The Atom's 1980's Appearances

Summary

The eighties were an age of rebirth for the Microscopic Manhunter. He was one of the first heroes to experience a revamp of sorts, changing him from a hero to a barbarian leader of a group of aliens in the Amazon. This involved the first costume change the hero had seen in over twenty years. Atom spent most of the middle eighties in the Amazon, then Roger Stern took the helm, returning the Atom to the world. He even had a power surge and another costume change. This series was short lived, not even lasting two years, but it allowed Ray to return to continuity and gave him a fresh start on life.

Year 1980

World's Finest #260 (December 1979-January 1980) "Tight Squeeze for a Tiny Titan"
The Atom vs. the Bug-Eyed Bandit
Justice League of America #174 (January) "A Plague of Monsters"
Justice League of America #177 (April) "A Graveyard Gambit"
Detective Comics #489 (April) "Computer Crisis"
The Atom takes on the Dharlus within the computer console of the JLA Satellite.
Justice League of America #178 (May) "The Chess-Master of Mars"
JLA vs. Despero
Justice League of America #179 (June) "The Siren Song of the Satin Satan"
Firestorm joins the JLA
Justice League of America #181 (August) "The Stellar Crimes of the Star-Tsar"
Justice League of America #183 (October) "Where Have All the New Gods Gone?"
Action #513 (November) "xxx"
Atom and Air Wave team-up
Action #514 (December) "Sunspotter's Crime Collection"
Atom and Air Wave II team-up

Year 1981

Justice League of America #186 (January) "Who Can Stop the Shaggy Man?"
Action Comics #515 (January) "Sorry--Wrong Powers"
Story leads into DC Comics Presents #30
DC Comics Presents #30 (February) "A Dream of Demons" and "Whatever Happened to the Golden Age Atom?"
Atom appears in second story only. The 'Atoms' switch powers for a day.
Action Comics #516 (February) "The Clueless Capers of Chronos"
New Teen Titans #4 (February) "Against All Friends"
JLA vs. New Teen Titans
Justice League of America #188 (March) "The Metamorph War" and "Miracle at 22,300 Miles"
Atom only appears in the second story.
Justice League of America #191 (June) "The Key Crisis of the One-Man Justice League"
JLA vs. Amazo and the Key
Action #521 (July) "Grow, Little Growfish"
Aquaman and the Atom team-up
Justice League of America #193 (August) "Secret of Genesis" and "All-Star Squadron"
JLofA in first story (along with the Atom)
Second story is a 16-page preview for the new book All-Star Squadron
Action Comics #522 (August) "xxx"
Atom solo
Action Comics #523 (September) "The Eye of the Storm"
Atom solo
Justice League of America #195 (October) "Targets on Two Worlds"
JLA/JSA vs. SSOSV
Action Comics #524 (August) "Catastrophe by Calculation"
Atom and Air Wave team-up versus the Calculator
Justice League of America #196 (November) "Countdown to Crisis"
JLA/JSA vs. SSOSV
Justice League of America #197 (December) "Crisis in Limbo"
JLA/JSA vs. SSOSV

Year 1982

Justice League of America #200 (March) "A League Divided"

Justice League of America #201 (April) "A Hero for All Seasons"
JLA vs. Ultraa and Amos Fortune

Action Comics #530 (April) "Home, Home on the Waves"
Aquaman and the Atom team up.
Justice League of America #202 (May) "Star Fall"
Action Comics #531 (May) "No Time for Heroes"
Atom solo with Jean Loring
Wonder Woman #291 (May) "Judgement in Infinity!"
Alien judge comes to judge all parallel Earths
Action Comics #532 (June) "Carnival of Catastrophe!"
Atom solo
Action Comics #533 (July) "Ground Zero--Where?"
Atom and Air Wave team-up
Justice League of America #206 (September) "The Secret that Time Forgot"
JLA vs. Demons Three
World's Finest Comics #283 (September) "The Mugger"
Second Story: 2 page filler with the Atom.
DC Comics Presents #51 (November) "Rendevous with Death"
Atom and Superman team-up. While in the past (via the Time Pool), the Atom witnesses Superman's death in the 1800's.

