Atom (Al Pratt)
| Atom | |
|---|---|
Art by Dave Johnson.
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance |
All-American Comics #19 (Oct 1940) |
| Created by |
Bill O'Conner Ben Flinton |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Albert "Al" Pratt |
| Team affiliations |
Justice Society of America All-Star Squadron Black Lantern Corps |
| Partnerships | Atom Smasher |
| Abilities |
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Al Pratt is a character in the DC Comics Universe, the original hero to fight crime as the Atom. He initially had no superpowers; instead, he was a diminutive college student and later a physicist, usually depicted as a "tough-guy" character.
Atom first appeared in All-American Comics #19 (Oct. 1940) and was created by Bill O'Conner and Ben Flinton.
Initially a proverbial 98-pound weakling, bullied at school and unable to impress the girl of his dreams, Mary James (she dumped him after they were robbed by a thug and Pratt was unable to fight him), the 5' 1" Al Pratt was trained to fighting condition by ex-boxer Joe Morgan (the same man who trained Pratt's fellow mystery men, Wildcat and the Guardian). Pratt soon became a founding member of the Justice Society of America, appearing in the team's various stories during their original Golden Age appearances. In All Star Comics #3 (Winter 1940) the Atom describes himself to his fellow JSAers as "Al Pratt, a quiet sophomore at Calvin College." He later became a founding and active member of the All-Star Squadron. During World War II, Pratt served as a tank driver in the United States Army.
In 1948, the Atom gained super strength as a result of the latent effects of his 1942 battle with the reluctant supervillain Cyclotron (after whose costume Pratt redesigned his own). It was later revealed that he had taken partial custodianship of Cyclotron's daughter Terri.
Pratt's last Golden Age appearance was in All Star Comics #57 in 1951, also the last Golden Age Justice Society story. Later it was revealed that a special Senate investigation panel had moved to obtain the identities of all active superheroes, at which point virtually all members of the Justice Society retired. At this point in his life, as depicted in JSA #70, Pratt was engaged to Mary James, leading to their marriage at an undefined point in time (as confirmed by Justice Society of America: The Kingdom Special and others).
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