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Encyclopedia > Atlas Comics (1950s)

Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback-novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used Atlas as the umbrella name for his comic-book division during this time. Atlas was located on the 14th floor of the Empire State Building. http://www. ... // Events and No. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... This article is concerned with the production of books, magazines, and other literary material (whether in printed or electronic formats). ... It has been suggested that Felicia (pseudonym) be merged into this article or section. ... A collection of magazines A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles, generally financed by advertising and/or purchase by readers. ... Categories: Stub | Books ... Martin Goodman (born January 18, 1908, New York City; died June 6, 1992, Palm Beach, Florida) was an American publisher of pulp magazines, paperback books and comic books, launching the company that would become Marvel Comics. ... Strategic management is the process of specifying an organizations objectives, developing policies and plans to achieve these objectives, and allocating resources so as to implement the plans. ... A corporation (usually known in the United Kingdom and Ireland as a company) is a legal entity (distinct from a natural person) that often has similar rights in law to those of a Civil law systems may refer to corporations as moral persons; they may also go by the name... The Empire State Building, a 102-story contemporary Art Deco style building in New York City, was designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon and finished in 1931. ...


This company is distinct from the 1970s comic-book company, also founded by Goodman, that is generally known as Atlas/Seaboard Comics. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Atlas/Seaboard is the term that comic book historians and collectors use to refer to the short-lived line of comics published as Atlas Comics by Seaboard Periodicals, to differentiate it from Atlas Comics, the former name of Marvel Comics. ...

Contents


After the Golden Age

Young Men #25: Cover art by Carl Burgos.
Young Men #25: Cover art by Carl Burgos.

Atlas grew out of Timely Comics, the company Goodman founded in 1939 and whose star characters during the 1930s and '40s Golden Age of comic books were the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, and Captain America. The post-war era, however, found superheroes falling out of fashion. Television and paperback books now also competed for readers and leisure time. Image File history File links YoungMen25. ... Image File history File links YoungMen25. ... Carl Burgos is an American comic book and advertising artist, born April 18, 1917, New York City; died 1984. ... Timely Comics is the 1940s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ... Superman, the catalyst of the Golden Age, from Superman #14, January-February 1942. ... The original Human Torch is a fictional character who was created in by Carl Burgos for Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. ... Namor the Sub-Mariner is a fictional character featured in Marvel Comics, and one of the oldest superhero characters. ... Captain America, the alter ego of Steve Rogers (in some accounts Steven Grant Rogers), is a Marvel Comics superhero. ...


The line marking the end of the Golden Age is vague, but for Timely, at least, it appears to have ended with the cancelation of Captain America Comics at issue #75 (Feb. 1950) — by which time the series had already been Captain America's Weird Tales for two issues, with the finale featuring merely anthological suspense stories and no superheroes. The company's flagship title, Marvel Mystery Comics, starring the Human Torch, had already ended its run (with #92, June 1949), as had Sub-Mariner Comics (with #32, the same month). One of the premier programs of the Golden Age of Radio (now known as old-time radio), Suspense advertised itself as radios oustanding theater of thrills and was heard in one form or another from 1942 through 1962. ... The first cover appearance of Namor the Sub-Mariner on Marvel Mystery Comics #4, February, 1940. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ...


Goodman began using the globe logo of Atlas (see above), the newsstand-distribution company he owned, on comics cover-dated November 1951. This united a line put out by the same publisher, staff and freelancers through 59 shell companies, from Animirth Comics to Zenith Publications.


Atlas would attempt to revive superheroes in Young Men #24-28 (Dec. 1953 - June 1954), with the Human Torch (art by Syd Shores and Dick Ayers, variously), the Sub-Mariner (drawn and most stories written by Bill Everett), and Captain America (writer Stan Lee, artist John Romita Sr.). Yet they featured the same sort of Communist Red Scare villains as the late-'40s comics, broke no new ground, and looked old-fashioned — particularly in comparison with the clean, uncluttered, streamlined reimagining of super-speedster The Flash two years later in DC Comics' Showcase #4 (Sept. 1956), which would successfully bring back superheroes and kick off the Silver Age of comics. Syd Shores (born 1916, died March 6, 1973) is an American comic book artist known for his work on Captain America in both during the 1940s Golden Age of comic books and the 1960s Silver Age. ... Richard Dick Ayers is a comic book artist and cartoonist, born April 28th, 1924, in Ossining, New York. ... Bill Everett (May 18, 1917 – February 27, 1973) was a comic book writer/illustrator most famous for the creation of Namor the Sub-Mariner and co-creating Daredevil for Marvel Comics. ... Captain America, the alter ego of Steve Rogers (in some accounts Steven Grant Rogers), is a Marvel Comics superhero. ... Stan Lee and his most famous co-creation, Spider-Man. ... John Romita, Sr. ... Communism - Wikipedia /**/ @import /w/skins-1. ... Political cartoon of the era depicting an anarchist attempting to destroy the Statue of Liberty. ... The Flash. ... DC Comics is one of the largest American companies in comic book and related media publishing. ... Showcase #4 (September-October 1956, the first appearance of the Silver Age Flash. ... Showcase #4 (September-October 1956), often thought the first appearance of the first Silver Age superhero, the Barry Allen Flash. ...


Trend-following

The pre-Comics Code Astonishing #30 (Feb. 1954): Cover art by Joe Maneely.
The pre-Comics Code Astonishing #30 (Feb. 1954): Cover art by Joe Maneely.

