“Yesterday’s” Comic> Captain Atom #82

You could always call the Ghost Busters. Except the first ones won’t show up until 1975.

Captain Atom vol 2 #82

Charlton Comics Group (September, 1966)

“Captain Atom Vs The Ghost”

WRITER: Dave Kaler

PENCILER: Steve Ditko

INKER: Rocke Mastroserio

LETTERER: Jon D’Agostino

no colorist or editor credited

[Read along with me here]

A criminal named the Ghost, who is able to teleport, has been stealing from businesses. Worried he may target the government, Captain Atom is called in along with a rookie costumed government hero, Nightshade. Going undercover at a party, not realising that host Alec Nois IS The Ghost, Atom and Nightshade (secretly a senator’s socialite daughter, Eve Eden), observe the Ghost’s men sharing secret information and try to stop them. The Ghost manages to defeat the heroes, but in his cockiness lets them know that he’s planning to rob Fort Knox. The two heroes and the military manage to figure out how his plan works and as Nightshade and the military stop his men, the Ghost is stopped by Captain Atom when he destroys the villain’s costume controls for his teleportation machine, and the Ghost vanishes, seemingly killed.

What they got right: Nightshade is an interesting addition to the comic. Her debut shows her handling her own without stretching believability as we’re told she’s been highly trained. The Ghost (following his Marvel Universe namesake of being an industrial thief before this, though for different reasons) also makes for a good challenge for our hero just as Nightshade makes a good ally.

What they got wrong: Did I forget Captain Atom turned invisible as well? It’s also weird how everyone just happened to get the info they needed to make the plot happen when there’s no way they could, heroes as well as villains. I’m also not sold on “Darling Of Darkness” for Nightshade’s nickname, even if it was the 1960s and what we’d later learn about the power she kept secret even from Captain Atom in already reviewed stories. And I’m totally okay with superhero nicknames that people aren’t into, like Superman’s “Action Ace” or Supergirl’s “Maid Of Might”.

What I think overall: Both Nightshade and the Ghost will return in issues I already covered during the Ted Kord period of pre-DC Blue Beetle stories that started this. Blue Beetle was a back-up feature in Captain Atom from #s 83-86, so you’ll have to check out those reviews. I’ll be coming back in with issue #87. As for this issue, it was a decent introduction of both characters, and a decent story overall. Not great, but okay.