The Fabuleous Fifties

War On Good Taste

Wednesday Advertising Day.

Today I am continuing my for sale section. Last week I showed all my double Timely/Atlas horror books. Today I am showing the first of two batches of Timely/Atlas war titles. The art in thse books is as good as that in the horror books and the stories are sometimes even more terrifying, certainly in the pre-code years. Unfortunately (for me, at least) these books don't bring half as much as the horror books, so there are some real gems to be found. I will update this post later with one or two complete stories from my scan archives.

I am putting these books up here for two reasons. First of all to give my regular viitors a first shot at getting then before I will put them up on e-bay. Secondly, I will use this archive to let people who buy some comics from me choose some additional books, so they can combine the shipping costs. There are several ways of doing that, but generally buying four of five books seems to be the best way to spread the costs. Postage from Holland to the US is nowhere near as much as the other way around, by the way. As with the last lot, if you are interested, you can leave your e-mail adress in the comments section and I will remove it as soon as I have seen it. Others have contacted me through one of the groups I frequent.

Battle #11
Augustus 1952
Cover by unknown

Artists: Gene Colan, Cal Massey/Chapman, unknown and Tuska
Condition: Good minus, cover a bit loose, some damage on title, but good pages
Guide price: $10
Offer price: $8

Battle was one of the early war titles from Timely, but it didn't start getting any good until 1952. The Cal Massey story is a typically cruel Hank Chapman yarn about bravoury under fire and mass slaughter. The unknown artist is said to be Sid Check by the Comic Book Price Guide. Check for yourself.

Battle #13
October 1952
Cover by unknown, probably Sol Brodsky
First copy of two

Artists: Russ Heath, Cal Massey, Norman Steinberg and Gil Evans
Condition: Good plus, some damage to spine and some discoloring on the borders of a few pages, possibly because of dried up water damage, dull but white
Guide price: $15
Offer price: $12

Absolutely great war book. Starts of with an impressive Heath story about the taking of a hill in Korea, more violent than anything he ever got to do for DC and after that one of Stan Lee's few war stories, an almost silent story with Cal Massey about a secret night raid. I showed the Heath story in my heath post a week ago.

Battle #13
October 1952
Cover by unknown, probably Sol Brodsky
Second copy of two

Artists: Russ Heath, Cal Massey, Norman Steinberg and Gil Evans
Condition: Good plus, slightly more tanned than te previous one, but no discoloration on the borders of some pages and a better spine
Guide price: $18
Offer price: $15

For the description, see above.

I had already shared one of the stories from this book in my mega Stan Lee post a few weeks back. so here it is again.







Battle #28
April 1954
Cover by unknown, probably Sol Brodsky

Artists: Joe Sinnott, John Severin, Louis Ravielli and Bob McCarthy
Condition: Good plus, slight spineroll and some cracks on the cover
Guide price: $13
Offer price: $10 (sold)

As far as I know this is the first story John Severin did for Stan Lee. In most bio's it is said that he didn't move to Atlas until after he stopped working for EC. But Two-Fisted Tales, the title he edited for the end of it's run and did most of the stories for, continued until Februari 1955. So there must have been some overlap. From this point on, he contributed a story a month to Stan Lee's titles, all of which are very similar in tone, style and even subject to the sort of work he did for Two-Fisted Tales and EC. In fact, he has said in an interview that they were written by or in collaboration with the same writer he used for EC, his friend Colin Dawkins (who was interviewed in John Benson's wonderful Squa Tront #11, the John Severin Issue).

