Twice-Told-Tales: Miniaturized Masked Menaces

Among the various rogues who faced the Atoms, the balding bad-guys David Clinton and Kale Zercoff were the most malevolent foes they ever faced. Both men based their crimes around their mastery of time, with Clinton the masked menace known as Chronos, and Zercoff as the henchman of Per Degaton. Initially small-town felons operating on Ivy Town of Earth-One and Calvin City of Earth-Two respectively, David and Kale first faced their worlds’ Atom one-one-one before eventually teaming up with gangs of goons who faced their arch-enemies’ teams, the Justice League and Justice Society.

After a series of battles throughout the years, Chronos sought to change his modus operandi, seeking to steal rare coins from four key locations in Ivy Town. First, he stole Scandinavian coins then French and Spanish coins before targeting American coins with his fourth burglary. The Atom was somehow tipped off the the perpetrator of these thefts, confronting Chronos on his fourth outing. However, an electrified force field around the Time Thief knocked the Tiny Titan unconscious, and when he woke up the Atom discovered his foe had stolen his shrinking belt. Impersonating the Atom, Chronis met the police lieutenant on charge of this criminal case, to try and discover how he slipped up and revealed his identity to his foe.

Decades earlier, the individual members of the Justice Sociery were each tasked with a hundred thousand dollars which combined they can donate to war orphans of Europe. In his futile attempts to obtain his portion of the proceeds, Johnny Thunder encounters two crooks dressed as Sandman and the Atom, threatening local gangs in an attempt to obtain protection money from them. Johnny’s Thunderbolt quickly exposed the pair, a crook disguised as the Sandman*, with the Atom impersonator** being Kale Zercoff himself. Seeking revenge against the Mighty Mite who defeats him months earlier, while Johnny and his T-Bolt were subduing he and his cronies, 

Ray “Atom” Palmer was able to escape the syrup-filled blender his enemy left him trapped within, thanks to his secondary size-changing glove controls. Facing his arch-foe once more, the Atom was able to outmaneuver and capture Chronos, who subconsciously avoided stealing coins with names that sounded like his criminal alias.

Al “Atom” Pratt was working the obtain his portion of the war orphans donation funds, when Zercoff was captured by his Justice Society teammate in the fall of 1941. Nevertheless, Kale would be freed by the summer of 1947, whereby he was recruited as the principal lieutenant to temporal tyrant Per Degaton's militia which inially defeated the Justice Society. On this occasion, Kale was finally able to knock out the Atom, although his victory was only temporary before once more returning to prison.

* This fake Sandman’s Earth-One counterpart dressed as the Sandman, and drugged police scientist Barry “Flash” Allen during a masquerade party the night that Professor Zoom aka the Reverse Flash murdered Barry's wife Iris’. While that Sandman armed his sand-gun with narcotics, which he used on his victim, the Earth-Two psuedo-Sandman seemed to have standard armament in his sand-gun.

** Zercoff somehow managed to portray himself as short as his foe, the real Atom, who was 5 foot 1 inch tall., However, unlike Ray Palmer, Al Pratt did not possess shrinking technology. It could be theorized that Zercoff hired a co-conspirator who was taller than himself, who impersonated the Sandman, thereby presenting an optical illusion making himself short in comparison when both are standing side-by-side. As seen in their two direct confrontations, Zercoff was much taller and far bulkier than the Atom.

Twice-Told-Tales: Medical Miracles of the Caped Crusaders

These strikingly similar twice-told-tales involved shrinking superheroes... performing delicate procedures from within their patients... victims of criminals seeking to conceal their crimes from those who could expose them.

In 1943 on Earth-Two, Doctor Charles McNider was made the executor to a man named Jamison's estate. Among the items in his possession was a shrinking ray projector developed by Jamison, which McNider replicated. Soon after, McNider was called to a hospital to recommend treatment for a gunshot victim, a detective ambushed by crooks. While unable to perform an operation himself, as he was legally blind, McNider secretly had the superhuman ability to see in complete darkness as well as infra-red googles allowing him to say in daylight was well. Requesting his "friend" Doctor Mid-Nite to perform the surgery on his behalf, Charles as Mid-Nite shrunk down to microscopic size, bringing with him his homemade portable projector. Navigating through the near-death police man's body, the Doctor finally arrived at the man's heart where he used the shrinking ray to reduce the size of the bullet lodged within it. 

In 1974 on Earth-One, social activist Debbie Manton is kidnapped by criminals in the employ of gang-leader Bugsy Cathart, as she had witnessed his slaying of a competitor. Tracking down Cathart's goons to a building, Batman unwittingly was stunned by an electric current as he swung onto its rooftop ledge. Left for dead, the Caped Crusader was retrieved and brought to a Gotham City hospital, where he was pronounced near-brain dead. Called to consult on his case, visiting physicist Ray Palmer hypothesized that by using his white dwarf shrinking belt, he could stimulate Batman's brain from within as the Tiny Titan known as the Atom.  

Reviving the detective, a now full-sized Mid-Nite learned from his patient that critical evidence was discovered that would expose gang-leader Clipper Jackson. Cornering Jackson and his henchmen, the Doctor was able to bring the crook to justice.

Piloting Batman's body from within his brain, the Atom was able to reactive the Gotham Guardian's  subconscious reflexes, and together they were able to rescue Debbie. With her testimony, the crook was brought to justice.

Interestingly, Doctor McNider still possessed this shrinking technology which was remarkably similar Ray Palmer's, yet unlike the Atom of Earth-One, Mid-Nite neither used it himself nor did he bequeath it to his Justice Society colleague Al "Atom" Pratt. Instead, Al-Atom wore a dimensional-vibrator device in his belt, something Ray-Atom also developed but used only once.

Regardless, the fact that such a technique was successful and such science was available highlights the amazing accomplishments within the DC Multiverse!

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Continuing thru April 2025 - #JSApril! Celebrating 85 years of #DCComics JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA, the world's first greatest superheroi team! Join over 40 podcasters bloggers as we honor our favorite heroes! Info participants:

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Brilliant Belts Bend Bearers’ Being

The men known as the Atom. Ray Palmer and Al Pratt, were themselves prominent physicists based in the parallel college metropolises of Ivy Town and Calvin City. Besides their roles as professors teaching the next generation in their university classes, they spent their idle time inventing amazing devices they used in their costumed crime fighting. Among these were belts that channeled cosmic forms of energy to bend matter in revolutionary ways.

