A
super-hero published by
DC Comics.
Ray Palmer is the real name of the hero, the
Atom. Palmer discovered a piece of a white
dwarf star while a graduate student in
physics. Palmer experimented with the white
dwarf material, discovering a mechanism that
enabled him to reduce both is mass and size.
Fashioning himself a costume, Palmer became the
smallest of heroes, the Atom.
The Atom served as a member of the Justice
League fighting along side Superman, Batman,
and other members. The Atom used his powers to
visit sub-atomic worlds and to fight the forces
of evil. Eventually, all of the Atom's adventures
took a toll on his marriage and he and his wife
divorced. Soon afterward, Palmer was believed
killed in the Amazon jungle, but in fact, he was
living with a group of aliens who had settled there.
The aliens were six inches tall and had a primative
society. Palmer helped them defeat their tyrant
king and lead them for a time, until they were killed
by corrupt government officials.
The Atom returned to the United States and was active
for a time in his home of Ivy Town. Then during
the Zero Hour crisis, the Atom was deaged to
his teenage years. He joined the Teen Titans
for a time and served as their leader in the
field. Eventually, Palmer was returned to his
normal age and returned to teaching in Ivy Town.