I always liked the Atom.

Ray Palmer’s alter-ego captivated my imagination when I was younger. I guess from a visual perspective, his tiny figure amongst the superheroic statures of Superman and Batman just looked cool. And that this little dude stood in the company of the big guns really impressed me.

I probably sometimes envied that he could shrink down into his own tiny atomic-sized world, like I wished I could do sometimes to escape the various trials of childhood like playground bullies or schoolwork. Instead, I escaped into the stories of comic books. What’s funny is that now I get paid for it!

Come July, I’m very proud to be editing a story that provides us a new look at Ray Palmer, beginning with the one-shot BRIGHTEST DAY: THE ATOM #1. Spiraling out of our next major event, writer Jeff Lemire (SWEET TOOTH) worked with the BRIGHTEST DAY crew and myself to really take a microscope to Ray’s early life and show how certain key events led a nerdy science whiz to the unlikely life of a superhero. And the stuff that Jeff came up with really impressed me. It’s a story worthy of Ray Palmer.

Throughout this issue, we get reacquainted with old friends and meet new ones, as well as a new enemy that only the Atom could possibly do battle with. The art will be done by a fantastic newcomer to DC, Mahmud Asrar (Dynamo 5). Mahmud will visualize some really dynamic tricks Jeff has come up with to make Atom’s fighting style thoroughly unique.

From this one-shot, Atom’s story will continue as a co-feature in ADVENTURE COMICS #516, hitting stores a couple weeks later in July. And it’s there that Jeff and Mahmud really get on a roll.

In fact, this story excites me so much that I now like the Atom even more!

I think you will, too.

BC

Thanks, Brian! And gang -- how 'bout that Gary Frank cover above, huh?