Ray developed his bio-belt made from a fragment of a white dwarf star, which allowed its wearer to change his size. Al devised his vibratory belt which could shift his molecules from his native universe of Earth-Two into that of his counterpart’s on Earth-One. This became  personal teleporter which Al-Atom no doubt used in his own world during future adventures.

These belts had controls within their belt buckles that activated when their wearers pressed their interfaces. Whether Al-Atom used his vibratory belt on additional cases to teleport to different locations is undocumented, alright the fact that he appeared during some contemporaneous cases with the Justice Society at various locations seems to indicate that he has used it for this purpose, in much the same manner as Ray-Atom uses his shrinking belt to allow him to travel through telephone lines across the globe when needed.

On one occasion, Ray-Atom's arch-enemy Chronos captured his foe and stole his belt, pretending to be Atom to confuse the local police. Unknowingly, Chronos left Atom in his costume, not realizing that his enemy had palm controls that also allowed the Tiny Titan to change his size... thus escaping his trap and defeating the Time Tyrant.

On a later occasion, Al-Atom used his vibrating belt to journey to Earth-One and enlist the aid of his counterpart, not realizing that Ray-Atom was affected by a cosmic phenomenon that made him an immature and combative version of himself. During the battle, Ray-Atom disabled Al-Atom's belt, allow eventually was restored to his senses by his cosmic twin.

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Continuing thru April 2025 - #JSApril! Celebrating 85 years of #DCComics JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA, the world's first greatest superhero team! Join over 40 podcasters bloggers as we honor our favorite heroes! Info participants:

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Atomic Antagonists Agonize Adventurers

An interesting historic fork in the road occurred when intentional incidents were insidiously instigated at a pair of nuclear power plants. While on one world, these was initiated by the TNT Trio terrorists of Ted Grand, Nat Tryon and Tim Moore under the employ of Lex Luthor which was thwarted by the superstrong caped crusader Superman... the trio's counterparts on a parallel planet these same three were scientists seeking to stabilized their facility from the superstrong caped crusader the Atom.

On Earth-One, the TNT Trio sought to damage a nuclear reactor in the Metropolis of Earth-One, they were opposed by Superman. However, while the hero captured Ted and Tim, Nat was trapped under some lead shielded equipment, hiding his presence from Superman who carried away his crony colleagues. Succumbing to severe radiation poisoning, once Tryon freed himself and made his way to one of his boss' Luther Lairs, he pleaded for Lex's help. Placing his henchman in a specialized suit while bathing him in rays to stabilize his condition, Luthor promised to return once the process was complete within a week. However, Luthor was captured by arch-enemy, resulting in Tryon remaining in this state for over a year until freed during a conflict between Superman and the villain named the Mole. Awakening now as sentient radiation, the metahuman menace known as Neutron was born!

On Earth-Two, following being submerged in the evil-inducing waters of the Koehaha River along with four other Justice Society allies by the golden age Superman of his world, the Atom later awoke craving to gain more power. Arriving at a nuclear power plant in Nevada, the Atom made his way into the reactor room, seeking to bathe in that facility's tholium rays. While Ted and Tim's counterparts were overwhelmed by Atom's indominable strength as he knocked both men out, the Atom was prevented from irradiating himself by the timely intervention of his superhuman godson Albert "Nuklon" Rothstein who pursued him across country.

Seeking revenge upon the men who turned him into a monster, Neutron hunted Ted and Tim before Superman intervened. After a brief battled, Tryon was subdued and imprisoned in a facility that could keep him locked away. However, the immortal villain Vandal Savage of Earth-Two employed a lawyer to legally overturn the case against Tryon, freeing Neutron to frame Superman for a crime he didn't commit. Once all was revealed including Savage's sinister schemes, Neutron was this time kept immobilized in S.T.A.R. Labs. That is, until the Fearsome Five felons freed him to enhance their ranks as they engaged in a rematch with their foes, the New Teen Titans. Once more, Neutron ultimately failed.

As for the conflict between Nuklon and his temporarily insane godfather Al "Atom" Pratt, the lad was able to overpower his elder and shield him from the Tholium radiation. However, Nuklon's own body was irradiated, further mutating him. When an incensed Atom approached the third scientist at that facility, Neutron's Earth-Two counterpart, he was told by the man that the radiation device he activated couldn't re reengaged for six months. Leaving the three men and Nuklon behind, the Atom left to reunite with his fellow Justice Society allies, who ultimately regained their sanity when opposed by Nuklon and his Infinity, Inc. pals

Twice-Told-Tales: Manhunters Manhandle Malicious Martians

The blue-caped crusaders clad in shorts and red chest straps heroically battled malicious Martians, who sought to conspire to conquer their neighbors. These men with ties to the Mars in their universes, Martian Manhunter of Earth-One and Atom of Earth-Two, were victorious despite overwhelming odds.

Martians physiology differed  radically in the various universes they occupied. Consider the Manhunters of twin Mars as a case study. J'onn Jon'zz gained powers similar to those of Superman while residing on Earth-One. Roh Kar maintained his normal abilities without gaining additional attributes while visiting Earth-Two.

However, the reverse was also true. How so? Humans from Earth-Two gained superhuman powers on their universe's Mars, while those of Earth-One are still normal on the Mars in their reality. For example, Al "Atom" Pratt gained powers comparable to his Justice Society teammate Superman while on Mars-Two*, while Ray "Atom" Palmer remained unchanged when he and his Justice League allies ventured to Mars-One to aid their former teammate Jon'zz versus the White Martians. But what caused the divergence in superhuman abilities, granting these to Mars-One Martians and Earth-Two humans?

