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Home , Atlas Comics (1950s), Bill Everett, Human Torch (android), Joe Maneely, More Fun Comics, Namora

–––––––––––––– from the ––––––––––––– ARCHIVES PO BOX 173 Ÿ WALTON-ON-THAMES Ÿ KT12 1SS Ÿ ENGLAND Ÿ TEL: +44 (0)1932 253887 Ÿ FAX: 01932 247970 Ÿ E-MAIL: [email protected] This is one of a series of newsletters from MicroColour International. From The Archives is designed to tell you, our customers, about some of the great comics available in our catalogue. If there is a specific title you are interested in, let us know and we'll answer your questions as best we can. Volume 2, Number 2, 1995 : Timely Moves Into the 50s

Evolving from of Across the spectrum of subject , Jack Cole's the Golden Age, Atlas grew into matter and across a breadth of masterpiece of the madcap, is one of the giants of the comics artwork styles, Atlas had a still as unique as it was in the industry in the early 1950s. large number of very fine and Golden Age. With the first 30 Atlas offered a remarkable unusual titles, books which are issues of Police Comics and variety and volume across all very hard to find today. As you the first 10 issues of Plastic the popular genres of the time. can see from our list below, we Man, you can enjoy Plastic Man MicroColour is delighted to offer have deliberately sought to and his pal Woozy Winks as several new vibrance in the bring some of that variety to they fight crime in their own Atlas line of that era. you, including some of the off-centre way. post-World War II era Timely / Atlas in the 50s super-heroes. Absolutely irreverent compared to the serious crime-fighting of A Current MicroColour Listing More than the bridge between his super-suited brethren, We've added these titles to our catalogue: Timely and Marvel, Atlas was Plastic man was a mix of the king of the comics industry fantastic stories and riotous art. : The ultimate 1950's in the early 1950s. It achieved Jack Cole produced a patented villain, with art by , popularity that no other blend of lively action and and publisher had attained before or imagination mixed together : Medieval adventure since. These issues will with large doses of antics visual with art by Joe Maneely and introduce you to what all the gags. the result was fast-paced, scripts by . excitement was about. frenzied and lots of fun, with : Post-war never a dull moment. adventures Our Special Offer Is Back! The strip was perfectly suited Young Man & Men's Adventures: The books which featured the for Cole's brilliant visual We're able to renew the opportunity imagination. Plastic Man faced return of the Sub-Mariner, the and Captain for our special offer. Here's the deal: a variety of opponents, some America for the 1950's rather serious and some You can choose either: absolutely wacky, giving Cole Marvel Boy / Astonishing: room for his breadth of style and Super-hero action by Russ his wildly inventive layouts. The Heath and a) 15 Sets (75 issues), or amorphous Plastic Man was Human Torch: The Torch after constantly shape-shifting to WWII b) 6 Sets (30 issues) and a disguise himself in the scenery. All-Select / Blond : microfiche viewer, Part of the fun was to recognise Featuring Miss America too his red costume on an innocuous either for a total cost of £450.00 chair or fire hydrant which had and presenting: mysteriously appeared between #1 - 50: The flagship The above price represents over panels. Cole had a tremendous title of the Atlas line, horror and 10% discount from our regular instinct for visual humour and suspense from before the prices! This offer expires on in Plastic Man the great artist Comics Code until 1956. 31/Aug/1995. (continued on page 3) Page - 1 From The Archives, Vol.2, No.2 1995 issue

Always portrayed as a noble Sub-Mariner in 1949, Atlas THE foe, was pitted against Comics reintroduced him in the Human Torch in several 1953's Young Man #24. Again SUB-MARINER issues of Marvel Mystery and Everett did the honours, now also of course the landmark Human with more polish, closer to the Torch #5 (the second #5 - there style of the 1960s then the

