On sale date: October 31, 2023
Fantagraphics is embarking on a project to reprint Marvel Comics' 1950s genre titles — war, crime, supernatural, funny animal, Western — under its new Atlas series with the first eight issues of the pre-Code horror series Adventures Into Terror.
Atlas holds a special place among aficionados of the genre, producing more horror titles and issues by far, than anyone in the industry. While the quality of EC's six horror/sci-fi titles was unsurpassed with their elite cadre of talent, Atlas was the equivalent of the B-movies studio, churning out anywhere from 8 to 12 different horror titles a month, giving a wider array of artists, including some of the best craftsmen of the era, a chance to show off their talents: in addition to those already mentioned, future volumes will include Bill Everett, John Romita, Bernie Krigstein, Jerry Robinson, Harry Anderson, and Matt Fox. Stories from Marvel's Atlas line have barely been reprinted.
The Fantagraphics Atlas Comics Library is the first attempt to publish a carefully curated line of Atlas titles. Our first volume, Adventures Into Terror, includes a treasure trove of stories drawn by many of the most stylistically accomplished artists of the Golden Age including George Tuska, Carl Burgos, Mike Sekowsky, Joe Maneely, and Joe Sinnott. Highlights include Russ Heath's two-part story "The Brain" from issue #4 and "Return of the Brain" from issue #6; Basil Wolverton's classic "Where Monsters Dwell" from issue #7; Gene Colan's moody "House of Horror" in issue #3; and Don Rico's wild layouts are on display from #4's "The Torture Room." The stories are written firmly in the tradition of the pulpy, perverse, borderline deranged style that brought Fredric Wertham, the United States Senate Sub-Committee, and public opinion down like a sledgehammer on comics in the early '50s.
Edited by Atlas scholar Dr. Michael J. Vassallo, scanned directly from the published comics, and meticulously restored by Allan Harvey, the first volume of the new Fantagraphics Atlas Library series is an event among comics lovers, collectors, and historians
The Atlas Comics Library No. 1: Adventures Into Terror Vol. 1 is part of the Atlas Comics series.
Praise
"There's a veritable goldmine awaiting in the Atlas vaults for collectors of vintage comics, including crime, Western, and combat titles, most of which haven't been available for decades. For readers fascinated by comics published in those uncertain years between the two dominant superhero eras, Adventures Into Terror provides the best reproductions of these long-lost comics, preserving the history of this important and influential age of pop culture." — Book and Film Globe
"Fun, and occasionally pretty creepy. ... this volume is a great introduction to what I hope is a long series of valued reprints." — Cinema Sentries
"Now, in gloriously remastered high definition, you can experience a chilling jolt of some of [the Golden Age] era's spookiest comics!" — io9
"This collection isn't merely a nostalgia trip; it's a time machine to an era when comics were unbound, wild, and wonderfully horrific." — Longbox of Darkness
"The main selling point here is the artwork, and there are a number of contributions by artists that would go on to aesthetic heights, most notably Russ Heath and Gene Colan. ... As with most of Fantagraphics' reprint projects, this is an excellent-looking collection, boasting high-quality production values that let the pages pop." — The Comics Journal
Specs
- Pages
- 180
- Format
- Hardback
- Color
- Full-color.
- Dimensions
- 8.8" × 11.3"
- ISBN-13
- 9781683968719