Apparently, this phenomenon is similar to the divergent condition between Kryptonians in each universe. Those Kryptonians living on the homeworld of Earth-Two's Superman possessed superhuman physiques due to the environmental conditions on Krypton-Two. This was not true of those Kryptonians in Earth-One's reality, as they were normal humans on Krypton-One. Perhaps, the presence of a large Blue Flame on Mars-One and a Green Flame on Earth-Two imbued native peoples of each world with the capacity to gain powers on worlds other than their own, as these flames were twin batteries charging Martians and Terrans alike.

Interestingly, a Martian guide immediately welcomed Al Pratt to his world after the Atom there, following the Tiny Titan and his Justice Society allies been exiled into space by their enemies. This individual was most probably Roh Kar, who mentally linked with Al via an Educatograph, which Martians used to teach themselves such things as their native language. Now gaining the Atom's perspective, Roh Kar no doubt experienced the sensory exhilaration of mentally joining the Mighty Mite’s many adventures on Earth-Two.

Years later, Roh undoubtedly appreciated when his mind-mate the Atom gained superhuman strength through exposure to radiation. It seems that the mental bond between the Mighty Mite and the Manhunting Martian was mostly benevolent, although apparently their mental link aroused suspicions within the ranks of the Justice Battalion (which the Justice Society was called during that period of time) due to the Atom’s seemingly odd behavior (as later mentioned in an interview with writer Roy Thomas). 

* Martians in each universe lived on two different Mars, the twin Mars in the same solar systems as Earths One and Two, and a pair of Mars-II's also existed across the universe, accessed via Hyperspace. Both the Atom and Batman of Earth-Two ventured to each Mars, and seemingly gained the same vibrant vigor of these worlds. Meanwhile, J'onn Jon'zz along with his League allies remained their normal selves on each Mars within their own reality.

Cosmic Inbalance: Story of the Sentinent Stellar Stones

Despite a variety of reality altering events throughout history, and specifically during the middle to latter half of the 20th century, the first occasion wherein Mallo the Cosmic Balancer intervened in his native reality and its cosmic twin was in 1981. This enigmatic entity deemed it necessary to intervene in the events of humanity, as he perceived an inbalance in his own reality of Earth-Two as well as its closest cosmic kin, that of Earth-One.

Specifically, upon analyzing the various superhumans populating both worlds, most costumed crusaders had correlating counterparts with compatiable capabilities. This included the Supermen, the Flashes, the Green Lanterns, and the Hawkmen... despite the fact that, aside from the Hawkmen, each doppleganger derived his powers from a separate power source. For Superman-One, it was a yellow sun and lighter gravity. For Superman-Two, it was genetic adaptation to his native Krypton. For Flash-One, it was immersion lightning charges chemics. For Flash-Two, it was by inhaling hard water fumes. For Green Lanterns One and Two, it was the specific types of green plasma compatiable with each of their universes.

Then there was the twin Tiny Titans, the Atoms also known as Ray Palmer and Al Pratt. While Al of Earth-Two possessed superstrength from Tholium radiation, Ray of Earth-One possessed size-changing abilities from a sentinent White Dwarf Star fragment. Tholium existed on both worlds, however the fragment was specific to Earth-One. Other techniques for shrinking, employed by Doctor Mid-Nite and Brain Wave, used magnetic contraction of atomic particles.

The reason Mallo intervened at this point, rather than years or even centuries earlier, is because the doppelgänger of the White Dwarf Star Core fragment was the fragment of the Green Flame Starheart meteor which crashlanded at the same time a dimension away. However, while the Dwarf Star plunged onto the area that would become Ivy Town in the North American continent of Earth-One, the sentient Starheart plunged onto the Earth-Two continent of Asia near a future Chinese village.

And in 1979, the alien entity named Zalaz stole the Starheart globe from the star which it resided within.* Bringing it to the Earth-One universe, its radiation was emitted from the globe throughout that reality. To balance this out, comparable (if compacted amount of) white dwarf** radiation was pulled from Ray Palmer’s equipment and transmitted into Al Pratt’s on Earth-Two***.

* Because the chaotic Green Flame energy, projected from Earth-One's universe by the Guardians of that Universe into Earth-Two's reality, was entombed within the star deemed the Starheart, that star never condensed into a white dwarf star as had its doppelgänger which powered Ray Palmer's costume

** The sun which Zalaz and his love M’La’s planet once orbited around eventually became the condensed white dwarf which plummeted to Earth-One. That sun’s counterpart in the Earth-Two universe was the star within which the Green Flame Starheart resided. Other such meteors on parallel planets such as on Earth-S originated from that same star in Earth-Two's  universe.

Daring Dimension Distorting Damsels

Enrichetta Negrini was an Italian research scientist and graduate student attending Ivy College. After initially meeting her during a case involving a crook with a special light ray weapon, Ray "Atom" Palmer enlisted her aid in tracking down the precise frequency used by the Hyper-Thief claiming to use hyper-space in his thefts. Thanks to Negrini's assistance. the Atom discovered that the criminal used a special device to open safes with their valuables hidden to be stolen later.

Lana Kurree was an American research and graduate student of Holliday College. After developing am experimental cancer treatment known as Plasmin, her fiancée tricked her into believing her medicine caused the death of a man, in order to have her sign over this drug trial research to him. When her fellow sorority sisters from the Holliday Girls convinced her to take a break from the laboratory to clear her thoughts, she discovered possessing the inexplicable ability* to pull herself and those around her though time to different time periods!

During another case, a radion ball disappeared when an alien appeared in Ivy Town. However, Atom later revealed that Enrichetta hid the ball in hyper-space! Later, the Atom saves the lives of Negrini's foster parents, and on another occasion Enrichetta temporarily manifests the mental ability* to transmute human flesh into gold from her dreams!

While working alongside Professor Palmer as his lab assistant, Enrichetta invented a hyper-space prober that emitted ionic magnetic beams through the ether. This began pulling Earths One and Two into the same vibratory space, drawing the attention of an explorer from the Anti-Matter Universe. Alongside his Justice League allies and the Justice Society, Atom helped saved both worlds from colliding together.

