Show Us Your Atlas Books - Have A Cigar 26 26

[Johnny545]

This thread needed a good bump with a great book, thanks Jim.

 

I know some of you picked up some Atlas recently lets get them up here, PCH, War, Westerns I will take them all!

 

Here is one from me, perplexed by the grade, still happy to have it.

 

[jimjum12]

MT 134 is such a neat,neat book. I put one in similar grade in a recent sales thread at what I thought was an aggressive price and a few minutes later I decided to pull the book and keep it....... but someone had already claimed it . I used to work part time for a seafood dealer who kept telling me about the comics he and his wife used to get when they were 17 year old newlyweds in the 50's..... and one day, lo and behold, he produced them.... all packed inside two giant Charles Chips potato chip tins.....maybe a hundred in all. Mostly Romance and pre code horror. That was the first time I ever saw a MT 134. He even had a Menace 1 in there. Man that was fun going through those. I miss that old . I can still hear him say, "Hey, while you're restin' why don't ya see if that broom'll fit yer hand...." GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

Edited January 4, 2014 by jimjum12

[Johnny545]

Great story Jim thanks for sharing, I always love hearing about the personal connections, memories people have with these books.

[rjpb]

here is my latest Atlas pickup - a title nobody else seems to care about. I now have #1 and #8, just need 2-7 in VG+ to FN.

 

[jimjum12]

..... it's got the globe...... what's the insides like? Goodman had a versatile stable. GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[jimjum12]

....I always liked this one..... a high grade would look great.... but this midgrade will do.... GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

[rjpb]

..... it's got the globe...... what's the insides like? Goodman had a versatile stable. GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

Typical two-fisted guy private eye stories, but not quite as gritty as Johnny Dynamite. Issue #1 has Tuska art, and #8, Vernon Hernkel. Tuska draws better dames, but Henkel does okay. My favorite bit in #8 is when Rocky uses some Ju-jitsu on a hood that's gunning for him when they are on a rooftop, and accidentally tosses him off. His attitude is pretty much - whoops, oh well, he would have done the same to me.

 

It's too bad Atlas and comic companies in general were so wedded to idea you had to have several stories in an issue. It would have been nice to have an actual plot develop. Rocky's "investigating" mostly consists of getting shot at and throwing punches. It's amusing that when the police show up, they pretty much just accept Rocky's explanation for why everybody is dead.

[goldust40]

here is my latest Atlas pickup - a title nobody else seems to care about. I now have #1 and #8, just need 2-7 in VG+ to FN.

 

 

Never heard of this title - Goodman certainly kept the printers busy throughout the 1950s.

[*Bronze age fan*]

....I always liked this one..... a high grade would look great.... but this midgrade will do.... GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

 

Great cover James!

[Jayman]

Just picked up this reader copy of Spellbound 3 with this great Heath cover.

"The Worm" story woefully did not live up to the cover as I've heard but the rest of the book had some great stories filled with cannibalism, murder and suicide!

 

 

 

The first story had an old woman hide a young boy in a wall to keep him from the war. She saved money by not feeding him any meat...as you can guess, he got fed eventually!

 

 

 

This next story surprised me as I was familiar with the Journey Into Fear #9 "The Flat Man" story but didn't realize Atlas beat them to it by 2 years!

 

 

 

Lastly "X" sports a terrific opening splash page (pencils by Cal Massey) with a gunshot-to-the-head panel later on in the story. Enjoy!

 

 

[Johnny545]

Thats what this thread needed! Thanks for posting Jay.

[jimjum12]

I've yet to see a bad Cal Massey story.....which is one of the drawbacks of the Slab era.... so much of what's great about these types of books is sealed away. Not that I'm anti-slab...... slabbing probably saved the hobby. There were so many unsung geniuses from this era. The actor Martin Landau even penciled some stories before he made it in Hollywood..... but he went by Kenneth.... and he was pretty good. Anybody that has other favorites that never achieved real notoriety, I'm all ears. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

P.S. Pretty sharp reader copy there, brother....

[adamstrange]

The actor Martin Landau even penciled some stories before he made it in Hollywood..... but he went by Kenneth.... and he was pretty good.

Martin Landau has actually specifically responded to questions about comic art and indicated that he never drew for comics.

 

From Wiki:

At the age of 17, Landau started working as a cartoonist for the Daily News, illustrating Billy Rose's column "Pitching Horseshoes" and also assisting Gus Edson on the comic strip The Gumps during the 1940s and 1950s, eventually drawing the "Sunday strip" for Edson.[6] (Some sources confuse him with comic book artist Kenneth Landau, and incorrectly claim that he drew for comic books using the name Ken Landau as a pseudonym.)

[sacentaur]

Just picked up this reader copy of Spellbound 3 with this great Heath cover.

"The Worm" story woefully did not live up to the cover as I've heard but the rest of the book had some great stories filled with cannibalism, murder and suicide!

 

 

 

The first story had an old woman hide a young boy in a wall to keep him from the war. She saved money by not feeding him any meat...as you can guess, he got fed eventually!

 

 

 

This next story surprised me as I was familiar with the Journey Into Fear #9 "The Flat Man" story but didn't realize Atlas beat them to it by 2 years!

 

 

 

Lastly "X" sports a terrific opening splash page (pencils by Cal Massey) with a gunshot-to-the-head panel later on in the story. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Thanks for posting those scans, Jayman - classic Atlas material.

