Atlas Monster Comics - Part 1 - Livelifebytraveling

Shortly earlier than the Marvel Age of Comics started, Atlas Comics, the forebear of Marvel was scrambling to determine what to publish that readers truly wished to purchase. Thus, they hatched their newest scheme – Monsters!

Monster Mania

Following the appearance of the Comics Code, Atlas, like many comedian publishers, was struggling. Their bread and butter of copying EC was gone; EC had ceased to exist. They tried sci-fi and fantasy and ghost tales however nothing appeared to click on. So, they went with one thing Stan and firm simply knew would entice the kids to fork over a dime. The movie Godzilla had been launched in 1954 and the children couldn’t get sufficient of big monsters.

In 1959, Atlas moved into monsters large time, devoting 4 of their titles – Strange Tales, Journey Into Mystery, Tales of Suspense, and Tales to Astonish – to telling the tales of the large, freakish, and peculiar. Some nonetheless exist to today. But for each Groot and Fin Fang Foom there’s a Zzutak or Gomdulla nobody remembers. We’re going to take a look at the large, the dangerous, and (pardon the pun) the ugly of Atlas’ monster books.

From the Sphinx to the Two-Headed Thing

From Strange Tales #70, that includes the Sphinx, to Strange Tales #95, starring the Two-Headed Thing, almost each concern within the sequence featured an enormous monster threatening a metropolis or your entire world. One of essentially the most nicely-recognized of those monsters was Fin Fang Foom, showing for the primary time in Strange Tales #89.

There are 475 graded copies within the CGC census, roughly seven occasions the census rely for different Strange Tales monster points. A 6.0 graded copy bought within the December 6 Heritage public sale for $3,600, a document within the grade. There has been a particular upward pattern in pricing for this guide within the mid grades however a softening of costs within the excessive and low grades.

Another concern with a barely elevated census rely is Strange Tales #84. This concern heralds Magneto on the quilt. However, he’s not the mutant we all know; he’s a furry gorilla with magnetic powers. The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide calls this a prototype of the mutant Magneto, however I don’t see any similarity between the 2.

This concern and all of the remaining monster problems with Strange Tales might be discovered within the mid-grades for a mean worth of $297. Best three monster names – Grottu (Strange Tales #73), Dragoom (Strange Tales #76), and Zzutak (Strange Tales #88). Honorable point out to Pildorr (Strange Tales #94).

From Monstro to the Scorpion

Everyone is aware of the primary look of the Hulk was in Incredible Hulk #1, proper? Wrong. That was the primary look of the second Hulk. The first Hulk made his debut in Journey Into Mystery #62, though he has since been renamed Xemnu.

The monster tales started on this sequence with Journey Into Mystery #54, starring Monstro, and ended with the Scorpion in Journey Into Mystery #82, the problem previous to the primary look of Thor.

Getting again to Xemnu, there are 163 graded copies of Journey Into Mystery #62, roughly 2.5 the variety of copies graded for different points within the sequence. A 6.0 graded copy bought within the December 20 Heritage public sale for $1,020, a document within the grade. A 6.5 graded copy bought in a December 11 eBay public sale for $1,200, a drop in worth from the $1,440 sale in a June 22 Heritage public sale, though that distinction might simply be the Heritage purchaser’s premium. So, we’ll name that one a wash.

This guide doesn’t promote fairly often within the larger grades. We do see a tough upward pattern within the mid-grades and even among the decrease grades, doubtless aided by the truth that the character nonetheless exists within the Marvel Universe.

Xemnu’s second look in Journey Into Mystery #66 is usually the runner-as much as Journey Into Mystery #62, each by way of census rely (126) and worth (6.0 common worth of $560 in two January 2021 gross sales).

The remaining points within the mid-grades have a mean gross sales worth of $292. Best three monster names – Rro (Journey Into Mystery #58), Gomdulla (Journey Into Mystery #61), and Gruto (Journey Into Mystery #67). Honorable point out to Lo-Karr (Journey Into Mystery #75).

Join us subsequent time as we dissect the beasts present in Tales of Suspense and Tales to Astonish, together with each monster from Gor-Kill to Googam to everybody’s favourite speaking tree.