As for Doctor Kurree, she pulled herself along with with Etta Candy and a few Holliday Girls accompanying them on mountain retreat through time. Arriving in 1st century Rome, Lana assumed the identity of Italian noblewoman Servilia and was drawn to an analogue of her 20th century boyfriend, himself also deceptive. Thankfully, Etta contacted Wonder Woman who used Paula VonGunther’s Space Time Transformer to travel back to that era and retrieve the girls. Another side trip to the 1840 where Lana adopted the alias of Prudence Beene found her replaying the same scenario, after which she and her friends returned to their normal time period. Finally uncovering the truth, Doctor Kurree was redeemed with her name cleared, and her treacherous boyfriend exposed as a criminal.

Apparently, while Enrichetta used devices to bend space and time to her will, her doppelgänger Lana possessed these same attributes yet internalized within her body, through some undisclosed means. It is theorized that in fact Enrichetta manifested the same abilities as Lana, however through a different mechanism. While Kurree unleashed these cosmic forces from her subconscious mind upon natural forces around her, Negrini harnessed these through her conscious mind using mechanical means to project these cosmic forces.

* Interestingly, while Enrichetta was a physicist and Lana/Servilia was a chemist, the former could alter chemical composition of matter with her mind while the the latter could manipulate physics opening hyperspace portals with her mind!

Mechanical Motorized Marvels Meet Metal Men

Gold, Lead, Platinum, Iron, Mercury and Tin. Six elements in nature, and six malleable Metal Men created by robotics scientist Will Magnus to protect his world of Earth-One. While six other Metal Men, multiple copies of each In fact, also appeared on Earth-Two… these were actually menaces to mankind summoned by Hubert Crawford from the planet Jupiter-Two. 

Interestingly, there were other mechanized marvels who aided members of the Justice Society and All-Star Squadron, just as the Metal Men had aided members of the Justice League. Only these Earth-Two automatons were specialized vehicles, which the Metal Men mimicked on occasion when they also transformed into various cars. 

These were the following vehicles and their owner operators which they utilized on numerous cases:

• Goitrude driven by cab driver Doiby Dickles, which drove Alan “Green Lantern” Scott to numerous adventures. It displayed sentience and later was capable of flight powered by Q-Force.

• Black Widow driven by Tom “The Spider” Holloway and his chauffeur Chuck. Capable of traversing not only streets but other surfaces like walls and buildings.

• Esmerelda driven by Etta Candy which carried her and her Holliday College classmates to several adventures with Wonder Woman.

• Atomobile designed and driven by Al “The Atom” Pratt which could atomically transform from a normal car into a sleek convertible, inspired by his pal Percy's Atomobile made for the Boy Commando.

• Sand-Car driven by Wesley "Sandman" Dodds along with his fiancée Dian Belmont, with a state-of-the-art engine equipped with its owner's special silicon-based weaponry.

• Doll Plane designed by Professor Roberts and driven by his future son-in-law Darrel “Doll Man” Dane which operated on autonomous remote control.

These golden and silver age “Transformers”, either had their own personalities like Goitrude or reflected those of their human partners. This corresponded to the base Responsometers at the heart of the individual Metal Men on their various replacements bodies. Despite occupying new bodies, these were the same personalities and memories of the previous models, with their unique traits, characteristics, and quirks.

Among the various threats they faced included ones also created by their creator, as Mangus in some manor had a hand in spawned the Metal Men II aka the Robots of Terror, the Gas Gang, and the Metal Women along with their teammate Platinum Man. Each of these robots caused the original Metal Men and Tina some anxiety, although they each proved to be one-and-done inventions before they were scrapped. Only the original six Metal Men, and for a time Tin's own creation known as Nameless, endured throughout the years.


By the time the Jovian Metal Horde had arrived on Earth-Two in their insatiable attempt to consume various elements, which they transformed into, these vehicles had already rendered invaluable service to their human designers and drivers. Although their aid was behind-the-scenes, they were invaluable to the members of the Justice Society and Freedom Fighters during their periods of service, before each retired.


As there were multiple copies of the Metal Horde from Jupiter, it was theoretically possible for the each of the the four malevolent Metal Men within their five separate squads confronting Justice Society members could have themselves absorbed a variety of elements, yet they all solely transformed into the elements of Gold, Silver, Magnesium, Iron, and Copper... with a sixth regime remaining on Jupiter remaining as the element Metal-X, who Starman encountered years prior to the Horde's invasion of Earth-Two. Of course, the shark-like sentient spaceship which transported the Jovians to that world also posed a threat, as had its counterpart Starro the Starfish Conqueror who invaded Earth-One. As had the Metal-X ship versus the Justice Society, Starro was defeated by the World's Greatest Heroes, the Justice League.

Troublesome Tinkerers Torment Tiny Titans

Bertram Larvan was in need of extra funds to continue their research in automated insect technology, which he believe could help to control the population of insects and animal life forms. However, unable to obtain funding for a working prototype, Larvan grew bitter towards society. His obsession led to the termination of his relationship with his fiancée Alice, and eventually motivated him into adopting the alias of the Bug-Eyed Bandit. Sending out his tiny mechanized insects to commit crimes for him in Ivy Town, the Bandit captured the attention of Earth-One's Mighty Mite, the Atom. On three occasions, the Bandit and the Atom clashed, each ending with Larvan’s defeat.

Perry Poodle was a classmate of fellow student Al Pratt at Calvin College. Perry had a propensity to develop innovative inventions that ultimately led him to attract unwanted attention from the criminal element in Calvin City. Among his inventions was a remote control baseball, an automaton, a location-tracking compass, and a talking Native-American statue.

During the course of their three encounters, Larvan discovered the alter ego of the Atom, yet a mental block prevented him from using this knowledge to his advantage. The Atom proved the superior scientist and costumed crusader during their encounters. Bug-Eyed Bandit was last seen during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, when he perished during the conflict.

As for Poodle, he was last seen in the late 1940's following his third chronicled tale, when he aided the Atom in defeating local hoods who yet again attempted to exploit his technology.

Both men displayed a proficiency towards robotics, guided remote control flight gadgetry and other equipment that made Larvan and Poodle intellectual peers to physicists Ray Palmer and Al Pratt. This made them worthy rivals to the Tiny Titans of twin Earths.

