In which we tune in to find space-mercenary Erin O'Rourke-Singh (a.k.a. "Dart") and her lover/partner, Blackjak, at that uncomfortable "Who do you love more -- me or the embodiment of cosmic evil who spared your life in order to use you as a weapon against my friends and family?" stage of their relationship. (Hey, it happens more often that you'd think.) Let's see how it works out for those kooky kids...
Such a shame, really.
"It's a fantastic series, but it's burdened with folks' perception of it being a licensed 'toy' comic." So said the owner of the comic shop I used to frequent in my junior high school days, and he was correct. While Atari Force's fusion of space opera and superheroics does show its age in places, the twenty-issue follow-up to the pack-in comics that came bundled with various 2600 Atari games still makes for an entertaining read even after twenty-odd years, especially compared to DC's other sci-fi offerings from the period. (Conqueror of Barren Earth or Sun Devils, anyone? No, me neither.)
I'd credit the lion's share of this durability to García-López's exceptional art (he was replaced by the not quite as excellent Eduardo Baretto with issue #13), though writer Gerry Conway (replaced by Mike Baron with issue #14) also did some damn fine work, above and beyond what was on display in his Firestorm and JLA runs at the time.
The series has spawned many good memories and a cult following in fandom circles, and frequently crops up on wishlists of series deserving of a trade paperback release. The question of whether or not one will ever materialize is complicated by the whole licensing issue (and the fact that the interest of a couple dozen folks on the internet isn't a reliable indicator of potential sales), At the time of the comic's original publication, DC and Atari were both subsidiaries of Warner Brothers. Since then the Atari brand and logo have been acquired by Infogrames, which adopted the iconic name as its own. I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for a potential soliciation of a collected edition, though it would be swell to finally see the series printed with proper color correction on better quality paper.
Soft Cell - Where Did Our Love Go? (from Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, 1982) - Ball and Almond's other attempt at reinterpreting sixties soul as sleazy synthpop failed to make the same impact on the listening public's consciousness as their cover of "Tainted Love" did, though this track was a worthy -- and quite enjoyable -- effort.
(Viva Bahlactus!)
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