REMENDER & OLIFFE TALK ABOUT THE ATOM

[MattBrady]

by Chris Arrant

This month’s issue of The All-New Atom (click here for a preview)promises new things on the horizon for the newest Atom, Ryan Choi. Fourth in the lineage of the Atom mantel, no matter how small he can shrink he still has some big shoes to fill. According to the advance solicitations for this month’s issue, Choi is shrinking uncontrollably and some microscopic creatures tied to his very powers is the cause.

This is the latest in a series of developments for the character of Ryan Choi, originally created by Grant Morrison and Gail Simone. In twenty issues of his own series as well as crossovers in Countdown and other series, he has really been put to the test. And as the new creative team of writer Rick Remender and artist Pat Oliffe come onboard, the life of the Atom isn’t bound to get any easier – but it might be more exciting.

The new creative team is coming in with a full head of steam from titles they’ve worked on such as Fear Agent and 52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen. With their first issue (#21) debuting this Wednesday, we caught up with them over the weekend to find out what we can expect.

Newsarama: The newest issue debuts this Wednesday, The All New Atom #21. Rick, how would you describe the character and what you have going on there?

Rick Remender: Ryan is a normal happy guy who either inherited the mantel of a famous super hero or is a pawn being used to destroy the entire DCU. It’s going to be interesting to see people reactions to what we have planned. It’s a lot of the big, fast paced, Sci-Fi action readers have come to expect from me in my Dark Horse book Fear Agent with a very different lead character.

Ryan Choi is a scientific genius and a straight shooter with a strong moral compass who wants nothing more than to live up to the heroic legacy of his idol Ray Palmer the original Atom. Even though Ryan’s been through some hard times he’s still idealistic and positive about the future.

That’s all going to change though.

When we first see Ryan in issue 21 he’s just discovered something horrible is living inside his blood... a disease caused by the Atom belt. What it is could be the origin of his powers or it could be the first sighting of an alien plague holding catastrophic repercussions for the future of the DCU.

Chronos is a big player in all of this though we won’t see how or why for a few issues. It’ll be a good shock when folks see how wide spread Chronos’ net is cast. Chronos, or a variation on the villain we know, is about to go from B villain to one of the most dangerous beings on Earth. Have to leave it at that. I wish I could say more; all I can do is hope people pick up issue #21, which is my debut on the book with super-dynamic draftsman and flawless storyteller Pat Olliffe and the beginning of a bold new classic high-adventure direction.

NRAMA: Enter, stage left.. Pat Oliffe. Pat, what made you want to sign up for duty with The All-New Atom and Rick?

Pat Oliffe: When Editor Michael Siglain approached me about doing another project together after The Four Horsemen miniseries, I was interested, when he told me it was going to be taking over as penciler on the Atom I was veeerry interested! The Atom is a classic DC character who unfortunately doesn't get the attention he deserves sometimes. I loved the direction Michael wanted to take the book and was very excited to be a part of it. Then when he told me the very talented Rick Remender would be writing it, and that John Stanisci and I would continue working together, I knew I had made the right choice!

NRAMA: What would you say you guys are cooking up in the series, Pat?

PO: I'd say what we have coming up is an action packed science fiction adventure the likes of which this industry has rarely seen!!! But that's just me..........

Seriously, without giving anything away, I think the ideas Rick has for the character will be a blast for fans, I just have to not screw it up.

NRAMA: I think we can get Rick to give something away. Let’s see.. Rick, the search for the current Atom Ryan Choi's predecessor, Ray Palmer, has been a central part of the Countdown series. How does that fit in with the ATOM series and what's going on?

RR: We deal with Ray and Ryan meeting and the ramifications of everything that’s taken place since 52 in the big issue #25 of The All-New Atom. It’s been coming together for a while now and Michael Siglain and I just finished cooking up the final ingredients, which will not only be a damned fun story but also have some lasting ramifications to a handful of characters in the DCU. Ray’s relationship with Ryan isn’t what folks think it is. Chronos isn’t what he seems. Ivy Town has become a nexus where magic and science meet and the results are disastrous.

NRAMA: Pat, what’s been the most interesting aspect of drawing this series for you so far?

PO: Having the chance to work on a series that has such strong Science Fiction elements is something I've really enjoyed. I haven't done a lot of that kind of work in the past and being able to play around with monsters, crazy lab equipment, alien looking landscapes, etc., has been a blast!! Getting visually familiar with Ryan, Panda, Ivy Town, and the rest of The Atom's world has been great as well. These are characters that I hope to work with and get to know for a long time to come.

NRAMA: Before we head out… for those who haven't read The All-New Atom yet (poor them), how would you describe the series?

PO: First and foremost this is a Sci-Fi action series. For those picking up the book for the first time, we've taken one of the classic all time great DC characters and shoved him head long into an adventure that tests him both mentally and physically and that might also have some larger implications for the rest of the DCU. For fans of the great work Gail Simone and Mike Norton did on the series, I think they'll find the same characters they fell in love with previously, the same crazy town, all just shifted into a more action/ fast paced/science fiction direction.

RR: The Atom to be is quite possibly he most overlooked power player in the DCU. Beyond the fact that both Ray and Ryan are scientific geniuses their powers include, time and dimension travel, control over mass giving them super strength, and as Grant Morrison showed us, the ability to travel on a beam of light into Darkseid's head and decapitate him. When Fraction and I were writing new Punisher stuff Matt pointed me to a few instances where Grant Morrison showed what The Atom could really be capable of and I’m going to exploit that and build on it to the best of my humble abilities.

