Showing posts with label Atlas Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Atlas Comics. Show all posts

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Reading Room STRANGE STORIES OF SUSPENSE "Beware...a Martian"

Here's a tale of racism and innuendo involving an "illegal alien"...
...that all Reich-wingers should take note of!
Written by Carl Wessler, penciled by Al Williamson, and inked by Ralph Mayo, this never-reprinted tale from Atlas' Strange Stories of Suspense #14 (1957) uses science fiction to tell a civil rights parable, substituting a Martian (and the paranoia about his race) for a African-American, Hispanic, Japanese, or other minority group about whom equally-inane fantasies have been concocted!
Note: it's interesting that Nardo the Martian has the same appearance as DC's J'Onn J'Onzz: the Martian Manhunter (except for skin color), as well as MM's specific ability to shape-shift, not a talent usually attributed to inhabitants of the Red Planet!
Note: J'Onn had debuted almost two years earlier!
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Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Reading Room VENUS COMICS "Strange Rocket!"

Here's a tale combining sci-fi with the "present day" West...
 ...from the back of Atlas' Venus Comics featuring the art of a future major Silver Age Marvel artist!
The parents weren't questioned as to where their son went after he failed to show up for school...ever again?
"Well, officer, Toby went into space with a bunch of extraterrestrials, but they promised they'd bring him back.
It's OK!
We gave him permission..."
The writer of this somewhat silly story from Atlas' Venus #12 (1951) is unknown, but the artist is Gene Colan, best known to Marvel fans as one of the definitive artists on Silver and Bronze Age titles like DaredevilIron Man, and Dracula!
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Friday, June 5, 2026

Friday Fun RIOT "Advertisements"

Several people have complained my post about Bill Everett's Marvin the Mouse was too harsh...
...but I submit these never-reprinted pages from Atlas' Riot #5 & #6 (1956) demonstrate Everett could do humor...and in a variety of styles!
Spoofing actual ads from KleenexWildroot Cream OilFord MotorsWestinghouse Electronics and TWA (I have no idea what the bike ad relates to), artist Bill Everett demonstrates his mastery of the page, even imitating the art style of Little Lulu's creator Marjorie Henderson Buell!
The mystery of why his work on Marvin Mouse was, to put it mildly, substandard may never be discovered!
Trivia: Atlas was a bit of a trend-follower, rather than a trend setter, as it became in the Silver Age as Marvel!
Trying to capitalize on EC's success with MADAtlas launched four different satire/parody anthologies...CrazyRiotSnafu, and Wild, only one of which lasted to seven issues!

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Thursday, May 28, 2026

Reading Room MYSTICAL TALES "Lair of the Thunder Lizard!"

Bernie Krigstein was one of the most under-appreciated artists of the 1950s...
...and this kool tale he illustrated just begged to be unearthed for the first time in almost 70 years!

Scripted by Carl Wessler and rendered by Bernie Krigstein, this never-reprinted piece from Atlas' Mystical Tales #8 (1957) is a low-key character study enhanced by Krigstein's naturalistic art.
Bernie was already phasing out of comics and into mainstream commercial art (including book and magazine illustration).
This tale was one of his last stories before leaving the comics field altogether.
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Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Reading Room: MYSTICAL TALES "Nomad of Outer Space!"

It's mind-blowing how much Atlas (pre-Marvel) stuff hasn't been reprinted...
...such as this story from Atlas' Mystical Tales #1 (1956)!
While hunting thru files for un-reprinted Jack Kirby tales for a previous Kirby Reading Room mini-marathon, I came across a lot of never-reprinted material!
This Bob Powell-rendered story is just the tip of the iceberg!
Sadly, we don't know the writer of this tale...
BTW, despite the title, Mystical Tales was an almost-totally "hard sci-fi" anthology!
Only a handful of stories from the anthology's 8-issue run have been reprinted, all in the 1970s, which makes even the reprints at least 40 years old!
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Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Reading Room MEN'S ADVENTURES "Secret of the Flying Saucer"

In the Early 1940s-Early 50s, Pop Culture Went Flying Saucer Mad...
...and comics publishers (just like b-movie studios) eagerly took advantage of the insanity!
The writer of this never-reprinted tale from Atlas' anthology Men's Adventures #5 (1950) is unknown and the art is apparently an art jam including Bill LaCava and Vern Henkel.

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Monday, April 27, 2026

Monday Mecha Madness SPELLBOUND "Too Human to Live!"

They say Artificial Intelligence will Replace Humans in Many Jobs...
...even as co-workers...and management!
Pencilled by Vic Carrabotta and inked by Jack Abel, and likely plotted by editor Stan Lee, this cautionary tale from Atlas' Spellbound #16 (1953) has a clever twist ending that would've been appropriate for an episode of The Twilight Zone!

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Saturday, April 11, 2026

Space Hero & Heroine Saturdays ASTONISHING "Menace from the Moon!"

Congratulation to the Artemis Crew for a Successful and Safe Trip to the Moon and Back!
But what if something had happened while they were on the Far Side, totally out of communication with Earth?
OK, this tale from Atlas' Astonishing #5 (1951), written by Hank Chapman and illustrated by Cal Massey is a tad silly.
They claim the ship was lost five years earlier, yet speculate the crew was still alive and coming home?
C'mon, even a kid in the 1950s would find that concept...well...DUMB!!!
(And that's being polite!)

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Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Holiday Reading Room AMAZING ADULT FANTASY "Beware of the Giants!"

It's not often you see Stan Lee's signature on cover art...
...(behind the giant boot) perhaps because it was probably meant as the title page for the following story (and, to tell the truth, I think the splash page below would've been a better cover)...
Hah!
Bet you thought I had forgotten St Patrick's Day, eh? 
This Stan Lee-scripted/Steve Ditko-illiustrated piece from Atlas' Amazing Adult Fantasy #14 (1962) has one fatal flaw...the clothing and architecture are more mid-European (Germany/Austria/Switzerland) than Celtic (Irish/Scottish)!
BTW, one of the rarely-noted aspects of this series were the kool individualized contents pages for each issue...
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