Show Us Your Atlas Books - Have A Cigar 26 26

[Scrooge]

I'll bet the title he's looking for is World of Fantasy.

 

Thanks for the enlightment. And now I have seen (and survived) Xom The Menace from Outer Space and The Gargoyle from the 5th Galaxy! in the process.

[AtlasT]

Very good, VG+! The pre-hero Marvels are Strange Tales, Journey Into Mystery, Tales to Astonish, Tales of Suspense, and Amazing Adventures/Amazing Adult Fantasy, which evolved (devolved?) into titles featuring the Human Torch, Thor, Ant-Man, Iron Man and Spiderman. World of Fantasy 15 was dated Dec. 1958, and the final issue, 19, was dated August 1959. All 5 of these issues showed the same format, and contained art by the same artists, as the 4 contemporary pre-hero Marvel titles (Amazing Adventures 1 was dated June 1961).

 

[verygoodplus]

And now I have seen (and survived) Xom The Menace from Outer Space and The Gargoyle from the 5th Galaxy! in the process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice books, AtlasT.

 

So, you wouldn't count Strange Worlds as a "pre-hero" book?

 

 

from the GCD:

 

 

 

Only ran five issues, but I figure it fits the "pre-hero" mold.

 

Even if, like World of Fantasy, the title didn't last long enough to feature any heros.

[AtlasT]

Ah, well... you've got me there. There's no possible way of answering that question, except "Of course I do!"

 

I was certainly hoping you wouldn't raise that point, but I can see you're more than a match for me!

 

I was thinking in terms of books that started off as Atlas books, a la "Journey Into Mystery" and "Strange Tales," but, of course, you are correct!

[verygoodplus]

I just noticed that the publishing histories of the five issues of World of Fantasy that you posted and the five issues of Strange Worlds run perfectly parallel through these months:

 

 

December 1958

February 1959

April 1959

June 1959

August 1959

 

 

 

Interesting that both of those books were dumped while the "Tales" titles continued.

 

[bigfiver69]

Hey guys,

 

As promised, some Heath Atlas War covers. Man, I love these.

 

First up, perhaps the most sought after Atlas war cover - War Comics #11. Heath. Flamethrower. Godless Communists. That's a potent mix.

 

 

Sabre jets, Napalm and knife-fighting. War Comics #23

 

 

Teeth-clenching paratrooper action. War Action #14

 

 

Pure testosterone. Combat #1

 

 

Can I have my bayonet back? Combat #5.

 

 

An unsung Battle Brady cover. Great color. Combat #9

 

 

Something for the kiddies. Battlefront #15

 

 

A classic Battle Action cover.

 

 

Heath at the top of his Atlas game. Amazing color. Battle Action #13.

 

 

Anyway, enjoy. If anyone's liking these, I'll try and post some more next week.

 

Cheers!

Shep

[iron maniac]

What a great thread!

 

I have a few more I'll be posting in a few days.

[rjpb]

bigfiver69,

 

Excellent selection of Atlas War covers - War #11 is a definite classic, but some of those others are new to me - Battlefront 15 goes on my want list!

[verygoodplus]

Love those Heath covers, bigfiver.

 

 

Here's another:

 

 

 

 

 

Interior art is all by Robert Q. Sale. Including a nifty Atomic Warfare story:

 

[PUNYHUMAN]

Great books , keep posting!! Does anybody have a Strange Tales # 60 Bill Everett , earthquake cover!!! Or World of Suspence # 6 Old Man of the Moutain cover , both incredible.

[AtlasT]

Punyman: Here's an untrimmed cover for Strange Tales 60, along with a detail. I admire your taste. By the way, I admire those Heath covers as well.

 

[AtlasT]

Lo and behold! I have an untrimmed World of Suspense 6, too. Enjoy!

 

[Forbush-Man]

Punyman: Here's an untrimmed cover for Strange Tales 60, along with a detail. I admire your taste. By the way, I admire those Heath covers as well.

 

 

Now THAT's a collectibile!

[AtlasT]

As long as we're looking at Everett covers....

 

[adamstrange]

Lo and behold! I have an untrimmed World of Suspense 6, too. Enjoy!

 

 

I'm completely surprised that you would have a cover proof of an Everett cover!

 

The WOS 6 was the first book that got me interested in the post-code Atlas mystery/suspense comics. I didn't realize at the time that so many of them were Everett, just how much I liked them.

[FlyingDonut]

Precode Atlas War covers ROCK. Total testosterone is right!

 

[AtlasT]

Here's one of my personal favoites. I wonder if Marie Severin did the coloring on these? Whoever it was did a great job, and the printing process gives the colors such depth and intensity. As I understand it, these were printed using lead-based inks, which was SOP at the time.

 

[FlyingDonut]

Not pre-Code, but still pretty cool

 

[adamstrange]

Here's one of my personal favoites. I wonder if Marie Severin did the coloring on these? Whoever it was did a great job, and the printing process gives the colors such depth and intensity. As I understand it, these were printed using lead-based inks, which was SOP at the time.

 

 

I'm not aware of the use of metals in the pigments of the Marvels. At DC there was definitely quite a bit of that during that time, though I'm doubtful of the use of lead specifically as typically it's other metals that are often used in color pigments. I'd love to hear from someone that has more details about the printing process from the time.

 

My recollection of chronology is that Marie shows up later during the Marvel era as colorist, but I'm not confident of that.

 

My thought is that the depth you cite in the Atlas books is due to the work of Everett and Severin, who excel at that type of work, moreso than the coloring. Severin is well-known as a realistic artist. Everett is thought of more as a cartoonist, except perhaps by those who've seen this mid-50s work that contains so much realistic detail to lend the right mood to the image.

[AtlasT]

I saw this book at the 1999 Chicago ComiCon and was reminded of the paintings of Rene Magritte featuring similar reality/illusion juxtapositions. Then I saw the 1943 vintage Atlas globe, and the sale was made.