shabby.
You can read more about the new direction for the Atom in the blog post writen by editor Brian Cunningham over on The Source.
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Like this news a lot. The Atom seems like it’d make for an ideal co-feature, and these are two creators who deserve some more limelight. It’ll be interesting to look at a Lemire script as illustrated by a very different artist.
Hmmm. With Jeff Lemire writing, does this mean that Ray Palmer’s going to take up hockey?
Kidding! I’m looking forward to this as well. As Paul said, seeing Lemire as a writer and not writer/artist is going to be something new. I don’t know Mahmud Asrar’s work at all, but I’m going to be picking this up. And great cover!
Great news, I really enjoyed the Blackest Night Atom/Hawkman book and now I get to read the character from one of my favorite writers. I am kind of worried that maybe some of the charm of Lemire’s writing comes from the way he draws characters they just seem to mesh, but I have faith and will be picking it up when it comes out. I also think that this would make a great Don’t Miss due to the fact that as far as I know it is his first time not drawing his own work.
I love the idea of "Death on Ice." Where Ray Palmer has to shrink down to hockey puck size to prevent a murder most foul, and through the process scores the winning goal. I’d buy that.
-J.
I’m very excited to see Lemire write a real full-on super hero book. Asrar is also a great talent that deserves to be more well known. Great pairing, can’t wait to read this.
I hope Ryan Choi is involved somehow.
Excellent news.
Definitely excited for this. It’ll be interesting to see if Lemire can write a superhero book. Giving him The Atom is an ideal start, although when I think about it in my head the two don’t seem to connect….But I’m sure overtime he’ll get used to it.
I’ll defiantly check out the one shot but whether or not l will pick
up Adventure Comics will depends on who the main team and story is.
@mikeandzod21 I believe the main feature will be Paul Levitz stories about the past adventures of the Legion of Superheroes. The first arc is supposed to be a ‘definitive’ starting point for the Legion. The Levitz run starts with 815.
I’m not sure it’s all Legion all the time. We know Levitz is doing an arc but now that we have a huge super-family again it might cycle through stories of Mon-El, Superboy, Nightwing & Flamebird, Legion, maybe the Guardian.
At least that’s what I’m hoping.
It would be cool to see some Atom covers by Lemire from time to time. Should be an awesome run … most def picking it up.
What an intriguing match of writer and character. I hope Mr. Lemire is able to do something interesting with the Atom.
wow, I am for this news 110% but for some reason when I think Jeff Lemiere I didnt think "Superhero scribe". But he’s a good writer and the Atom’s one of those charecters with tragic history and alot of depth
I always liked the idea of two Atoms working together. Really liked Ryan Choi’s Atom and will always love Ray Palmer.
I kind of hope Adventure comics isn’t a cycle of stories. I am begginning to feel the same way Mike Romo felt about it on the podcast recently.
Although if it’s Levitz Legion with Lemire Atom co-features, then I will be more then happy. I have had the Legion bug ever since the Johns/Frank arc. As long as it’s somewhat still new to the legion friendly then I will be ok. (p.s. DC those captions showing characters names and powers really helped )
@TimmyWood I just find it surprising that Legion goes from zero books to 2 ongoings, which is why I’m thinking Adventure will just include Legion stories sometimes as part of the super-family.
@gobo oh I had forgotten about the other Legion book. You are probably right then (As always) 🙂
I’m on board for this wholeheartedly. Can’t wait. Man, DCU is going to be getting a lot of my summer dollars…
Another book to put on my pull list.
I hope Choi falls into a black hole and never returns.
I’m happy about this, for sure.
i can’t wait for a whole series with depressing themes and images of the Atom looking saddly at the reader. That’s ART!
Lars Von Trier can make the film adaptation
Looking forward to the oneshot, but I wish it was not a cofeature in a book I don’t care about. If not a monthly think of another option for this book.
never, ever thought I would pick up an issue of adventure comics, but I will be on #516.
More importantly though, I’ve missed the Atom since Remender’s short run a couple of years ago. Now Jeff Lemire is writing the character!? Eventhough its going to just be a back up, I’m all for it. Hopefully the lead stories of the issues are good. I’ll let this be a good excuse to try something I wouldn’t pick up otherwise.
@edward-Keep in mind that it will be a different artist, so maybe at least visually speaking(big eyes, expressionist line, etc.) , it won’t be too terribly emotional.
@jwaesch: Ah, so it’ll have nothing. Got ya
I want an ongoing!!! I don’t want to have to keep picking up adventure comics. cuz who knows if or when the co-features will ever get trades.
Definitely on board for this, just because of Lemire!
@edward I know sarcasm is fun and all, and great to make points, but in all seriousness I’m just saying it will be interesting to see lemire’s writing through a different artist. Who knows what the outcome will be? Maybe it will bring it more down to earth, possibly it really could make it void of anything substantial, but then again, this is super hero stuff so maybe all preconcieved notions should be thrown out.