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Sword of the Atom #1 Comic – January 1, 1983

by Jan Strnad (Author)

4.7 16 ratings

Part of: Sword of the Atom (1983)

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"Stormy Passage!" Written by Jan Strnad. Art by Gil Kane. Industry legend Gil Kane takes the Atom in a whole new and exciting direction! When scientist Ray Palmer catches his wife in the arms of another man, the Atom leaves behind the world of man and enters a realm of undreamed of. Shrinking down, the Mighty Mite discovers that the world is a very different place when seen from a different point of view. A very, very small point of view! 32 pages, FC.

Part of Series

Sword of the Atom (1983)
Print length

32 pages
Language

English
Publisher

DC Comics
Publication date

January 1, 1983
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Mike Grell
176
Hardcover
17 offers from $56.80

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00115QSMW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ DC Comics; #1 edition (January 1, 1983)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Comic ‏ : ‎ 32 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #2,474,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,968 in DC Comics & Graphic Novels

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4.7 16 ratings

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Jan Strnad

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Jan Strnad began his professional career by writing comics. He has written for both major comics publishers including Star Wars comics, recently reprinted by Marvel, and is known internationally. His graphic novel, "Ragemoor," won the Spanish Haxtur award for Best Script in 2013.

He moved from his home town of Wichita, Kansas, to Los Angeles where he became a staff writer for Disney Television Animation. For Disney he scripted Darkwing Duck, Aladdin, 101 Dalmatians, and other shows. He worked for most of the Hollywood studios, including Sony/Columbia, Warner Bros., Universal, MGM and others before turning his attention to writing prose.

His first published novel was "Risen" a supernatural thriller, published originally under the Pinnacle Books imprint, which he has resurrected as an ebook. His second book, "The Summer We Lost Alice," features characters who may or may not be the spirits of reincarnation. His third, "Dances with the Dead," explores a world in which the recently deceased return for one final visit, some seeking redemption, some seeking revenge.

"There are so many ways to approach the subject," he says, "it's like a genre unto itself. It's hard to imagine growing bored with writing about the afterlife. Whatever one's personal beliefs, it's a grand thought experiment, a good way to examine life and put it into perspective."

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L. Henry Dowell-Playwright

Good stuff!

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

The trade paperback is not easy to get your hands on these days which is a shame. This contains all of the Sword of the Atom stories from the 80s. The story and art are exceptional. I’m giving this collection 5 stars!

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mickster island

Gil Kane's masterpiece

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2010

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The story is classic fantasy and it holds up well on subsequent readings.

The art is the real power of this piece. I find it difficult to announce the masterpiece of one of the great artist's catalogue. Kane's Green Lantern and Atom from the 60s are treasures. His Conan from the 70s is like a precursor to this piece. And his Superman from the 80s challenges the work of his successors John Bynre, Dan Jurgens, and Jerry Ordway.

It is here, though, in The Sword of the Atom that all of Kane's fantasy and superhero art convalesces into a melange that could only ever be expressed in a comic book. It is Kane's greatest effort and should probably be the last story of Ray Palmer, as no other adventure could live up to this.

Buy this book and let it do what comics (especially those by Mr. Kane) do: transport you.

5 people found this helpful

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John M. Matthews

A Unique Book

Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2017

Verified Purchase

Love Gil Kane's artwork. Great blend of the genres.

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Richard A. Tucker

Finally....