Atlas, rather than similarly innovate, took what it saw as the proven route of following popular trends in TV and moviesWesterns and war dramas prevailing for a time, drive-in movie monsters another time — and even other comic books, particularly the EC horror line. Until the early 1960s, when editor-in-chief and head writer Stan Lee would help revolutionize comic books with the advent of The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, Atlas was content to flood newsstands with profitable, cheaply produced product — often, despite itself, beautifully rendered by talented if low-paid young artists. Image File history File links Astonishing30. ... Image File history File links Astonishing30. ... The Comics Code Authority (CCA) is an organization founded in 1954 to act as a de facto censor for American comic books. ... Joe Maneely (born 1926, Pennsylvania, United States; died 1958) was an American comic book artist best known for his 1950s work for Marvel Comics 1950s predecessor, Atlas. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of... Western fiction is a genre of literature that is typically set in any of the American states west of the Mississippi River and between the years of approximately 1860 and 1900. ... Drive-in, a facility such as a bank, restaurant, theatre or even a church where one can literally drive in with an automobile for service. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of... Entertaining Comics was headed by William Gaines but is better known by its publishing name of EC Comics. ... Horror can mean several things: Horror (emotion) Horror fiction Horror film This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Stan Lee and his most famous co-creation, Spider-Man. ... The Fantastic Four (sometimes called the FF) are a Marvel Comics superhero group. ... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ...


Goodman's "everything but the kitchen sink" approach resulted in a wider variety of genres than even Timely had published, emphasizing horror, Westerns, humor, crime and war comics, along with a helping of jungle books, romance titles, and even espionage, medieval adventure, Bible stories and sports. There were at least five staff writers (officially called editors) besides Lee: Hank Chapman, Paul S. Newman, Don Rico, Carl Wessler, and, in the teen-humor division, future MAD Magazine cartoonist Al Jaffee. Daniel Keyes, future author of the classic novelette Flowers for Algernon, was an associate editor circa 1952. Other writers, generally freelance, included Robert Bernstein. Box Log Falls, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia. ... This article refers to the wide variety of writing called romantic. For literature from the European Romantic movement of the 18th and 19th centuries, see Romanticism: Art and Literature. ... The spy fiction genre (sometimes called political thriller) arose before the World War I, at about the same time that the first modern intelligence agencies were being formed. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... Bible Stories are selected passages from the Bible that are simple, enjoyable, and suitable for children. ... Hank Chapman was an American comic book writer for Marvel Comics two predecessors, Timely Comics and Atlas Comics, and later for DC Comics, where he specialized in war stories. ... Paul S. Newman (born April 29, 1924, New York City, New York; died May 30, 1999) is an American writer of comic books, comic strips, and books from the 1940s to the 1990s. ... Donato Francisco Rico II (1912-1985) was an American comic book writer and artist for Marvel Comics predecdessors, Timely and Atlas, and a paperback novelist. ... Harvey Kurtzmans cover for the first issue of the comic book Mad Mad is an American humor magazine founded by publisher William Gaines and editor Harvey Kurtzman in 1952. ... Al Jaffee (born March 13, 1921) is a cartoonist, best known for his work in MAD Magazine. ... Daniel Keyes (born August 9, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York) is an American author, primarily of science fiction. ... A novelette (or novelet) is a piece of short prose fiction. ... Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction story written by Daniel Keyes. ...


The artists — some freelance, some on staff — included such veterans as Human Torch creator Carl Burgos, who did exquisite covers for the Young Men superhero-revival attempt, and Sub-Mariner creator Bill Everett. The next generation included the prolific and much-admired Joe Maneely, whose work in all genres but particularly Westerns and on the medieval adventure The Black Knight, produced an exquiste oeuvre until his untimely death just prior to Marvel's 1960s breakthrough. The shadowy, voluptuous textures of Russ Heath's suspense tales, the languid fluidity of Gene Colan's war stories, and the sharp, individualistic stylings of a fledgling Steve Ditko's quirky bagatelles, among other artists and works, provided treasures amid the trash. Carl Burgos is an American comic book and advertising artist, born April 18, 1917, New York City; died 1984. ... Bill Everett (May 18, 1917 – February 27, 1973) was a comic book writer/illustrator most famous for the creation of Namor the Sub-Mariner and co-creating Daredevil for Marvel Comics. ... Joe Maneely (born 1926, Pennsylvania, United States; died 1958) was an American comic book artist best known for his 1950s work for Marvel Comics 1950s predecessor, Atlas. ... The Black Knight is the name of several fictional characters, both heroic and villainous, in Marvel Comics universe. ... Russ Heath is an artist who has worked in the comics industry. ... Gene Colan (born September 1, 1926) is an American comic book illustrator who sometimes worked under the name Adam Austin. ... The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (1964): Cover art by Ditko. ...


