I loved the ‘Agents of Atlas’ miniseries, and I was thrilled to see it launched into an ongoing title.  For the first few issues, though, the book didn’t seem to find its stride.  It felt too wrapped up in working with ‘Dark Reign,’ and with guest appearances.  The appealing personalities of the team that made the mini such a joy haven’t really gotten a chance to shine, and the art didn’t have a consistent look.

But with issue #6, Jeff Parker’s story gets back to its roots — I cheered the reintroduction of Derek Khanata, the Wakandan (now ex-)SHIELD agent from the miniseries, and was happy to see the Agents’ team dynamics move back to front and center.  Also, there’s a general rule that any Namor appearance will bump a book’s rating for me, but this is a meaningful, substantive use of Namor that picks up the story of his undersea kingdom. 

And the art — wow!  I keep flipping through thes pages by Gabriel Hardman, with perfect colors by Jana Schirmer, just to take it in.  Even if you’re not buying this book, just pick it up and flip through because this is worth looking at.

The story isn’t  perfect; it’s a little exposition-y in places, and I miss the strong character that team leader Jimmy Woo was in the mini; he’s mostly upstaged by the supporting cast here. But it’s a great supporting cast and, considering how much information there is to convey and keep readers up to speed on, the storytelling is solid.  I can definitely once again see the potential for what this book could be if Marvel gives it room to breathe.