Golden Age War...Best Runs To Collect 4 4

[comicginger1789]

So I have a smattering of Golden Age war titles but I feel like I never know which runs or series are the best to go after. I am considering chasing after a complete run of Atlas Comics War Adventures, but thought I would open up the floor to hear people's favourites for this genre. Which runs are obtainable and also great in terms of art/stories that you recommend? 

Edited May 13 by comicginger1789

[Scrooge]

War Adventures is a great choice amongst the Atlas titles.

My favorite is simply War Comics. It's longer, yes, but not impossible by any stretch. It lasts from 1951 to 1957 and remains solid througout the entire period. It also benefits that artists came and went through the title so with the entire run, you get exposed to the entire array of Atlas stable. Bonus: you still get some good Heath covers as part of the run.

[Hepcat]

Do we have any previous Golden Age War comic thread?

[comicginger1789]

On 5/13/2024 at 12:07 PM, Hepcat said:

Do we have any previous Golden Age War comic thread?

There are but I find those are people posting stuff they’ve acquired and other titles specifically…im looking for recommendations on the best. Even if there are some more obscure short runs that yield great stories.

[buttock]

On 5/13/2024 at 8:58 AM, comicginger1789 said:

So I have a smattering of Golden Age war titles but I feel like I never know which runs or series are the best to go after. I am considering chasing after a complete run of Atlas Comics War Adventures, but thought I would open up the floor to hear people's favourites for this genre. Which runs are obtainable and also great in terms of art/stories that you recommend? 

Battlefield from Atlas is great, 11 issues and packed full of great material/covers.  There's a collected volume.  Battlefront is another that is pretty great from start to finish, but a bit longer.  It catches the early stuff and the later stuff when Sinnott, Severin, etc., were at their finest.  If you want the full spectrum, Battle starts in the early 50s and then ends with Kirby/Ditko pre-hero Marvel stuff.  It's got everything from Atlas, but the later 50s stuff isn't as high-yield. 

Outside of Atlas the EC war stuff is pretty good, it's a little more uniform IMO, so getting a few representative issues makes more sense to me than completing a run.  The same applies to Farrell, although the shorter runs make completing them easier, but they all kinda blend together.  Exciting War from Standard is a favorite of mine, and Battlefront from Standard is only one issue that's great from cover to cover so that makes an easy run to complete.  There's one coming up on HA (https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/war/battlefront-5-standard-1952-condition-fn-/p/122421-33001.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515).  Foxhole is 5 issues, but they're all now 4 figures in rough shape.  

IMO, Atlas stands out above the rest in terms of quality.  

[Hepcat]

On 5/13/2024 at 11:32 AM, Scrooge said:

My favorite is simply War Comics. It's longer, yes, but not impossible by any stretch. It lasts from 1951 to 1957 and remains solid througout the entire period. It also benefits that artists came and went through the title so with the entire run, you get exposed to the entire array of Atlas stable. Bonus: you still get some good Heath covers as part of the run.

My vote might go for Atlas' Battle. Its cover dates were from 1951 to 1960 and included two of my very favourite war covers both by Jack Kirby:

 

(Not mine sadly.)

[comicginger1789]

On 5/13/2024 at 12:54 PM, buttock said:

Battlefield from Atlas is great, 11 issues and packed full of great material/covers.  There's a collected volume.  Battlefront is another that is pretty great from start to finish, but a bit longer.  It catches the early stuff and the later stuff when Sinnott, Severin, etc., were at their finest.  If you want the full spectrum, Battle starts in the early 50s and then ends with Kirby/Ditko pre-hero Marvel stuff.  It's got everything from Atlas, but the later 50s stuff isn't as high-yield. 

Outside of Atlas the EC war stuff is pretty good, it's a little more uniform IMO, so getting a few representative issues makes more sense to me than completing a run.  The same applies to Farrell, although the shorter runs make completing them easier, but they all kinda blend together.  Exciting War from Standard is a favorite of mine, and Battlefront from Standard is only one issue that's great from cover to cover so that makes an easy run to complete.  There's one coming up on HA (https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/war/battlefront-5-standard-1952-condition-fn-/p/122421-33001.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515).  Foxhole is 5 issues, but they're all now 4 figures in rough shape.  

