All-New Atom (Book 1): My Life in Miniature [Paperback]

Gail Simone (Author), Eddy Barrows (Author), John Byrne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2007

Best-selling author Gail Simone helps launch the career of an all-new hero bearing the mantle of The Atom -- a hero who shrinks in size to battle evil!

Strange things are happening in Ivy Town. In fact, it appears that the whole town's been experimented on for decades. Enter Ryan Choi -- the young hotshot professor filling the empty slot on Ivy University's teaching staff...and who inadvertently fills the role as the all-new super-heroic Atom!

Can Choi make a difference in a town more creepy and mysterious than anyone ever realized? And can he live up to the towering legend of his predecessor, the original Atom, Ray Palmer?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ryan Choi grew up in Hong Kong. While his friends studied martial-arts moves, he, the local science geek, read up on inventors and corresponded with his hero, physicist extraordinaire Ray Palmer, aka the Atom. Now an adult following in Palmer's footsteps, Ryan arrives in Ivy Town to take his missing idol's chair at the university. After he finds the Bio-Belt that gave Palmer his powers, all manner of things go haywire. Between dealing with superpowered, psychotic killers, cancer-gods, and a war between order and chaos, it's all Ryan can do to keep his feet on the ground. Simone introduces the new Atom, whose goofy geekiness and genuine curiosity make him a likable replacement, with understated flair, and she nicely blends traditional comic-book excitement and noirish elements in a very readable story. John Byrne and Eddy Barrows both possess congenial drawing styles, making for a smooth midbook handoff of penciling duties, and both attend to expression and movement to point up the story's strengths. Old along with new Atom fans should be pleased. Coleman, Tina

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics; 1st edition (May 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401213251
• ISBN-13: 978-1401213251
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.2 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,154,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Ideas, Baffling Execution, January 5, 2008

By 

Andrew Shaffer "Author, Blogger" (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All-New Atom (Book 1): My Life in Miniature (Paperback)

Entertainment Weekly called this book the "Best New Ongoing Comic Book of the Year." Based upon the first six issues collected here, it appears that the hype may have been a little too much for the creators to handle. The handoff of art chores between veteran John Byrne and Eddy Barrows isn't quite seemless, as it comes between issues #3 and #4 in the middle of the first story arc. The writing, by Gail Simone, is fresh and funny, but the story (about a war between science and magic in Ivy Town) is too much for just six issues where the main character and supporting cast are also introduced.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly bizarre, July 26, 2007

By 

C. J. Cleary (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All-New Atom (Book 1): My Life in Miniature (Paperback)

"The All-New Atom" faced an uphill battle, as newcomer Ryan Choi replaces long-time fan favorite Ray Palmer as the World's Smallest Superhero. But it's a battle Simone fights with glee, and one that, by the end of this volume, she's begun to win.

The story focuses around Ryan Choi's arrival in Ivy Town, home to the legendary (but missing) Ray Palmer. Ryan is a genius scientist from China and a long-time pen pal of Ray's, so he leapt at the chance to fill in for his mentor as a professor at the presigious Ivy University. But not all is right in Ivy Town, and that's where the wonder kicks in.

Ivy Town is a place that could only truly exist in the DC Universe. It's quirky concept - a city where so many weird things have happened, that nature has begun to bend and reality break - takes an issue or two to get used to, despite how much it delves into DC History. But, soon enough you'll find yourself laughing as you realize the quirks and eccentricities that make Ivy Town special...and don't worry: no prior knowledge of the DC Universe is necessary to understand or enjoy the story.

Ryan Choi proves to be an entertaining hero as he combats such threats as Giganta, an alien invasion from a race called the Waiting, and a Lovecraftian cancer god, but a lot of the best aspects of the story come from the supporting cast - most notably, from the Lighter than Air Society, a group of scientific geniuses who gather to play cards, drink, and invent insane devices to aid Ryan in his struggles.

If you have a thirst for the bizarre, arcane, or occult, The All-New Atom might be the hero for you. If you like quirky science adventures, The All-New Atom might be the hero for you. And, most of all, if you like a book that's just flat-out fun, The All-New Atom might be the hero for you.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunately, not even close to Agent X or Birds of Prey first trades, August 3, 2007

By 

M. Vasiljevic "Marko V." (Belgrade, Serbia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: All-New Atom (Book 1): My Life in Miniature (Paperback)

You can read about it at other reviews, but frankly, although I love earlier comics by Gail Simone, this one is for die hard DC fans only. No humor, no intriguing plot...just a superhero book with all stars creative team which , well, almost failed...unfortunately !