Twice-Told-Tales: Men of the Atom Into the Cosmos

Physicists Ray Palmer and Al Pratt were obsessed with scientific discoveries, built upon their previous exposure to life-altering technology. Ray harnessed the ability to shrink to microscopic proportions through use of a white dwarf star fragment housed within his specially designed belt and palm controls. Al harnessed superhuman strength through exposure from Tholium radiation while battling a supervillain. On these occasions, neither man was in full command of their mental and moral attributes, which made them brilliant scientists and legendary heroes.

When another physicist scientist published a paper duplicating research simultaneously discovered by Ray, which he was about to present at a scientific conference, he experienced a mental breakdown. Seeking a new scientific breakthrough, Palmer became obsessed to the point where he harnessed his shrinking technology to pierce the barrier between his own universe of Earth-One, and a mysterious subatomic Microcosmos. When his best friend Hawkman tried to stop him, Palmer attacked him. When then confronted by his Justice League allies, Ray as the Atom disappeared into this new realm, with the Leaguers following him. There, both he and his allies lost their memories aside from vague recollections. Hawkman recalled his Thanagarian origin, and yet also felt a connect to ancient Egypt when he saw some writings in the subatomic world of Goltha. Together with native inhabitants led by the Wanderer and her Siren Sisterhood, the Justice League defeat the oppressive ruler Kass-andre and her warriors, who had used the mindless gigantic Atom as a weapon to subdue the world's residents for a century in their time. The League returned to Earth-One, with Ray regaining his sanity.

When the Ultra-Humanite exposed his arch-enemy Superman to the mind-altering river Koehaha, also known as the Stream of Ruthless which removes morality from any who drown in its water, he then guided Superman into doing the same with some of his Justice Society allies. Among these were the Atom and Hawkman, as six Society members began to unleash their sinister desires upon their world of Earth-Two. Al Pratt as the Atom sought to expose himself to further Tholium radiation to increase his superhuman attibutes, although he was opposed by his step-son Albert "Nuklon" Rothstein. Hawkman likewise was obsessed with uncovering secrets of ancient Egyptian museum pieces, although he was likewise opposed by his son Hector "Silver Scarab" Hall. Eventually, the effects of the stream began to wear off, with the Justice Society returning to Koehaha to submit to is toxic influence once more. This was thwarted when their old foe Brain Wave pulled them, their children of Infinity, Inc., and Ultra-Humanite into inter-dimensional Limbo between universes. There, Ultra was finally defeated and the Society regained their sanity, allowing them to return to Earth-Two. Although the Justice Society didn't encounter sub-atomic beings during this adventure, one of those present in Wonder Woman had years earlier battled Queen Atomia and her minions on a subatomic world mirroring Goltha.

Conscientious Coaches Crave Colossal Cosmic Capabilities

Both Guy Gardner of Earth-One and Joe  Morgan of Earth-Two were originally physical fitness instructors, with Guy specializing in school age children and Joe focusing on amateur wrestlers. Both were adept trainers of young men, until their meetings with Hal Jordan and Al Pratt changed them into something more.

Guy was one of two candidates to be successors to Abin Sur as the Green Lantern of Sector 2814. When the other, Hal, came to meet Guy... the two struck up a friendship. After a near fatal bus accident, Guy's opportunity to become a backup Lantern was placed on hold until his recovery. Eventually, Guy was enlisted into service, only to fall victim to a damaged power battery sending him into the Phantom Zone. There, the Kryptonian criminals  manipulated him into becoming their pawn, then leaving him comatose. He would recover during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, although his gentle demeanor transformed into a lust for power granted him by some of the Guardians of the Universe.

Joe was the personal trainer of college student Al Pratt, though after several months this lad adopted the alter ego of the Atom. The two men lived together for the next few months, with Joe becoming a confidant for both Al and the Atom, Soon, Joe fell prey to a foreign female spy who drugged him into stealing secret plans for a new cruiser. After the Atom tracked the spy and her allies, then capturing them while revealing they're victimization of Morgan, Joe was freed from jail. He then started an athletic camp, although his scattered psyche due to the drug's after-effects caused Joe to create the alias of Nat Milligan. Nat's prize pupil was Jim Harper, who became the masked Guardian rather than a wrestler as Joe/Nat had intended. This led to Joe's submission towards an evil globe's offer of  power, originating with the Guardians of the Universe.

These tragic twin tales highlight that not all noble men end up becoming heroes, as perplexing problems... predatorial persons... and probable power can motivate them into turning to evil. Still, both men showed the good dispositions in the end, siding with the Green Lanterns of two Earths against threats to their respective universes.

Mighty Mites Meet Maids Marion

Edward Thayer was a good man on Earth-One, and a wicked man on Earth-Two. The former was an old friend of Ray “Atom” Palmer, the latter a one-time foe of Carter “Hawkman” Hall. The Earth-One Ed ended up marrying a woman named Alice nee Morse, who was a near lookalike of Ray’s fiancée Jean Loring. Shortly after they wed, Ed and Alice Thayer visited Ray and Jean in Ivy Town, where they discovered that Alice’s ex-fiancée was entomologist Bertram Larvan. 

Their engagement had been dissolved by Alice as Larvan was to obsessed with his work developing robotic pest control insects. Since Bertram couldn’t secure financing for his creations without a model, he decided to use them to rob financial institutions. This brought him in conflict with the Atom, who confronted and defeated Larvan in his Bug-Eyed Bandit alias.

A short time later over in Calvin City on Earth-Two, a couple of Al Pratt’s friend set him up on a blind date with Marion Thayer. Could she have been the granddaughter of Elwin Thayer, the man who was murdered by a disembodied synthetic hand, the creation of Elwin’s brother Edward? Edward himself stole from his brother a valuable emerald for his girlfriend Sandra.

Instead of showing gratitude, Sandra showed greed as she slayed Edward, then herself was brought to justice by Hawkman and the artificial hand.

Marion and other women in Calvin City began to experience strange effects with their aging due to cosmic radiation emitted from devices operating on both Earths One and Two. The twin Atom, Palmer and Pratt, were able to rectify this problem and reverse the effects. Following this, Al and Marion Thayer finally and their date, although they ultimately wouldn't last as a couple, as Al’s heart still belonged to his estranged ex-girlfriend Mary James whom he later married.

