Sword of the Atom insert (1984)

Thanks to numerous obstacles not at all unlike Double Dare, I'm posting when I get the chance during the day.
Frank had asked me if I had these inserts, which I sadly at this time, do not. But he does, and has provided them for me, making him the brand spanking newest member of M.O.T.A.!
Welcome aboard.
He's put them up over at his site nurgh, and that's where you'll go to see the entire sweet setup.

I repeat... that's where you'll go to see the entire sweet setup.

nurgh! Catch the fever!

In regards to The Shadow War of Hawkman, Frank, I should have it. Although if I do not, and you provide it, you might then become a member of F.O.A.F!

Friends of a Feather?

Sword of the Atom - Book 4: Look Homeward, Atom

Art: Gil Kane - Story: Jan Strnad

The issue starts off with Ray staring at Morlaidh, thinking that only a few weeks ago he could have stepped on the joint.
After a lil smooch session with his new alien princess, Voss informs them they have a spy in their midst. It would appear that Bikus has been sending "arrow messages" to Deraegis. Bikus spills the beans about Deraegis's plan. How he's been messing with King Caellich's mind, and planning this attack on the kingdom to get his fat head into the hot seat. Bikus knows he's done wrong, and he knows he must be punished.
The punishment? Poisonous arrow through the hand of course. Bikus, like a big boy, willingly puts it through his own hand for that long goodnight.
And so the attack begins! Forces and battle frog horses face off against one another! Caellich's men join in with The Atom's as all are aware of the mad monk's plans.
Meanwhile, an angry King confronts a sniveling little pud in Deraegis, calling him on his plan to overthrow, and informing that him that although he will most certainly go down from these actions... so will Deraegis.
Caellich calls for the guards to take him away for the last time, but his royal roundness will have none of that. He pulls one of those fast moves where he ends up behind the King, knife to back... then in it!
All the while the Sword of the Atom cuts through evil alien guards like a hot prod through a vat of butter. He and the princess make their way to the king... but it's too late. The knife was driven too deep, and the king's time is limited. He and princess Laethwen share a final moment, and that's all she wrote.
Fortunately, that final moment consisted of the king telling them what that crazy, round s.o.b. is up to with the star drive, and that he plans to activate it.
Voss explains to them that the piece of star that the star drive consists was once hoped to be converted into a power plant, but it was far too unstable.
Too late.
Deraegis has activated it and radiation leaks like the melted butter from that hot prod. He exits the facility where the star is housed, looking like something from a Hammer film, eyes glowing red and informing the mass of people, I am your King!" He reaches out and grabs the wrist of an unfortunate observer, the man screaming in pain and falling unconscious.
He's out of control! What can be done!
Of course, put an arrow through his skull. Compliments of voss.

But the star drive is still humming and leaking. Ray goes in to shut it down, but it's too late. Evacuation is the only answer now. Unfortunately, he's absorbed so much radiation, this evacuation is going to play much more like a Toho attack then a superhero at work.With Laethwen refusing to leave her wonderful Atom behind, and various townsfolk running around in a frenzy, Ray knows what he must do:
Stomp and kick the city to smithereens until everyone decides to leave.

There's a buzzing in the Atom's skull, severe pain, then an explosion. Then this panel:I love disoriented Palmer there.
As you can see, Ray stumbles on over to some water and winds up naked and asleep(ah college...).
He wakes in a hospital, and gives his name as "Atom." He's free to go as he's physically fine, and not exactly being cooperative.
Oh yes, one more thing! There's a very pretty woman waiting in the lobby for him. She thinks she might be his husband!
That's your last page. He knows he has a great deal to resolve with Jean, but he promises... VOWS to return and find his alien princess!

That concludes your SOTA mini-series. It's followed by (so far?) 3 special issues, which I'll get to.

When SOTA came out I was still too young, so I missed the opportunity of seeing a character like Ray get flipped and flopped before my very eyes. So when I did get the chance to be able to read all that Ray would go through, it was a helluva ride. Taking a very early member of the Justice League and a golden boy of his own comic series and putting him through this was pretty fascinating to me. Allowing his wife to have an affair and sending him off to the jungle for some sword wielding. I would get The Atom series, find him teamed up with Hawkman, and then the Sword of the Atom series, with issues of JLA and action comics sprinkled throughout.
I didn't have a chance to watch Ray's title get canceled and then bark at the thought of making Jean into what she became, or removing the Atom's mask dome, sticking him in the jungle. It was already done, and just a part of the journey. So I welcomed it. It was a pretty interesting character arc, even at the time, for a wee child like myself. Maybe too interesting!
I had never heard of a superhero having to go through something like that at the time. One with a wife like Jean, so I was immediately swept up in my own Atom mania. That and I knew he ruled.

