Random Happenstance

I'm not positive I've ever mentioned it here before, but as a kid; for all of first grade, since I was a bag-luncher, I sat between two kids who regularly--and repeatedly--argued about which was better, the Atari 2600 or the Intellivision. "2600's got more games." "Intellivision's got better graphics." An entire year of that. My first system was a Colecovision, by the way; which is barely remembered today but was the absolute best; those guys can suck eggs.  Anyway, maybe that's why I hadn't read this before? From 1984, Atari Force #2, "Direct Encounter" Written by Gerry Conway, pencils by José Luis García-López, inks by Ricardo Villagrán.  

This was early in the series, although I believe the mini-comics included in some Atari games were in vaguely the same continuity; and as such was still putting together some characters, since said games didn't yet have a lot of space for narrative and characterization. While the mercenaries Dart and Blackjak lead a heroic--and successful--charge against an enemy gun emplacement; the Darth Vader-esque big bad of the series, the Dark Destroyer, sends the monstrous Warbeast to capture Dart, for reasons he doesn't let his lackey Kargg or the readers onto yet. On New Earth, young Chris "Tempest" Champion teleports to save his girl from a poisonous "scorp," but she then breaks up with him because her dad, a senator, doesn't approve of him or his "lunatic" dad. Alien psychiatrist Morphea visits said dad, Martin Champion, on the A.T.A.R.I. Space Station, where he lived like a hermit, trying to find the force out there in the Multiverse that he felt was responsible for "corrupting this galaxy with hatred and violence." Morphea is certain he's projecting his sorrow over the loss of his wife; but it could be a less general "eee-vil" out there than he's making it sound like.

We also meet other future team members Babe and Pakrat; but the main draw is José Luis García-López drawing the living crap out of everything. Man, what a good looking comic. Before this, the only Atari Force I had read was in the digests, like "Hukka vs. the BOB," a Keith Giffen laugher from the last issue of the series, reprinted in Best of DC #71. Which I mention because I'd just read Giffen's probably-less-than-fond farewell to the series (or at least, the comic relief Hukka) in the 1986 Ambush Bug Stocking Stuffer #1! (Script by Robert Loren Fleming, pencils by Keith Giffen, inks by Bob Oksner.)

Atari Force has, for rights issues, never been collected; although I have read of fans having their own issues bound. I wonder how many of those have the Ambush Bug pages included, though...Along with this, I got issues #4 and #5 from a dollar bin; I'd better see if I have that last issue.