Hidden Hemispheres of Hyperspace

Hyperspace is defined as four or more dimensions folded upon itself, creating a multi-dimensional universal plane of existence. 

On one occasion, four Krptonian prisoners of the Phantom Zone discovered the means to reach a planet with unusual properties in an adjacent dimension they also labeled an "alternate universe"*. From this world, they launched deadly robotic Anachroids to wreak havok in space and time, until the Superman and Flash of Earth-One tracked them to their source and defeated these creatures and their masters. This trans-dimensional world may have been the same as Rokyn, where the Kandorians resided once Superman and Supergirl enlarged them.

This world had a counterpart in an "alternate universe"* of Earth-Two, a psuedo-Pluto which the Spectre had been exiled to, wherein the inhabitants spoke a language derived from that of the Andromedan Galaxy, the same galaxy where Krypton once resided! Could these have been long lost Kryptonian refugees? The domed city on this Pluto mirrored the once bottled city of Kandor. After quelling a civil war, Spectre later returned to this world, exiling Nazi agents there, no doubt out of revenge for their treatment of he and his Justice Society allies.

In face, six of his Justice Society colleagues had been simultaneously captured and also exiled into hyperspace via experimental rocketships by enemy Nazi agents. Hawkman was sent to a Saturn-like world named Arkania, a militant people like those of the extra-dimensional world Llorth, whom the Earth-One Hawkman once encountered. Later, the younger Hawkman traveled on twice through another dimensional warp to the world of Illoral, a mirror image of the Wingworld that Wonder Woman of the Justice Society visited more than once. Queen Desira and her daughter Princess Eve of Wingworld had counterparts in Dwyanna Ral of Llorth and Queen Maya of Floria.

The Atom of Earth-One and Doctor Mid-Nite of Earth-Two likewise visited other-dimensional worlds in Floria and Faux-Neptune (the Atom of Earth-Two visited a hyperspacial version of Mars like that of Mars II settled by the Martian Manhunter and his people in Earth-One's universe). 

Fellow Justice Society members Starman and Sandman visited worlds resembling Jupiter and Uranus with strange substance sentients as had the Metal Men of Earth-One , such as the alien Robot-spider Queen and minions of Metalus 5. Jimmy Olsen of Earth-One and Johnny Thunder of Earth-Two likewise ventured to alien dimensions on the same occasions as their peers Superman and Spectre above.

* The term "alternate universe" used for worlds visited by the individual Justice Leaguers and Justice Socialites as mentioned is different from that of planets in a "parallel universe". The alternate universe simply means an adjacent dimension attached to either the Earth-One or Earth-Two universe, respectively.

Martian Mighty Mite Manhunter

On April 1, 1942, all active members of the newly formed Justice Battalion... except for the missing Doctor Fate... met in their New York City penthouse. This meeting was cut short by Nazi agents who captured the team and placed them in space-faring rockets, exiling the former Justice Society members to other worlds within Earth-Two's solar system. Was it?

In actuality, the unexpected presence of the being known as Harbinger affected the trajetory of these rockets, which originated from her master the Monitor who sold these to the Nazi scientist Gootsden. Those seven vessels ended up in hyperspace alternate versions of Venus, Neptune, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. All seven heroes had adventures on these planets, as each interacted with their native residents, then reunited once more in space where they returned to their homeworld.

An interesting insight, as mentioned by Roy Thomas, is that one of the members was not the actual hero, but "replaced" by an alien entity. Reviewing their individuals tales, we see whom this culprit ended up being. Returning from these alternate planets Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter, Pluto, Mercury and Venus... Hawkman, Sandman, Doctor Mid-Nite, Starman, Spectre, Johnny Thunder and Wonder Woman appeared unchanged if more enlightened from their experiences. A seventh hero, the Atom, arrived on this new version of Mars possessing superhuman abilities due to its atmospheric conditions.

Immediately the Atom met a race of benevolent Martians, who brought him to their city and exposed his mind to the Educatograph. This device was said to open his mind by transmitting via radio waves information, allowing the Atom to comprehend and communicate in the Martians language. Was this all that had been transmitted into his mind?

The mysterious Martian* who found the Atom then enlisted his aid in capturing the leader of the southern nation, Butor, who was poisoning the water of the northern nation. With his new-found abilities, the Atom was able to defeat the rogue Martians, and ensue peace between the two peoples. As his rocketship was repaired and jettisoned away from this new Mars, the Atom's mind now carried far more than linguistic knowledge, it also apparently carried a link between he and the Martians!

How do we know this? In June 1947, an individual known as Thund Dar arrived on Earth-Two, recruiting Batman and Robin whom they long observed, to help them defeat criminal scientist Sax Gola. Gola had developed a crime-ray... a possible modification of the Educatograph (which would have been used on Batman and Robin in order to learn the Martian language)... to turn Martians towards criminal tendencies. Through their observations, the Martians were able to ascertain that Batman and Bruce Wayne were one-in-the-same, which is very important to note as we shall see. Known as the foremost criminologist, Batman was able to defeat Gola and his minions, and then returned to Earth-Two. Apparently, following this tale, the memories of Batman and Robin as to their Martian experience were erased, given their surprise at meeting a Martian Manhunter in August of 1953 (confirmed by that Manhunter’s statement to the Dynamic Duo about keeping their Martian society a secret from Earth).

In August 1947, only two months after returning from Mars-Two, Bruce Wayne was called to the bedside of Al Pratt aka the Atom, who had recently been injured. Asking Wayne to take his place at the next meeting of the Justice Society, Wayne arrived to a surprised gathering of heroes. As Doctor Mid-Nite noted, the Atom knew that only members were allowed to attend these meetings. Leaving the room**, Wayne returned as the Batman and aided the Society on the case of the "5 Drowned Men". This adventure occurred before Superman, and later the other members, learned of Batman’s secret identity. And yet, Al knew that Bruce was the Batman, and Bruce knew that Al was the Atom. No doubt, this was due to their Martian "mind-meld" connection. 

Years later, the Martian Roh Kar of the original Mars had also viewed his heroic idol the Earth-Two Batman, and assumed the title of Manhunter from Mars. He teamed up with the Batman to battle "the Stranger", the only one of Sax Gola's gang still under the influence of the crime ray.