The were two!). In that issue-long style of the 1940s. Probably ultimate battle between Fire because of Everett's touch, and Water, Namor and the sub-Mariner lasted longer then Torch laid waste to New York either the Human Torch of Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner has and several other cities before Captain America during the navigated through almost 60 years joining forces against their 19850s Atlas foray into of comics. He's one of the few common enemy. super-heroes. characters still in print from dawning days of the Golden Age. With World War II We're delighted to return these First presented to the general approaching, the Sub-Mariner vintage tales of Bill Everett's public in #1, his shed his bad-boy image in water boy to general origin is actually a reprint of a tale favour of beating on the Axis. availability. Help yourselve to in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly He became a more standard the stories which made Namor #1. super-hero. Namor's angry side one of the most memorable quickly submerged and characters of all. In the 1940s, pursued wouldn't surface until Stan Lee The Sub-Mariner Fact File criminals, hated and Jack Kirby brought him injustice, and Captain America into the Silver Age in Fantastic The Sub-Mariner appears in: battled the Axis. But the Four #4. ˆ Sub-Mariner # 1 - 25 (1941 - 1948) Sub-Mariner was different, he ˆ Marvel Comics # 1 fought everyone. A prince of Sub-Mariner's popularity ˆ Marvel Mystery # 2 -20 Atlantis, Namor hated the surface pushed him to the forefront of ˆ Human Torch # 2- 30 people for the damage they did to Timely's heroes. he quickly ˆ Captain America #20 his people's underwater homeland. branched out into his own book ˆ All-Winners # 1-19, 21 (as a member In the earliest stories only the and had frequent appearances of the All-Winners Squad in # 19, 21) intervention of his one human in several anthology books ˆ All-Select # 1-5, 10 friend, policewoman Betty Dean, including All Winners. ˆ Blond Phantom # 13-15 was able to tether Namor's fury, Bill Everett, Namor's creator, seemingly, only by the barest of in the 1950s revival: margin. Sub-Mariner was the first was one of the best artists and ˆ Young Man # 24 - 28 writers of the Golden Age. great anti-hero in comics and ˆ Man's Adventures # 27 - 28 possibly the best developed Writing and illustrating most character of these early days. of the early tales, he endowed The human Torch and the Sub-Mariner his character with a visual and had a running battle against each other in one of the earliest and most memorable Sub-Mariner literary polish which placed super-hero crossovers in all of the comics Namor above the norms of the Issues 1 - 25 ˆ Marvel Mystery # 8 - 10 (#8 is a a partial MinDEX era. His fluid lines and lead-in to the main event in #9 -10 uncluttered style were ˆ Human Torch # 5. 8, 10 ˆ Sub-Mariner # 1 - 25 his combined with very dynamic Bill Everett's Sub-Mariner can be seen in: Atlantean cousin, in 23 - 25 story-telling. Everett's stories are among those which hold up ˆ Marvel Comics # 1 ˆ The Angel # 1 - 21 the best upon reading today, ˆ Marvel Mystery # 2 -31 art in # 1, 8 after more then 50 years. ˆ Sub-Mariner # 1-4, 21-24 ˆ Young Allies # 22 In the 1942, Everett left for the ˆ Human Torch # 2- 4, 27-28, 30 ˆ Human Torch # 23 service in WWII. Returning to ˆ All-Winners # 1, 3-4 ˆ The Blond Phantom # 25 comics following the war, ˆ Young man # 24 -28 ˆ covers: 1-4, 6, 8-18, 20 Everett illustrated his creation ˆ Man's Adventures # 28 again. After cancelling Only MicroColour publications are listed

Page - 2 From The Archives, Vol.2, No.2 1995 issue Strange Tales The Beginnings

of the Comic Strange Tales was the Atlas Book Phone Cards centrepiece in horror and mystery. It enjoyed a long run After literally years of searching, Phone cards have become one of in this format, from 1951 until we've located a number of New Fun the hottest collectibles going. 1962, when it was finally and More Fun Comics. Scarce and Together with Telecomm USA, converted into a super-hero title. rarely seen, these issues are among MicroColor is pleased to the first from the publisher which announce phone cards featuring Strange Tales # 1 - 50 features would become DC. the cover graphics from Planet thrillers and horror tales dating The first New Fun (# 1 - 6) and Comics, the leading science- from before the Comic Code More Fun Comics (# 7 on up) fiction of the Golden until 1956. These issues present feature early stories by Siegel Age. Now you can adorn your a kaleidoscope of Atlas artists Shuster, among many other wallet or your collection, with with stories by Bill Everett, pioneering notables. Dr. Occult, their the best space-faring art of the , Bernie Krigsrein, mystical adventurer, begins in #6. 40s. , Joe Meneely, and Super-powered and costumed in # many others. Over these years, 14 -17, Dr. Occult is considered to The complete set of cards will you can follow the evolution be a trial run for the appearance of include all the 73 Planet Comics from pre-Code horror to the first super-hero, Siegel and covers from 1940 through 1953. post-Code suspense and mystery Shuster's own Superman later in Each card will have a limited tales. The effect of the Comics 1938. mintage run of 1000 in each of Code can be seen plainly via two denominations: 20 Calling Together with our early issues of changes in story artwork styles. Units for £8.50 and 100 units New Comics, New Adventure for £42.50. Each Calling Unit We owe a great debt of thanks Comics, The Comic Magazine and represents one minute of US to James Vadeboncoeur, Jr. Funny Pages, we have a variety of domestic long distance time. Atlas collector supreme and the earliest comic books, dating senior editor of the Who's Who back from 1935. Check our listing Through a special program, we of American Comics. Jim has and see how it all started! can offer a complete set (73 off) provided us with access to these We hope to offer a complete run of 20 Unit cards, a £620.50 value, issues for filming. Jim giving us New Fun and More Fun some day. for only £550.00 (inclusive of all an added bonus too: he's As the to prominently VAT). By placing your making available his detailed feature new material, they are an reservation now, we can assign index to the stories and artists important step in the evolution from a personal sequence number for in this portion of the Strange to comic book. your set and guarantee you Tales run. It will be sent at no availability. Your cheque will Plastic Man extra charge to those who order only be cashed when we are from Page 1 the complete Strange Tales # ready to deliver the cards. Of 1-50. This index is provided for and the greater character met for course individual cards are your personal use only and may maximum effect. available while supplies last. not be reproduced or used for MicroColour has recently added We also have 250 complete sets other purposes. Police Comics # 11 - 30 to their of original press sheets. Striking We eagerly await the response catalogue. Among with Plastic in their beauty and suitable for to these issues. If there is Man, these issues feature another framing, these are signed and demand, we plan to offer classic, The Spirit by Will Eisner, numbered, priced at £199.00 per Strange Tales # 51-100, beginning with his origin set. featuring the early Marvel work sequence in # 11. The first cards (with the covers of Jack Kirby, and Somewhere between the early of the final 20 issues) will be the others who would become Mad comics and traditional released in the first week of the Mighty Bullpen of the Silver super-heroes, Plastic Man is June. The remainder will follow Age. highly recommended, but never within 60 days. Remember, this equalled, Plastic man remains an is limited run so order now to unabashed Golden Age original! assure your reservation!