Atlas' most prominent Western titles, many reprinted in the 1970s, were Ringo Kid, with art by Maneely, Fred Kida and John Severin; Doug Wildey's The Outlaw Kid; Jack Keller's Kid Colt, Outlaw and the anthology Gunsmoke Western, starring Kid Colt; and The Black Rider, by Maneely, Syd Shores and others. The Atlas versions of two prominent '60s Western characters, the Rawhide Kid and the Two-Gun Kid, were different and undistinguished iterations. The Ringo Kid is a fictional Western hero in the Marvel Comics universe, whose comic book series was originally released by the companys 1950s iteration, Atlas Comics. ... John Severin is an American comic book artist most noted for working on the EC Comics line of comic books -- primarily on Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat, the companys war comics. ... Doug Wildey (1922- 1994) was a cartoonist most famous for his co-creation of the acclaimed animated television series, Jonny Quest for Hanna-Barbera Productions. ... The Outlaw Kid The Outlaw Kid is a minor Marvel comics western hero, not as popular as the Two Gun Kid or the Rawhide Kid or Kid Colt. ... Jack R. Keller (born June 16, 1922, Reading, Pennsylvania, United States; died January 2, 2003, St. ... Kid Colt is the name of two fictional characters in Marvel Comics universe - a cowboy and a cowboy based super-hero. ... Syd Shores (born 1916, died March 6, 1973) is an American comic book artist known for his work on Captain America in both during the 1940s Golden Age of comic books and the 1960s Silver Age. ... The Rawhide Kid (real name: Johnny Bart, originally given as Johnny Clay) is a fictional cowboy in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Two-Gun Kid - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...


Humor and miscellanea

Sergeant Barney Barker #1, cover art by John Severin.
Sergeant Barney Barker #1, cover art by John Severin.

Atlas also published a plethora of children's and teen humor titles, including Dan DeCarlo's Homer, the Happy Ghost (a la Casper the Friendly Ghost) and Homer Hooper (a la Archie Andrews). If newspapers had Dennis the Menace, Atlas had the Joe Maneely-drawn Melvin the Monster. TV had Sgt. Bilko? Atlas had the lovably conniving Sergeant Barkey Barker — drawn by John Severin, one of comics' top war artists, no less. Image File history File links SgtBarneyBarker1. ... Image File history File links SgtBarneyBarker1. ... John Severin is an American comic book artist most noted for working on the EC Comics line of comic books -- primarily on Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat, the companys war comics. ... Dan DeCarlo (December 12, 1917 - December 19, 2001) was arguably one of the most widely-viewed comic book artists of the 20th century, and one of the most prolific in terms of output. ... Early Casper in Theres Good Boos To-Night (1948). ... Archie Andrews is the name of the main fictional character in a American comic book series, and the title of a long-run radio series about that character, created by Bob Montana. ... Dennis the Menace is one of two cartoon characters. ... Joe Maneely (born 1926, Pennsylvania, United States; died 1958) was an American comic book artist best known for his 1950s work for Marvel Comics 1950s predecessor, Atlas. ... The Phil Silvers Show (also known as Youll Never Get Rich and Sergeant Bilko) was a comedy television series which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959. ... John Severin is an American comic book artist most noted for working on the EC Comics line of comic books -- primarily on Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat, the companys war comics. ...


One of the most popular titles was the long-running Millie the Model, which began as a Timely Comics humor book in 1945 and ran a remarkable 207 issues, well into the Marvel-era '70s, launching spin-offs along the way. Created or co-created (accounts differ) by artist Ruth Atkinson, it later became the proving ground for cartoonist DeCarlo — the future creator of Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and other Archie Comics characters, and the artist who established Archie's modern look. DeCarlo wrote and drew Millie for a remarkable ten years, even while such companion titles as Tillie the Typist, Nellie the Nurse and even his own Sherry the Showgirl fell by the wayside. Millie the Model #40 (Spring 1953): Art by Dan DeCarlo. ... Ruth Atkinson Ford née Ruth Atkinson and a. ... A cartoonist at work. ... Josie and the Pussycats are a fictitious rock band created by Dan DeCarlo. ... Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is a fictional comic book character, and more recently, a US sitcom. ... Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle, and Forsythe Jughead Jones. ...


The high-school series Patsy Walker, also created or co-created by Atkinson in 1945, ran until 1967 and spun-off three titles. More naturalistic than the slapsticky Millie, it featured attractive but sedate art by Al Hartley, Al Jaffee, Morris Weiss and others. Given the tone and the target audience, Patsy Walker oddly included the legendary Harvey Kurtzman's bizarre "Hey Look!" one-pagers in several early issues. Patsy herself would be integrated into Marvel Universe continuity years later as the supernatural superheroine Hellcat. Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated physical violence. ... Allan Hartley (born 1921, Kearny, New Jersey; died May 27, 2003) is an American comic book writer-artist known for his work on Archie Comics, on the 1950s Atlas line, and many Christian comics. ... Al Jaffee (born March 13, 1921) is a cartoonist, best known for his work in MAD Magazine. ... Morris Weiss (born August 11, 1915, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American comic book and comic strip artist and sometime writer, active throughout the 1940s and 1950s. ... Harvey Kurtzman (October 3, 1924 - February 21, 1993) was a U.S. cartoonist and magazine editor. ... Various characters of the Marvel Universe. ... The supernatural (Latin: super- exceeding + nature) refers to forces and phenomena which are beyond ordinary scientific understanding. ... Hellcat, real name Patsy Walker, is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ...


No hellcats graced Atlas' funny animal books, but they did have cartoonist Ed Winiarski's trouble-prone Buck Duck, Maneely's mentally suspect Dippy Duck, and Howie Post's The Monkey and the Bear, which bore a striking resemblance to DC Comics' Fox and the Crow. Buck and others saw life again briefly in the early 1970s, when Marvel published the five-issue reprint title, Li'l Pals ("Fun-Filled Animal Antics!"). Funny animal is a cartooning term for the genre of comics and animated cartoons in which the main characters are humanoid or talking animals. ... A cartoonist at work. ... Ed Winiarski was an American comic book writer-artist known for both adventure stories and funny animal cartooning during the late-1930s and 1940s Golden Age of Comics. ... DC Comics is one of the largest American companies in comic book and related media publishing. ...