Sword of the Atom: Action pin-up Part 2!

This here action pin-up just happens to be for the next issue, so I felt it appropriate to put it up beforehand. You understand?

And seriously, the only thing better than an Atom pin-up is an Atom pin-up featuring battle frog. And look at the expression on that thing (click pic for closeup of battle frog expression). They're either about to land on something sharp and hot, or he's about to swallow him 2 or 3 alien guards. Either way I love it.

This was of course, at one time, featured on my wall. With pins in it. It is after all, a pin-up. You can have Bettie Paige, I'll take SOTA!
So of course I had to re-acquire the series later on in adulthood and resist the temptation to yank the pin-ups out again and plaster my walls with them and/or send them to DC offices with specific instructions on what I want my SOTA playset to look like.

Sword of the Atom - Book 3: Mourning's End

Conceived by Gil Kane (art) and Jan Strnad (script)

Without further interruption...

When we left off here, the Atom was about to impale himself on a poisonous spear, held at him by Voss, one of Taren's men. Ray of course thwarts the attempt to end himself by said spear, and gives Voss a slight throttling. Having been charmed by this attempt at his life, and the loyalty in which Voss exhibits towards Taren, Ray chooses him as second in command. A fine lesson for the children.
Taren is amazed that the Atom would choose a man that just tried to take his life, and Laethwen is amazed at how warm she is for the Atom's form.
Meanwhile, evil right hand monk man, Deraegis suggest that the king activate the star drive (for his own evil purposes of course), but king says nay. He actually says it would be the "work of a madman! It's unstable," which is why they shut it down in the first place.
Deraegis scampers off all hurt, but his own power hungry drive only feeds the evil doings.

Back at the Palmer residence, Jean has been given the only thing found of Ray... his ring. Believing him to still be alive, she books a flight to Brazil, and fully intends to use her powers of insanity to track him down.

Back in the jungle an animal stampede goes down! But what causes animals of all shapes, sizes and species, to run like hell, completely ignoring each other?
A serious army of ants. It's true.
Laethwen and Voss climb to the safety of a tall tree, while the Atom retrieves the blind Taren (whom he had to clock to get moving) from the path of the army.
But Taren has had enough. He informs Ray of what a good friend he has been, and swan dives off the branch into the swarm.

Ugh. Things gotta be real bad...

The Atom slays a few rogue ants all the while telling himself he's not yet worthy of Taren's position of merry men band leader.

Deraegis, being informed of Taren's death, knows that an attack on the city will soon occur. And with this ever welcome news of death, he also knows that he is next in line for the king's crown. Which will assuredly come soon, what with everyone pissed off and blaming the current sap.

Back in the death dealing jungle, mourning comes and goes leaving love in the air!

That Palmer...

Is it too soon? Lady, your previous love just died 3 pages ago. Who can blame her though? Look at Ray's hair.

At the same time Ray's previous love, Senora Loring, is at a bar downing drinks and assuring no one in particular that she'll find her husband.

The time has come. The time to earn that good life. To our frogs! To Morlaidh!

Sword of the Atom - Book Two: A Choice of Dooms

Script: Jan Strnad - Art: Gil Kane

When we left off, our hero and his rebellious new friend, Taren, were dumped in a chamber quickly filling with rats. It was there that I cleverly unleashed the phrase, "aww rats." But before I can make anymore rat jokes, the chamber begins to fill with gas, and someone ushers The Atom and friend out.
But who?
Why it's the King's little monkish advisor/right hand man, Deraegis!
But why?
Ah yes, of course. So that the two of them can get dumped into an arena and fight to the death.
Taren and The Atom square off in what the crowd hopes will be a gladiatorial battle for the ages. Except someone has made sure it couldn't possibly be...

Having been blinded, then blindfolded (way to pour it on) it's obvious Taren needs some new friends.

