The Atom Archives, Vol. 2

The Atom Archives

by Gardner Francis Fox, Gil Kane (Illustrator), Murphy Anderson (Illustrator)

Reprinting classic stories originally published in the 1960s, THE ATOM ARCHIVES: VOL. 2 chronicles the earliest adventures of the world's smallest hero from The Atom #6-13. After discovering that he could use the fragment of a white dwarf star to manipulate his own size and mass, physics professor Ray Palmer assumed the identity of the Atom and began his legendary life of crime fighting. In this beautiful book, the analytical adventurer teams up with Hawkman and Hawkgirl as he faces off against the villainy of Dr. Light, the time-traveling madness of Chronos, and the unnerving threat of his own phantom double.

Genres: Comics, Superheroes

216 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2003

About the author

Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic book historians estimate that he wrote more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC Comics.
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"

Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase

Reviews

[Al Berry · Rating 2 out of 5]

When the Atom goes back in time; they have some very interesting albeit short stories, this volume has him visit, Duck Turbin, Henry Hudson and Edgar Allan Poe, and they are all great stories which I wish ran longer and were a bit more flushed out, but interesting premises and characterizations.

Art is good and the hardcover is well bound with a sturdy sewn binding.


The rest of the stories with the typical supervillains or just regular robbery are duller than dishwater. Really only recommend this tome to superhero fanboys.

[Michael Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another volume of good memories from my childhood.

[Bookbabble · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a superhero whose super power is growing smaller, I was actually surprised at how many of these stories I actually enjoyed in this volume. I'm glad that I found this in a bargain section of my comic book store for $10, because I don't think I will be continuing on with reading the Atom anytime soon. For never reading a volume of his before, I was glad I wasn't lost and missing any information about his backstory.