Battle #41
July 1955
Cover by unknown, probably Carl Burgos

Artists: Joe Kubert, Bill Benulis, Norman Steinberg and Gil Evans
Condition: Good, with covers detached but in good nick
Guide price: $10
Offer price: $10

Joe Kubert never worked for Stan Lee. At least, not on his own. For a short period following the collapse of his editing efforts at S. John with Norman Maurer, he inked a couple of stories for penciller Dan Gordon and after that pencilled some stories for inker Moskowitz. This book opens with one f those stories. It is typical Kubert stuff, but a little bit darker and scratchier. after that a World War I story with lots of rain and snow by Bill Benulis, a historic tale of war in Last of the Mohecans territory and one of Gene Colan's great and gritty world war II pieces. Aroud this time, Colan switched to a smaller original page size and was allowed afull page splash page by Stan Lee, resulting in some truly stunning pieces - while over at DC he was forced to become slicker and slicker. Guess which style I prefer.

Battle #53
July 1957
Cover by Joe Maneely

Artists: Gene Colan, John Romita, Powell and Frank Bolle
Condition: Very Good, no obvious defects except for a bit out of the right hand corner
Guide price: $10
Offer price: $8

Another of Gene Colan's 'rough' pieces, a John Romita night raid and Powell on WW I make this an all unjustly forgotten artists issue, with a Frank Bolle story thrown in for good measure.

Battle Action #2
April 1952
Cover by unknown artist

Artists: George Tuska, Paul Reinman, Werner Roth, Norman Steinberg
Condition: Good minus, cover almost detached and flaking at the spine, dull
Guide price: $15
Offer price: $10

If I knew who drew this cover, I could identify a lot more covers from that period. The Tuska story is another depressing Chapman riff about a first aid man who gets shot in the end. Paul Reinman's work i this period rivals that of Brnie Krigstein with the only difference that it never got better than this. Werner Roth delivers a WWII story about a soldier giving his life for his comrades. Roth is another of those great realistic artists from the fifties who lost their reputation when they were forced to take super hero work in the sixties. Norman Steinberg closes on a typical somber note: "Joe cradled Hines' body like a mother! He knew he end had come... and he was glad...!"

Battle Action #15
Februari 1955
Cover by Russ Heath

Artists: Gene Colan, Dick Ayers, unknown (possibly B. Brown), Forgione
Condition: Very Good minus, no defects, but a bit loose
Guide price: $20
Offer price: $14

Very little art from the many many pages that were created for Timely/Atlas have been saved. There are stories of original pages being used to wipe up spile water from the floor. The cover for this book is a bit dark, but if you could have the original on your wall.. or maybe I should let Russ Heath do a recreation and color it himself, but maybe a bit lighter. The Colan story is a great sample of the fact that it is possible to ink his work and keep all the quality of the pencils.. if you are Gene Colan yourself. I can't note everything, but if you go to Atlas Tales you'll see this book also has a civil war story. Bob Forgione's story shows he was taught by Jerry Robinson (and later went to work as his assistant).

Battle Action #23
June 1956
Cover by Joe Maneely

Artists: Russ Heath, Robert Sale, Dick Ayers, Bill Benulis, Joe Sinnott
Condition: Good plus, no defects but a bit of spine rol
Guide price: $15
Offer price: $10

Russ Heath's story here is less dark than usual an reminds me more of his DC work, but with more explosions. Dick Ayers does a WW I story.

Battle Action #25

October 1956
Cover by Bill Everett

Artists: Gene Colan, John Romita, Don Heck, Bob Forgione, Joe Maneely
Condition: Good, but some lengthwise creases on the cover
Guide price: $14
Offer price: $10

A veriable who's who of early sixties Marvel... or it would have been, had Joe Maneely not died in 1957. Don Heck does great work on his WW I contribution. He seems to me the only artist I know who started out great and got worse every year. rare Bill Everett cover that is not set underwater.

Battle Action #29
June 1957
Cover by John Severin

Artists: Gene Colan, Jhn Romita, Jay Scott Pike, George Tuska, Bob Forgione
Condition: Good plus, some creases on the cover
Guide price: $14
Offer price: $8 (sold)

John Severin pays homage to his friend Colin Dawkins by putting his name on the back of a soldier's outfit on a cover that almost makes his work look like Russ Heath's. Great moody splash page by Gene Colan.

