Atlas' Nod
- Extracted from
The Rebirth of Atlas: Marvel's Experimental Return from YouTube Channel
MonkeeSeeMonkeeDoo, 2010
Hey, all true believers! This is your friend MonkeeSeeMonkeeDoo, and welcome to my channel! Today, as selected by you in the poll, we're going to dive through history to the beginning of one of Marvel's greatest gambits, one of its most beloved lines of comics, and the return to its roots by recovering both the name and its proud experimental methods when it came to writing stories. I am talking of course of the "Atlas Line", and how the attempts at creating, and introducing it, had the dynamic duo working together again once more... and the bizarre resolution to!
Marvel's explosive growth during the latter 70s and early 80s was only matched by the near anarchy that developed among the upper echelons of the company. From the return of Jack Kirby to Marvel and the creation of the "Noir Line", Marvel had begun once more to re-invent itself once more, something that they were quite famous for doing so; one only needs to look at their Golden Age in the 40s, its experimental phase of the 50, and the Superhero renaissance of the 60s. Once more, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby led the charge by re-introducing "Pulp" as a genre and mixing it with the well-beloved heroes of the last two decades, in a way thumbing their nose at the Comic Codes Authority, while still technically working under it.
This however just fed an already existing conflict within Marvel. Long used to having Stan Lee as the head Editor, as well as following his dictates and ideas, when he decided to step down to head the Entertainment Division on Hollywood there was an inner struggle between different factions that, while allowing the work to continue, it stymied many of the artists and writers who were never sure when their work might be censored, what might be published or not, how much would they be paid, and just what exactly they could write about or not. The last one was a critical point of contention, as with Stan in charge they could usually think of fun ways to poke at the CCA, yet now they felt stifled in their creativity.
Different would-be Editors-In-Chief took control in short periods of time, yet never enough to create the sense of stability they had before. Their parent Company was useless as well, not caring on the daily day-to-day activities, nor the creative process, so long as they could keep on getting their profits in whatever way they could get.
The chaos was only escalating, many were already thinking of perhaps switching over to DC or going independent, with quite a few already doing so, and other let go when titles were cancelled for lack of proper direction.
It's in this situation where both Jack Kirby and Stan Lee came into play once more.
Jack was considered a legend, as he still is today, and commanded a massive amount of respect in the company. That he had collaborated with Stan in founding the "Noir Line" and was the main artist and writer for the Spider-Man Noir comic only increased his standing, to the point that when he spoke, people listened. Stan, despite his work with the current TV series for Marvel, had not been blind to the current situation in Marvel either. Both of them thus devised a plan that could very well save the company, bring stability back, allow for Stan to continue his work on Television ideas, and bring back the same freedom that the artists used to enjoy under his Aegis.
A small speech by Jack, a campaign lead by Stan hyping the benefits of controlling their own destiny, and by the turn of the new decade, Marvel now had a new owner, in Lucasfilms one that once more brought stability with the rise of new Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter. Many people nowadays remember him for both his generous benefits to creators and artists, as well as the many different titles that were created under his aegis in the company. Certainly, Stan Lee felt secure enough to return to his work, this time coordinating with DreamWorks and Sunrise Studios for how to use their properties.
Jim Shooter however had a ruthless and ambitious side as well, with many artists mentioning his draconian measures to keep productivity, and making sure that each one of them fulfill their quotas so as to never get behind on the deadlines. Indeed, many have mentioned that had it not been for the many generous benefits they received as compensation, as well as the freedom for their own projects, they would have probably left as well. Some did, but not as many as one would have expected.
And it was this side that was on full display when he proposed a return to the past, a return to the time when Marvel was trying to find its own identity, a return to bring back the old ideas and give a platform for those ideas in a brand-new line that could increase Marvel's profits even more. At this time, Shooter was known for greenlighting the "Eclipse Line" which was already becoming famous after the hit that was Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama, and Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai. Already more artists and company sponsored talent was were coming in to have more titles under it. Another line that could capture that same magic seemed like a sucker's bet to many.
Thus, Shooter got once more the Greenlight to begin his new "Atlas Line".
Atlas Shrugged
From an objective standpoint this was not an unknown territory for Marvel to work from, and Shooter probably saw it that way as well. One only needed to see Marvel's old experimental Age back when it was still Timely and then when it changed its name to Atlas; the former worked in both superheroes and funny stories involving animal mascots that usually gave birth to some of the first "gag comics", yet with the end of World War II and the return of the American GI, superhero interest dried out, with most of their regular audience now having outgrown the need for both make believe and comedy. At the time, it seemed that the company would just shut down if not outright collapse.
However, Martin Goodman, the publisher and founder of Timely Comics, was not yet ready to throw in the towel. Instead, Goodman's comic book line expanded into a wide variety of genres, among them horror, Westerns, humor, talking animal, drama, crime, war, jungle, romance, espionage, medieval adventures, Bible stories, sports comics, career women, models, etc. If there was a genre at the time, then Goodman made sure that his line of comic would be publishing it.
