I won’t lie to you: Agents of Atlas seems like a pretty
intimidating book. You have characters that have no big-budget movies
under their belt – let alone any long-running series – and a nasty
$3.99 price tag. But there is hope. (Not for the pricetag, we’re all
gonna have to live with that for a while.) This issue spends the good
part of its pages explaining everything you would want to know about
this ragtag rat pack.

For someone who is already familiar with Agents of Atlas, all the
explaining was a bit frustrating. One: it made their ’06-’07 mini
rather obsolete; though there are plenty of things in said mini that
this issue’s recap did/could not touch on, Parker has basically
written off his own work. Two: most of the recap was monologued by
Stormin’ Norman. I know Osborn is supposed to have access to and know
everything there is about superhumans, and that he loves the sound of
his own voice, but if Parker is willing to let Ken Hale (Gorilla Man)
oh so eloquently break the fourth wall with his Continuity Catch-up,
the least he could do is let him give the run down on his own team.

Info dumps aside, this issue was a blast to read. Even though it has
not been that long since I have re-read the mini, I have missed Hale’s
quips and personality that would make him bar buds with Ben Grimm. It’s
also great to see M-11 (for a lack of better adverb) soullessly wreck
havoc on humans, reminding me of the more candied moments of The
(original) Day The Earth Stood Still. Sentry’s page of Superman-style
heroism and as a vapid victim of Venus also made this book worthwhile.

I am unsure where Parker and Woo plan on taking the Atlas Foundation,
but that could’ve also been in part due to this issue’s crippling
reviewing. Still, if you want to have honest, awesome comic book fun,
Agents of Atlas will be sure to (eventually) deliver.