The anatomy of the Martians, from the Atom's first meeting  in 1942, to Thund Dar's in 1947, to Roh Kar's in 1953, had always been changing. However, as Martians have shape-changing abilities, this highlights their adaptability to various circumstances they may encounter. As seen in all these appearances, the Martians of Earth-Two's universe do not have the physical strength of their Mars-One counterparts. In fact, humans of Earth-Two gain superhuman attributes on their universe's Mars, as opposed to humans of Earth-One.

The alternate New Mars which Al Pratt traveled to as the Atom was where some Martians migrated, while the Mars of Earth-Two's solar system still had their own inhabitants who remained behind. A similar situation occurred on Mars-One, when the White Skinned Martians of that world devastated it, causing the Green Skinned Martians to migrate from their native planet to their own "New Mars” elsewhere in their universe. Both New Mars were accessible from Earths One and Two via hyperspace travel given their distance from these worlds. Roh Kar lived on both Mars-Two and New Mars-Two!*

The Martian lawman mentally connected with Al Pratt through their Educatograph was no doubt in awe of the Atom's exploits throughout the 1940s. In particular, he would’ve been amazed at the Mighty Mite’s superhuman strength and stamina, on par with the Earth-One Martian Manhunter J'onn J'onzz.

As for the untold case, mentioned at the beginning, of the Justice Battallion/Society uncovering the alien in their midst, this is a tale left to be told as these metahuman manhunters would eventually discover the truth.

The mustached Martian whom Al "Atom" Pratt met seems to have been Roh Kar, before he became the Manhunter from Mars.

**Way to go, Alan "Green Lantern" Scott, revealing to this "civilian" Bruce Wayne that Al Pratt and the Atom were one in the same!!!

Whatever Happened to the Golden Age Atom?

Tiny Titans. Mighty Mites. The Atoms were, on the surface, background characters amidst their more prominent teammates within their World's Greatest Heroes. However, both were critical members on several cases of these twin teams, as they packed quite a bunch and also contributed with their tremendous scholastic and scientific knowledge. While on Earth-Two, Al Pratt was a charter member of the Justice Society of America as the Atom, the Atom of Earth-One was the third recruit following the founding of the Justice League of America. Regardless, they both were present for the vast majority of their teams' earliest adventures.

In fact, Ray-Atom was active for the majority of the League's history, while still having a steady amount of solo adventures, only tapering off for a few years in the early 1970s. As for Al-Atom, during the 1940s until 1951 he was continuously active with the Society, contributing to the second most number of adventures in that team's golden age history, second only to best pal Hawkman. And when the Society was revived in 1963, he was present during six of their first nine case, until 1971. Then, Al disappeared until seven years later in 1978! Where was he during this time?

A couple hints can be found both in his last adventure with the Society, and the last of his solo teamups with counterpart Ray-Atom which preceded that tale. During that teamup of the Tiny Titans, Al was match-made in a blind date with Marion Thayer. Years later, he was shown to be married to a "Mary". It seems the pairing of Al and Marion proved ultimately unsuccessful, although it would apparently reawaken the love he had for Mary, as they married in the 1970s.

Shortly after this romantic meeting, Ray-Atom and Al-Atom along with their League and Society allies battled the maddened alien A-Rym and his symbiotic pet Teppy. Both separated, the boy on Earth-Two and his pet on Earth-One, each attacked the two teams of heroes who were trying to restrain them. In fact Teppy, who it was noted had Kryptonian-level strength like his master, gave Al-Atom a devastating blow. Although he got up to mount a counter-attack, that was it for Al's contribution to this adventure, as the two groups soon reunited the two aliens as they were summoned to their home.

It seems that Al-Atom perhaps needed time to recover, and thus could not assist the Society during any subsequent adventures during his recuperation. And perhaps, now having settled down with a wife after years as a bachelor, he may have been hesitant at placing his life at risk. 

In fact, it was only due to the fact that his old foe the Wizard mentally lured him into a battle with  Blockbuster and the Secret Society of Super-Villains that Al came out of retirement (at the same time Ray-Atom battled the Villians). Although present with the Justice Society during a confrontation involving the Master Summoner, this was it as to his participation with the Justice Society. Al would battle a house thief, join occasional Society/League crossovers, and participate in adventures involving Ultra-Humanite and Per Degaton. 

Bottom line: This was a man who grew out of his years as a vigorous and excitable youth, now a seasoned man in his middle age now teaching as a nuclear physics instructor rather than student, who cherished settling down with his wife instead of the next thrilling tale. A lesson that, sadly, his counterpart Ray Palmer learned the hard way, as his own marriage ended due to superheroics.

Fantastic Four Supports Seven Soldiers

Shortly after an their adventure alongside the Justice Society of America, wherein they assisted them in recovering their fellow All-Stars missing since the golden age of mystery men, the Justice League returned to Earth-One. That is, all save three Leaguers who remained on Earth-Two, who were tasked with what Hawkman said was: “helping the Seven Soldiers adjust to the world of the present”! Why?

In the early 1950’s, the Seven... also known as Law's Legionnaires, gathered together for one final case as a group. On that occasion, atop the Himalayas, they along with their unofficial eight member Wing, battled the Nebula Man monster. Assembling a Nebula Rod that destroyed the create, a side effect was Wing's death, while his teammates were sent to various past time periods. From these eras, various members of the JLA and JSA retrieves the Legionnaires, bringing them back to the 20th century although decades after they disappeared. Thanks to their reappearance, the Soldiers were able to save Earth-Two!

Undoubtedly, the Society also aided the Soldiers in their transition from the 50’s to the 70's. However, those three Leaguers: Aquaman, Atom and Black Canary; these three had special purpose that necessitated their temporary presence in that alternate universe.

At least one of the Soldiers was given one-on-one assistance by a Socialite, as Starman took an immediate interest in his fellow stellar superhero, Star-Spangled Kid. In fact, when he later broke his leg, Starman lent the Kid his Cosmic Rod to use. And it would be this device, along with his knowledge of the Nebula Rod, that helped the Kid create his Cosmic Converter Belt.

