Atlas at War!

by Michael J. Vassallo (Editor), Allan Harvey (Art Restoration)

Atlas at War! collects fifty hard-hitting stories from Atlas Comics, the company that became Marvel Comics and published more war titles than anyone in the industry between the years 1951 and 1960.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, War

273 pages, protected PDF

Published June 17, 2020

Reviews

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive (and for that reason somewhat stultifying) collection of mid-20th century war comics. If you overlook the racist caricatures of the enemy soldiers, there are some interesting art styles and stories here, but there are some common, repeating themes that soon become a little boring. A very interesting historical document to see how comics simultaneously un-romantizied (by looking at the elements and deny the simple patriotic stories of war) and romanticized war.

**Thanks to the editor, publisher, and Net Galley for a free copy in exchange for an honest reveiw.

[Bob Fish · Rating 5 out of 5]

War is dumb...
but it provides us with great art !

[Bill Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really excellent collection of largely unknown comic art. While it's unfair to compare Atlas' war comics to Kurtzman's work at EC, the comparison is inevitable. Where Kurtzman's work is universal and arguably anti-war, the Atlas stories are mostly one-dimensional, pro-US, with no attempt to see war as anything other than a necessary, noble unpleasantness, so it's essential to consider these as propaganda pieces that showcase the talents of the guys who would go on to birth the Marvel Age of comics and create masterworks at DC. Russ Heath, Jack Kirby, Jack Davis, Joe Maneely, and even Steve Ditko contributed stories to the vast trove of Atlas war comics and some of the best are included here. What really strikes me is how dark -- visually if not thematically -- these comics are, the color work distinctive enough to blur the lines between excellent artists and mediocre ones. Whoever Atlas' colorist was, he or she deserves a good deal of the credit for the power of this work. Highly recommended for anyone interested in comics as more than super-hero fantasies.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Atlas at War!' edited by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo with art restoration by Allan Harvey is a collection of war comic reprints from the 1950s.

Atlas Comics eventually became Marvel Comics. Atlas produced more war comics than anyone. Collected here are 50 stories, many of them by artists and writers that would become famous, like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

The stories here are about men at war. Predominately the Korean War, with World War II coming in a close second. There are stories of lonely nights guarding against enemies, or fighting against tanks or snipers. The introduction by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo is an excellent essay on the history of these comics.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Dead Reckoning and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Diane Hernandez]

Atlas at War! contains 50 war comics that initially ran from 1951 to 1960. The comics are raw and violent—just like the wars they depict. They are definitely not politically correct, especially to the villains of World War II and the Korean War. However, the stories give us an opportunity to see into the American mind circa the 1950s, when “death and life were cheap...as cheap as the pressure of a finger on a trigger!”

War is hell. Humans are not inherently murderers. Therefore, their enemies during war must be portrayed as demons or worse. And there must be an evil goal of the enemy that is even worse than the war itself. World War II was fought to prevent Germany from taking over the entire world. The Korean War was waged to prevent the “commies” from doing the same. Because the US joined WWII at the last possible second, we have been overcompensating at every battle since by trying to stop potential dictators before they have won their first country. Unfortunately, “potential dictator” is not well-defined.

If you understand the underlying psychology in play in these comics that I have described above, the stories make more sense in our times now. Most of the plots martyr murderers. They are also really racist. North Koreans are colored yellow. Both the “commies” and the Nazis look like devils from a horror movie with tiny sharp teeth and wild-looking eyes.

However, despite the flaws I listed earlier, I really enjoyed many of these short tales. Most are narrated by either an unseen omniscient person or by the soldier himself as if describing what happened to his buddies back at camp. There are few dialogues. The artwork was descriptive rather than artistic. But after experiencing what the characters go through, you can see why 1950’s culture was so regimented. Everyone had a role to play. The dad worked while the mom kept the house and raised the kids. Order, after all, is the opposite of the chaos of war.

If you enjoy war stories or want an inside look at the 1950s male mindset, you will adore Atlas at War! 4 stars!

Thanks to Dead Reckoning, Naval Institute Press, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atlas at War! takes me back to when I used to go with my Mom to get taxes done at my cousin's place in the country. One of my cousins there had a whole collection of war comics - Sgt. Rock, Sgt. Fury, Combat, and the like that I got a chance to read upon occasion. This collection is largely Korean War and World War II, land, air and sea actions, with a few World War I and one American Civil War strip. You get commando actions, patrol infiltrations, infantry on infantry fights, tanks, and Marines. Not all actions are heroic, and not all end happily. But this collection does give you a good feel for what Atlas put out in the 1950s. The opening essay puts the collection in context and sets the scene for the reader.

