About 4 years ago I started to buy them up  at some shows. I wouldn't pay more than 1 buck and I usually found them in abundance. They reminded me of Marvel books. They had pretty good creators but went under pretty quickly. These days, the prices have gone up on the strength of some movie rumors. Shame, I think they're worth a dollar but not worth 3 or 4.  I liked the Phoenix and Iron Jaw titles. 

I have about 2/3 of the comic releases but only 3 of the magazines (2 issues of Thrilling Adventure and one of Devilina), and have read about a third of what I own. I reviewed the Wulf the Barbarian run back in the old From the Sorcerer's Scroll thread, but I am not sure those are still up. Every title seemed to change either direction or creative team by the third issue I don't think I've read a bad first issue in the bunch, I'm not sure I have read a good third issue in the bunch. But even those less than stellar later issues are at least interesting (though they might have read better as first issues rather that having the expectation they would build on what was in the first couple of issues. Favorites among what I read are Wulf the Barbarian, Grim Ghost, and Demon Hunter (who morphed into a Marvel character-maybe Gabriel the Devil Hunter iirc after Atlas collapsed). I still need a handful of issues to complete some of the other runs so haven't read those (Planet of the Vampires #1 has jumped to a $10-$20 book now every time I see it in the wild and I am not quite willing to pay that for these, so I am waiting to see if the market for them corrects itself after the spec bubble collapses for them).

There was a revival/relaunch/reboot of the line circa 2011 by Ardden Entertainment that had some interesting creative teams. I have about half the books (there was a guy on the old CBR boards circa 2012 who was trying to promote the line and giving away batches of the books to anyone who would take them, and I got a bunch from him). These are also worth checking out on the strength of some of the creators, but aside from title names and some similarities in core concepts to the characters, it really is an entirely different entity.

-M

Had all of the Atlas issues back in the early to mid 80's. Was fun hunting through the then 10 new LCS which appeared here in Phoenix. All the comics felt like watered down initiation wannabe Marvel. Without a frontman like Stan Lee in the driver seat it all felt unguided with potential but lost momentum by the 2nd issues of most.

There was a strange outcast step-child kind of essence going on that I can imagine Goodman hoped would get buyers picking them up. I easily see most of Atlas product as B or C list comics trying to mimic the magic of Marvel or DC without knowing what or how the magic was happening.

And there is the reason Atlas failed for the consumers. No really superstar heroes or villains. A company can't survive on the second stringers alone. Need some big hot seller to grab attention and sales, sadly Atlas never lived long enough for that. Familiarity means you know or like or might follow a character or series. New ones will take time to build and grow that following.

I like a good challenge. Hopefully, I can do it for less than that. Thanks for the heads up! codystarbuck warned me about the Gothic Romance mag as well a long while back.

I covered the company in my Other Guys Thread; basically, when Chip Goodman was squeezed out at Marvel, Martin started up a new company, with promises of ownership (or a percentage) to talent to get them to come over. Jeff Rovin, who had edited for Warren, was hired to handle their color comics line and Larry Lieber was hired to do the b & w magazines (meant to compete with Warren). They got a pretty good initial mix of talent, with Howard Chaykin, Steve Ditko, Larry Hama, and Pat Broderick, plus a few others. They then put out a whole slew of titles imitating what was already on the stands, in tried and true formula. Ditko's Destructor was meant to be their top hero, a pseudo-Spider-Man; and it isn't bad, but it was hardly game changing. Phoenix was Rovin's contribution, with Sal Amedola; a sci-fi, biblical allegory of an astronaut returned to a damaged Earth, which in its last issue was turned into a Green Lantern rip off. Chaykin did The Scorpion, a pulp hero, in the 1930s, implied to be immortal. He did two issues before it was revamped as a generic superhero. There were police and detective comics, westerns, war, sword & sorcery, and the teen comic, Vicki. The magazines were Warren knockoffs, with Devilina as a pseudo-Vampirella and a copy of Famous Monsters, plus Thrilling Adventure. Gothic Romances is the rare one of the bunch.

The biggest problem with Atlas was no clear identity, no focus and no distribution. They had a very hard time getting their books on the stands, as newsstands were drying up and DC and Marvel used their clout to keep them off, as much as possible. Also, many were just average drek.

Back in the day, a friend had the last issue of Phoenix, where he becomes a Protector, a Green Lantern-like hero, of an alien force. My cousin had one or two, then I found some in college and a bunch after. At one point, I had the entire color line, minus Vicki, though none of the magazines. Their distribution seemed to have been even worse and didn't turn up as much. Most of the original guys walked after a couple of issues, when Goodman's promises turned out to be false. Jeff Rovin left soon after and Lieber was running the whole thing, when it died. Goodman demanded changes, to make everything more Marvel, which led to the 3rd issue revamps and title changes.

There are some good ideas there, and a couple of good comics; but, the bulk is average to mediocre, at best.

Currently, I have a digital collection of the line, which, I think, is missing one of the magazines (Gothic Romances, I'm fairly sure) and possibly Vicki, though I think I got those elsewhere.


My thread posts are here, though most of the visual links are broken, now.