The Atoms

[K. Jones]

The most important thing is not to make this a limited-mission concept. That would wreck it.
.

I do sort of miss the days when you could launch something as a 4 or 6 issue miniseries, though, and then if it was a seller, critical darling, or was just plain fun, could backdoor that into a full title launch and do 24-48 issues pretty regularly.

Re-reading this thread has me really stoked on an Atoms comic. I hadn't thought of the whole shrinking thief villains concept. I like that a lot, as well as rekindling the various Atoms various rogues galleries and uniting them a bit - because if we've got a team of Atoms, then each should have a couple foes that form a group or agency or conspiracy. I'm thinking I'll research the various Atoms publication histories a bit and figure that out. Other things come to mind, too - Pratt's enemies being more street or gritty or paramilitary. Ray's enemies being more fantastical and silver age (and not casting away the cool Ray Palmer stuff that Jeff Lemire did in his Atom stories and Frankenstein). Ryan's enemies being the most youthful and relevant. Making sure to pay respects to the tones of the Gold, Silver, Bronze, Iron and Modern Age Atom stories. Making sure it stays kind of academic and cheeky and isn't just a "Challengers of the Unknown in the Microverse" comic book. Some good S.H.A.D.E. play could happen, as both Lemire's Frankenstein stuff as well as Morrison's Final Crisis stuff had links between Ray & Ryan and government multiversal operatives. And plenty of homage to the 60s Ray & Al Pratt "worlds unite" team-ups, too.

[Güicho]

The Atoms!


I wish they would turn the Atoms into a family team book.

The first arc being Ray and Ryan teaming up, to find the "good" Rhonda Pineda. Who they believe by all logic should exist in their earth/universe.
The thing is finding out why she is missing, and where she is.

Maybe unable to control her power, she is trapped in a tiny gravity mass singularity/black hole, or whatever the physics for it would be.

Have Ray and Ryan then go on a Fantastic Voyage type of adventure through the microverse to find her, and bring her into the fold.

Ending in the formation of the Team!

That bold underlined part pretty much became the premise to the second Ant-Man film (as they search for and return of Janet van Dyne) pretty much by the end of the film creating Team Atom (I mean Ant-Man), extending to part of the set up for end of Infinity War.

Add "Ghosts" (who I had never even heard of) quantum entangled premise was pretty much what posted three years before, I had in mind for the good Rhonda....

...Rhonda Pineda is out there (missing maybe hiding, trapped, struggling, etc. with the discovery of her own power), [Palmer] recruits Choi and potentially other Atom legacy themed characters, to try and find her.
Setting up the theme and adventure for a first arc and the launch of the Atoms, Atomics, as a Team Atom book.

Marvel able to make movies out of it.
DC can't do a comic.

Further, another way to approach her powers as somewhat unique, is the idea in quantum mechanics, that Atoms can be in two places (or take two paths) at the same time.
Extrapolate from this to develop the journey to find her, and define her powers as unique, theory being: when on a quantum scale she can be in several places at the same time, and everything that implies for the character.

All set-up and described here before the film:

So Marvel churns their shrinking powered heroes out, as part of the gajililon$ franchise, while DC creators and fans arguing have no idea how to even approach these characters.

[Jekyll]

Bold underlined pretty much became the premise to the end of Ant-Man films (see search for and return of Janet van Dyne) pretty much creating Team Atom, even extended to part of the set up for end of Infinity War.

Add "Ghosts" quantum entangled premise...

All set-up and described here years before the films:

So Marvel churns their unassuming shrinking powered heroes out, as part of the gajililon$ franchise, while DC creators and fans arguing have no idea how to even approach these characters.

Exactly!! It makes zero sense why there cant be more than one Atom featured at a time.

[Güicho]

Exactly!! It makes zero sense why there cant be more than one Atom featured at a time.

The Atoms!
.... to distinguish, give them more unique powers based on the same theme.

Ray can shrink
Ryan can grow
Rhonda can subdivide her mass into multiple copies, but the more she multiplies, the smaller they must be so as to maintain the same mass.

Further, another way to approach her powers as somewhat unique, is the idea in quantum mechanics, that Atoms can be in two places (or take two paths) at the same time.
Extrapolate from this to develop the journey to find her, and define her powers as unique, theory being: when on a quantum scale she can be in several places at the same time, and everything that implies for the character.

And...

Just call them:

Atom (Palmer
Atomic (Choi
Atomica (Pineda

[CaptCleghorn]

Just call them:

Atom (Palmer
Atomic (Choi
Atomica (Pineda

The Green lanterns and Flashes don't seem to have that problem. Using given names would seem to be a good way around confusion.

[Güicho]

The Green lanterns and Flashes don't seem to have that problem.

Is that a joke?

[Lightning Rider]

When I first saw this thread I wasn't too keen, but it would probably work.

[mikelmcknight72]

I think an Atom family title would be excellent. I'd include Al Pratt, Ray Palmer, Ryan Choi, Atom Smasher, Damage (Grant Emerson), and perhaps a new Atomica. There's a wide range of story potential there. Personally, I'd like to see someone like Grant Morrison or Neil Gaiman on it, as it could get into some trippy microverse adventures.