Back in the sixties the now long defunct Chartlon Comics produced what they called their "Line of Action Heroes" which saw them create several new characters, revamp one and revive an Captain Atom since the mid sixties were the era of the superhero genre.
DC had added to and expanded their line-up but this was also the time Mighty Marvel was being established by Stan Lee his Co-creators Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and many others. Even Archie comics was getting in on the act with it's short lived "Mighty Comics line. Then there was Tower Comics with its T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents.
Charlton already had Captain Atom a Steve Ditko creation from earlier in the sixties with a very typically "Cold War" theme that was common at the time. Ditko who had fallen out with Stan Lee was back with Charlton where he rebooted the Blue Beetle and created The Question who was very much a controversial "hero" who with his Ayn Rand influenced philosophy left a criminal to die in the sewers at the end of his only book length story.
There was also Peter cannon Thunderbolt, Judo Master and the Peacemaker. These characters as many will know were originally to be used by Alan Moore in his Watchmen series but since they were to be killed off DC decided otherwise and all but Thunderbolt were brought into the DC Universe.
Moore used the Charlton heroes as the blueprints for his characters and The Question became Rorschach, Blue Beetle Nite Owl and Peace Maker Edward Blake amongst others.
Of all the Charlton heroes Peacemaker was my least favourite and has never really found a role in the DC Universe until perhaps now. This Secret Files ties in to the massive Fear State crossover going on in Gotham across the Batman line of comics but it's not difficult to pick up Peacemaker's predicament.
In-between current events the reader is entreated to the new back story for the Peacemaker which is neither particularly original or that good if I'm to be honest. Although it's difficult to judge this revamp from one story I wasn't that impressed.
Frankly unless you are either a Batman crossover completist or die hard Charlton collector this isn't really worth bothering with.
Rating: 1 Star
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