Notable miscellanea include the espionage title Yellow Claw, with sumptuous Maneely, Severin, and Jack Kirby art; the Native American hero Red Warrior, with art by Tom Gill; the Tom Corbett: Space Cadet-like Space Squadron, written and drawn by future Marvel production executive Sol Brodsky; and Sports Action, initially with true-life stories about the likes of George Gipp and Jackie Robinson, and later with fictional "Rugged Tales of Danger and Red-Hot Action!" The Yellow Claw #2, cover art by John Severin. ... The Fantastic Four, one of Kirbys most famous co-creations. ... An Atsina named Assiniboin Boy Native Americans in the United States (also known as Indians, American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Peoples, Aboriginal Peoples, Aboriginal Americans, Amerindians, Amerinds, or Original Americans) are the indigenous peoples within the territory that is now encompassed by the continental United States and their descendants in... Tom Gill (born May 1913, Brooklyn, New York City, New York; died Oct. ... Tom Corbett is the main character in a series of Tom Corbett — Space Cadet stories that were depicted in television, radio, books, comic books, comic strips, coloring books, punch-out books, and View-master reels in the 1950s. ... Sol Brodsky (born c. ... George The Gipper Gipp (February 18, 1895 – December 14, 1920) was a famous college football player who played for the University of Notre Dame. ... Jackie Robinson in his now-retired number 42 jersey. ...


Atlas shrugs

From 1952 to late 1956, Goodman distributed this torrent of comics to newsstands through his self-owned distributor, Atlas. He then switched to American News Company, the nation's largest distributor and a virtual monopoly —— which shortly afterward lost a Justice Department lawsuit and discontinued its business. Gerard Jones in Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book (Basic Books, 2004; trade paperback ISBN 9780465036578) explained that in 1956, the company In economics, a monopoly (from the Greek monos, one + polein, to sell) is defined as a persistent market situation where there is only one provider of a kind of product or service. ... The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. ... A lawsuit is a civil action brought before a court in which the party commencing the action, the plaintiff, seeks a legal remedy. ... Gerard Jones is an American writer, born July 10, 1957 in Cut Bank, Montana, raised in Los Gatos and Gilroy, California. ...

"...had been found guilty of restraint of trade and ordered to divest itself ot the newsstands it owned. Its biggest client, George Delacorte, announced he would seek a new distributor for his Dell Comics and paperbacks. The owners [of American News] estimated the effect that would have on their income. Then they looked at the value of the New Jersey real estate where they headquarters sat. They liquidated the company and sold the land. The company ... vanished without a trace in the suburban growth of the 1950s." Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publications, which got its start in pulp magazines. ... Official language(s) None defined, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 47th 22,608 km² 110 km 240 km 14. ... Illustration of the backyards of a surburban neighbourhood Suburbs are inhabited districts located either on the outer rim of a city or outside the official limits of a city (the term varies from country to country), or the outer elements of a conurbation. ...

Stan Lee, in a 1988 interview [1], recalled that Goodman:

"...had gone with the American News Company. I remember saying to him, 'Gee, why did you do that? I thought that we had a good distribution company.' His answer was like, 'Oh, Stan, you wouldn't understand. It has to do with finance.' I didn't really give a damn, and I went back to doing the comics. [Later, w]e were left without a distributor and we couldn't go back to distributing our own books because the fact that Martin quit doing it and went with American News had gotten the wholesalers very angry ... and it would have been impossible for Martin to just say, 'Okay, we'll go back to where we were and distribute our books.' [We had been] turning out 40, 50, 60 books a month, maybe more, and [now] the only company we could get to distribute our books was our closest rival, National (DC) Comics. Suddenly we went ... to either eight or 12 books a month, which was all [that DC's] Independent News Distributors would accept from us." DC Comics is one of the largest American companies in comic book and related media publishing. ...

For that and other reasons, including a recession in the overall economy, Atlas retrenched in 1957. A fabled story has the publisher discovering a closet-full of unused, but paid-for, art, leading him to have virtually the entire staff fired while he used up the inventory. In the interview noted above, Lee, one of the few able to give a first-hand account, told a seemingly self-contradictory version of the downsizing:

"It would never have happened just because he opened a closet door. But I think that I may have been in a little trouble when that happened. We had bought a lot of strips that I didn't think were really all that good, but I paid the artists and writers for them anyway, and I kinda hid them in the closet! And Martin found them and I think he wasn't too happy. If I wasn't satisfied with the work, I wasn't supposed to have paid, but I was never sure it was really the artist's or the writer's fault. But when the job was finished I didn't think that it was anything that I wanted to use. I felt that we could use it in inventory — put it out in other books. Martin, probably rightly so, was a little annoyed because it was his money I was spending." [2]

In a 2003 interview, Joe Sinnott, one of the company's top artists for more than 50 years, recalled Lee citing the inventory issue as a primary cause: Joe Sinnott (born October 16, 1926, Saugerties, New York, United States) is an American comic book artist. ...