Battle Action #30
Augustus 1957
Cover by unknown

Artists: Gene Colan, Jay Scott Pike, Werner Roth, Angelo Torres, George Woodbridge
Condition: Good plus, no defects but a bit loose
Guide price: $15
Offer price: $10 (sold)

Last issue of the series. The identity of the cover artist has been debated by Timely fans and historians a long time. It could be Heath, it could be Kida, it could be either. The image is reused as the splash for the Colan story. Werner Roth delivers anothe solidly drawn story and Angelo Torres shows he was one of the better realistic artists to come out of EC.

Battle Ground #1
September 1954
Cover by Joe Maneely

Artists: Paul Reinman, Joe Sinnott, Myron Fass, Tony DiPreta
Condition: Good, a bit of a spine roll
Guide price: $25
Offer price: $15

This book gets it's price from the fact that it is issue #1, while it is not any better than other titles from the same period. Reinman does impressive work, but is already on the way down from his 1952/3 high, Joe Sinnott has a great splash of the beach landing at the Philippines and Tony DiPreta war stories are rare, but the real rarity here is Myron Fass' tale of Garibaldi. I'd love to see an annotated book of all Timely/Atlas' historical stories. Maybe I should do a blog or a website along those lines... Anyway, I've priced it down to a more realistic level. Although it would even be more realistic if all Atlas war books were prices at the level of those first issues.

Battle Ground #3

Jan 1955
Cover by Russ Heath

Artists: Joe Maneely, Gene Colan, Jack Katz, Dick Ayers,
Condition: Fine, because this is what a book should feel like in your hands (you are not afraid to handle it while you are reading it), some pencil writing on the cover (probably from a distributor or a shopkeeper), some water damage on back cover
Guide price: $30
Offer price: $20

Last pre-code issue with a great Russ Heath cover. He didn't get tod screaming soldiers like this at DC. Joe Maneely does impressive work as always, but the real star here is a WW I air ace story by Gene Colan. Extra funny for European fans is the fact the funny guy he uses as a moel for this story (and others) looks a lot like the Laverdure figure in Albert Uderzo's Tanguy and Laverdure series about a pair of mdern air aces.

Battle Ground #6
July 1955
Cover by Joe Maneely
missing covers

Artists: Jay Scott Pike (?), Mac Pakula, Mort Lawrence, Dick Ayers
Condition: Good, but no covers and a bit brownish
Guide price: $10
Offer price: $8

Sold art all around, certainly by Mort Lawrence. But the stories are what makes this book secial. Mac Pakula does a story about the French stpping the unstoppable conquest of Europe by the Germans and Mort Lawrence a bio of Lawrence of Arabia, using the title years before the movie.

Battle Ground #13
September 1956
Cover by Russ Heath

Artists: Gene Colan, Mort Drucker, Bill Walton, Al Williamson, Dick Ayers
Condition: Very Good, some creasing of the cover corners
Guide price: $20
Offer price: $15 (sold)

No here's a low priced book I have no problem advocating. Some fans have said that Gene Colan's later work looks like that of Mort Drucker (and in some lists Drucker stories are wrongly attributed to Colan), but here we have both together and their differences couldn't be more clear. Al Williamson does a great WW I desert rat story. All that under a moody Russ Heath cover. Here are the first pages of the Colan and Drucker story.




Battle Ground #16
March 1957
Cover by John Severin

Artists: Joe Sinnott, Gene Colan, Bob Forgione/Jack Abel (?), George Tuska, Dick Ayers
Condition: Very Good, just a bit loose
Guide price: $18
Offer price: $14

Gene Colan's 'rough' story has another variation on his blonde haired, pointy nsed and chinned funy character. Tuska has a funny story too. His style always seems to teeter on the edge of charicature.

I wanted to include a full story with this post, but seem to have no readymade scans for any of these books. That's why I chose a Colan story from Battle Ground #11, which at least is very similar to the type of stories discussed here.