Not surprisingly, The Atom absolutely refuses to fight a blind man, reserving all beatings for those who can see... or at least have some device that sees for them.
Surprisingly, the crowd wants no part of this, and shouts things like "boo," and "unfair!"
See, part of the charm of SOTA is the caring gladiator/death match audience.

The crowd calls for the Kings head, not knowing he had nothing to do with it. But who...

Deraegis! He is the one responsible for he is eeeviiil!

Princess Laethwen and her band of merry men show up to take the hero's (now that he's been blinded he's a hero, k) away from the rioting crowds and the mad monkish advisors. Besides, Laethwen and Taren... they're an item.

Ray drubs some guards, grabs Taren, and hops on a battle frog (which incidentally I could never understand why I wasn't getting a playset of. Still don't...)
Whilst riding frog, Ray gets lost in thought, and begins to have war flashbacks of himself and Jean. He begins to question life, such as which one is safer? The Amazon jungle with tyrants, mad monks, giant snakes, lizards, rats, and where every step you take could be your last?

Or with Jean?

Upon stopping, Laethwen tells him their story. How they were sent to Earth decades ago to set up a penal colony. But without continued support from their home, each generation fell apart more and more. And here they are.


Meanwhile, the mad monk advisor continues to tell the King one thing, do another, and tell the people of the city that it was the King's idea. What a little bitch.
Our 3 meet up with Taren's gang, complete with very suspicious idiot Voss, who is awfully concerned about this costumed fellow.
The Atom and Voss throw down, and while it's short lived, it ends in a great little action sequence where The Atom leaps, is in mid-air when both combatants notice that Voss landed next to a poison arrow. One that can be simply held up in the air for anyone gliding through the air to easily impale themselves on.
Nice.

The book ends with a seriously worried Jean, laying in bed... phoning the guy she was making out with in the car. See, she needs someone to talk to. Not to worry, he's coming over!

Gotta love that girl.

Sword of the Atom - Book One: Stormy Passage

Conceived by Gil Kane (art) and Jan Strnad (script)

Oh Ray. Dear, dear Ray...

You're driving Jean crazy, you are.

A pacing Ray Palmer wonders where his wife is. After all, she said she would be back.
Was that headlights?
Ray runs out into the rain to investigate headlights only to find Jean lip locked with some dude.
She's got a dude.

Everybody loves Raymond.

This of course doesn't go over that well, but Jean immediately goes on the offensive and blames it all on Ray.

Between research and running around as that Atom character, husbandry duties are being shirked here. Who could blame Jean for anything she does from this point on, eh?

Ray needs a vacation.
He decides to hire a small plane with a two man crew to take him over the Amazon jungle in search of a piece of white dwarf star material he believes landed there. He plans to locate such a small thing in such a vast area using a scintillation detector.
Getting a reading, Dr. Palmer wishes to fly closer, but... ah yes, the two men are involved in cocaine smuggling and Ray Ray has just gotten too close.
An on-plane brawl ensues - booo
Someone shrinks - yay!
A shot is fired - booo
The shrinker easily knocks out bad guy - yay!
The first shot finds a home in the pilot, and the plane is going down with The Atom hanging on the cargo door.

The Atom lands in some refreshing Amazonian water, takes a nap, and wakes to find that he can't work his size controls and would appear to be stuck at a height of six inches.
To further a slap in the face, a particularly nasty jungle snake had decided The Atom would make a nice snack. Without the ability to control his size or shift his weight to give him that atomic knockout punch, he's just a lil guy against giant jungle animals.

It's then that tiny poisonous arrows glide through the air, slaying the beast, and saving The Atom from having to do some fancy footwork.
But who shot these arrows?

Why it's a race of six inch jungle aliens!
With nobody knowing what the other is and not speaking the same language, this lilliputian race ties The Atom up (no fight put up by him of course) and brings him back to their jungle kingdom.

It's here that our hero finds the joint to be under the control of a mini-tyrant, along with some unhappy people. The Atom sides with another six inch alien prisoner upon his beating and jumps into action choosing to throw down with the guards. Holding up very well, sheer numbers over take him, and the two are dumped in a subsurface chamber.Aw rats.

Sword of the Atom: Action Pin-up!

Gil Kane
Ray Palmer and a tribe of 6 inch jungle aliens
Gil Kane
Jean cranks up the crazy a notch
Gil Kane
Ray Palmer wielding a sword
Gil Kane

Sword of the Atom, coming up!