I'm postponing our regularly scheduled article from Pierre today to share this latest amazing bit of news.
Atlas Comics is Returning To Publishing!
From Newsarama:
Jason Goodman — grandson of Atlas founder Martin Goodman, who also founded Marvel Comics — is relaunching the company.
The first two titles, The Grim Ghost and Phoenix, will be revealed at the New York Comic-Con. Other properties owned by the company include the Grim Ghost, Ironjaw and the Cougar. Already, a firm called Reaction Visual Media has posted a cover for The Grim Ghost, which will be written by Joshua Ortega with art by Qing Ping Mui.
Goodman brings up an interesting point about the Atlas Universe...
Although my grandfather eventually sold Marvel, he insisted on keeping Atlas Comics in the family,” the younger Goodman told Deadline. “As a result of his vision, Atlas Comics is the largest individually-held library of comic book heroes and villains on the planet. We have 28 titles and hundreds of characters imagined by some of the greatest minds in the industry.
JM DeMatteis will be leading this relaunch as Editor In Chief. JM co-wrote one of my favorites series of all time, the 80's Justice League, so it will be interesting to see how this new Atlas shapes up!
- Jim
6 comments:
Should be interesting.
Wonder if they're also going to revive my favorite, Planet of Vampires? (seems like a natural in the current pop-culture climate)
Hopefully this works better than Ardden's Flash Gordon. The story was okay, but the art had too much cut-and-paste and distortion that it turned me off real quick.
And hopefully, they won't change the characters too much, although I admit to not knowing much about these characters (I only had an issue each of Wulf and Ironjaw which I found in a back issue bin when I was a teenager).
@BrittReid - Yeah, Planet of the Vampires sounds like such a easy hit in this day an age doesn't it? Except that it seems like the spin Vampires get nowdays (as objects of pent up romantic passion) sort of wouldn't work well with the original premise.
@Reno - Oh yow! I remember that Ardden Flash Gordon, and yeah, I totally agree with you NOT how I would have done it!
I'll be honest, looking at both the preview covers for the two books they've got covers for, I'm not sure quite what to make of this so far. They say don't judge a book by a cover, but it's hard not to (and I'd argue that's exactly why a cover is on a book to a degree - to sell it...)
Wow, this could be really awesome. I have scans of all the old A/S comics and magazines... think I'll sit down and marathon-read this weekend, just to enjoy the old stuff and bone up for the inevitable "spot the difference" game. :)
I'm glad to see the characters getting a revival and hope things go well. What set Atlas apart -at least before the third issue switch- was they were just a little bit further 'out there' as far as the bounds of comics at the time then anyone else. Don't just take my word for it, read the first issue of The Brute. I think Jim is wondering like I'm wondering how/if that 'vibe' is going to come across in a relaunch. If Michael Fleisher wants to give writing comics another run they should considering bringing him back if the sells do well. How about all those maybe/maybe not black-listed vet creators I'd like to see their work again a new Atlas line could be a good fit. The kinds of comics Joshua Ortega has written up till now, aren't the ones that interest me, but I will definitely give both titles a try. Other Atlas favs I'd like to see again: my favorite Targitt, Brute, Morlock 2001, and the Destructor.
The only Atlas charter that the third issue switch really made more interesting was Phoenix (the Destructor...maybe too) so glad it will be out again along with the Grim Ghost.
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