IMO, Atlas stands out above the rest in terms of quality.  

Thanks! I foolishly turned down a chance to get the foxhole books (4 of the 5 anyway) and regret it. I will definitely look into Battlefield

[OtherEric]

I need to chime in on the EC's as well.  Frontline Combat is just extraordinarily good through its entire run.  Two Fisted Tales is a little shakier at the very beginning before it settles into the war format, and the last issues change format again, but the middle of the run is excellent as well.

[Ryan.]

On 5/13/2024 at 12:54 PM, buttock said:

Battlefield from Atlas is great, 11 issues and packed full of great material/covers. 

https://www.myslabbedcomics.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=4632

[Robot Man]

Yep, Frontline Combat and Two Fisted Tales to a slightly lessor degree. The stories and art are best bar none. I would also highly suggest Aces High. Just Awsome WWI avaition stores. And, yes pretty easy and affordable. And there are the reprints…

Edited May 13 by Robot Man

[Scrooge]

On 5/13/2024 at 1:06 PM, Hepcat said:

My vote might go for Atlas' Battle. Its cover dates were from 1951 to 1960 and included two of my very favourite war covers both by Jack Kirby:

No question, a mighty run but as Buttock mentioned in his post, towards the end, Battle is quite weak sauce plus it's a long run. Buttock's option of Battlefield is fantastic as concentrated goodness but I like vaster and longer challenges. For the OP, Battlefield is great and he can preview it in the reprint very easily and make his decision.

I like goofy buddy comedy so I like Joe Yank as a short war run but that wouldn't fit the OP's objective. Same applies to G.I. Joe, it's not always played straight so no option there either.

[707comics]

1. EC has some amazing stories ..... some really heavy hitting stuff.
2. Atlas has some great stories and art as well. As others have mentioned, War / Battle / Battlefield books are all strong options (deep lineup: Heath, Colan, Maneely, Rineman, etc.). Great art / writing, some really good stuff to be found. Some stand outs to me:
- Battlefield #2 (Reinman doing Atrocity Story)
- Battlefield #5 (No Way Out - Gene Colan)
- War #11 (brutal Heath flame thrower action) 
- War #16 (Another great Heath cover, "Army is born story" by Reinman)
3. I have a couple in hard cover format that I have enjoyed. Can't beat the "thrill of the hunt" building a run but could be an option if you are looking for some good reading / ease on pocket book.
- Atlas At War
- Battlefield
- Frontline
4. I know Atlas was the primary focus of the OP but just wanted to mention there are some really great stories and art in some of the GA AJAX books as well. "War Stories" and "G-I in Battle" both have some really heavy hitting / visceral visuals.

Happy hunting and don't forget to share some pictures of what ever you end up with in the other threads

[Kevin.J]

Agree with all of the above, and I collect them all, I always loved me some war books.

I have to say my favorite has always been Farrell, most are short run titles but I dont see the higher grades much, I dont care, I love them 

Apologies that there are a few covers that no longer reflect current values, no offence to anyone is intended  

 

[MusterMark]

On 5/13/2024 at 7:58 AM, comicginger1789 said:

So I have a smattering of Golden Age war titles but I feel like I never know which runs or series are the best to go after. I am considering chasing after a complete run of Atlas Comics War Adventures, but thought I would open up the floor to hear people's favourites for this genre. Which runs are obtainable and also great in terms of art/stories that you recommend? 

1. I have a smattering of Golden Age war titles :  It would be fun to know which ones you have.

2. I am considering chasing after a complete run of Atlas Comics War Adventures : you can't go wrong with that, as some have pointed out already.

3. Which runs are obtainable : The larger publishers (by comparison) are not difficult to collect, if condition is of no or little consequence to you.  Although some of the smaller publishers (and occasionally even the larger ones) tend to have a few issues that are just downright scarce to find, in any condition.  

