1970's ATLAS Comics - Episode 1

I'm not going to ramble on about these too much as of yet, suffice it to say for the time being that ATLAS comics was a short-lived 70's competitor - more with Marvel than DC (from the look of the covers) - whose brief output was both weird and to a lesser extent wonderful. You see they head-hunted some of the best talent of the day by paying higher rates than the competition. Didn't work out too well......After a year they were gone......

Here are two GREAT covers from Ernie Colons super(natural)hero book The Grim Ghost.



Pat Boyette did the interiors for these books. Never has sillier content looked so good.



Rich Buckler took this concept over to Marvel when Atlas folded.


There was only one issue of the excellent Frank Thorne horror title. Pity.

Looks like Larry Leiber (Stan Lee's brother) doing a passable John Romita take-off.



See...he's not the Hulk...he's The Brute!! Get it? Great cover by the under-rated Dick Giordano!

Probably the WEIRDEST book published by Atlas, this Mike Fleisher scripted tale of a genetically engineered "Jeckyl & Hyde" superhero set in a dystopian futuristic world (my favorite!) left a big impression on my 10 year old brain when it first came out. How could you not love a book where the hero turns into a giant rampaging yam every so often. He even INGESTS (not eat, more like ABSORBS) a wee cute lil' girl in issue #2! Wheee!





And yet another superhero set in a dystopian futuristic world where alien invaders rule. I hate it when that happens.




Last but not least, howzabout these two great covers by Neal Adams!



More soonest on the rest of the Atlas line!
(Yep...there's LOTS more!)

EERIE PUBLICATIONS

Never heard of Eerie publications? That's OK, Few people have......Here now, sit a spell, and let's find out a little about one of the most mysterious publishers of Horror material in the USA.

Eerie Publications were probably the nastiest, most psychotic (and obscure) horror magazines published in America in the 60's and 70's.
They were the grindhouse of the genre. Less intellectual than Warren or Skywald, the stories read like H. G. Lewis films on steriods. Body counts are high, and justice rarely prevails. In coming posts i'll be talking in more detail about these books, but since i'm going to see the new Rob Zombie flick tomorrow, let's just "enjoy" some of the unbelievable covers to help get me in the right "Horror-Mood".....and let's remember, this stuff used to be on display at your (seedier) corner newstand....my how times have changed...




Most of these featured a mix of pre-code horror reprints combined with newer stories in a similar vein. Frequently stories would be reprinted often many times in a year, and the covers were also mercilessly recycled. Some of the cover imagery has that Ed Daddy Roth kinda vibe to it though....




As you can see above, in the early 70's a slightly different cover style emerged, a little more realistic, and definitely more surreal, and often with an SF bent.

And don't even ask what the cover above has to do with Voodoo!

These Science Fiction/Horror titles from the early 70's are some of my favorite Eerie books, as they just STEAL whole stories from classic precode books and re-draw and re-dialogue them! Amazing stuff, with a mean-spirited, nihilistic bent.
The books limped along into the 80's, continuing to recycle their pretty small inventory of stuff, but it wasn't too long before they disappeared from the comic racks entirely...


Here's some interior black and white stuff for your additional perusal...

AVAST YE LUBBERS!

Well shiver me timbers....arhar, it's pirate time me old matey!
Seriously though, this issue features art by Reed Crandall and what looks like it could be Al Feldstein maybe on the third story. Eeeh, wadda i know!?! Anyway let's set sail for treasure and plunder with.....
BUCCANEER #8

Everybody Needs a Logo......

Me working at the computer.

Space Family Robinson

I used to love this comic as a kid. Rereading it now, it's pretty dopey, but the covers are still dope!




These two are from the back cover pin-ups.






















As you can see they do start to get a little more silly as time goes on, but some of them are just gorgeous.

THE SPACE MERCHANTS!

I love dystopian science fiction. I should explain that I feel it serves a very important function as it shows us the worst of all possible worlds. And sure, everybody knows the biggies....1984 & Brave New World...but there's a lot more out there. Take for example the much overlooked dystopian satire"The Space Merchants" by Pohl & Kornbluth, in which they predict (with some degree of accuracy) a future where advertising is used to control the masses, where government officials serve the interests of the corporate masters and a large portion of the globes' population works for these corporations in litlle better than slave-labor-camp conditions........hmmmmm....(you know, that just might work.....)
The CBS Radio Workshop was one of THE best shows on radio in the 50's....heck, it was so good they COULDN'T GET a sponsor! Too interleckshual! Anyway, they did a execute a most excellent two part adaption of this dark comedy of a grim future world (not to dissimilar to our own manipulative media landscape.....).
So get a big hot mug of "COFFEE-EST" and sit back with....


"CBS Radio Workshop - The Space Merchants Part 1"
In Part 2, we meet the Seanaotor from Yummy Cola, "Chicken Little" and many other interesting folks....


"CBS Radio Workshop - The Space Merchants Part 2"

AURORA Models!

During the 60's Aurora Plastics pretty much RULED the scene. They had the best authorized kits from current comics, TV & films PLUS they made MONSTER KITS! Yowza! Here's a selection of ads from 60's comic books....






























































































































































































Aurora was also pushed very heavily in the back pages of the Warren magazines (Famous Monsters, Creepy, Eerie & Vampirella) as seen by these ads below.






























































But then, as way say, things got a little strange....check out this ad that ran in DC comics in the early 70's and you'll see what I mean...














Yep that's right...let's just go through it again.....They need a VICTIM! Oooohkaaay.....

Heh heh indeed! You go Franky!



















Serves her right for wandering around at night on the streets of New York in a bikini...
This panel also features my favorite line! Can you believe this!?! That's COLD!

......... And how about this panel. I mean, what's going on HERE? What...next time you visit New York, make sure you don't forget to visit Mistress Vampirellas' Emporium of Ouch?! Sheesh!
And finally, look at the fevered expression on this kid as he gets on with whatever it is he's doing... ( I really don't want to think about that TOO much, actually...). As we're very fond of asking around here at Data Junkie HQ - "What were they thinking?" Didn't anybody go..."uh hey, that's a little bit uh...weird there Ted.."....I guess not...