The Legionnaire known as Shining Knight would have little difficulty readjusting to a new decade, as he had previously experienced a frozen sleep that lasted over a thousand years removed from his native time in Camelot. He and his flying steed Winged Victory simply acclimated to yet another new time period.

Apparently, although sent to save Star-Spangled Kid from the prehistoric past, something drew Aquaman's attention toward the Legionnaire referred to as the Vigilante. Perhaps with his telepathic abilities, the marine marvel was able to perceive some melancholy in the cowboy crusader. One thing they both had in common were beloved sidekicks who were surrogate sons, that they had grown distant from. While the emotional rift between Aquaman and his young partner Aqualad eventually mended, at the time of this tale it was still a fresh wound.

And if history parallels on both Earths, then this Vigilante would soon discover the tragedy that befell his sidekick Stuff. On Earth-One, after that Vigilante returned from a mysterious years-long absence, he learned of the death of his world's Stiff., who had been murdered by his arch-enemy the Dummy.

Honorary League member Metamorpho would have had a positive influence on Stripesy, the senior partner of the Kid. The Element Man would no doubt encourage Stripesy into settling down into a normal life and get married, something Metamorpho longed to do if ever cured from his inhuman condition. Stripesy later mentioned that he retreated into a new life with a wife and son on the other side of the United States... retiring from heroics… something he wasn’t inclined to do before meeting his new League acquaintance.

The Atom had first encountered Legionnaire Crimson Avenger in ancient Mexico, when the hero was under the influence of a fragment of the Nebula Man. Radiating with power from the radioactive rock, Crimson Avenger had battled Atom as well as Elongated Man and Doctor Fate, until they defeated him and he regained his senses. However, there was undoubtedly a concern as to the physical effects of Avenger's close proximity to the alien substance, which Atom sought to investigate using his scientific knowledge and experience with dangerous white dwarf radiation.

And indeed, his concern was borne out, as the Crimson while traveling the world as Lee Travis, discovered he now had cancer. With time running out, he resumed his costumed career for one final adventure. Sadly, if Atom discovered the root cause, he was unable to prevent the resulting effect.

And finally, there was Black Canary, a native of Earth-Two. She would perhaps feel inclined to help Vigilante, whom she helped save from the old west. However, she would've instead sought out the Legionnaires' ace archers, Green Arrow and Speedy. And given her recent history with her adopted world's versions of the pair of bowmen, one can see why this is a logical choice for her.

Throughout the years, the romantic relationship between Canary and the Earth-One Arrow usually involved her being the voice of reason, given his stubborn and opinionate point of view on life. This made him a better man, and would carry over with his adopted ward.

That ward, Speedy, had succumbed to drug abuse and addiction, despite having a storied career alongside his mentor and as a member of the Teen Titans. Canary in her Dinah Lance identity helped the lad recover over time.

Now on her home world of Earth-Two, Dinah saw a more mild and reserved Green Arrow, and a very frightened Speedy given his experience in ancient Greece when he temporarily lost his grip on humanity. 

She seemed a stabilizing influence, as the pair retired to reclaim their lives as Oliver Queen and Roy Harper. While the Earth-One Oliver and Roy had lost the fortune that supported them, causing them to live more modest lives and persist in their masked escapades... this wasn't the case for the Earth-Two pair. Those two ex-Legionnaires never acclaim resumed their more famous alter egos, aside from the occasional reunion with their teammates and during the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Although Roy felt torment later during the Crimson Avenger's funeral due to their displacement in time, he did not revert to substance abuse as had his cosmic twin. Instead, he dealt with the harsh realities life had presented him with. The Teen Titan Roy, also at a funeral, felt some indignation for the abandonment of his former guardian Oliver, and would once more become Speedy in order to prove that he had regained control of his life once more.

Mighty Mite Minor Maidens: Other Women in Atoms' Life

While Jean Loring and Mary James won the hearts of the Atoms known as Ray Palmer of Earth-One and Al Pratt of Earth-Two, there was a time when the lads had to contend with two other brunettes, attending the colleges they had long been affiliated with.

Eva Teljas was the daughter of famed Hungarian clockmaker Anton Teljas. After sending her ahead to the United States to start a new life in Ivy Town, Anton hid valuable gems within prized clocks sent to America, which Eva would then extract from the time piece and sell to earn money for Hungarians. However, the costumed criminal Chronos stumbled upon these scheme and stole Teljas’ clocks, until the Atom with Anton’s help brought about the defeat of the crook.

In a subsequent adventure, after Eva and her father were reunited, the Time Thief returned. Once more, the Atom alongside Anton were able to defeat Chronis, causing the chronal-criminal to seek revenge against the pair. Thanks to the intervention of Atom’s Justice League teammate Elongated Man, Anton was saved and Chronos was uet again captured.

Noreen Davis was a classmate of Al Pratt and Mary James at Calvin College, daughter of Professor Davis. The professor, a noted archaeologist, had discovered an ancient tablet of Kali during an excavation. This attracts the attention of Kali worshippers intent on reviving their cult once the table is in their possession. Al as the Atom quickly defeates these cultists, with the tablet being smashed during battle.

Soon after, Noreen was once more involved in another local instructor's affairs, as Calvin College Professor Higginbotham's metal dissolving termite solution is sought after by a gang of crooks. Once more, thanks to the Atom's involvement, Noreen is rescued from unscrupulous individuals. During these encounters with the Mighty Mite, she gains an attraction towards the hero... which incurred the wrath of Mary who likewise was enthrawled by the Atom. In the end, Noreen moved on from Calvin.

Edward Thayer: Two Tales of a Good and Greedy Gadgeteers

E. Thayer is an example of how a man and the choices he makes determines whether he will become good or evil.

On Earth-One, Edward Thayer was an inventor and friend of Ray "Atom" Palmer who created an illusion maker. This device was used by an alleged assistant, until Atom brought that culprit to justice and helped save Ed. Thayer would assist him on a later case.

On Earth-Two, Edward Thayer was an inventor who devised the means of projecting a phantom hand to do his evil deeds for him, including attacking his brother Elwin. When Edward had himself died, it was that hand that assisted Hawkman in capturing the woman who betrayed him.