4. great in terms of art/stories : Many have chimed in already, and I agree with a lot of what has already been said (Atlas, Farrell, EC, Standard, etc., and the particular titles mentioned: you can't go wrong).  But I find it interesting (if somewhat exasperating) that nobody yet has mentioned DC War.  While four of the DC Big Five started in 1952 (if you include the early portion of G.I. Combat from Quality), and one of them started in 1954, they do have very long runs, going into Bronze and beyond.  BUT, their early (pre-1961) output is great in so many ways (not to overly denigrate their Silver and Bronze runs, which have their own strengths).  In this genre, the so-called GA "cutoff" at 1956 seems a bit spurious, and I personally tend to think of the 10-cent cover price to the 12-cent cover price time marker as a "better" determinant of "change".  That is, the entire 1950's decade from DC feels to me to have a wonderful quality.  And yes, while switching from Pre-Code to Post-Code does reflect a sizeable shift in aesthetics and story content, probably the best output in DC War was in the later part of the 1950's, in both art and content.  Thus, the recommendation from me is for the 1950's (and especially late 1950's) runs of:

All-American Men Of War

G.I. Combat

Our Army At War

Our Fighting Forces

Star Spangled War Stories

 

[comicginger1789]

On 5/14/2024 at 1:19 AM, MusterMark said:

1. I have a smattering of Golden Age war titles :  It would be fun to know which ones you have.

2. I am considering chasing after a complete run of Atlas Comics War Adventures : you can't go wrong with that, as some have pointed out already.

3. Which runs are obtainable : The larger publishers (by comparison) are not difficult to collect, if condition is of no or little consequence to you.  Although some of the smaller publishers (and occasionally even the larger ones) tend to have a few issues that are just downright scarce to find, in any condition.  

4. great in terms of art/stories : Many have chimed in already, and I agree with a lot of what has already been said (Atlas, Farrell, EC, Standard, etc., and the particular titles mentioned: you can't go wrong).  But I find it interesting (if somewhat exasperating) that nobody yet has mentioned DC War.  While four of the DC Big Five started in 1952 (if you include the early portion of G.I. Combat from Quality), and one of them started in 1954, they do have very long runs, going into Bronze and beyond.  BUT, their early (pre-1961) output is great in so many ways (not to overly denigrate their Silver and Bronze runs, which have their own strengths).  In this genre, the so-called GA "cutoff" at 1956 seems a bit spurious, and I personally tend to think of the 10-cent cover price to the 12-cent cover price time marker as a "better" determinant of "change".  That is, the entire 1950's decade from DC feels to me to have a wonderful quality.  And yes, while switching from Pre-Code to Post-Code does reflect a sizeable shift in aesthetics and story content, probably the best output in DC War was in the later part of the 1950's, in both art and content.  Thus, the recommendation from me is for the 1950's (and especially late 1950's) runs of:

All-American Men Of War

G.I. Combat

Our Army At War

Our Fighting Forces

Star Spangled War Stories

 

I will share an image of my war issues tonight when I am relaxin next to my comics haha

And I agree, I love a lot of the early GI Combat stuff and in particular would love to get my hands on a few issues in particular that Heath drew. I know its not the Golden Age but I am also trying to track down the run of Star Spangled War Stories that feature dinosaurs (I think it was a pretty decent stretch that did this). I am at a modest three issues from that stretch

[Robot Man]

On 5/13/2024 at 10:19 PM, MusterMark said:

1. I have a smattering of Golden Age war titles :  It would be fun to know which ones you have.

2. I am considering chasing after a complete run of Atlas Comics War Adventures : you can't go wrong with that, as some have pointed out already.

3. Which runs are obtainable : The larger publishers (by comparison) are not difficult to collect, if condition is of no or little consequence to you.  Although some of the smaller publishers (and occasionally even the larger ones) tend to have a few issues that are just downright scarce to find, in any condition.  