"Stan called me and said, 'Joe, Martin Goodman told me to suspend operations because I have all this artwork in house and have to use it up before I can hire you again.' It turned out to be six months, in my case. He may have called back some of the other artists later, but that's what happened with me."1

Return of Jack Kirby

Strange Tales #79 (Dec. 1960), one of the colloquially called "pre-superhero Marvel" comics. Cover art by Jack Kirby & Steve Ditko.
Strange Tales #79 (Dec. 1960), one of the colloquially called "pre-superhero Marvel" comics. Cover art by Jack Kirby & Steve Ditko.

Goodman's men's magazines and paperback books were still successful — the comics, except in the early Golden Age, were a relatively small part of the business — and Goodman considered shutting the division down. Image File history File links StrangeTales79. ... Image File history File links StrangeTales79. ... The Fantastic Four, one of Kirbys most famous co-creations. ... The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (1964): Cover art by Ditko. ...


The details of his decision not to do so are murky. Jack Kirby, who after his amicable split with creative partner Joe Simon a few years earlier was not been as busy as he would have liked, recalled in a 1990 interview for The Comics Journal that in late 1958 or early 1959, Joe Simon (born 1915) was a comic book author and cartoonist who created or co-created many memorable characters in the Golden Age. ... The Comics Journal is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books and strips. ...

"I came in [to the Marvel offices] and they were moving out the furniture, they were taking desks out — and I needed the work! ... Stan Lee is sitting on a chair crying. He didn't know what to do, he's sitting on a chair crying — he was still just out of his adolescence." [Note: Lee, born Dec. 28, 1922, would actually have been about 36.] "I told him to stop crying. I says, 'Go in to Martin and tell him to stop moving the furniture out, and I'll see that the books make money.'"2

The interviewer, Comics Journal publisher Gary Groth, later wrote of this interview in general, "Some of Kirby's more extreme statements ... should be taken with a grain of salt...."3. Lee, specifically asked about the office-closing anecdote, said [3]: Gary Groth is an American comic book publisher, critic and co-founder of Fantagraphics Books and the Comics Journal. ...

"I never remember being there when people were moving out the furniture. If they ever moved the furniture, they did it during the weekend when everybody was home. Jack tended toward hyperbole, just like the time he was quoted as saying that he came in and I was crying and I said, "Please save the company!" I'm not a crier and I would never have said that. I was very happy that Jack was there and I loved working with him, but I never cried to him. (laughs)"

Whatever the specific circumstances, Atlas gave Kirby a high-profile market, splashing the maestro's work across countless covers and lead stories, while the singular quality and dynamism of Kirby's art elevated such preexisting comics as Strange Tales and the newly launched Amazing Adventures, Strange Worlds, Tales of Suspense and Tales to Astonish above the look-alike fare of other horror/science fiction titles that had proliferated in EC's wake. Strange Tales was the name of several comic book anthology series that have been published by Marvel Comics. ... Tales of Suspense was a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics. ... Tales to Astonish #44 Tales to Astonish is the name of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics. ...

Amazing Adventures #3 (Aug. 1961), the first book labeled "Marvel Comics" (MC box below Comics Code seal). Art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers.
Amazing Adventures #3 (Aug. 1961), the first book labeled "Marvel Comics" (MC box below Comics Code seal). Art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers.

A Kirby monster story, ususally inked by Dick Ayers, would generally open each book, followed by one or two twist-ending thrillers or sci-fi tales drawn by Don Heck, Paul Reinman, or Joe Sinnott, with the whole thing capped by an often-surreal, sometimes self-reflexive Lee-Ditko short. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (400x601, 71 KB) Summary Cover, Amazing Adventures Vol. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (400x601, 71 KB) Summary Cover, Amazing Adventures Vol. ... The Comics Code Authority (CCA) is an organization founded in 1954 to act as a de facto censor for American comic books. ... Richard Dick Ayers is a comic book artist and cartoonist, born April 28th, 1924, in Ossining, New York. ... Richard Dick Ayers is a comic book artist and cartoonist, born April 28th, 1924, in Ossining, New York. ... Don Heck (January 2, 1929-1995) was a comic book artist best known for co-creating the character Iron Man, and for his long run penciling The Avengers in the 1960s. ... Paul Reinman is an American comic book artist (born 1910, Germany) best known as one of Jack Kirbys Silver Age inkers, including on the first issues of The Incredible Hulk and The Uncanny X-Men. ... Joe Sinnott (born October 16, 1926, Saugerties, New York, United States) is an American comic book artist. ...


Atlas or Marvel?

The exact point at which "Atlas" began to be considered "Marvel" has never been definitively established. Goodman had begun moving away from newsstand distributor Kable News by branding his comics with the Atlas globe on issues cover-dated Nov. 1951, even though Kable's "K" logo and North American map symbol remained through the Aug. 1952 issues. Goodman shut down his self-distributorship on Nov. 1, 1956, and began newsstand distrbution through American News Service. The Atlas globe remained, however, through the Oct. 1957 issues, when American News went out of business. Goodman switched to the distributor Independent News, owned by rival DC Comics, and dropped the Atlas globe at that time. Had American News continued, Goodman might have continued to brand the company Atlas, as he indeed named the next comics company he founded, in the 1970s. DC Comics is one of the largest American companies in comic book and related media publishing. ... Atlas/Seaboard is the term that comic book historians and collectors use to refer to the short-lived line of comics published as Atlas Comics by Seaboard Periodicals, to differentiate it from Atlas Comics, the former name of Marvel Comics. ...