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this volume.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve bought and read many books that reprint classic comic book stories. ATLAS AT WAR! is at the top of my list of the best such compilations ever published. I was already a fan of editor Michael J. Vassallo, based on his great book THE SECRET HISTORY OF MARVEL COMICS and his excellent Timely-Atlas-Comics blog. Timely, Marvel and Atlas were all part of Martin Goodman’s publishing empire. That empire also included some of the best men’s adventure magazines published in the ‘50s and ‘60s, such as MALE, MEN, FOR MEN ONLY and STAG. I’m fan and collector of vintage men’s adventure mags, in which war stories were common. I’m also a fan of Marvel comics, but most of what I’d read involved superheroes. ATLAS AT WAR! made me aware of a whole realm of Goodman comics that I’d missed. Most stories chosen for the book were written and illustrated by some of the biggest superstars in the realm of comics, such as Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, John Severin, Syd Shores, and Russ Heath. Most are set in World War II or the Korean War. They come from comics like WAR ACTION, BATTLEFIELD, WAR COMICS, MARINES IN ACTION and NAVY COMBAT. And, though they were published before the era of “graphic novels,” most are adult-level stories that include gritty violence and often pack an emotional wallop. Many are based on actual events or are serious efforts to reflect the real experiences of men at war. Thus, it makes sense that the Naval Institute Press was a co-publisher of the book with Marvel, via the Institute’s Dead Reckoning imprint. It also makes sense that they picked Michael Vassallo to select the stories and write the introduction, since he is the preeminent expert on Marvel Comics. His introduction provides fascinating background on the comics, writers and artists, and the restoration of the artwork by Allan Harvey is excellent. 5 stars and a big salute to all involved!

[Flocarine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Description
Atlas at War! collects fifty hard-hitting stories from Atlas Comics, the company that became Marvel Comics and published more war titles than anyone in the industry between the years 1951 and 1960.

Comics historian Dr. Michael J. Vassallo has chosen the best of the best, many of which are coming back into print for the first time, from sixteen different Atlas war titles and featuring the artwork of twenty different artists—giants of the genre, including Russ Heath, John Severin, Bernie Krigstein, Joe Maneely, Jerry Robinson, Steve Ditko, and Jack Kirby. Each page has been meticulously restored from its first printing by comic art restorer Allan Harvey. Atlas at War! covers the brutal pre-code period where graphic depictions of war action were rendered by artists who were World War II veterans themselves, as well as the post-code period, where code restrictions forced creators to tell stories without graphic violence but produced some of the most beautiful comic art of the genre. In addition to the artists, stories cover all aspects of war—from famous campaigns, weaponry, and personal soldier stories to political topics, Nazi atrocities, and even one story tinged with pre-code horror!

Often overlooked in favor of its competitors, Atlas at War! will finally show that Atlas’ war titles were second to no one.

My opinion:
I have non - it may is a great book for somebody, but not for me! I did not expect this - but hey, that´s okay. The Comics are well drawn and there is also a Story - I just read one page and I didn´t like it! It´s about War ...

Note: 5-6 (because the brutal stuff)

Thanks for letting me read this ARC, unfortunatly it did not catch my interest very much!

[Lee Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael J. Vassallo for the opportunity to review this book.

This book is a great historical review of war comics, produced in the early 1950's, by Atlas Comics. The introduction at the beginning of the book offers a detailed history of the background leading to the surge in comic production in this topic, during the early 1950's. The review was very informative to me, a casual fan of this type of comic, as I had no knowledge of the various individuals and companies involved producing comics in that era. The comic art itself is clearly at the early stages of the artform, which has refined and improved in quality significantly over the following 70 years, but is still compelling even now. It is worth noting that some of the work included was before the implementation of a comic code, so there were content restrictions that took place during the time frame reviewed within this book, so there is a change in the graphic quality of violence and socio-political content (what one might call political correctness, being introduced even then). The comic art focuses on the Korean War and World War II, but there are a couple of comics detailing other military conflicts within this collection as well. I enjoyed the book, but it was a lot of similar comics to digest in one setting. For me, this would be more of a "coffee-table" book, in which you might review a couple of selections, and then resume reading another day. It is worth adding to your collection!