Year 1983

Action Comics #539 (January) "Past Imperfect!"
Superman, after being split in half - with half of him trapped in the past, tries to use both the Time Pool and the Cosmic Treadmill to return to the past and rejoin his other self. Note that the Time Pool appears as human sized in this issue.
Justice League of America #210 (January) "When a World Dies Screaming!"
Justice League of America #211 (February) "The Devil's Bargain"
The JLA traverses the vast regions of space in hot pursuit of the alien Treasurers and the 'x-factor' pilfered from the Earth's crust.
Wonder Woman #300 (February) "Beautiful Dreamer, Death Unto Thee"
The Atom on the cover of Wonder Woman, but doesn't appear within. There are a few cameo shots of the JLA from a distance, so one can assume that he appears as a small speck in one of the panels.
Justice League of America #212 (March) "War in Space!"
Justice League of America #213 (April) "Into the Microcosmos"
Justice League of America #214 (May) "The Siren Sisterhood"
Justice League of America #215 (June) "The Bigger They Are..."
Justice League of America #216 (July) "The Choice"
Action Comics #546 (August) "Showdown!"
JLA vs. Brainiac. The Atom appears.
Justice League of America Annual #1 (xxx) no title
JLA and Kirby's Sandman vs. Dr. Destiny. Possibly the last appearance of the Atom before he begins his Sword of the Atom phase.
Sword of the Atom #1 (of 4) (September) "Book One: Stormy Passage"
Conceived by: Gil Kane (Art) & Jan Strnad (Script)
Ray witnesses Jean's infidelity with Paul Hoben and decides for a seperation with his wife. He takes a trip to the Amazon, searching for another white dwarf star fragment. During the flight, he is attacked by the others on the plane who are trying to protect their drug operation. The Atom fights them off, but the Atom is thrown from the plane, struck by lightning (that short-circuits is size-weight controls), the plane crashes, and he is stranded in the Amazon. He stumbles upon a race of tiny yellow people (Katarthans) who are his height (six inches) and returns with them at swordpoint to their city of Morlaidh. After failing to fight off his captors there, he is cast into the depths (along with the Katarthan rebel-hero Taren) where he faces certain death at the hands (paws? teeth?) of several large rats.
Sword of the Atom #2 (of 4) (October) "Book Two: A Choice of Dooms"
Script: Jan Strnad & Art: Gil Kane
The Atom and Taren prepare to fight the rats when a cannister of gas is dropped into the pit and all present are knocked unconscious. The test now over, the king removes the Atom and Taren and prepare them for the gladatorial games. The Atom is pitted against a recently blinded Taren and the crowd gets ugly. The Atom and Taren escape with the help of Pohrager and the Princess Laethwen. It becomes more apparent that King Caellich's advisor, Deraegis, is plotting against him. The Atom saves the blind Taren from a lizard and is then saved himself by Taren's rebel group. Pohragar is crucified as punishment and Deraegis brings him water to gain sympathy from the disgruntled populace. Taren reveals that he was betrayed by someone from the inside. The Atom faces off against Voss, second in command of the rebel band. Meanwhile, back in Ivy Town, Jean calls Paul over as she tries to deal with the reports of Ray's death in the plane crash.
Justice League of America #219 (October) "Crisis in the Thunderbolt Dimension!"
Atom in a 1 page flashback cameo only.
Sword of the Atom #3 (of 4) (November) "Book Three: Mourning's End"
Sword of the Atom #4 (of 4) (December) "Book Four: Look Homeward, Atom"