Page - 3 From The Archives, Vol.2, No.2 1995 issue

Police Comics MICROCOLOUR MAILBAG keep these titles alive for fans, popular culture historians and # 1 - 30 nostalgia buffs. a partial MinDEX We are delighted with the interest in our Golden Age of Comics series. We have some other titles in the Please write to us with your offering, but we have a few questions. We will answer them all to ˆ Firebrand # 1 - 13 obstacles which need to be the best of our ability. Those ˆ Plastic Man # 1 - 30 overcome first. We are still questions of general interest will be missing many issues of specific ˆ The Human Bomb # 1 - 30 published here, in our regular letter titles. Contact us if you think column. you can help, we will forward ˆ 711 # 1 - 15 you a list of missing issues. We Which books contain my have several hundred issues ˆ Destiny # 16 - 30 favourite characters and artists? from DC titles ready to go, but ˆ # 1 - 23 Some of you have asked us to we have been unable to locate appearances of particular negotiate an agreement with ˆ # 8 - 30 charters and artists. Well, we're DC. Pending an agreement, we going to give this our best shot. hope to offer many Golden Age ˆ The Spirit # 11 - 30 We've put our crack Research titles and selected books from Department on the job (that's the 1950s, including All- Larry, Moe and Curly). We American Comics, Big All should be able to locate your American, Showcase, More Maps on Colour favourite charters and tell you Fun, Comics and Microfiche which issues contain their . We will keep you features. Artists may be a bit posted as developments harder, even the experts have a warrant. Many of you have If you are using MicroColor Model hard time identifying a lot of the written to DC in support of our 1100 reader to view our effort to micropublish these microfiche comics then you may Golden Age work. But we will books, and we owe you thanks. be interested to learn that current do our best. If you contact us and historic maps are also with a request, we will respond Your support has been very available on colour microfiche. as completely as we can. We much appreciated. Thanks to all Full-frame image format used in want you to be able to get the our customers for your patient filming the current maps, allows a most out of our microfiche. support and understanding. large sheet map to be microfilmed onto individual colour microfiche What are the next planned Can I purchase individual (MF). Some maps have their releases in your line of comic microfiche? street index filmed onto a book products? We've instituted a policy where separate B/W microfiche. The list Not surprisingly, this is the you can choose the exact of A-Z maps available on colour microfiche you'd like. Each microfiche: most frequent question we get here at MicroColour. If our new individual fiche is £7.00 and the minimum order is five fiches. v Birmingham £11.25 2MF 1950s Atlas titles are well- received, we will follow them v Bradford £11.25 2MF What else is new? v Bristol £11.25 2MF with other Atlas material. Atlas produced a huge number of Some of you have asked us if we v Bournemouth £8.85 1MF accept any major credit cards. v Cardiff £8.85 1MF books with a remarkable variety. Romance, westerns, At the moment the answer is v Leeds £11.25 2MF horror, adventure, crime, no. But will keep this subject v Liverpool £11.25 2MF and super-heroes, under review. Those of you who v London £11.25 2MF Atlas did it all. What would you would like to order microfiche v Manchester £11.25 2MF like? Please write and tell us. comics via Internet, please let v Newcastle upon Tyne £11.25 2MF us know, so that we can make our micropublications listing v Nottingham £8.85 1MF We would also like to extend our available on Internet. v Portsmouth £8.85 1MF thanks to the folks at Marvel. v Sheffield £11.25 2MF They have allowed us to bring v Southampton £8.85 1MF you these books from their early v County of Surrey £78.75 9MF years. With their help, we can

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