The History Of Atlas Comics (1974)

Atlas Comics was established by former Marvel Comics owner/publisher Martin Goodman. After an aggressive launch of a variety of titles the company folded within a year.
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#Comics #ComicBookHistory #AtlasComics #SilverAge #BronzeAge #SteveDitko #HowardChaykin #OverlordComics

[@unrulysimian3897]

Iron jaw, Wulf, Scorpion, my friends and I gobbled up every Atlas title we could find. We were so stoked that there was a new company with new comics out there. I knew Lieber was involved, but none of the rest of this fascinating story. Thank you for this bit of comic history. I've always loved me some Chaykin. The first year or so of American Flagg was a great comic.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

You're welcome! For me it was Planet Of Vampires.

[@unrulysimian3897]

Strange Brain Parts - I lived in Virginia Beach at the time. Every Saturday my best friend and I would jump on our bikes and hit every store that had a spinner rack. Judging from the ads in the comics, our area only ever saw about 1/3rd of the Atlas titles. Planet of the Vampires?!? Are you kidding me? We'd have ate that up. Alas, it was one we never saw.

[@kevingiven3463]

I loved Atlas growing up, some titles were weak, but I always enjoyed Planet of the Vampires, Wulf, Ironjaw and the Destruktor also Son of Dracula

[@johnnyskinwalker4095]

I will say Morlock was a takeoff on Kamandi more than anything. A devastated future World where a pale hair guy fight for survival. But some of these titles I would read today like Scorpion, Morlock, Planet of the Vampires, Demon Hunter, Grim Ghost, Lomax, Phoenix. Lomax seems to be a cool 1970s tv human character like Mannix.

[@_Peremalfait]

I remember being interested in Atlas, even though I was a die hard Marvel kid. The art was good, which was important to me, and it seemed there would finally be another publisher to challenge the big two. But it was not to last, unfortunately. What could've been.

[@redshiftexperiment]

I find Martin Goodman's Legacy intriguing as it is part of an older world of publication. He was around when some of the older masters were playing the game and he had a hand in it and probably knew many of them. Do you know if anyone ever interviewed him? Would love to hear him talk about what he has seen. Any thoughts?

[@petertyson4022]

I used to love atlas comic's. I still have iron jaw number 1. I think. Lol 😁

[@randalldowling1068]

This one was a genuine surprise. I had never heard of Atlas 1974. I never would have known.... Great Video. Thanks.

[@stevenlennon12]

you weren't around back then to accidently stumble upon an atlas comics bundle in a Woolworths and recognize even as a stupid 8 year old that atlas comics sucked compaired to marvel comics

[@brunofranco4416]

Dynamite comics deserves a video.

[@kalillita]

Great storyteller

[@jeremycline9542]

Cover one of the strangest comic ventures of all times: Neal Adams' Continuity Comics.

[@drawfiend3104]

I know he'd have a hell of a time with Crazyman.

[@jeremycline9542]

Is that the Joker analogue? My favorite was Megalith.

[@drawfiend3104]

Not much of an analogue, since Crazyman was a good guy with rage issues, instead of a psychopath. I've yet to read Megalith, but it's on my list.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

One word: Skateman. This is a good suggestion. I'll look into Continuity and see what I can dig up.

[@jeremycline9542]

For whatever reason, the local spinner racks in Connecticut were disproportionately full of the titles. I fondly remember them and didn't know they were considered terrible until recently. Bucky O'Hare was quite good and my own personal opinion is that a live action series based on the heroes line would be work well as an intentionally campy 80's nostalgia fest.

[@raymondreid4987]

Hell some of theses comics could be made into a mini series for TV.

[@pulsarstargrave256]

What happened to all those characters? One comic I loved and held onto for years was "John Targitt: Manstalker"!

[@drawfiend3104]

We dodged a hell of a bullet when Stan Lee took over Marvel. I feel sorry for the alternate universe where they got Goodman to lead Marvel into oblivion.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

@draw Fiend: I agree! I was recently looking into 70's sales and how they were dropping for everyone in the comic industry. Despite that, Marvel's sales were quite steady and consistent during this period. Without Stan I'm not sure that would have been the case.

[@drawfiend3104]

Strange Brain Parts Stan is The Man for a damn good reason.

[@drmidnight2419]

@@StrangeBrainParts yes because stan brainwashed the true believers and sold his crappy comics by conditioning people into making them believe his comics were good when they were not, just hype.

[@drmidnight2419]

@@drawfiend3104 excelsior 🙉

[@aftacomics5865]

Outstanding video! Thank you for doing such great work!!