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautiful collection of comics collects 50 different stories by a variety of well known Marvel artists, including Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The included comics cover the boom of war comics during World War II and the Korean War, all published by Atlas Comics (now Marvel). There are also a few comics chronicling other wars, such as the Battle of Gettysburg and World War I. The introduction of this book is fascinating and gives a history of war comics and their various publishers. I much appreciated these pages, as they set the stage for the comics to follow and provided more insight than I would have had on my own.

Some of the stories read as propaganda, while others encourage support for the troops. The artwork depicts the unimaginable horrors soldiers faced on the front lines of combat, including the weapons used and the psychological toll the events would take on those who served. Beyond the realistic war depictions, this collection serves to provide insight to the morale and state of the United States during these war periods. Despite the horrendous circumstances the country was truly united against a common enemy, shown even more so by the popularity of these comics upon their release.

I would highly recommend this book as a gift for a war or army buff, or to anyone who enjoys learning about this period of American history.

I received an advanced copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley; all opinions are my own.

[Steven Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Warstories. That's what we're talking about. Atlas at War! isn't just an incredible blast from past, it's a timely reminder that war comics provided an important #creative outlet for #veterans from wars gone by. For Atlas—which would evolve into the #MarvelComics we know today—those comics bled realism and grit.

When Jack Kirby—whose artwork adorns the cover of Atlas at War!—came ashore on Omaha Beach on August 23, 1944, he was already a household name. He created the iconic image of Captain America delivering a sweeping haymaker to the jaw of Adolph Hitler. By the time Kirby was drafted into the Army on June 7, 1943, his name was synonymous with the explosion of the genre into the national consciousness.

As the current generation of #veterans tells their war stories, drawing on the experiences of those who came before can be an invaluable source of inspiration. Telling those stories is cathartic—in many cases, they will cast a legacy that endures beyond the life of the storyteller. For Kirby and his contemporaries—almost all them veterans of the Second World War—their chosen form was the comic book, where their stories sprang to life unlike any other form of war writing.

From poetry to long-form writing, from graphic novels to comic panels, our storytelling is as diverse today as it was for Kirby's generation. And, like that generation, we have stories that NEED to be told. While we still can.

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful and interesting more so than "enjoyable," in fact, one can get bogged down reading too many war comics in a row. The wide array of talent on display here in a preponderance of stories about the Korean War, but also bringing in everything from the American Civil War up to WWII is worth looking at just to compare styles and approaches, but also to study the craft of propaganda, and for a look at how far we've come when one begins to despair. Lots of nationalistic hatred on display - not so different from now - but also lots of progress. A must for anyone looking for a perspective on the history of comics at least, but also history in general.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting slice of comic book history.

Most of the stories are set in Korea, a war that comics forgot. By the 70's it was all about WWII and, to a smaller degree, WWI.

Lots of big name artists here, a number of whom went on to become famous for other things, like Jack Davis, Joe Sinnott, Reed Crandall and Steve Ditko. Most surprising is Mort Drucker, of Mad magazine fame.

And there's a profile on Fidel Castro, published in 1959, when he was still a freedom fighter and not yet a dictator. The last lines: "Can Fidel Castro, the man with the beard, win the more important peace? Only the future, and history, can answer." Well, we got our answer.

[Craig Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. 'Atlas at War' is presented in the same format as a short story anthology, with the same results. These graphic stories are written and drawn by a variety of writers and artists of varying ability. The panels are usually quite graphic and lurid. The bad guys, be it communist North Koreans, Nazis, Imperial Germans, or dirty Japs are shown as caracatures just like they were during wartime. These stories are meant to be true retelling of actual wartime incidents but I tend to think there was some exageration and fabrication to make a good story.

[Mary Bronson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was such a great graphic novel. Once I got started it was hard to put down. I liked the plot and the art style of the novel. I thought it look like a classic comic book. I highly recommend it.

[Rolando José Rodríguez De León · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buen libro para leer un rato, dejar por dos o tres días y volver a tomarlo. Recomendable para las personas que les gustan las historias gráficas de guerra y poco más. Hice una reseña más detallada en este enlace:

http://www.pananime.com/lean/resena-a...