Battlefront #2
September 1952
Cover by Joe Maneely

Artists: Jerry Robinson, Jerry Robinson, Jerry Robinson, Jerry Robinson
Condition: Good, a bit loose and some craks at the spine
Guide price: $22
Offer price: $20

The first five issues of Battlefront are a must-have for any serious collector. Not only do they feature the work of Jerry Robinson in what I consider the best period of his artistic life, it also has four continuous stories about one set of characters in every issue. Robinson shows himself a storyteller on par with Eisner and Kurtzman with great symbolic splash pages and smart silent sequences. The stories are by Don Rico and the beautifully layered cover by Joe Maneely doesn't hurt either. Here are the four slapsh pages for the continuous story.






Battlefront #4
September 1952
Cover by Jerry Robinson

Artists: Jerry Robinson, Jerry Robinson, Jerry Robinson, Jerry Robinson
Condition: Good plus, little hint of a split at the spine
Guide price: $24
Offer price: $20

More goodness by Robinson and Rico. This time the cover is by Robinson as well. Like the stories it is beautyfully colored. Here's another splash.



Battlefront #18
April 1954
Cover by Carl Burgos

Artists: Syd Shores, Dick Ayers, unknown, Mac Pakula
Condition: Very Good, some light creasing on the cover
Guide price: $18
Offer price: $10

An all history issue. The unnown artist, who seems like a cross between Fass and Katz and Bob McCarthy to me does a good job at telling Hannibal's life story. Dick Ayers depicts a WW II desert battle.

Battlefront #20
June 1954
Cover by Chuck Miller

Artists: Chuck Miller, Joe Maneely, [Rosenberger], Russ Heath
Condition: Good plus, bit of a split at the lower spine
Guide price: $15
Offer price: $15

One of those books you mustn't miss. Not because of the moody red and black cover by Chuck Miller, not because of Joe Maneely's solid submarine story, not because of the redcoat tale that has been attributed to Rosenberger but looks more like Bill Savage to me, but because of Russ Heath's retelling of WW II's bombing of Hitler's bunker, complete with caricatures of Hitler and Herman Goering all through the story. Hitler crying that Goering had promised him he would not be hurt by the bombs is a high point.



Battlefront #23
September 1954
Cover by Russ Heath

Artists: Joe Maneely, Sam Kweskin, Sid Check, Werner Roth
Condition: Good, cover creases and slight spine roll
Guide price: $10
Offer price: $8

Sam Kweskin was a realistic artist, who sort of disappeared after working for Timely/Atlas in the fifties. The story of his reappearance is told in Ken Quattro's article at http://www.comicartville.com/findingkweskin.htm. Sid Check does a story about the Spartans and Kwskin's is about WW I. The Heath cover, by the way, is my argument that the aforementioned cover to Battle Action #30 was by Heath as well.

Battlefront #26
December 1954
Cover by Russ Heath

Artists: Joe Maneely, Ross Andru, Harry Anderson, Joe Sinnott
Condition: Good plus, solid but vertical fold down the middle of the cover
Guide price: $15
Offer price: $10

Great Heath cover of soldiers advancing in the snow. The Ross Andru story features his recognizable wide-eyed looks into the camera and tells the story of the Germans in Africa in WW I. Harry Anderson takes us to the War of Independence.

Battlefront #30
April 1955
Cover by Russ Heath
First copy of two

Artists: Don Heck, Benulis/Abel, Syd Shores, Dick Ayers
Condition: Very Good minus, some creases on the cover
Guide price: $15
Offer price: $10

Second post-code issue gives us another signed Heath cover of soldiers running towards the camera. Don Heck's story is only the fifth he he did for Stan Lee. Syd Shores story tells the semi-historical account of the Black Hawk War (Apr-Aug 1832); features Sauk war chief Black Hawk (1767-1838) and Capt. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) of the Illinois militia, adds To Lammers to the Atlas Tales website.

