I think about my early days as the Atom, and it's like reflecting on my childhood. I was dashing. Incorruptible. Back then I played out my heroic fantasies just as surely as i had in the playground and vacant lots of my boyhood. 
- — The Atom
Power of the Atom #18 is an issue of the series Power of the Atom (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1989.
Synopsis for "Life After Death!"
Ten days after he disappeared into the telephone, the Atom has not returned. Norm and Dr Hyatt play chess and wait, until the Atom's return phone call.
Ray wrote the manuscript for the second edition of The Atom's Farewell, and he hands it to Norm and packs his things to leave. Norm demands to know what had happened, but the answer is in the manuscript; and Ray's two friends grow more and more horrified as they read it.
The C.I.A. destroyed the Katarthans and killed The Atom's princess -- a justification, to the Atom, for what seemed to be the mini-blaster deaths of Agents Bailey, Hubbard and Ginsberg, Sting and Blacksnake.
Norm tries to stop Ray from leaving, and answer for what he's done, but Ray tells them to read on. The mini-blaster is actually a reducing ray, and he has left his victims alive but reduced to six inches tall. It is powered by a White Dwarf Star Fragment from the Katarthans starship.
Determined to step out of his life, the Atom makes a final visit to Enrichetta and leaves a rose on her pillow. He is still determined to be a hero, but he's done being Ray Palmer.
Appearing in "Life After Death!"
Featured Characters:
- The Atom (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Alpheus Hyatt
- Enrica Negrini
- Jean Loring (Flashback and main story)
- Norman Brawler
Antagonists:
- Central Intelligence Agency
- Agent Bailey (Flashback and main story)
- Agent Ginsburg (Flashback and main story)
- Agent Hubbard (Flashback and main story)
- Blacksnake (Flashback and main story)
- Sting (Flashback and main story)
Other Characters:
- Chronos (Flashback only)
- Kathartans (Flashback only)
- Agent Kevin Stevens (Flashback only)
Locations:
- Connecticut
- Ivy Town
- Hyatt's Residence
- Negrini's Residence
- Ivy Town
- Amazon Rainforest (Mentioned only)
- Morlaidh (Flashback only) and (Destroyed)
- Central Intelligence Agency Headquarters (Flashback only)
- Maryland (Flashback only)
- Potomac (Flashback only)
- Ronald Sweet's Residence (Flashback only)
- Potomac (Flashback only)
- New York
- New York City
- Queen City Books
- New York City
Items:
- Chessboard
- Sting's Robotic Bees (Flashback only)
- The Atom's Mini-Blaster (Destroyed) (Flashback only)
- The Atom's Farewell
- White Dwarf Star Fragment
Vehicles:
- Car
- Panel Van
Notes
- Ivy Town is placed in New York instead of Connecticut.
- The spelling of Katarthans changes in this issue. The 'h' is transposed and they are now called "Kathartans".
Trivia
This is the fifth and final issue in a series featuring The Atom shrinking from his standard size next to the logo; in previous issues, artist Graham Nolan had him shrink until disappearing entirely this cover.[1]