Today Captain Atom flies through the DC Universe as one of the reboots of the New 52. Readers are fascinated as he struggles to learn about his new powers and adjust to whatever century he has suddenly been dropped in.

This version of the character has sent some fans back in time as they search for more about Captain Atom. Thanks to trade paperbacks, readers should have no problem finding plenty of his 1980s post-Crisis appearances, especially his enjoyable time inside the Giffen-era Justice League and Justice League International. But those who dig deeper are in for a real treat.

Created by writer Joe Gill and artist Steve Ditko, Captain Atom first appeared in the science-fiction anthology title Space Adventures (March 1960). Published by Charlton, a company known for its cost-cutting and money-saving measures, those early short stories were quickly reprinted a few years later inside another anthology Strange Suspense Stories beginning with issue #75 (June 1965).

The reprints proved to be so popular that just three issues later, #78 (December 1965) Charlton gave him the book. For twelve glorious issues Captain Atom enjoyed full length storylines and fans got a strong look into the imagination of Mr. Ditko.

The cover to issue #78 may not be the strongest of the ones created by Ditko, as many would argue with some legitimacy that #79 (February-March 1966) is a lot stronger and more of “pure” comic book cover.

Others could easily sway my vote by saying that #86 (June 1967) brings back memories of Ditko’s greatest work for Marvel. Or that #88 (October 1967) could be a blueprint for a JLA-JSA mid-1960s Earth-One – Earth-Two crossover because somewhere right outside of the frame of the cover they believe the Spectre is holding two planets apart by himself while Captain Atom battles… you get the idea!

Almost every cover of the run is an aesthetic success. Few would disagree that any cover drawn by Steve Ditko is bound to be interesting for one reason or another. But there are a few reasons that #85 is a slight notch above the others. Primary among them is the fact that the cover holds five characters that are still, over forty years later, active in the DC Universe in one form or another.

Among them is a smiling Blue Beetle busting through the frame and jumping right into the reader’s face. Smiling like he hasn’t got a care in the world, this is the image of a hero that loves what he is doing. There is a tremendous amount of energy and goodwill coming off this simple drawing. If we haven’t read him before, we want to now. 

Another strong argument for the cover’s greatness is the appearance of Nightshade who arguably takes center stage in the battle. A new addition to the world of Captain Atom, she first appeared in #82 (September 1966). Created by Gill and Ditko, she was the perfect partner for Captain Atom.

A brilliant crimson and white explosion outlines the pony-tailed heroine. She is seen recoiling from the blast but the feeling is that she is only waiting to give twice as good as she is getting gets.

Behind her is Captain Atom. This is the second issue with his new costume and while it doesn’t have the sparkling sense of wildness that his earlier one did, it certainly fits in with the cover.

If you look at the coloring of all three heroes, each one an odd shade of blue, each one holding a strange bit of darkness to it, they seem to form a triangle that pulls your eyes into the center of the magazine. Set against the bright yellow of the curtains below and the atom-symbols above, they really bring you to the newsstand.

The other two characters, the villains Punch and Jewelee are still active today. Here they appear to be a standard (for the time) comic book menace. What is really important about the cover is that Gill and Ditko were trying to create a universe that held together like the ones over at Marvel and DC.

A very big part of this idea is the cover’s similarity to a style of covers that appeared occasionally on Marvel titles.  Compare Captain Atom #86 with Strange Tales #128 (January 1965). Just consider the way that the two covers are segmented as well as the seemingly odd placement of the descriptive balloons and the crowded nature of the action.

While the powers that be at Charlton were unable to support this universe for much longer, the strength at the core of what Gill and Ditko were trying to do outlasted the company itself. Today every one of the figures on this cover is still being published. Creativity won out over accountants and short-sightedness.

In 1983 DC purchased the rights to the superhero characters created for Charlton. They were quickly incorporated at various places across the DC Universe with Crisis on Infinite Earths being the introduction on a grand scale.

When Alan Moore was creating the idea for Watchmen his original proposal put forth the idea that he could use the Charlton characters that DC had recently acquired. When the logic was put forth that none of the characters would be usable after that, Moore switched gears and created the heroes we know today. It is generally agreed that Captain Atom served as the inspiration for Dr. Manhattan.

OK, I chose historical importance over beauty, I mean come on, Captain Atom #79 is near perfect Ditko art as well as a rip-roaring fight. But still, #86 is a true universe unto itself.