The first comic book labeled Marvel Comics was the science-fiction anthology Amazing Adventures #3, which showed the "MC" box on its cover. Cover-dated Aug. 1961, it was published May 9, 1961 per the Library of Congress [4]. However, collectors routinely refer to the companies' comics from the April 1959 cover-dates onward (when they began featuring Jack Kirby artwork on his return to Goodman's company), as pre-superhero Marvel. The Great Hall interior. ...


Atlas titles by genre

Information from Atlas Tales [5] and other references. Some titles may be arguably Timely at the earlier end, or Marvel at the later end. Note: In titles numbered from or into the various All Winners Comics, additional clarifying information is supplied. List, in progress, complete through through H.


Crime

  • All-True Crime  #26-52 (Feb. 1948 - Sept. 1952; continued from Timely's Official True Crime)
  • Amazing Detective Cases  #3-14 (Nov. 1950 - Sept. 1952; continued from n.a.)
  • Casey - Crime Photographer  #1-4 (Aug. 1949 - Feb. 1950)
  • Caught  #1-5 (Aug. 1956 - April 1957)
  • Crime Can't Win  #41-43, 4-12 (Sept. 1950 - Sept. 1952; continued from Romance title Cindy Smith)
  • Crime Cases Comics  #24-27, 5-12 (Aug. 1950 - July 1952; continued from Timely's Willie Comics and Li'l Willie Comics)
  • Crime Exposed (2nd series, following Timely's) #1-14 (Dec. 1950 - June 1952)
  • Crime Fighters  #11-13 (Sept. 1954 - Jan. 1955; continued from Timely's Crimefighters)
  • Crime Must Lose!  #4-12 (Oct. 1950 - April 1952; continued from n.a.)

Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ...

Espionage

The Yellow Claw #2, cover art by John Severin. ...

Funny-animal and other children's comics

  • Buck Duck  #1-4 (June-Dec. 1953)
  • Dippy Duck  #1 (Oct. 1957)
  • The Monkey and the Bear  #1-3 (Sept. 1953-Jan. 1954)
  • Wonder Duck  #1-3 (Sept. 1949-March 1950) continued as
  • It's a Duck's Life  #4-11 (Nov. 1950-Feb. 1952)

—————————————————————————————

  • Adventures of Homer Ghost  #1-2 (Jan.-Aug. 1957)
  • The Adventures Of Pinky Lee  #1-5 (July-Dec. 1955)
  • Cartoon Kids  #1 (no date; 1957)
  • Homer, the Happy Ghost  #1-22 (March 1955 - Nov. 1958)
  • Melvin the Monster * #1-6 (July 1956 - July 1957) continued as
  • Dexter the Demon * #7 (Sept. 1967)
* Note: Not supernatural, but Dennis the Menance-inspired

Humor - satire

  • Crazy  #1-7 (Dec. 1953 - July 1954)
  • Riot
  • Wild

Humor - sitcom

  • The Adventures Of Pinky Lee  #1-5 (July-Dec. 1955)
  • Della Vision  #1-3 (April-Aug. 1955)

————————————————————————————— Pinky Lee (May 2, 1907 – April 3, 1993, born Pincus Leff), was a male American Burlesque comic and host of a childrens television show, The Pinky Lee Show in the early 1950s. ...

————————————————————————————— Millie the Model #40 (Spring 1953): Art by Dan DeCarlo. ... Millie the Model #40 (Spring 1953): Art by Dan DeCarlo. ... Millie the Model #40 (Spring 1953): Art by Dan DeCarlo. ... Millie the Model #40 (Spring 1953): Art by Dan DeCarlo. ...

  • Hedy of Hollywood Comics  #36-50 (Feb, 1950 - Sept. 1952; continued from Timely's Young Allies #1-20, All Winners Comics #21, and Hedy De Vine Comics #22-35)

————————————————————————————— The Young Allies is the name of two superhero teams in the Marvel Universe. ... The All-Winners Squad is a fictional superhero team in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

  • Patsy Walker  #1-99 (Winter 1945 - Marvel Comics)
  • Patsy and Hedy  #1-73 (Feb. 1952 -Dec. 1960)
  • Patsy and Her Pals  #1-29 (May 1953 - Aug. 1957)
  • A Date with Patsy  #1 (Sept. 1957)
  • Girls' Life (subtitled "Patsy Walker's Own Magazine for Girls") #1-6 (Jan.-Nov. 1954)
  • Hedy Wolfe (subtitled: "Patsy Walker's Rival"; not to be confused with Hedy of Hollywood) #1 (Aug. 1957)

————————————————————————————— Hellcat, real name Patsy Walker, is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Hellcat, real name Patsy Walker, is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Hellcat, real name Patsy Walker, is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Hellcat, real name Patsy Walker, is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

  • Homer Hooper  #1-4 (July - Dec. 1953)
  • Sergeant Barney Barker  #1-2 (Aug.-Dec. 1957) continued as War title G.I. Tales
  • Sherry the Showgirl  #1-3 (July.-Dec. 1956) continued as
  • Showgirls  #4 (Feb. 1957) continued as
  • Sherry the Showgirl  #5-7 (April-Aug. 1957)
  • Showgirls  Vol. 2, #1-2 (July-Aug. 1957)

Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ...