Year 1984

Justice League of America #225 (April) "Let There Be Light"
Justice League of America #226 (May) "Hell on Earth"
Justice League of America #227 (June) "Dragon Keep"
Supergirl #20 (June) "Celebration!"
JLA and New Teen Titans celebrate the anniversary of Supergirl's arrival.
Justice League of America #228 (July) "xxx"
4 page advertising insert for the Sword of the Atom Special #1
Justice League of America #231 (October) "Family Crisis"
Atom quits the JLA behind the scenes
Sword of the Atom Special #1 (xxx) "The Atom's Farewell: The Last Days of the Littlest Big Man"

Year 1985

Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #1 (March) no title
The Atom I and II.
Justice League of America #240 (June) "The Future Ain't What It Used to Be"
JLA Casebook story
Sword of the Atom Special #2 (xxx) "xxx"
Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 (August) "Worlds in Limbo"
Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (November) "A Flash of the Lightning"
Death of Barry Allen
Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (December) "War Zone"

Year 1986

Crisis on Infinite Earths #10 (January) "Death at the Dawn of Time"
Justice League of America #250 (April) "The Return of the Justice League"
Atom cameo only.

Year 1987

Sword of the Atom Special #3 (xxx) "xxx"

Year 1988

Secret Origins #29 (August) "The Secret Origin of the Atom"
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Update '88 #1 (August) no title
The Atom II's updated data.
Power of the Atom #1 (August) "Home is the Hero"
The Atom returns from the Amazon after New Morlaidh is destroyed in a slash-n-burn operation. His powers seem to come and go, and he becomes trapped at three feet in height.
Power of the Atom #2 (September) "Just Like Starting Over"
Ray struggles with his powers and realizes that his body has absorbed an additional amount of white dwarf matter. His ability to control his density increases as he regains full control over his size changing, along with a 'slightly' new costume. He stops some Quaraci terrorists in Ivy Town and the press is alerted the Atom's return by the CIA.
Power of the Atom #3 (October) "15 Minutes of Fame!"
Strobe attacks the Atom in Ivytown. The CIA offers him a full time job as a covert agent.
Power of the Atom #4 (November) "What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life?" and "Skulduggery"
The Atom talks the CIA's offer over with Hawkman and Hawkwoman.
Secret Origins #32 "All Together Now"
Atom Cameo
Power of the Atom #5 (December) "Comings and Goings"
The Atom meets with Ralph "The Elongated Man" Dibney and his wife Sue to talk about public identities.
Power of the Atom #6 (Winter) "Time, Time, Time--See What's Become of Me"
The Atom faces the improved Chronos. Nuff said!
Power of the Atom #7 (Holiday) "Behind Enemy Lines!"
The Atom's fight with Chronos is delayed due to the Invasion Saga. The Atom fights to free a human concentration camp.
Invasion #2 (February?) "Battleground Earth"

Year 1989

Starman #6 (January) "xxx"
The Atom meets up with the new (old?) Starman.
Power of the Atom #8 (January) "Eye of the Storm"
The Atom wraps up his involvement in the Invasion, or does he? The aliens are mostly defeated and Chronos renews his attack on the Atom. As the Atom nearly defeats Chronos, the gene bomb explodes.
Invasion #3 (March?) "World Without Heroes"
Justice League International #24 (January) "Across a Crowded Room"
JLI throws a post-Invasion party.
Power of the Atom #9 (February) "Victory Day"
Power of the Atom #10 (March) "Bah, Humbug!"
Power of the Atom #11 (April) "Mightier Than the Sword!"
Power of the Atom #12 (May) "Shrinking into the Fire!"
Power of the Atom #13 (June) "Rattling the Cages"
Power of the Atom #14 (July) "Skin Game"
Power of the Atom #15 (August) "All in the Mind"
Power of the Atom #16 (September) "Renegades"
Power of the Atom #17 (October) "Sword of the Atom"
Power of the Atom #18 (November) "Life After Death!"
The Greatest Team-Up Stories Ever Told (1989) "The Challenge of the Expanding World"
Flash and Atom team-up from The Brave and the Bold #53.

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