Ellington

Imagine a world of ideals: black and white, good and evil, supermen full of vision and idealistic fervor, the perfect model and epitome of one doctrine. Now, imagine the ideal is Communism and the superman is the embodiment of Marxist doctrine. This is the world imagined by Sal Abbinanti and Andrew Dabb every month in "Atomika," the new series from Speakeasy Comics.

The series centers on Atomika, a self-described red god. Born into a world of Russian folk polytheism, he seeks to eliminate all other gods and establish himself firmly as the ultimate in a 20th-century monotheistic religion founded on scientific principles.

Atomika is opposed in this goal by both the old gods who seek to hold on to their ancient kingdoms and Atomika's Communist makers who create new super-powered beings to keep their creation in check. Both foes are dispensed of with harsh justice akin to Stalin's pogroms, and the reader cannot help but believe Atomika's all-powerful claims of supremacy.

This comic is not for those who enjoy traditional comics. This is a revolutionary series, something better described as graphic art rather than a comic strip. While the plot line at times is a bit too figurative and ethereal for those used to standard comic stories of crime and crime-solving or extraordinary adventures (even the true extent of Atomika's powers are broad and ill-defined), the artwork is stunning. A blend of loosely defined figures fills the storyboards. The emblematic covers—reminiscent of art deco posters from the 1930s—work with the figurative language to create a surreal world of ideas made flesh.

Atomika is constantly represented as a towering figure presiding over a mass of worshippers/subjects. His palace, first seen in issue two, is a miasma of harsh realms and traps for his enemies to fall into. The lines of reality blur both visually and conceptually as science meets theology, and the reader finds her/himself drawn into this work, this world of unreality, as one would be drawn into a Munch painting or an Eliot poem.

Traditionally, comics not published by the major publishers (DC and Marvel for certain, but Image and Dark Horse have also had their time in the sun) have received little attention, but a major name in comics tacked himself onto this project. Alex Ross, artist on such projects as Earth X, Kingdom Come, and Marvels, did the cover for "Atomika No. 1." The big name paid off, and audiences picked it up in droves. The first issue sold out and went into a second printing. The question now is will they stay?

While some traditionalists might quickly turn away from this comic, a growing number of comic enthusiasts are demanding more from their comics. There are only so many times that Superman can fight Lex Luthor without audiences desiring something different. "Atomika"a represents a new era of the comics medium being recognized and respected as a proper art. "Atomika" is certainly not a comic for kids. It is for mature readers who can fully comprehend the socio-economic systems being represented, the Judeo-Christian allusions applied to this nuclear god, and the awe and fear etched into the faces of the denizens of this alternate Atomic age. Intrinsically, this comic begs the reader to compare and contrast this parallel world with the events in our own history and to determine individually just how different, or how similar, our 20th century played out.