Atari Force Month: Issue #5 Review

The beginning of Atari Force #5 feels like it's skipped a beat. From the end of the previous issue to the start of this one, at least one highly significant conversation must have taken place off-panel. Because all of a sudden Tempest, Dart, and Martin Champion are working as a team, despite being totally at odds the last time we saw them. It's a jarring way to begin, and attention-grabbing in its confusion. I'm not sure how well Gerry Conway manages to clear up that confusion over the course of the issue, but he does at least attempt to do so. The rest of the script rolls forward via its own momentum, putting together the full Atari Force team for the first time and hurtling them toward their nemesis.

Plot-wise, this is an atypically focused issue. In the past, the narrative has had to jump between characters on different worlds doing different things, but this is more of a continuous single story. Martin and the team he rounds up steal the Scanner One, his old spaceship, and fly it out into the Multiverse in search of the horrible menace Martin discovered hiding there. It is a little unclear to me why, since he now has empirical proof of this threat's existence, he can't show that to anyone at A.T.A.R.I. I know that in recent years he has been dismissed as crazy, but that just makes,  "See, guys? I told you so!" seem like an obvious route to take. And it might mean having their support on his mission rather than being a criminal.

Whatever his reasons, Martin takes the ship by force. Or rather, he directs Tempest and Dart as they take the ship by force. Morphea shows up and is understandably concerned by what she sees, even feebly trying to stop it. But Martin convinces her, too, to join his rag-tag band, and she agrees on the condition that Babe be brought along as well. That leaves only Pakrat, who ends up on Scanner One by coincidence, using it as a place to hide from his brother. He climbs aboard only seconds before the ship departs, and isn't discovered by the rest of them until they've gone too far to turn back. So like it or not, these people are the new Atari Force, led by Martin Champion in search of an unknown, unnamed terror.

 

And several of them don't like it. Pakrat, though good-humored about it, has no interest in this kind of death-defying adventure. He faints a few times at the thought of dying, and is the least prepared, emotionally or intellectually, to deal with what's going on. Well, no, that would be Babe, really, but because he has Morphea looking after him I give him an edge over Pakrat. Tempest, as is his nature, gets all hissy about something his dad does, and expresses regret at having come along in the first place. Then, as is also his nature, he flees to a corner of the Multiverse to sulk. So everyone's not exactly on the same page aboard the Scanner One, but that doesn't seem to bother her captain whatsoever.

Martin's whole approach is very funny. He has been so single-mindedly chasing the same monster for so long, now that it is in his sights, his attitude is so extremely in the camp of "the end justify the means" that he's willing to take on Pakrat, a criminal stowaway, as well as risk his son's life and possibly strand the entire team in the infinity of the Multiverse. Part of his plan is to destroy Scanner One's navigation chip so that, in case the ship is apprehended, there will be no way to trace it back to New Earth. That's a brazen enough idea on its own, because it means relying on Tempet's powers to get home, and he's still  mastering his control over them. But what makes it border on comedy is that Martin destroys the chip so suddenly, in the middle of explaining his reasons for it, and without any warning to or input from his crew. It's not even a his way or the highway situation, because there is no highway. Everyone's already stuck on Scanner One with him, so now they've just got to live with his bullheaded leadership.

It's safe to say the team dynamics are working for me so far. And Conway is a capable team book writer, if this issue is any indication. Everyone has their own roles, specific duties to fulfill in the narrative and on the team. They each get their fair share of stage time, and they all interact with each other to some degree. There's even a handy monologue summarizing their personalities and histories for any potential new readers, but written succinctly enough not to turn off old readers, either. I would offer this as a solid jumping on point to this title, were it coming out today. It very plainly explains who everyone is, why they're part of the group, and what they're trying to accomplish. It might even make more sense if you were new, because you wouldn't be wondering how Martin talked Dart and Tempest into joining him before the issue began.

There's even a nice introduction to Rident, Pakrat's brother and arch-rival. Rident speaks before a few members of A.T.A.R.I., first as a witness to Scanner One's theft, but then arguing that he should be the one to bring the thieves in. Because of his experience with Pakrat, he says, he's the perfect man for the job, and he's convincing enough for the folks at A.T.A.R.I. They give him a loaner ship and send him on his way, at which point his character takes a slight but significant turn. Pure, boiling rage in his eyes, he declares that the only way to restore his family's honor is to murder Pakrat, which it's safe to assume isn't great news for the rest of Atari Force either. It transforms Rident from nuisance to legitimate villain.