Horror/suspense/science fiction

  • Adventure Into Mystery  #1-8 (May 1956 - July 1957)
  • Adventures into Terror  #43-44, renumbered 3-31 (Nov. 1950 - May 1954) orig. numbering contined from' Timely's Joker)
  • Adventures Into Weird Worlds  #1-30 (Jan. 1952 - June 1954)
  • Amazing Adventures  #1-6 (June-Nov. 1961) continued as
  • Amazing Mysteries  #32-35 (May 1949 - Jan. 1950; continued from n.a.; one source lists Timely's Sub-Mariner Comics, which had an issue #32, and which numering reportedly continued with Best Romance)
  • Astonishing  #3-63 (April 1951 - Aug. 1957; continued from Superhero title Marvel Boy)
  • Journey into Mystery
  • Journey into Unknown Worlds
  • Marvel Tales
  • Strange Stories of Suspense
  • Strange Tales
  • Strange Tales of the Unusual
  • Suspense

Amazing Adventures is the name of several anthology-format comic book series, all but one published by Marvel Comics. ... Spider-Man was introduced in Amazing Fantasy issue #15 (1962). ... The introduction of Spider-Man: Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. ... Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ... Marvel Boy is the name of several fictional characters created and published by Marvel Comics: Robert Grayson was the 1950s Marvel Boy. ... Journey into Mystery is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. ... Strange Tales was the name of several comic book anthology series that have been published by Marvel Comics. ...

Jungle

  • Jann of the Jungle
  • Jungle Action
  • Jungle Tales
  • Lorna, the Jungle Queen continued as
  • Lorna, the Jungle Girl

Jungle Action is the name of two separate comic book series published by Marvel Comics and its 1950s precursor, Atlas Comics. ...

Romance

  • Best Love  #33-36 (Aug. 1949 - April 1950; continued from Timely's Sub-Mariner Comics)
  • Cindy Smith  #39-40 (May-July 1950; continued from Timely's Cindy Comics; continued as Crime title Crime Can't Win)
  • Girl Confessions  #13-34 (March 1952 - Aug. 1954; continued from Misc. title Girl Comics)
  • Love Adventures  #1-12 (Oct. 1949-Aug. 1952) continued as
  • Actual Confessions  #13-14 (Oct.-Dec. 1952)
  • Love Tales  #36-75 (May 1949 - Sept. 1957; continued from Timely's The Human Torch #1-35; see note at Superhero, below)
  • The Romances of Nurse Helen Grant  #1 (Aug. 1957)

Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ... The original Human Torch is a fictional character who was created in by Carl Burgos for Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. ... Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ...

Sports

  • Sport Stars  #1 (Nov. 1949) continued as
  • Sports Action  #2-14 (Feb. 1950-Sept. 1952)

Superhero

  • Captain America  #76-77 (May-Sept. 1954; continued from Timely's Captain America Comics and Captain America's Weird Tales)
  • The Human Torch  #36-38 (April-Aug. 1954; continued from this title's Timely Comics run, despite its numbering having been taken over by the Romance title Love Tales)
  • Marvel Boy  #1-2 (Dec. 1950 - Feb. 1951) continued as Horror title Astonishing, in which Marvel Boy stars from #3-6
  • Young Men  #24-28 (Dec. 1953 - June 1954; continued from Misc. title Young Men

Captain America, the alter ego of Steve Rogers (in some accounts Steven Grant Rogers), is a Marvel Comics superhero. ... The original Human Torch is a fictional character who was created in by Carl Burgos for Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. ... Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ... Marvel Boy is the name of several fictional characters created and published by Marvel Comics: Robert Grayson was the 1950s Marvel Boy. ... Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ... Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ...

War

  • 3-D Action  #1 (Jan. 1954)
  • Battle  #1-70 (March 1951 - June 1960)
  • Battle Action  #1-30 (Feb. 1952 - Aug. 1957)
  • Battle Ground (first four issues Battle-Ground)  #1-20 (Sept. 1954 - Sept.1957)
  • Battlefield  #1-11 (April 1952 - May 1953)
  • Battlefront  #1-48 (June 1952 - Aug. 1957)
  • Combat  #1-11 (June 1952 - April 1953)
  • Combat Kelly  #1-44 (Nov. 1951 - Aug. 1957)
  • Commando Adventures  #1-2 (June-Aug. 1957)
  • G.I. Tales  #4-6 (Feb.-July 1957; continued from Humor title Sergeant Barney Barker)
  • Men in Action  #1-9 (April-Dec. 1952) continued as
  • Battle Brady  #10-14 (Jan.-June 1953)
  • War Combat  #1-5 (March-Nov. 1952) continued as
  • Combat Casey  #6-34 (Jan. 1953 - July 1957)
  • Devil-Dog Dugan  #1-3 (July-Nov. 1956) continued as
  • Tales of the Marines  #4 (Feb. 1957) continued as
  • Marines at War  #5-7 (April-Aug. 1957)

Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ...

