Hallowe’en Countdown VIII, Day 16

gasp65

« His deadline-flouting attention to detail was so ambitious that, whenever one of his jobs was delivered, editor Archie Goodwin reported, everyone gathered around to see what “that crazy bastard Heath” had done. » — Michael Dean

In my opinion, Atlas comics generally weren’t very good. But they remain fascinating because of one impressive asset: the line boasted no less than four absolutely top-notch cover artists, namely Joe Maneely, Bill Everett, John Severin… and Russ Heath. It may seem like nothing, but that was a truly phenomenal assemblage of talent in one place at one time. However, the writing was pedestrian and the second-stringers were, well… second-rate. But oh, some of those covers…

Today, we’ll coyly peek at some of Mr. Heath’s horror covers.

This is Marvel Tales no. 104 (Dec. 1951, Atlas); colours, in every case, by Stan Goldberg.
This is Astonishing no. 9 (Feb. 1952, Atlas).
This is Suspense no. 14 (Feb. 1952, Atlas). This one’s especially intriguing: there’s so much going on, yet it’s not overly busy… the mark of a first-rate cover designer.
This is Journey into Mystery no. 1 (June 1952, Atlas). By now, I have a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Heath liked his ladies… on the buxom side.
This is Adventures into Terror no. 11 (Aug. 1952, Atlas).
This is Spellbound no. 3 (May 1953, Atlas). Yes, it’s the worm.
This is Strange Tales no. 18 (May 1953, Atlas).

-RG

2 thoughts on “Hallowe’en Countdown VIII, Day 16”

  1. nealumphred's avatar nealumphred October 16, 2024 / 04:03

    While Heath’s art was more polished and technically “better” when he was working with DC and Warren in the ’60s, these Atlas covers from the ’50s are so much more interesting and so much more fun!

    Thanks for posting them!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Pingback: (Not Quite) The Most Uncanny Tales Ever Told! – Who's Out There?

Leave a comment