The All-New Atom # 9
DC COMICS
WRITER: Gail Simone
ARTISTS: Eddy Barrows, Trevor Scott
COVER: Ladronn

The new Atom, Ryan Choi is called back to Hong Kong by his high-school sweetheart, only to discover he must face his old high-school bully as well,. But this time, the guy has become some sort of ghost-zombie. The story is full of great character pieces, giving a look into the woes the young Ryan endured back home. The story does meander a little, with unnecessary references to "Garfield III" and the local color of Hong Kong but it does make its characters believable and even sympathetic. The art however is a major stumbling block to the comic. The action scenes are done right but other than that, it just doesn't work. The new Atom often comes out looking short and stocky-- is this Al Pratt or Ryan Choi?  More importantly, in a tale with numerous flashbacks, the artists fail to make a sharp distinction between the young characters in the past and their adult versions in the present. This makes for a really confusing story. The Atom has always needed an artist with a strong style to make his stories visually arresting while still being believable despite the size changes. Gil Kane is gone. But why was John Byrne taken off the book so quickly? He seemed to be doing a good job. Sadly, this issue gets only two out of five stars.