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2008

While I agree with much of what the first reviewer states I have to increase the rating because at this price the extra storyline doesn't bother me. I've never read it, and likely never will.
That said this comic was a milestone of sorts. First, it was pretty much all Gil Kane and his art really shines through this late in his career. What I've always like about Kan's work is he never sunk to phoning it in. Even in his fastest efforts there's a dynamic style that is unsurpassed by any of his peers. He's had his share of books that are pretty predictable from the written story stand point, but his art is always rivetting.
This is one of those examples where both the story and art remind of why I still read comics. I've never been much a superhero reader, so the de-powered, mid life crisis facing Ray Palmer was actually refreshing. It also addresses what would happen when the wife got tired of the daredevil life of her husband. While this edgier material is all over the place, and with a lot more angst in today's superhero fare, this was the period where it was being addressed with less drama and excessive violence, but more heart.
This is not your dad's Atom and it was not written for kids despite the escapist seeming elements used in the storyline. Sword of the Atom is a balancing act between real life disappointments, second chances and taking responsibility for one's actions. The fantasy, or science fantasy element is carefully structured around rebellion, politics and the same power grabbing by individuals connected to those in real power, who mistakenly trust in the wrong people. There's also a lesson in sacrifice and the desire to cling passionately to life and facing the price of that decision. This is all told with a wonderful flow of situations and plot points that keep the reader guessing about the intial four issue story arc's conclusion. The three stories that occurr after the first four are not quite as vital. The first SOTA Special is a good wrapping up of loose ends. The second Special is a good story but a bit of a stretch despite what feels like good intentions, those being an effort to root Ray Palmer back into his former life, just in case.....
Tha last Special has never held any interest to me because Gil Kane was not involved in any substantial way and story appears to be barely servicable with decent but not inspiring art provided by Pat Broderick.
I do like the pin-up in the back of the collection that was used as promotional art back before the story premiered. One thing that's vexing is the color saturation. This is a bit too much for this edition, but I'll take it over dragging the comics out (which, for all I know were printed lighter than they were meant to be).

I have one more big complaint, also regarding the coloring, and that's the overdone digital coloring used for the cover. With all the line work meant to be seen, this coloring choice escapes me. It's an extra layer of frosting swamping a good cake. Digital colorist need to just restrain themselves when re-coloring older comic art that was drawn with the coloring method of the day in mind.

Annoying as that is, I'll take it over nothing. It's just the cover, which is represented again, inside with the original coloring intact.

10 people found this helpful

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Babytoxie

Too much of a good thing

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2007

When I heard of the upcoming release of the SWORD OF THE ATOM trade paperback, I was excited. It's just the sort of trade collection I love: those somewhat forgotten storylines that seemed unlikely to be reprinted in a million years. Collecting the 4-issue 1983 miniseries Sword of the Atom and SotA Specials # 1 - 3, this trade features the talented lineup of writer Jan Strnad and artists Gil Kane and Pat Broderick. After Ray Palmer, the Atom, catches his wife Jean Loring cheating with another man, Ray decides he needs some time alone. Off he goes to a Central American jungle in search of more white dwarf star material for his size-changing experiments. He is stranded in the jungle at six inches in height due to some shady airplane pilots, plus the malfunctioning size-controls in his costume. Much to the Atom's surprise, he is found by a tribe of 6-inch-tall aliens, eventually becoming their champion against wild animals, evil scientists, and tyrants, and learning more about himself in the process.

Strnad's script is really something different. At the time, it added a much-needed new angle to the normally static Atom. As Ray works his way up from prisoner to rebel to leader, you can feel the change in his persona. Also, the writing is non-stop action, taking off with a bang, and there is no wasted time from start to finish. Perhaps the most interesting part of the story, in retrospect, is how it puts Jean Loring's attitude and actions in Identity Crisis in a whole new light.

As for the art - it's primarily Gil Kane, the original Atom artist, so what more do you want? The panels are action-packed, the splash pages are beautiful, and (for the most part) his lines couldn't be cleaner. Kane can draw any character, but he has a real penchant for swashbuckler-types dripping with all kinds of weapons, jewelry, and bangles. It's a real kick, and somewhat laughable, to see Ray charging around the jungle decked out like Conan the Barbarian, all the while wearing his Atom costume. Pat Broderick provides the art for the final chapter of the story.

I do have one big complaint about this storyline: the creators didn't know when to call it quits. If everything had ended with SotA Special #1, I would consider this a perfect 5-star story. It wraps up so well at that point. Unfortunately, Strnad chose to tack on two more unnecessary Specials that are just fantasy pastiches. They don't have the spirit or direction of the earlier stories. In addition, Kane's art in Special #2 is nowhere near as good as in the previous chapters.

I remember when this story was originally released and everyone was wondering "what the heck is going on here?" It was certainly an abrupt change from the standard superhero fare readers had been used to for almost 30 years, but it was a fun diversion. It's just a shame they didn't stop while they were ahead.

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