The Atom #33 is an issue of the series The Atom (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1967. It was published on September 1, 1967.
Synopsis for "Amazing Arsenal of the Atom-Assassin!"
The retiring prison warden gives a tour to his replacement where he learns that Bertram Larvan still is suffering from the effects of his memory loss gas and has become a model prisoner. When visiting Larvan with the warden, the replacement sees that Bertram is still building robot insects that may have future use in the outside world. However, when showing off a mechanical bumblebee, Bertram accidentally makes the mechanical bee crash into his forehead. This blow to the head causes Bertram's memory to return, remembering his career as the Bug-Eyed Bandit, and his knowledge of Ray Palmer's secret identity as the Atom. Not letting onto this fact, Bertram returns to his cell and uses his remote control to activate on of the remaining insect robots in his lab in order to get revenge against the Atom and break out of jail.
Jean Loring is visiting two of her clients Helga and Carl Dornwood whom, in her capacity as a lawyer, helped adopt a young Korean orphan named Sue Shan. On his way to meet her at the Dornwood farm, Ray is suddenly attacked by the remote control insect robot of Larvan's. The attack causes Ray's car to swerve off the road, off a cliff, and into the river. Soon radio reports of Ray Palmer's apparent demise hit the airwaves, and when Jean learns of Ray's supposed death, is devastated. The insect robot meanwhile returns to Bertram and after he hears the news about Palmer's death on the radio, has the robot bust him out of prison. Returning to his lab, Bertram dawns his Bug-Eyed Bandit costume and once more resumes his career in crime.
However, Ray has survived the crash, having used his size changing powers to save himself. Allowing the Bug-Eyed Bandit to think that the Atom is out of the picture, the Atom goes to Jean and tells her not to worry, and then to the police station to convince the police to continue the ruse so that the Bug-Eyed Bandit will strike. The Atom tracks down two of his insects after a spectacular series of crimes. Attacking the robots, he manages to destroy one, however another escapes and reports back to the Bug-Eyed Bandit that the Atom has survived. Falsely assuming that his hated foe has created a robotic duplicate of himself, the Bug-Eyed Bandit then begins modifying his insect to be able to deal with a robot Atom better in the future.
When the Atom next clashes with the Bug-Eyed Bandit's insect robot, it's at the Ivy Town museum, where he finds that the robot is armed with a special sonic wave button that would disable a robot but instead makes him uncontrollably sneeze. Despite his best efforts, the Atom is easily defeated in combat and is knocked out. Taken back to the Bug-Eyed Bandit's hideout, the Atom's foe uses the size-change controls on Atom's belt to restore him to full size and seals him in a synthetic cocoon. When Ray revives, Bertram orders Ray to reveal the secret of his size-changing technology when he thinks the Atom's costume was destroyed, when in reality it turned invisible. Ray refuses, and the Bug-Eyed Bandit makes the cocoon cover Ray's face threatening to suffocate him. However, the Bug-Eyed Bandit does not account for the fact that there are also size-change controls within the Atom's gloves, allowing Ray to shrink down to microscopic size and break free from the trap.
Attacking the Bug-Eyed Bandit once more, the Atom manages to defeat Bertram much the same way he did last time: with Bertram's own mechanical insect. This time, the Atom redirects the sonic beams from the insect at the Bug-Eyed Bandit, causing feedback in his control antenna, once more erasing all memory of his career as the Bug-Eyed Bandit and the Atom's secret identity.
With the Bug-Eyed Bandit back in police custody, Ray resumes his civilian disguise and returns to a relieved Jean Loring.
Appearing in "Amazing Arsenal of the Atom-Assassin!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Carl Dornwood (Single appearance)
- Helga Dornwood (Single appearance)
- Lew Abbott (Single appearance)
- Sue Shan (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- The Atom appeared last in The Brave and the Bold #73. He appears next in Detective Comics #368.
- The Bug-Eyed Bandit appeared last in The Atom #26. He appears next in World's Finest #260.
- Jean Loring appeared last in The Atom #32. She appears next in The Atom #34.