[@user-rq1dm3ny3s]

I remember getting the Iron jaw comic. I felt kinda sorry for him, having an iron jaw and all.

[@andrewtate4897]

I liked Atlas comics I have a few of them I thought their characters were weird at the time things like Tiger man and the Tarantula the Brute. I've always gravitated to the weirder comics I also loved the Devilina comics for the stories although Devilina's storyline really made very little sense. I liked many of the other stories which where great Horror fodder I still have all of my Atlas comics and recall them with great fondness. They also did a Monsters of the Movies magazine which I also still own I read them recently some of the articles were wildly inaccurate!

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

Great review. thanks

[@kyleeartist2829]

Another great vid!

[@expressoric]

I think that Marvel was the best comic book company during the years that Atlas comics were being published, but the new company probably had more potential. It seems significant that about the same time that Atlas were closing down, Marvel were entering a period of devolution and were also cancelling some of their best titles, which like Atlas, was very likely because of a financial crisis during this time, but their sales were poor. Quality was being replaced by the plain need for commercial profit. It also seems that Martin Goodman was only interested in making money fast at the expense of creativity.

[@markshulusky6680]

Atlas Comics! Ye gods! A few good titles (The Grim Ghost was very entertaining) but they released DOZENS!

[@OldGuysWhoLikeOldComics]

Very impressed with your video. Great work on the format & design. Subscribed.

[@nikomiller]

Great video as usually. Would you consider creating a Patreon page? (unless you already have one that I'm not aware of).

[@StrangeBrainParts]

I've not created one yet. I'm looking into it, though.

[@shoresean1237]

Another comment, more on the topic of the company and its product. I actually read a couple, and most seemed spectacularly 'MEH'. Nothing horrible, and I don't doubt the line had gems (I love scouring crap TV shows for moments of unintended genius), but also nothing radically different than what the Big 2 were putting out at the same time. In fact, when I first heard of Atlas (saw it on racks at a clearance place), I thought maybe it was yet another attempt by Marvel to have an in-house alternate imprint. It didn't stand out, and it badly needed to. In fact, if I compared it to anything, it would be this: Imagine in a 1970's movie if one of the characters was supposed to be a comic book creator, and they needed a prop comic to show what they supposedly made. Books like 'The Cougar' give that feel to me. Not slamming on those that liked or enjoyed it, just saying how it came across to me. Last thing: Martin Goodman was also Stan's Cousin by marriage, which would make him the cousin of Joanna Lee, aka the voice of Madame Web on the 90's Animated Spidey. So there may have been some family resentment going on there as well.

[@drmidnight2419]

Atlas was more entertaining than Marvel. Marvel just are able to condition the people with hype. Really marvel are crap. Superman, justice league, legion of superheroes, ect were far better than anything Marvel ever made.

[@dfcsons]

I remember grabbing that copy of Demon Hunter 1 in a trade (remember trading comics???) on my friend's porch,. It was attractive because it was such an unknown quantity....who the heck is this?? Sadly, I remember very little about the narrative though. It would be cool if someone would collect all of these in a TPB.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Hmm, collecting all of this sounds like something Dynamite should tackle. Although, the rights to print this material is probably three or four different kinds of headaches.

[@thefroknight3149]

Well the character was brought over to Marvel and only very slightly changed to Devil Slayer.

[@freeRKelly885]

Anyone else feel like this is kind of similar to how Image comics started, minus the success? A comic company that split off from marvel that promised creator owned characters and series

[@youraveragecrownofthorns8919]

Was Lieber related to Stan Lee or No? I remember hearing they were.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Larry and Stan are brothers. I mention that in the video, but I probably said it quickly, so you might have missed that.

[@youraveragecrownofthorns8919]

I did miss it, sorry! Mucho info to process! Great history!!!

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thank you, sir!

[@shoresean1237]

@@youraveragecrownofthorns8919 Stan's real name was Stanley Martin Lieber. He legally changed it after a long while of signing his name as Stan Lee. BTW, Stan credited his brother with some of the early basic concepts in Thor, including coining the word 'Uru'.

[@youraveragecrownofthorns8919]

@@shoresean1237 very interesting, thanks for your reply. I do remember the use of that word in Thor.

[@raymondreid4987]

R I read the tarantula comics

[@ComicExcitement]

😃👍

[@nathanlabudde6039]

Stan Lee, Stan Lee, Stan Lee creative genius......BAH! Barely half true if at all

[@drmidnight2419]

He brainwashed the true believers with crap, Excelsior!!!

[@Duck_Dodgers]

Along with his toupee