Thus it was that Timely Comics became Atlas, with Marvel entering its most experimental phase of its existence. At times working on one genre or more, but always trying to find the sweet spot-on what audiences wanted. They soon found that while there was a niche market for near any and all types, the stories that sold the most were the Horror and Romance novels, stories where many artists were allowed to give their imagination full control. It was not out of place to see stories of
Millie the Model to be side by side with comics of
Journey into Mystery, with a good helping of westerns like
Kid Colt or the
Outlaw Kid.
This period of time saw Atlas abandon nearly all their superhero lines, with only reprints of Namor the Sub-Mariner and Captain America making the rounds, with the latter getting some limited release for their Anti-Communist Adventures which would make an entire mess of their Canon Lore later in the future. In fact, at this time, there was hardly any future for Superhero in Marvel, with plans to further abandon them fully and letting that market go to the rival company of DC, with the possibility of both companies existing in an almost peaceful detente between them.
Then it all changed when Fredric Wertham attacked.
Seduction of the Innocents, though nowadays being recognized for the useless drivel, with research so spurious that it would even make a kindergartener look at it and say "this is fake", and made by a man that one can only wonder how could they trust him to be around children at all, was perhaps the most damaging piece of literature for comic books of its age. People at the time were seeing society change, they were scared and did not have answers, so when a kook comes over claiming that its clearly comic book violence, well, people have believed worse things.
[Scenes from different idiotic actions humanity has taken after believing whatever drivel they are fed]
Atlas sales collapsed with the formation of the CCA, and it was only through the actions of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, who once more brought superheroes back to life in a new and vibrant way, infusing them with personalities and flaws, bringing out the humanity in heroes, that the company made its final shift to the form that would define it for the rest of the decade and beyond. Though the sales with DC would ebb and flow, Marvel was once more a comic book company focused on heroes... at least for the moment.
Oh, one thing I should mention. Technically, Atlas had another rebirth, yet one that was just embarrassing when looking back at it. In 1974, Martin Goodman created another Comic Publishing Company named "Atlas/Seaboard" who actually tried to compete with Marvel! now, there are two sides to this story, and I'll let you choose which to believe; the first (and boring one) is that Goodman was just greedy for more profits, and with Marvel already focusing on the Superhero angle, he figured that another company that would explore different genres might just be able to tap into that market.
The second (and more interesting) story, is that Goodman felt slighted since, as his company, he expected his son, Chip Goodman, to be named the next Editor-In-Chief after his retirement... only for the heads to decide that Stan Lee would make for a better head of the company he spent nearly his entire life hyping up and creating stories for them to be able to become a competitor once more (obviously!). Martin was so incensed that he decided to form a new company with the old name, enticed different writers and artists from Marvel, and proceeded to mismanage them so badly that the company had to close its doors just barely a year after into its run.
Barely anyone noticed the rise and fall of "Atlas/Seaboard". Heck, I don't think you've even heard about it until now, right?
If there's interest for a more in-depth video about it, you can let me know in the comments down below. In the meantime, with the experimental age of Marvel done near two decades ago, Shooter felt that it was time to finally bring it back.
Shooter's Folly
By the middle of 83', Shooter had been given the go ahead to bring back Atlas in as much an explosive manner as before. If the Eclipse line had been the subtle and slow surprise for many of its future fans, then the Atlas line would be the shockwave that would rock the entire Marvel World. A bran new territory that would accommodate independent tales of any and all genre, not only superheroes, but tales that could go from comedy to gothic, from horror to fantasy, tales that would tap into different independent minded fans from all over the world.
However, Shooter had erred in two ways; first, he had overestimated Marvel's capabilities to work in new titles. Marvel's explosive growth, with both the Noir Line and the Eclipse Line had in many ways already stretched the manpower capabilities of the company, and that's without mentioning the amount of titles that were being pumped out for the Great lakes Continuity as well. In many ways, they were already paying overtime to many artists who were doing double the work, with the well of out-of-work or struggling artists running dry, or facing competition form a resurging Charlton Comics.
Hell, in the case of the Eclipse Line most of the new titles were from Independents who had come in with their new titles, and young interns who were still learning the ropes from existing artists.
And second, Shooter had underestimated the Independent Market in a big way. Most of the comics, graphic novels, and stories from independents, were already being heavily featured in all kinds of magazines, with the most prominent being
Heavy Metal, and they had no interest in jumping ship to Marvel despite the Code's demise and newfound permission in the company... mostly because while Marvel may had been able to open up to more mature genres, it would still balk at many of the themes of outright sexuality and nudity that many of them involved in their works.
As one of Marvel's executives mentioned, "We do comics, we don't do porn!".
This did not mean that all independent comics had to show nudes in every issue, much less in every panel. Many were the independents who worked in funny gag comics, or at best in simply a more mature and serious take using different characters from myth, or by perhaps subverting the superhero genre in a way that would have clashed with both marvel and DC, titles that would have fit perfectly with the Atlas Line had they not been already being distributed by said rival magazines or themselves in some cases.
