House of Mystery @houseofmystery - Tumblr Blog

New Titans #89 (August 1992)

Script: Marv Wolfman

Pencils: June Brigman

Inks: Andrew Pepoy, Steve Montano, Mike DeCarlo

Colors: Adrienne Roy

New Titans #89 (August 1992)

Script: Marv Wolfman

Pencils: June Brigman

Inks: Andrew Pepoy, Steve Montano, Mike DeCarlo

Colors: Adrienne Roy

#Destiny #New TItans

Sandman #35 (February 1992)

Script: Neil Gaiman

Pencils: Shawn McManus

Inks: Shawn McManus

Colors: Daniel Vozzo

Letters: Todd Klein

Check out the full archive starting here!

#Lucien

Captain Atom #42 (June 1990)

Script: Cary Bates and Greg Weisman

Pencils: Rafael Kayanan

Inks: Romeo Tanghal

Colors: Gene D'Angelo

Letters: John Workman

Check out the full archive starting here!

This is a very strange issue of Captain Atom featuring guest appearances from several characters from much better written series: Death, Destiny, the Phantom Stranger

Inessential. May even be non-canonical.

When Adam enters the mountain, he encounters Destiny who is acting as a gatekeeper to Mount Purgatory for some reason. Adam’s sins are purged are purged one by one with silly tasks.

Death, Destiny, and the Stranger all show up again at the end. Death is certainly acting unusually but the Stranger and Destiny don’t turn out much better. Destiny has occasionally shown up in the DCU as an Uatu type during important moments (notably the Teens Titans two parter ). And I suppose the Stranger’s in a similar boat. But reconciling why these characters are so involved with Captain Atom’s journey in an underworld distinct from any known in DC’s mythology… along with the mishandling of death as a concept… is basically impossible. The DCU guide hypothesizes this issue could be a dream sequence from Captain Atom’s behalf, so that can work.

#destiny #captain atom

Captain Atom #42 (June 1990)

Script: Cary Bates and Greg Weisman

Pencils: Rafael Kayanan

Inks: Romeo Tanghal

Colors: Gene D'Angelo

Letters: John Workman

Check out the full archive starting here!

This is a very strange issue of Captain Atom featuring guest appearances from several characters from much better written series: Death, Destiny, the Phantom Stranger

Inessential. May even be non-canonical

Apparently, Captain Atom has died. Only he hasn’t died. It seems Nathanial Adam tried separating himself from Captain Atom and accidentally removed his soul from his body. The issue opens with Adam apparently in the afterlife riding in a boat with the Dark Racer and a hooded stranger who reveals herself as Death of the Endless. Death tells Adam that death is “a big concept - there’s more than one of us… The Racer is death as an invisibility – not truly a black racer. But the dark race itself… a race we all run…… and ultimately lose.” Adam claims that Death is the concept of death as “the release…, as mercy, as compassion…” The issue’s end includes Nekron, Lord of the Unliving, as another aspect of death, “Death as a cosmic certainty…death as the ultimate opponent.” Death shouts “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” a reference to Sandman #8. We see Death bring Adam to Mount Purgatory. Notably, in Sandman, we never see Death physically bring anyone once they’ve made it to the other side. She’s really acting more like Charon than Death of the Endless.

This idea of Death of the Endless being one facet of a multi-faceted death contradicts Gaiman’s mythology in Sandman and is basically never referenced again. Gaiman was actually somewhat annoyed at Death’s portrayal in this issue and wrote a direct response in Sandman #19, see below.

Death is certainly acting unusually but the Stranger and Destiny don’t turn out much better. Destiny has occasionally shown up in the DCU as an Uatu type during important moments (notably the Teens Titans two parter ). And I suppose the Stranger’s in a similar boat. But reconciling why these characters are so involved with Captain Atom’s journey in an underworld distinct from any known in DC’s mythology… along with the mishandling of death as a concept… is basically impossible. The DCU guide hypothesizes this issue could be a dream sequence from Captain Atom’s behalf, so that can work.

See CBR Comic Book Legends Revealed for all the juicy behind the scenes stuff.

#death