Writer: Tom Peyer
Artist: Steve Yeowell
Publisher: DC Comics
Released: 6th May 2015
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every single panel of these two short issues of Convergence- The Atom, and just like everything else that I enjoy so much, knowing it has now ended has left me with mixed feelings.
I’m sad that it’s ended so quickly, but happy at the same time that I got to enjoy it at all. Sounds corny, eh? Well, yeah it does, but corny is an emotion, so that’s okay, right? Hey, I’m an emotional guy you know, if you ignore me (and most do) does it not make me internally bleed? Okay, not really, but you get my point? What was my point? Hang on, I’m getting there.
You know what? I don’t even know what the whole ‘Convergence’ event is all about. Still don’t, though I am intrigued now. All I know is that I looked at the previews, they didn’t look like much fun, so I opted out of the event, just picking up ‘The Atom’ because I like lucky dips, because sometimes you get something really tasty when you take a random punt on something.
The Atom was my extremely lucky dip, and it reminded me that there are good comic books out there, fun comic books, and not everything has to be about the heavy real world issues that are largely peppered throughout the reviews here on my blog.
I won’t be talking about politics here. Let’s have some fun instead. Atom #2 is gloriously colourful, big, bright, light, clear and happy. There’s no darkness here. This is a fun comic book, a comic book that looks like something that would have made me smile as a kid. I love that. Why does everything have to be ‘dark?’ The world is dark enough, depressing enough, so let’s put some light into our comic books. I want the pages to shine on my face, to light it up like a sunbeam, to force me to smile, to force me to abandon negativity and pessimism. That is what both the art and the writing in ‘The Atom #2’ does, and I love it, and thank it for doing so.
I’m not going to talk about the plot. I don’t want to spoil it for people who have yet to read the book. Instead I will say two things about it, two things that those who have read the book will recognise, and those who have yet to read the book will have a delightful time in discovering.
Two things:
1- Little hands.
2- It’s not all about you.
That second point is something that we all need to become better acquainted with, myself included, big time.
I really do hope that writer Tom Peyer and artist Steve Yeowell get to work together again. I’m being corny (again) here, but they know how to do happy. They know how to make the reader smile, and that is one heck of a talent. To be able to make people smile, wow, that’s something special, and very rare.
It has been such a joy to experience this little treasure of a comic book. Okay, get ready for some corn, but I don’t care. I’m looking at the book now, as I finish off this review, and all I can see is a metaphorical rainbow of bright, effervescent comic book happiness, winking at me from my battered old work desk.
Read my other reviews. I can be a miserable old git. I can be sarcastic and cruel and I will tear something apart that I myself wouldn’t have a hope of replicating. Yes, I can suck sometimes, so when I say over the top positive things about a comic book you know it must have had an impact on me. Two issues, that’s all it was, but two issues that I really enjoyed, and two issues that I will fondly remember as a bright beam of happiness that reminded me of why I started reading comic books in the first place.
Comic books are supposed to make you smile, they are supposed to be fun. This book was fun, a lot of fun, and smile? Yes, it made me smile, it made me smile a lot, and so the review is over and I want to finish it with two words, two words to everybody involved at DC Comics. It’s corny, but this entire review has been corny and I really want to say it, so here goes:
Thank you.
Rating: 10/10 (A smiling reviewer banishes negativity, relaxes and enjoys a fantastically bright, positive and happy little comic book)
