Loose Reaction to the Atom

I was thinking about the Atom. Rereading. It's middle ground for me right now. I can't yet tell if I love it (Wonder Woman) or dislike it (Flash). Right now, it's kind of in that maybe category with the Blue Beetle. Seems cute enough, the protagonist seems likeable, a touch of diversity without going too far into caricature.

Not completely grabbed yet though.

There is one element I'm really liking, one that I've complained about being lacking in Blue Beetle, and that's the sense of legacy.

I dig legacy. I love the familial sense that DC brings. The whole sidekick/successor elements really help that. There's a sense of lineage that Marvel, probably due to their more static time progression and more unique identities, lacks for me.

But I think the sense of the predecessor is very important. I prefer successions to have connection to what came before. I'm not saying they always have to be sidekicks or little siblings or sons/daughters of the original, of course, but a connection seems there.

Like Kyle for example. Sure he was brand new, never knew any of the Lanterns, didn't know what the ring was when he got it. But that worked for me because Hal Jordan was such a presence throughout the book. He needed to live up to Hal's legend, earn the respect of Hal's peers, show that he's not making Hal's mistakes.

Firestorm's another I've liked in terms of legacy. I don't follow the book like I should (not a lot of money at the moment) but from what I've seen I've liked it. Reference to Ronnie, Ronnie's parents, Ronnie's friends, Ronnie himself and now Martin Stein. Throughout, from what I've seen at least, Jason gets to stay his own character in the process.

Blue Beetle's lacked that so far for me. Where Ted had the connection as Dan's student, and the emotional drive to live up to the legacy, Jaime's got no connection yet. He looked up Ted once and that's it. Presumably, perhaps, Dan will come into play as a previous scarab wielder. I hope so. Right now I'm saddened by the lack. I like Jaime a lot, but without some connection, I don't see the point of him being Blue Beetle instead of a brand new hero.

The Atom seems to be finding a happy medium between the two. For a first issue at least. We don't see Ray, but he's a palpable presence. Ryan and Ray have past communication, and Ray's been leaving messages for Ryan. Basically Ryan is Ray's handpicked successor, and I really like those sorts of stories. Ray's connections don't seem quite as overwhelming as the ones in Firestorm yet, which is probably good too. But we'll see. It *is* only the first issue.

I quite liked the bit with Ryan in the shirt-tag toga. Though I could wish for a different artist. I like Byrne's art style in general, but it doesn't seem to fit in this case. Besides, I like my half naked men to look older than fourteen. :-)