[Jayman]

The actor Martin Landau even penciled some stories before he made it in Hollywood..... but he went by Kenneth.... and he was pretty good.

Martin Landau has actually specifically responded to questions about comic art and indicated that he never drew for comics.

 

From Wiki:

At the age of 17, Landau started working as a cartoonist for the Daily News, illustrating Billy Rose's column "Pitching Horseshoes" and also assisting Gus Edson on the comic strip The Gumps during the 1940s and 1950s, eventually drawing the "Sunday strip" for Edson.[6] (Some sources confuse him with comic book artist Kenneth Landau, and incorrectly claim that he drew for comic books using the name Ken Landau as a pseudonym.)

 

Was just going to ask about what comics he worked on till I saw your post.

Thanks for the clarification! (thumbs u

[jimjum12]

The actor Martin Landau even penciled some stories before he made it in Hollywood..... but he went by Kenneth.... and he was pretty good.

Martin Landau has actually specifically responded to questions about comic art and indicated that he never drew for comics.

 

From Wiki:

At the age of 17, Landau started working as a cartoonist for the Daily News, illustrating Billy Rose's column "Pitching Horseshoes" and also assisting Gus Edson on the comic strip The Gumps during the 1940s and 1950s, eventually drawing the "Sunday strip" for Edson.[6] (Some sources confuse him with comic book artist Kenneth Landau, and incorrectly claim that he drew for comic books using the name Ken Landau as a pseudonym.)

 

..... news to me. I read an interview in Alter Ego where I got my information. Issue 11 , I think..... though I can't remember with whom..... it wasn't Landau, though. GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Jayman]

I've yet to see a bad Cal Massey story.....which is one of the drawbacks of the Slab era.... so much of what's great about these types of books is sealed away. Not that I'm anti-slab...... slabbing probably saved the hobby. There were so many unsung geniuses from this era. The actor Martin Landau even penciled some stories before he made it in Hollywood..... but he went by Kenneth.... and he was pretty good. Anybody that has other favorites that never achieved real notoriety, I'm all ears. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

P.S. Pretty sharp reader copy there, brother....

 

Thanks Jimbo, that Cal Massey splash put a smile on my face as I turned the page and discovered it. In fact it was my favorite story from this issue. The 2 page text story in this book wasn't too shabby either. (I used to skip reading them in the past but now find them descriptively entertaining!).

[adamstrange]

The actor Martin Landau even penciled some stories before he made it in Hollywood..... but he went by Kenneth.... and he was pretty good.

Martin Landau has actually specifically responded to questions about comic art and indicated that he never drew for comics.

 

From Wiki:

At the age of 17, Landau started working as a cartoonist for the Daily News, illustrating Billy Rose's column "Pitching Horseshoes" and also assisting Gus Edson on the comic strip The Gumps during the 1940s and 1950s, eventually drawing the "Sunday strip" for Edson.[6] (Some sources confuse him with comic book artist Kenneth Landau, and incorrectly claim that he drew for comic books using the name Ken Landau as a pseudonym.)

 

..... news to me. I read an interview in Alter Ego where I got my information. Issue 11 , I think..... though I can't remember with whom..... it wasn't Landau, though. GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

It was reported in one or more fan publications because it was something that I "unlearned" in the 90s when someone actually asked him (I think this was around the time of him winning the Oscar for Ed Wood).

[jimjum12]

The actor Martin Landau even penciled some stories before he made it in Hollywood..... but he went by Kenneth.... and he was pretty good.

Martin Landau has actually specifically responded to questions about comic art and indicated that he never drew for comics.

 

From Wiki:

At the age of 17, Landau started working as a cartoonist for the Daily News, illustrating Billy Rose's column "Pitching Horseshoes" and also assisting Gus Edson on the comic strip The Gumps during the 1940s and 1950s, eventually drawing the "Sunday strip" for Edson.[6] (Some sources confuse him with comic book artist Kenneth Landau, and incorrectly claim that he drew for comic books using the name Ken Landau as a pseudonym.)

 

..... news to me. I read an interview in Alter Ego where I got my information. Issue 11 , I think..... though I can't remember with whom..... it wasn't Landau, though. GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

It was reported in one or more fan publications because it was something that I "unlearned" in the 90s when someone actually asked him (I think this was around the time of him winning the Oscar for Ed Wood).

 

... unlearning is painful for an arrogant, know-it-all bastich like myself...... but it gets easier with time. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[jimjum12]

I've yet to see a bad Cal Massey story.....which is one of the drawbacks of the Slab era.... so much of what's great about these types of books is sealed away. Not that I'm anti-slab...... slabbing probably saved the hobby. There were so many unsung geniuses from this era. The actor Martin Landau even penciled some stories before he made it in Hollywood..... but he went by Kenneth.... and he was pretty good. Anybody that has other favorites that never achieved real notoriety, I'm all ears. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

P.S. Pretty sharp reader copy there, brother....

 

Thanks Jimbo, that Cal Massey splash put a smile on my face as I turned the page and discovered it. In fact it was my favorite story from this issue. The 2 page text story in this book wasn't too shabby either. (I used to skip reading them in the past but now find them descriptively entertaining!).

 

.... a favorite Massey story of mine is Davy's Dame from JIUW 22 ....... he was so talented. I'd toss in some pics but you can google Journey into Unknown Worlds and the whole story scanned was in there at one time. GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

SCROLL DOWN FOR Davey and his Dame

Edited January 7, 2014 by jimjum12