4. great in terms of art/stories : Many have chimed in already, and I agree with a lot of what has already been said (Atlas, Farrell, EC, Standard, etc., and the particular titles mentioned: you can't go wrong).  But I find it interesting (if somewhat exasperating) that nobody yet has mentioned DC War.  While four of the DC Big Five started in 1952 (if you include the early portion of G.I. Combat from Quality), and one of them started in 1954, they do have very long runs, going into Bronze and beyond.  BUT, their early (pre-1961) output is great in so many ways (not to overly denigrate their Silver and Bronze runs, which have their own strengths).  In this genre, the so-called GA "cutoff" at 1956 seems a bit spurious, and I personally tend to think of the 10-cent cover price to the 12-cent cover price time marker as a "better" determinant of "change".  That is, the entire 1950's decade from DC feels to me to have a wonderful quality.  And yes, while switching from Pre-Code to Post-Code does reflect a sizeable shift in aesthetics and story content, probably the best output in DC War was in the later part of the 1950's, in both art and content.  Thus, the recommendation from me is for the 1950's (and especially late 1950's) runs of:

All-American Men Of War

G.I. Combat

Our Army At War

Our Fighting Forces

Star Spangled War Stories

 

My first comics were late ‘50’s early ‘60’s DC war. My dad bought them and gave them to me after he read them along with Batman & Detectives. I loved the stories and art by Kubert & Heath. They also had continuing stories with characters that appeared in every issue. They still stand up well. Later I graduated to the Enemy Ace and the Unknown Soldier. Excellent reads.

Also of note, are the Revolutionary War tales of Tomahawk. The last couple years of Star Spangled are great cover to cover reads.

[Hepcat]

On 5/14/2024 at 1:19 AM, MusterMark said:

But I find it interesting (if somewhat exasperating) that nobody yet has mentioned DC War.... Thus, the recommendation from me is for the 1950's (and especially late 1950's) runs of:

 

All-American Men Of War

G.I. Combat

Our Army At War

Our Fighting Forces

Star Spangled War Stories

I fully agree! DC very consistently turned out a high quality product across all genres until it started to get spotty in places late in 1965.

Edited May 14 by Hepcat

[Hepcat]

On 5/14/2024 at 8:47 AM, comicginger1789 said:

I know its not the Golden Age but I am also trying to track down the run of Star Spangled War Stories that feature dinosaurs (I think it was a pretty decent stretch that did this). I am at a modest three issues from that stretch

Pre-1964 Star Spangled War Stories in high grade are obscenely difficult to find. I have only this one:

[Hepcat]

On 5/14/2024 at 11:34 AM, Robot Man said:

My first comics were late ‘50’s early ‘60’s DC war. My dad bought them and gave them to me after he read them along with Batman & Detectives. I loved the stories and art by Kubert & Heath.

Great intro to comics! 

Mine was Dell Disney and Tom and Jerry titles plus Harvey Felix the Cat titles in the late 1950's. My post-War immigrant father was very old school and dismissed all comics, particularly the funny animals, as "monkeys". Somehow though he rated Mad and Drag Cartoons magazines a cut above. He of course never even flipped through them.

It was I who introduced my father to elements of New World culture such as football and baseball instead of the other way around. He picked up on the detail that I favoured the Edmonton Eskimos but wondered why CFL teams didn't play against NFL teams. I would have explained to him that the game in Canada was very different than that in the States but he'd still say that they should all be thrown in together somehow. Exposure to hockey he couldn't avoid at work.

 

Edited May 14 by Hepcat

[comicginger1789]

On 5/14/2024 at 11:34 AM, Robot Man said:

My first comics were late ‘50’s early ‘60’s DC war. My dad bought them and gave them to me after he read them along with Batman & Detectives. I loved the stories and art by Kubert & Heath. They also had continuing stories with characters that appeared in every issue. They still stand up well. Later I graduated to the Enemy Ace and the Unknown Soldier. Excellent reads.

Also of note, are the Revolutionary War tales of Tomahawk. The last couple years of Star Spangled are great cover to cover reads.

Same....my dad took me to my first comic shop in the 90's and was always digging in the $1 or less bins which is where many of the 60s and 70s war titles languished at the time (usually rough shape). He thought they were cool and so did I. Eventually I moved away into superheroes but I have always had a soft spot for titles like GI Combat with the Haunted Tank, Our Army At War with Sgt Rock and titles like Weird War. In the last 15 years or so I have dug back even further but only when the opportunity presents itself. As I have come to appreciate the art more in my later years, older books from the 50s and 40s intrigue me in ways they previously did not