Number 602


Do two half-men make up one whole man?


I noticed the title similarity to these Atlas Comics stories, but the titles are all that's alike. "Half Man, Half...?" is from Menace #10, 1954. "Half Man" is from Uncanny Tales #22, but my scans are from the 1970s reprint in Crypt of Shadows #9.

"Half Man, Half...?" is drawn by Robert Q. Sale, a staple of the Atlas bullpen. At one time Sale shared studio space at the Charles William Harvey studios with Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder, John Severin and Charlie Stern. This 1949 cartoon illustration by Severin is from The Art of Harvey Kurtzman, The Mad Genius of Comics by Denis Kitchen and Paul Buhle.

Sale is seated with his back to us, and is singing along with a radio commercial. It's said that Sale stuttered, but could sing radio jingles with no impediment.

"Half Man" is an allegory about Jim Crow and the treatment of African-Americans in the U.S. after returning from World War II. They rightfully felt they'd be recognized for their service and given full rights as citizens. Even in 1954 when dealing with such subject matter as race, the main characters shown are white. It undercuts the point, but publishers tread a little more lightly in those days when they were scared of losing readers in areas of the country where segregation was the law.

"Half Man" is credited at the Atlas Tales website to "Fass?" which means Myron Fass, and the question mark means they aren't sure. I'm not familiar enough with Myron Fass' comic art to make a determination, but I know a bit about Fass's later life as a publisher of sleazy and exploitation magazines, including the Eerie Publications line. You can read about Myron Fass here.











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Say what?

I could take you more seriously if you'd stop wearing mouse ears.

From Atomic War #3.

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Number 579


I pity the poor immigrant...


It's a shame that this 56-year-old story should seem so timely and modern. I'm sorry we're not past tribalism. Old prejudices and xenophobia die hard. Or never die, as the case may be.

The story is written by Stan Lee and drawn by John Romita, originally published in Menace #3, May 1953.

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Number 33


Frankenstein Friday: Your Name Is Frankenstein!



Stan Lee once said of Joe Maneely, "He could draw anything." Maneely was a staple of 1950's Atlas Comics, doing horror, mystery, westerns, science fiction, even a continuing character called The Black Knight. He had an interesting pen style, and was said to be fast enough to draw and ink seven pages in one day.

Regardless of the speed, Maneely was very good, and could strike a dramatic mood in the stories he was handed to draw. "Your Name Is Frankenstein," from Menace #7, is a good example of Maneely's pen work, his dramatic staging, and solid drawing.

Maneely died of an accident at age 32 in 1958. It's fun to speculate what he could have meant to comics had he lived. Would he have been part of the Marvel Comics of the 1960s? I haven't ever seen any superhero work by him, but don't doubt that he could probably draw them as well as anyone.

Unfortunately, my copy of this story is in terrible shape, with holes in some of the pages and the residue of years-old Scotch tape, which has left brown stains (a really good lesson in how not to take care of your Golden Age comic books).

Even though I consider this to be one of the better stories in that particular issue of Menace, apparently the editor didn't feel it warranted inclusion in the blurbs on the cover, which show every other story but this. It might have been a late addition to the lineup.

 

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