Number 910


EC @ Atlas Comics


In 1954 artist John Severin was producing Two-Fisted Tales for Harvey Kurtzman at EC Comics. Kurtzman had gotten too busy with Mad; his Korean War comic, Frontline Combat, was canceled after the armistice in 1953, and Two-Fisted, under Severin, turned into an adventure comic with a variety of continuing characters.

But while he was producing Two-Fisted Severin also did some stories in the Kurtzman style for rival publisher, Atlas Comics. Here are two: "Chosan" from Battle #29, 1954, and "Stonewall" from Battleground #4 (dated March, 1955, and the last pre-Code issue). Atlas did a lot of war comics; I've seen quite a few stories done in the Kurtzman/EC style, but these are the only EC-like stories I've seen by Severin during that period. If there are others I'm sure someone will tell me.

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Number 878


GI Joe Maneely


Joe Maneely was one of Stan Lee's top artists. I've shown several stories by him. He could draw just about anything and working for Stan Lee meant he did. These three war stories, done in 1951 and '52, show that Maneely was as much at home drawing horrors of war as he was drawing horror comics.

Atlas, publishers of Battle and Man Comics, where these stories appeared, studied trends of other publishers and what sold. At the time it looks like Atlas was paying attention to EC and Harvey Kurtzman. For short, punchy war stories they are pretty good, made better by Joe Maneely's drawings.

From Battle #4, 1951:






From Man Comics #11, 1951:







From Man Comics #12, 1952:

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Number 720


Hitler's birthday


Adolf Hitler's 121st birthday is April 20. We know that Hitler died a suicide on April 30, 1945, but at least one of these Hitler stories from Atlas Comics' Battle shows us different.

Well, that's because it's a comic book and not real life...or would that be real death? Both of these stories, the first by Russ Heath in Battle #16, and the second, by Werner Roth in Battle #17, 1953, play loose with the truth while mixing in some real people and events for verisimilitude. Factual or not, they are both dramatic and well drawn.

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