Welcome back to "First Strike," where we take a look at our favorite heroes' initial published encounters with their most famous foes! This week, DC's Tiny Titan takes on the clock-themed villainy of Chronos!
(Originally posted on The Comics Bolt) Welcome back to "First Strike," where we take a look at our favorite heroes' initial published encounters with their most famous foes! This week, DC's Tiny Titan takes on the clock-themed villainy of Chronos! After his arrest, David Clinton became obsessed with time. Upon his release, Clinton decides to make up for lost time as a clock-themed costumed supervillain, staging a series of daring robberies nationwide. Now he's come to Ivy Town, home base of The Atom, posing as a storekeeper specializing in (naturally) clocks and watches. Naturally, it's only a matter of time before he comes to blows with the local superhero in town - but it's hardly business as usual when Chronos seems to figure out the Atom's secret identity of Ray Palmer. The Atom likewise suspects Clinton's identity, and we get an out-of-costume duel of wits between Palmer and Clinton, in addition to a clash between their costumed alter-egos. Chronos is a classic DC Silver Age villain in every way. He's a working stiff crook out to make an easy buck via crime, equipped with a colorful costume, gimmick weaponry, and a tendency to make cheesy puns based on the aforementioned gimmick. Personally, I love bad guys like this. They're part of what makes older comic books so much fun to read. However, I'm not quite sure why he became the Atom's arch-enemy, as there's nothing really about him or either character's backstory that makes them ideal enemies. He could have easily fit into almost any other hero's rogues gallery (and in fact, he's gone up against the Blue Beetle, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League - both solo and as a member of the Injustice Gang and the Secret Society of Super-Villains). However, the Atom was his first and most frequent foe, and let's face it - the Atom doesn't have that many recurring villains, especially as iconic as Chronos. And like most hero-villain rivalries, this one intensified as time went on, especially as Chronos worked on improving his arsenal instead of relying on the same old gimmicks every time. So by default, I can see how Chronos nabbed the top spot. I was lucky enough to snag this online for a decent price, but that was pre-Legends of Tomorrow, which featured both characters prominently. However, between the DC Archive Editions and the black-and-white Showcase collections, "The Time Trap" shouldn't be all that hard to get a hold of to read, if you're so inclined. If you're a DC Silver Age fan, or you liked the Atom and Chronos on Legends of Tomorrow, you might enjoy this one.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
About the INCspotlightThe INCspotlight, formerly hosted on the website Channel Awesome, now has a new home on my own website! Categories
All
Archives
November 2022
|