Atlas is finally returning to the comics scene but, believe it or not, this has nothing to do with the 3D Man, Venus or the Uranian. Well, not directly, at least. More on that in a moment. What’s pertinent is that, according to Deadline, Atlas Comics is relaunching with two new zero issues for their titles PHOENIX and THE GRIM GHOST at the New York Comic Con next month. J.M. DeMatteis, who was behind the much-beloved JUSTICE LEAGUE revamp in the 80s, will be serving as editor-in-chief.
A little history - - the Marvel Comics you maniacs know and love wasn’t always named as such. When Stan Lee’s uncle, Martin Goodman, founded the company in the 30s, it was called Timely Comics. In the 50s, it became Atlas Comics before finally settling on Marvel in the 60s. Goodman sold the company in ’68 and then officially exited as publisher in ’72. Two years later he revived the Atlas brand (as I suppose it was a separate trademark?) and put out a slew of books like THE SCORPION, PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES and the aforementioned PHOENIX and GRIM GHOST with talents like Neal Adams, Howard Chaykin, Steve Ditko and many others. == TEASER ==
Though the company was short-lived, it pioneered many now-typical creator rights standards like art returns and ownership/profit sharing models. There’s some controversy as to why Goodman started the company in the first place, but I’ll leave that kind of speculation to you maniacs.
I’d heard of “Atlas mark two” before - - it’s typically referred to as Atlas/Seaboard in discussion - - but I’m not familiar with what any of their comics were about. GRIM GHOS T is described as being about a man stuck in the borderlands of the afterlife while PHOENIX isn't actually about the embodiment of life and death and all that, but a one-man-resistance against an alien invasion.
Tom Pinchuk’s the writer of HYBRID BASTARDS! & UNIMAGINABLE. Order them on Amazon here & here.