80-Page Thursdays: Countdown Special: the Atom #1!

I love it when I mention I'm looking for a book, then find it! Which inevitably leads to needing another book! From 2008, Countdown Special: the Atom #1, featuring stories written by Gerry Conway, with art by Arvell Jones and Bill Draut, and Alan Weiss and Joe Rubinstein. The Atom actually gets a bump here, because his billing was "Plus: the Atom!" on the old Super-Team Family covers.

This was another reprint collection tying into Countdown, which featured the Atom's ex-wife Jean Loring turning into the new Eclipso. Did that make any sense at all? Maybe post-Identity Crisis. Maybe. These issues were from Super-Team Family almost three decades prior (1977!) and also feature Jean Loring losing her mind in a nonsensical fashion; after being abducted by perennial JLA baddie T.O. Morrow. He also abducts Flash's wife Iris and Supergirl; but they're troopers and just shake it off.


Jean, however, is somehow charged with some kind of energy, which is going to launch her across the universe in subsequent issues. She'll be mostly catatonic, though; she has maybe five lines the first issue here. And oddly, the second issue here switches heroes, which is pretty traditional for a super-hero team-up book, but considering the Atom's fiance was missing, you'd think Flash and Supergirl would stick out the case. Instead, we get Green Lantern and Hawkman tagging in, but Jean disappears again before the Atom can save her.


I thought this issue was going to have the Secret Society of Super-Villains appearance I mentioned a while back, but they didn't turn up until the concluding chapter! Don't worry, it's on order, so we'll see how Jean gets back sometime. I actually do have the next chapter--guest-starring Aquaman and Captain Comet!--and when the Atom gets your-princess-is-in-another-castle'd again, I think he has a panel of "Arrgh!" like Charlie Brown when Lucy pulls away the football.