A year in the life of a publisher

[Scrooge]

... yes, it's a self serving post about my collecting but what the hey!

 

Given that I have been stalled by Redskin 8 and Nellie 32 on completing the March 1952 set, over the last year or so, I've been attracted to another endeavor (aside from the Four Color set). I've collected characters (Airboy, Senorita Rio, American Eagle, ...), runs (Four Color, All-American Western, Lorna, Tarzan, Straight Arrow, ...), genres (Atlas War, Atlas Humor, ...), specialty sets (Senate exhibit, ...) and probably more than I can't remember at this time. I am not at the point where I can collect a complete publisher (but if I were to do that it would Magazine Enterprises) so I set my target on something less challenging, a complete year of a single publisher, and I'll be sharing as I go slowly along those books, all the books put out by Atlas in 1954.

 

The choice was easy and intriguing. Easy because Atlas is my favorite publisher and therefore I had made natural headway towards the goal without trying. Intriguing because 1954 is the year the public scrutiny intensifies and places the industry under the eye of the media and Capitol Hill. We mainly talk about the Code coming into play in early 1955 circa cover dates March for Atlas and its effect on a lot of publishers (though more of the woes that led to shops closing truth to be told lie in the glut of material than the advent of the Code itself). The histories typically ignore the ever so slowly changing of the tide leading up to the full-blown code. A quick study of the covers of the main Horror titles put out by Stan will reveal that the tone of these covers really start to switch over right after the summer of 1954, well before March 1955 and the first books with the official Code stamp.

 

To me, collecting the entire output of Atlas in 1954 is the occasion to study that gradual change in editorial outlook and how the writers adapted to the new edicts. It might only be interesting to me but, at least, I'll get a kick out of it.

 

Laugh if you want but I had some level of grade consciousness in the 1952 set. This time, I won't so you will see clunkers here so be forewarned.

 

Drop by when I post, I'll try to talk about the stories in the books even if I don't find the time to scan pages. Anyone can comment, ignore the thread or PM me with books I need

 

My records show that it's not too bad with 379 books, it's less than the March 1952 set and I start standing today at about already 90 books with what I had in my boxes and a few purchases over the last couple of months + counting a package from Pat that I can't wait to receive, read, scan and share.

[Scrooge]

Without focusing on 1954 itself, the story of the Atlas Crime books, esp. their titles, took on an interesting turn through the '50's.

 

We started with the Crime titles where Crime couldn't win, was Exposed or must Lose! in the early '50's. By 1954, the title switched to Police Action where 'police strike back at gangland' to the inevitable conclusion in 1956 that saw the publication of Caught!

 

Right there in a nutshell we see the long arc of the evolution of Atlas in the '50's. With 1954, I'll look at the inflection point.

 

Crime Exposed from March 1952, Police Action from 1954 and Caught from 1956 (in my collection b/c I can't resist Severin covers)

 

[flatrock02]

Some great books Michael

 

 

[Scrooge]

Some great books Michael

 

 

 

Thanks Mike!

 

As I was looking at that cover of Police Action a minute ago, it reminded me terribly of this cover of All Famous Police (old scan of my copy which is somewhere in a random box). Goes to show that sometimes there are only so many solutions to a layout & if the master of layouts, Cole himself, used it, it must be the correct solution.

 

 

 

[zzutak]

I'll be sharing ... all the books put out by Atlas in 1954.

Awesome! When it comes to long sequences of great horror covers, you simply can't beat 1954. Of course, I'm partial to Harry Anderson, and he did way more work for Atlas in 1954 than in any other year. And 1954 is far and away the best year for Atlas' satire titles. This should be fun ......

 

[thehumantorch]

Scrooge, I admire you because you collect so many titles and because you aren't a high grade snob; you just flat out love the books.and want to own them all.

 

Look forward to the thread.

[El Toro Rojo]

Great thread, looking forward to all the covers to come.

[BustedFlush]

Ditto!

[Scrooge]

I'll be sharing ... all the books put out by Atlas in 1954.

Awesome! When it comes to long sequences of great horror covers, you simply can't beat 1954. Of course, I'm partial to Harry Anderson, and he did way more work for Atlas in 1954 than in any other year. And 1954 is far and away the best year for Atlas' satire titles. This should be fun ......

 

 

Thank you I do love the satire books so here's the occasion to show one right away.

 

Crazy # 7 - Last issue of the run & IIRC, the only Atlas satire cover by Russ Heath

 

[tb]

That sounds like a perfect project for you, Scrooge. I like goals that have a broader historical context to them and this should be very interesting to follow.

 

Btw., I've been searching regularly for a Redskin 8 since you listed it among the last 3 missing. It's odd that other issues from around that time, both earlier and later, seem pretty common.

[BangZoom]

... I've been attracted to another endeavor (aside from the Four Color set). I've collected characters (Airboy, Senorita Rio, American Eagle, ...), runs (Four Color, All-American Western, Lorna, Tarzan, Straight Arrow, ...), genres (Atlas War, Atlas Humor, ...), specialty sets (Senate exhibit, ...) and probably more than I can't remember at this time. I am not at the point where I can collect a complete publisher (but if I were to do that it would Magazine Enterprises) so I set my target on something less challenging, a complete year of a single publisher, and I'll be sharing as I go slowly along those books, all the books put out by Atlas in 1954.

 

Good luck on your completing your goal. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch your progress.

 

Mike's Amazing World of Marvel Comics provided me with a preview of what you'll be collecting. That'll be quite an accomplishment.

 

Link

 

 

Are you still collecting Classics Illustrated?

[rjpb]

My kind of thread. Thanks Scrooge!

[adamstrange]

This will be another fun quest to watch!

 

Heath's involvement with Stan Lee's parody title doesn't surprise me. Kurtzman was also an admirer of Heath and used him on all of his humor/satire efforts, starting with MAD and ending with Annie Fanny. I had not noticed this cover before but I found a delightful attempt by Heath to meld his style with Kurtzman's.

 

 

[Scrooge]

Are you still collecting Classics Illustrated?

 

I do. On and off, of the 199 variations I have on my want list, I now only need 35, mostly those entries in the series that only had printing. I believe the CI have fallen to trap of having reached 80+% completion ... which is the time I typically slow down and get distracted by another goal. I'll still look for them but mostly at shows and I've attended fewer shows in the past two years so it's a slower process.

[plady69]

Great stuff. A collector after my own heart; buy the book and read the damn thing!

[Flex Mentallo]

Great stuff. A collector after my own heart; buy the book and read the damn thing!

 

Sacrilege! Bedrock, where art thou?

[G.A.tor]

interesting concept...good luck!

[MrBedrock]

Great stuff. A collector after my own heart; buy the book and read the damn thing!

 

Sacrilege! Bedrock, where art thou?

Reading some golden age...

[Flex Mentallo]

Great stuff. A collector after my own heart; buy the book and read the damn thing!

 

Sacrilege! Bedrock, where art thou?

Reading some golden age...

 

 

[Flex Mentallo]

Sorry, I cant stick around here with the chattering classes just now! Mitch is back with a sensational new thread and me being - you know - such an intellectual and all, like, well, you know...if only this thread were about something interesting like, say, money! You know?

 

Reading comics - sheesh, what's that about?