Book cover for The Atlas Comics Library No. 4: War Comics Vol. 1 by Joe Maneely, Gene Colan and Russ Heath

The Atlas Comics Library No. 4

War Comics Vol. 1

2024 Released
180 Pages
3-4 Hours
★ 0.0 0 ratings
Ebook Unavailable
Audiobook Unavailable
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Fantagraphics BooksISBN 9781683969686
Forged in the crucible of the Korean War, and produced by veterans of the Second World War, this volume's eight issues present the brutality and grimness of armed combat by some of Atlas' most notable war artists and future comics stars including Gene Colan, Russ Heath, Joe Maneely, Dave Berg, Jay Scott Pike, Mike Sekowsky, Vern Henkel, Allen Bellman, Pete Morisi and Norman Steinberg.

Propaganda abounds from the very first story, published in War Comics #1 in September 1950: "Peril in Korea," a primer explaining why the USA joined the conflict. Other highlights include Colan's "The Chips are Down" and "Victory," Heath's "Alone" and "No Survivors," Maneely's "Stormy Weather," Henkel's "Total Destruction," and Berg's "The Infantry's War."

Originally a trial spun off from the publisher's "Men's Adventure" publications, in the nine years to follow, Atlas went on to produce 533 comic book issues with war content, across 34 different titles. War Comics is where it all began -- unseen in decades, scanned from the original books, restored and packaged as one large, beautiful hardcover volume.

Joe Maneely

Joe Maneely (1926-1958) blazed a trail through Marvel's 1950s comic books that is unsurpassed in both quantity and quality. Maneely was revered as a lightning-fast talent, and he launched most of Marvel's character features during that time, excelling at every genre -- westerns, horror, humor, and war. He is best remembered today for his signature character, The Black Knight. Maneely's career was tragically cut short in June 1958 when, at the age of 32, he accidentally fell between the cars of a moving commuter train.

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Gene Colan

Eugene Jules Colan (1926-2011) illustrated many war comics for both Timely/Atlas and DC Comics. He flourished after Atlas became Marvel, with notable stints plotting and drawing on Daredevil and Captain America in the 1960s, before co-authoring Howard The Duck with Steve Gerber and Tomb of Dracula with Marv Wolfman.

More by Gene Colan

Russ Heath

Russell Heath Jr. (1926-2018) was an American artist best known for his comic book work, particularly his DC Comics war stories and his 1960s art for Playboy magazine's "Little Annie Fanny" feature. Heath was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2009.

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