A Series That Needs Reprinting: Atari Force

The latest issue of the Comics Buyer's Guide has a letter from someone commenting on which series they would like to see reprinted.  One of them he mentioned was Atari Force.  I couldn't agree more.

Atari Force sounds like a lame title.  I thought so when it came out in the early '80s.  It was originally shipped with Atari games in a smaller format, if memory serves me correctly, and then DC did it as a regular-sized comic book.  I stumbled across the first issue at the news rack, read a page and got hooked just about instantly.  Then I picked up every issue as they appeared, but for some reason the store stopped carrying it at issue four or five.  I have since picked up some back issues here and there, but it's obvious to me that if the rights permit it, DC should definitely reprint this fine sci-fi series ... which really had nothing to do with Atari in any noticeable way.

I believe one of the reasons I liked this so much was the same reason I liked Marvel's Micronauts.  It was rousing action with a science fiction twist (though Marvel's series was often based on Earth in modern times).  It read like nothing else on the stands at the time, too.  Sure, you could read about the Titans or their Marvel equivalent, but the stories of Atari Force stood out as unique.

Not every issue was a winner, however.  Why it only lasted about twenty issues is beyond me, though.  I can only think that this was a time period where everyone was so focused on superheroes that this easily fell through the cracks.  DC can rectify this slight, and bring back a piece of comic's history ... in color.  Is there a market to support it?  Hell, if people are still reading Spawn I think anything is possible.


Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: Clicking on a link can earn me some cold, hard cash, yo!