The panel where Rident announces his murderous intent is fantastic, and an example of a particular strength of Ross Andru's in this issue. He does big images well; because his work is so detailed all the time, when he does a close-up or a splash image, there is an astounding craftsmanship to it. Everything looks alive, even the inanimate objects. They look tangible, anyway, true-to-life even in this sci-fi setting. Rident's fury is Andru zeroing in on a single smaller image and making it remarkably intricate, but he's just as impressive in the panels that take full pages. The second page of this book, where Tempest and Dart make their moves against Scanner One's only guard, is incredible. It makes me care about the guard, gets a laugh out of me from Tempest, and puts Dart back in the thick of the action where she's at her best. And it does all of that with striking beauty.

The ultimate triumph of the art in this issue, though, is the final page. Basically a pin-up of the Dark Destroyer ---he gets named on the cover, though still not in the script, yet, but I'm going to count it---it's the perfect blend of imposing and ridiculous for this kind of major cosmic villain. Chills and chuckles, all at once.

That final splash is also the tail end of a scene that tells us, not unexpectedly, that Dark Destroyer knew the Scanner One would seek him out eventually. It's well-established that he's familiar with Dart and "her family," and last issue he nabbed one of Martin's probes, so he's obviously a knowledgeable dude. His preparedness isn't shocking or scary by itself, but Andru brings home all the drama of that moment anyway with his impeccable penciling. He also gives all three of the Destroyer's nameless henchmen awesome designs that have almost nothing to do with each other. For a single panel, that's some serious care.

I like that Conway doesn't waste time in bringing Atari Force to the Dark Destroyer. The cover of the issue is a lie, because nobody actually sees the enemy's face, but they are at least adjacent to his ship in their own. They know where he is, and he knows they know and has been expecting them. And what they don't know is that Rident's on their tail. It's not sufficient for Conway to just assemble his team, he wants to throw them right into their first conflict, too. A newly-created Atari Force sandwiched between their foes is a nice, clean, high-drama situation, and farther than many comicbook teams get in the issue where they're formed. That gives me great hope that next issue, when they'll be starting in this position, some major shit can go down.

Atari Force Month: Issue #4 Review

Like the second issue, Atari Force #4 fails to get very far in terms of narrative advancement. Unlike the second issue, though, this one has a thematic reason for taking a breather, and it ends on one of the most important plot points yet. It still feels like a bit of a drag in the storytelling, but it's not a weak issue, necessarily, just a calmer and less thrilling one than they've tended to be until now.

All of the stories in the issue are connected to the concept of family, and the issue itself is titled "Families," so Gerry Conway isn't aiming at subtlety here. The main focus is on Dart returning to New Earth, reuniting with her parents and surrogate brother Tempest. It's nice to see her in a safe place, surrounded by love instead of war, but I will say that I much prefer badass, self-sufficient mercenary Dart to the woman she is at home. Not that there is anything wrong with her, per se, but in the company of her family Dart seems far more reserved and soft-hitting in her personality. She loses her edge a little because she lets her guard down. It is a logical shift in the character, to have her feel and act more at ease at the dinner table than she does in combat. And it's not the kind of change writers always include, so I give Conway credit for really thinking through the difference between Dart at home and Dart in the field. I just happen to like who she is in the field a bit more, personally.

Tempest, on the other hand, changes not at all when his "big sister" is around. Seeing Dart and spending time with her and her loving parents brings him only momentary joy before he slides back into one of his darker moods and ruminates on his estrangement from his own father. This, as usual, leads to a brief history lesson on the old Atari Force, which included Tempest's father (and his now-deceased mother) as well as Dart's parents. All worn out material already, but there's a structural logic to revisiting it with Tempest early in this issue. The next scene essentially covers the same content, this time through the eyes and mind of Martin Champion, Tempest's dad. He takes a walk down buried memory lane thanks to Morphea, the resident empath/telepath/psychiatrist. It spurs him to leave his little isolation pod for the first time in ages and go visit his old friends and colleagues. Perhaps even to make amends, or so he says. This means seeing Dart's parents, which puts Martin and Tempest in the same room. That's a fairly clear three-beat arc: 1.Tempest's view of the damaged relationship and history, 2. Martin's take on the same, 3. Their worlds colliding. And Conway plays the scene well, letting the tension build organically as the dialogue bounces from character to character, until Tempest finally (and predictably) storms off in pained anger.

One of the best details of that scene is the dynamic between Li San and Mohandas, Dart's mother and father, respectively. He tries to make polite small talk with his old friend; she very forcefully speaks the truth, that Martin has been a neglectful, absent hermit for years and owes them all an explanation. It helps propel the conversation forward, and puts Martin a bit on the defensive, which in turn causes him to say something that angers his son. To be fair, Tempest was pretty much waiting for an excuse to get pissed. The whole thing is volatile, and Conway is quick to let it blow up and then watch the dust settle.