The series itself has been a bit of a wild ride so far as Gail’s had a ton of fun building Ryan and the insanity within Ivy Town. I’m going to assemble on top of that foundation but change the tone a bit as the twisted mess in Ivy Town escalates into threat that can’t be taken lightly or ignored. It’s a natural progression that current readers will enjoy as it continues what’s come before while also resetting the tone and pace making it very new reader friendly.

[gsam4ever]

Loved this series since #1. Gail Simone did a great job with the humor and the action (which can be tough). I think Rick will go an amazing job on his run. Love that Chronos is being used.

[cynic79]

On the one hand, the preview that we've seen seems to run pretty far afield from Gail's rather madcap style. On the other hand, I've heard but good things about Remember's work on Fear Agent, and Pat Oliffe's work looks really solid. I'll stay on board until at least issue #25 and see how the new creative team works out.

[Spade]

My guess is that Ray doesn't know who Ryan is.

[MisterBlank]

I haven't been reading this series but i'll definately be jumping on with this one.

I absolutely love fear agent and this seems like the superhero book that Remender was born to write. This has the potential of being a classic run.

[Kevenn]

I loved Gail Simone's run. I hope these guys will keep up the same great quality she established on the title.

[canugrok]

Um....did I miss something...

"...and as Grant Morrison showed us, the ability to travel on a beam of light into Darkseid's head and decapitate him"

Did we just get a major spoiler for Countdown, or is this something I missed along the way?

[Sluggo]

Originally Posted by canugrok

Um....did I miss something...

"...and as Grant Morrison showed us, the ability to travel on a beam of light into Darkseid's head and decapitate him"

Did we just get a major spoiler for Countdown, or is this something I missed along the way?

No, this happened in Morrison's classic "Rock of Ages" JLA story. It was set (partially) in the future when Darkseid had taken over the world. The Atom was the guy that ultimately stopped him. Very cool stuff.

[aric_dacia]

Haven't read an issue of this series but I love Pat Oliffe's work... so maybe I'll try an issue.

[Chad Anderson]

Fourth in the lineage of the Atom mantel,

Al Pratt, Pay Palmer, Ryan Choi and ... who am I missing?

[aric_dacia]

Adam Cray was an Atom in Suicide Squad.

[Sluggo]

I'm going to give this a shot. I like Remender and I have fond memories of Oliffe from his "Untold Tales of Spider-Man" days. A high adventure sci fi feel is where I think this character should go.

I do hope it will be new reader friendly. Why in the hell won't DC adopt the recap page for their books? Arrogance and pride, I bet, but a good idea is a good idea.

[Dr. Crane]

Bring back Ray Palmer and put him back in the Atom suit. This is the only way I'd be remotely interested in an Atom book again. Doesn't DC realize 'All-New Atom' is one of their poorest selling books?

[BatWolverine]

Originally Posted by Chad Anderson

Fourth in the lineage of the Atom mantel,

Al Pratt, Pay Palmer, Ryan Choi and ... who am I missing?

Jean Loring.

[SpaceButler]

Originally Posted by Sluggo

No, this happened in Morrison's classic "Rock of Ages" JLA story. It was set (partially) in the future when Darkseid had taken over the world. The Atom was the guy that ultimately stopped him. Very cool stuff.

I loved that. Ray Palmer and Connor Hawke take down Darkseid. Classic.

[tralfaz]

all that matters is Head.

[canugrok]

Thanks Sluggo (and Chap22)....

I hadn't read ROA, so that line came as a surprise.

This article makes me want to try The Atom again. I love Gail's work normally, but I just didn't get into the series.

Again, thanks for the info.

[adama]

I got Simone's first trade and while it was very good it just wasn't for me. This new teams sounds like something a sci-fi person like me would enjoy and I check it out.

[Chesscub]

Originally Posted by Chad Anderson

Fourth in the lineage of the Atom mantel,

Al Pratt, Pay Palmer, Ryan Choi and ... who am I missing?

Adam Cray. He was the Atom for a while with the Suicide Squad.

[Abstrakt]

ive always loved oliffe's art and i might actually have to buy this to check it out

[Tirpen]

Ok, this convinced me to at least try it for a few issues, I was planning to leave when Gail did, but I'll give them a chance.

[Kikaider]

I'm really looking forward to this. Rick' work is great on Fear Agent (and his first issue of The End League wasn't too shabby either!). I like Ryan but I would prefer they have Ray back in the book. Chronos is one of my favorite DC villains (stripe pants and all) and it is good to see him as a legitimate threat.
Interesting guess that one poster mentioned he didn't think Ray knows who Ryan is. That would be a good twist.

[vbartilucci]

Having not read this yet (and I ask, when is there a better time to render judgement on something?), they seem to be taking a more hard-science look at the character, as opposed to the science-goofy view that Gail had. I'll certainly give it a try, but I'm not sure how well that change will work for me for this character.

And to be honest, I smell another Bart scenario. It's quite possible this book was created solely to set certain plots points into motion for FC, and if it had gotten to be a bigger hit, so much the better. I'm sensing a bad end for Dr. Choi.

[SpyGuy]

Originally Posted by vbartilucci

And to be honest, I smell another Bart scenario. It's quite possible this book was created solely to set certain plots points into motion for FC, and if it had gotten to be a bigger hit, so much the better. I'm sensing a bad end for Dr. Choi.

That would be just fine with me. I tried to give Ryan Choi a chance and bought THE ALL-NEW ATOM for a time, but ultimately he just feels like a cheap knockoff of Ray Palmer that was created simply because DC wanted an Asian Atom instead. If Ray had been given this kind of creative push in a new series of his own instead of being reduced to his pathetic depiction in COUNTDOWN, it could have been a great resurgence for the character.

[El Argentino]

Great art but the costume sucks..........too old school. Anyway I`ll be checking this.