bronze johnny

You’re missing out on one significant component as to why ACG’s book was the first to kick off precode horror- it was the first horror series that came out regularly. AITU #1 was not a one shot as we know. It was a successful and continuous run that had a following given ACG kept the run going, and it went on to be one of the longest running horror runs in comic book history. Gaines and company were already doing crime in 1949 and things moved at a slower pace during that time. Had AITU not succeeded, we may have never seen EC Comics take on horror the way it did (Moon Girl #5 did have EC’s first horror story but nothing followed and that may also have to do with the fact that it hit the newsstands at around the same time as AITU #1 during the Fall of 1948 - before ACG’s intent on making AITU a continuous run) but rather stick to crime, romance, westerns, and war. Thankfully, ACG succeeded and EC went much further and took horror to its greatest level, which is one of the main reasons why the 1950s comics are not Golden Age Comic Books. As for Eerie Comics, it was not the first horror comic. Gilberton’s Classic Comics title produced the first horror comics that were adaptations of classic horror stories like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Eerie Comics #1 was the first horror comic to have original material and that’s what makes it a special book. CDNP #22 is the first comic book entirely dedicated to crime that also started the crime genre, which later saw the romance (with Young Romance #1) and horror (AITU #1) genres that went on after the superhero genre ended with Second World War and postwar era. Fascinating time for the history of the American Comic Book!

This one actually started it all:

Just realized that I already posted the book- my bad!

That happens to be one of the greatest war covers ever! A classic cover by Davis, so you chose wisely.

Took me by surprise to learn that there are only three Atlas war issues that were “52 pagers,” especially all the Korean War era war books Atlas published.

“Sweet 16”

Nice article on Burgos art and the action: https://bleedingcool.com/comics/the-marvel-atlas-war-covers-of-carl-burgos-up-for-auction/ The corpus of Burgos’ work during the Atomic Age of precode war is no less outstanding than many of his contemporaries.

I would think any 52 page Atlas war book is special given there are only 3 of these “big books.” The time has come to give them their due.

Triple Crown of Atlas War Giants!

Agree, and it would be interesting to see what the DC character driven books do should be a follow-up to this auction with a focus on late 50s and early 60s war books. Interestingly, the “Korean War” era books aren’t Golden Age war books to me and I’m happy to see this time period of the genre getting a focused auction.

Thanks adamstrange! The Suspense run had me thinking about other Atlas “big” books. Would be a “one-of-a-kind” Atlas war book if it’s the only one.

Are there other Atlas 52 page or bigger war books other than Battlefield #4?

Everett perfection!

Nice! I’ve seen 2 versions of this book: one with the blue background while the other is gray.

You had (and I’m sure currently have) so many awesome books in your collection.

This one at first doesn’t appear to be GGA until you catch the “Viking-Jungle Queen!”

Edgar’s Copy:

Cover always reminds me of “The Game of Life” board game!

Remember that it’s “artificial intelligence” and not “real intelligence.”

Always enjoy your insight on these books Robotman and it’s important that you used the word preference because it ultimately comes down to what we prefer. l am curious however about how you compare a hanging cover to a decapitated head cover? I have both books in my collection and consider them to be the best of the precode “hanging” and “decapitated head” motifs. They also have historical significance with 20 forever referred by Wertham as the “cover of a children’s magazine” and 22 the cover that put Gaines on the hot seat that led to the end of precode books. I compare these books to their motif “contemporaries” but not to one another because they are different covers. Still, it comes down to your preference as to what covers you like better than others and I respect that.

I’ve always loved the purplish colors on this cover. Great overlooked book that goes along with Marvel Tales 1. What a great era the Silver Age was the comic book readers and collectors who lived through it. Great book Billy!

Simply spellbounding!

The first horror comic that begin the precode horror era and a classic cover to boot!

Menace 5❤️

And MY point is that I say it’s restored based on my view of the scan. You’re welcome to draw your own conclusions as I am mine.