In that settling dust, it is revealed that Martin's motives for his visit were not what he claimed, and he returns to his pod and his obsessive search for the powerful evil he believes is hiding somewhere in the Multiverse. This time, he actually has a stroke of luck, and finds what it is he's looking for: a giant ship, flying through what should be an empty universe. Then his luck takes just as quick a turn south when the ship captures his probe in a tractor beam, meaning whatever or whoever is out there now has the means to find New Earth. Which is how we arrive at the dramatic declaration that is the conclusion of this issue.

The cast is all in the same place, the enemy is clear, and Martin is determined to gather a team. It almost feels like the end of an arc, as much as any issue of Atari Force ever will. No longer will this series be about disconnected characters having small-scale, personalized dramas. Now there will be a call to arms, a call to action, and a full-fledged team book can and should emerge. The team, too, will be a sort of family, which is why I think it's fitting to take this issue and check in on their other families first. And because Dart, Tempest, and Martin already have familial bonds with one another, their arcs and backgrounds are given the most attention. It may include repetitive information, but it's largely justified in the service of this particular issue's goals.

In between the various scenes of the Champion family drama, Pakrat has another scene with Rident, and Morphea gets full custody of Babe (who is finally named! Yay!). The Pakrat-Rident exchange is terribly anti-climactic when held up against their initial encounter last issue. Instead of a legitimate arrest and chase, Pakrat basically uses legalese to talk Rident out of trying to nab him. It's a jurisdictional thing, which makes sense, but is dull, dull, dull.

Morphea getting Babe is also less exciting than her discovery of him last time, but that's only because here she just has to threaten the captain and before she actually mind-blasted him. Oh, quick aside: apparently the "first mate" character I've discussed was not the first mate but the literal, sexual mate of the captain, and therefore a woman. So I was wrong on both counts. Apologies.

At any rate, Morphea reminds the captain what she's capable of, and he agrees to let Babe go. First, Morphea has Babe finish the heavy lifting he was being forced to do, which I find a strange choice, but I guess she just wanted to avoid further argument or something. And it doesn't hurt him, so no harm no foul. As he walks away into freedom, Babe gets to spit his disgust at the captain, which is a satisfying moment. Meanwhile, Morphea finds herself surprised at her maternal nature, since her race does not have a classic parent-child relationship. Her bond with Babe is definitely the most interesting family unit examined in this issue, as well as the newest and, therefore, most fragile. I look forward to watching it grow, because it has the potential to teach both characters a lot about themselves through learning about one another.

Ross Andru is the guest penciler for this issue, and does just as good a job as usual for the title. It can't hurt that he's inked by regular penciler José Luis García-López, and both artists have a similarly grounded style. The artistic focus is still on the characters, and Andru is able to put a bit more nuance in his figures' emotions. This is the perfect issue for that, because so much of it is tense conversation with heavy subtext. There is no loss of background detail, though, just because the cast is slightly more expressive, and Andru generally stays very true to García-López's established look and style. They're both classic comicbook artists from a similar time, so it's no surprise that their styles blend well, but that's not necessarily typical of a fill-in artist. Andru is more than up to the task, maintaining every character's distinct look and personality throughout.

I actually like his Rident more, though strangely, his Pakrat is about the same. Somehow, Rident is even more intimidating and stone-faced when Andru draws him. Something about the shading and shape of his face makes him comes across as doubly stern. He also appears a bit more intelligent and competent somehow, which is odd considering he accomplishes less this issue than last.

Andru's best pages are the first three, and in particular page 1. He just draws the shit out of Dart, and the black backgrounds give the whole thing an intimate feel that pulls your eye in and forces you to soak up all the details. Splitting up her face and figure into a bunch of panels on the opening page has the same effect, and then when we turn the page and see her in all her gun-toting glory, it's magnificent. A really powerful opening, which is something this series has had consistently so far.

Andru also gets to draw the first appearance of Tempest's pet Hukka, who I'm not wild about, but serves his purpose as a cuddly-looking pet with basic intelligence. Far more beautiful is the night cat that Hukka chases, who only gets a single panel but is still one of the more memorable images of the issue. Tom Ziuko uses a nice, brash white with spots of milky green for it, too, which only helps.

My first impulse was to call this issue slow, but that's inaccurate. It's not slow, merely light, and that gives the impression of dragging heels. Dart coming home at the beginning is a big deal, and so is Martin's discovery at the end, but in between only the most minuscule of progress is made. Yet the purpose of Atari Force #4 is to show the reader different definitions of "family," good and bad and in between, before prepping the series to assemble a family of its own in the form of the titular team. That seems a worthwhile endeavor, even if it means having a chapter that doesn't get very far. The plot is now primed to develop with some speed, because all the players are where they need to be, and their opponent has been located. All that's left is to bring our heroes together, first with one another, and then with the big bad bad guy.