Battlefront #36
October 1955
Cover by Joe Maneely

Artists: Unknown, Don Heck, Jack Katz, Bob Forgione/Jack Abel
Condition: Good, with creases in cover and spine
Guide price: $10
Offer price: $8

Don Heck delivers an unsigned story of WW I and Jack Katz illuminates the sharpshooters of the sothern army in the Civil War. The first story looks like Fred Kida's to me.



Battlefront #38
Januari 1956
Cover by Syd Shores

Artists: Don Heck, Benulis/Abel, Syd Shores, Dick Ayers
Condition: Very Good plus, no defects, just a bit old
Guide price: $20
Offer price: $12

Combat #6
November 1952
Cover by Jerry Robinson

Artists: Robert Sale, Norman Steinberg, John Romita, Joe Sinnott
Condition: Fair, with a half panel piece of one page missing
Guide price (Good): $10
Offer price (with other buy): $5

Now here's a book that should be worth more than it is. Not my copy, because it is a reader at best, but the original. Robert Sale delivers a trademark cruel story by Hank Chapman, who seems to be making his shift from writing bleak and violent stories about heroes dying to gung-ho and violent stories about heroes who survive against all odds. The latter gave him a good career at DC later in de decade. The John Romita story shows what an immense and underappreciated talent he is, especially in the composing of action. All that under the best war cover Jerry Robinson ever did, with an American soldier strangling a Korean enemy near the river. But look at his face... he is not just afraid of is life, but seems to be crying as well.



Combat Casey #8
Spring 1953
Cover by Joe Maneely

Artists: Robert Sale, Robert Sale, Robert Sale, Robert Sale
Condition: Poor, Good condition with centerfold missing (first page third story)
Guide price (Good): $10
Offer price: $5

Robert Sale drawing Hank Chapman's bearded character in Joe Maneely's style. Unapologizigly violent fun, marred by that one missing page. Cover's okay, though. This third issue of the title was used in POP according to the Comic Book Guide.

Combat Casey #9
April 1952
Cover by Joe Maneely

Artists: Robert Sale, Robert Sale, Rbert Sale, Robert Sale
Condition: Poor, title top tor from cover, but rest of the book quite good
Guide price: $8
Offer price: $5

Personally, I'd rather have a solid book such as this one with the title ripped from the cover by the retailer to get his money back from the distributor, tan one that's been ripped on the inside. The inide pages are better than anything you might find in a boo double the condition and price. The Sale art is quite good here as well, with Chapman having him draw four pin-ups for the soldiers in the second story.

Combat Casey #21

April 1955
Cover by Russ Heath

Artists: Robert Sale, Robert Sale, Robert Sale, Robert Sale
Condition: Good, creases around the edges and a lengthwise fold
Guide price: $
Offer price: $

By this time, Casey was including historica stories as well, such as the WW I story here.

Combat Kelly #22

June 1954
Cover by Syd Shores

Artists: Dave Berg, Dave Berg, Mike Sekowsky, Dave Berg
Condition: Very Good mnus, some creases on the cover
Guide price: $14
Offer price: $10

Most early Combat's Kelly were drawn (and possibly written) by Dave Berg. But most issues also have a filler story by another artist. Here my educated guess is Mike Sekowky, who always drew faces with high foreheads and small chins (as if he used his own face for expressions, but forgot to compensate for the angle of the mirror). Cookie explains the shoulder patches. Still a good overview of outfit signs. One of the most interesting things about these Combat Kelly books to me is the covers. Each cover has a three panel realisticly drawn gag. I never had a good look, but I really should see if Stan Lee wrote them himself. Or was it Dave Berg trying out for his Mad series? Weird stuff.







Combat Kelly #41
Februari 1957
Cover by John Severin

Artists: Dave Berg, Dave Berg, Dave Berg, Dave Berg
Condition: Good plus, some creases at the spine
Guide price: $12
Offer price: $6

Rare all Berg issue, which I would probably only buy to complete a set. The best thing here is the cover by John Severin. Still, not a bad copy to have.