Western

  • 3-D Tales of the West  #1 (Jan. 1954)
  • All Western Winners  #2-4 (Winter 1948 - April 1949; continued from Timely's All Winners Comics #1 [1948 series]); continued as
  • Western Winners  #5-7 (June 1949 - Dec. 1949) continued as
  • Black Rider  #8-27 (March 1950 - March 1955) continued as
  • Western Tales of Black Rider  #28-31 (May 1955 - Nov. 1955) continued as
  • Gunsmoke Western  #32-77 (Dec. 1955 - July 1963)
  • Annie Oakley  #1-11 (Spring-Nov. 1948; June 1955 - June 1956)
  • Arizona Kid  #1-6 (March 1951 - Jan. 1952)
  • Arrowhead  #1-4 (April 1954 - Nov. 1954)
  • Best Western  #58-59 (June 1949 - Aug. 1949; continued from n.a.) continued as
  • Western Outlaws & Sheriffs  #60-73 (Dec. 1949 - June 1952)
  • Billy Buckskin Western  #1-3 (Nov. 1955 - March 1956) continued as
  • 2-Gun Western  #4 (May 1956) continued as
  • Two-Gun Western  #5-12 (July 1956 - Sept. 1957)
  • The Black Rider Rides Again!  #1 (Sept. 1957) See also Black Rider, above
  • Cowboy Romances  #1-3 (Oct. 1949 - March 1950) continued as Misc. title Young Men
  • Frontier Western  #1-10 (Feb. 1956 - August 1957)
  • The Gunhawk  #12-18 (Nov. 1950 - Dec. 1951; continued from successive Timely titles Blaze Carson, Rex Hart, and Whip Wilson)
  • Kid Colt, Hero of the West  #1-2 (Aug.-Oct. 1948) continued as
  • The Outlaw Kid  #1-19 (Sept. 1954 - Sept. 1957)
  • Rawhide Kid  #1-16 (March 1955 - Dec. 1961)
  • Red Warrior  #1-6 (Jan.-Dec. 1951)
  • Reno Browne, Hollywood's Greatest Cowgirl  #50-52 (April-Sept. 1950; continued from Timely's Margie) continued as
  • Ringo Kid  #5-21 (April 1955 - Sept. 1957)
  • Western Thrillers  #1-4 (Nov. 1954 - Feb. 1955) continued as
  • Cowboy Action  #5-11 (March 1955 - March 1956) continued as
  • Quick-Trigger Western  #12-19 (May 1956 - Sept. 1957)

Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ... Kid Colt is the name of two fictional characters in Marvel Comics universe - a cowboy and a cowboy based super-hero. ... Kid Colt is the name of two fictional characters in Marvel Comics universe - a cowboy and a cowboy based super-hero. ... The Outlaw Kid The Outlaw Kid is a minor Marvel comics western hero, not as popular as the Two Gun Kid or the Rawhide Kid or Kid Colt. ... The Rawhide Kid (real name: Johnny Bart, originally given as Johnny Clay) is a fictional cowboy in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Apache Kid was the name of a fictional character, a cowboy and gunslinger in the Old West of the Marvel Comics universe. ... Apache Kid was the name of a fictional character, a cowboy and gunslinger in the Old West of the Marvel Comics universe. ... Western Gunfighters was the name of two Western comic book series published by Marvel Comics. ... The Ringo Kid is a fictional Western hero in the Marvel Comics universe, whose comic book series was originally released by the companys 1950s iteration, Atlas Comics. ... The Ringo Kid is a fictional Western hero in the Marvel Comics universe, whose comic book series was originally released by the companys 1950s iteration, Atlas Comics. ...

Misc.

  • Bible Tales for Young Folk  #1-5 (Aug. 1953 - March 1954)
  • Black Knight  #1-5 (May 1955 - April 1956)
  • Girl Comics  #1-12 (Oct. 1949 - Jan. 1952) continued as Romance title Girl Confessions
  • Young Men  #4-23 (June 1950 - Oct. 1953; continued from Western title Cowboy Romances; note: cover title is Young Men on the Battlefield!  #12-20) continues as Superhero title

The Black Knight is the name of several fictional characters, both heroic and villainous, in Marvel Comics universe. ... Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ... Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ... Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ...

References

Joe Simon (born 1915) was a comic book author and cartoonist who created or co-created many memorable characters in the Golden Age. ...

Footnotes

  • Note 1: Joe Sinnot interview: Alter Ego #26 (July 2003), p. 11
  • Note 2: Interview, The Comics Journal #134 (Feb. 1990), reprinted in The Comics Journal Library, Volume One: Jack Kirby (2002) ISBN 1560974664, p. 38
  • Note 3: Ibid., p. 19

This article is about the year. ...

External Links

  • Atlas Comic Covers

  Results from FactBites:
 
Atlas (comics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (483 words)
For the comics companies of that name, see Atlas Comics (1950s) or Atlas/Seaboard Comics.
Atlas (Erik Josten, formerly Power Man, Smuggler and Goliath) is a fictional character, a former supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and member of the Thunderbolts.
However, like most of the Thunderbolts, Atlas began to enjoy public admiration, and eventually reformed to become a genuine superhero, even after the Thunderbolts' criminal past was publicly revealed.
Atlas Comics (1950s) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (3383 words)
Atlas was located on the 14th floor of the Empire State Building.
Atlas grew out of Timely Comics, the company Goodman founded in 1939 and whose star characters during the 1930s and '40s Golden Age of comic books were the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, and Captain America.
Atlas' most prominent Western titles, many reprinted in the 1970s, were Ringo Kid, with art by Maneely, Fred Kida and John Severin; Doug Wildey's The Outlaw Kid; Jack Keller's Kid Colt, Outlaw and the anthology Gunsmoke Western, starring Kid Colt; and The Black Rider, by Maneely, Syd Shores and others.
  More results at FactBites »


 
 

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