The main issue there, was the lack of trust and disdain that these independent creators would feel for Marvel, or any well-established comic company in general. These were the independents who had gone on their own because of their unique vision and prided themselves in being able to work freely without any directive coming from above. Not to mention how their direct sales to Comic Stores allowed them to get a good salary despite their independent nature, perhaps not as much as Marvel would have paid, but it wasn't too shabby either.
At the same time, most of them had been burned badly by either Marvel or DC at some point, with their creations being taken without being given the credit or royalties that they felt they deserved. Sure, Marvel may say that they had changed and were giving greater benefits and creator rights over their work, but why take the chance? What if they made something truly groundbreaking, but then have it be taken away once more by some legal trickery?
Yeah, they were not born yesterday, thank you very much.
Thus, as Shooter prepared the logistics needed for the printing of the titles, what he needed now... were the titles themselves. At first, he flirted with the idea of perhaps bringing the Star Wars comics, who have managed to bring much of the income to Marvel during the 70s (and still formed a cornerstone of their budget) into the line, only to suffer from resistance from much of the staff and the managers of the main Marvel continuity. Their contracts alone gave them a greater protection than most since their work was directly adapting the works of their parent company, and to transfer them to a different line would take both re-negotiation and assurances that there would be no changes.
Time that would delay the launching of Atlas. By the beginning of 84' the preparations were nearly complete, and yet they had to obtain a title, something so unforeseen that Shooter had to constantly work behind the scenes to avoid the dissolution of the idea. This had become more than just a simple initiative for him, as his name was now attached to it, it meant that it would forever haunt his career if something this big failed. There were already whispers and rumors around the company, making insinuations about his career, how he'd only lucked out, how his initiatives were either taking credit for others or just going with the flow, that he perhaps did not have what it took to lead Marvel in the end.
Shooter needed to make a choice, and when the chips came down, he swallowed his pride and called for the man who could very well turn the entire situation around.
Return of the Duck
It is now the middle of 84', and the situation has yet to improve. The Marvel line were moving steadily with the further development of The Great Lakes Avengers to join in the Great Lakes Continuity. The Eclipse Line had been joined by two new titles; the incredibly popular Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama, and Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai, turning it into one of the most profitable as well as cementing it as a proper staple of the Marvel Company. In the background, the Atlas Line was ready to begin so long as they got their new titles, which they'd yet to receive.
And inside a meeting room, Jim Shooter and Stan Lee met with Jack Kirby and his guest. A former employee of Marvel, turned fierce independent creator, by the name of Steve Gerber.
You're probably wondering how Shooter got in this situation.
As mentioned before, with the Atlas Line still waiting for new titles, and Marvel with nothing to give, the answer lay with the independents, many of whom were unwilling to trust Marvel's word no matter how much they may claim that this time things would be different. In the end, what they lacked was the reputation necessary, and that's where both Jack Kirby and Stan lee came in to play.
Shooter had reached the point where he was not too proud to ask for help, and both Stan and Jack understood the problems that he was facing better than anyone, they understood where Marvel's weakness was, and convinced Shooter that nothing less than a grand gesture would be needed, something that would surely hit Marvel in its ego... and in its wallet. Shooter, with nothing left to lose at the time, went ahead with what they had planned.
Jack contacted Steve first in order to get to work on him, which was the hardest part of the plan. Steve Gerber, the creator of
Howard the Duck had been unceremoniously let go from Marvel and denied the rights to his creation when leaving, ironically just before Marvel's buyout from Lucasfilms which would have granted him all he wanted. In the interim period Gerber had managed to get a reputation among the independent community for being against Marvel in all its forms, even going to battle for their rights in 78', and losing badly at that. Oddly enough, he still maintained a good working and personal relationship with Jack Kirby, and it was this that the latter was banking on to get the entire ball rolling.
Not much is recorded about what exactly was told in that meeting, and with Gerber's passing just this year we have no way of corroborating the apocryphal stories of it, what we do know is that at the very least, Gerber agreed to a single meeting with Shooter, both Jack and Stan serving as witnesses, as they discussed a new deal.
Stan Lee had been the one to suggest that if what they needed was the trust of the independents, then they needed to show that they were willing to play ball. Not only that, but the gesture needed to be seen, it had to be grand, and for that they would have to start with the one creator that was still in the memory of everyone. Gerber had connections to many of said independents, and if they could get him on their side, then at the very least it would get them to pay attention.
There are many versions of just how exactly they got to an agreement, the more widespread story, usually told by Stan Lee, has the entire situation be nearly as dramatic as it could be, with actual insults, near fights, and at one point Gerber nearly walking out before Jack Kirby had to physically grab him while Stan made sure to convince Shooter to give more than what he was expecting. Shooter's account however mentions a near simple meeting where both sides let know what they wanted, they haggled a bit, before both sides signing on the dotted line.
Me? Personally, I'd go for a middle ground, as many can attest that Gerber had no qualms about getting physical when the situation called for it.
But the results were just what Shooter needed; a new title for the Atlas Line, and the reputation of Gerber now serving as insurance to those who were still leery for Marvel. In exchange for Gerber coming back to marvel and writing a title for the Line, he was to be paid the royalties for the rights of Howard the Duck, acknowledged as its creator, and occasionally work on the title as well. Shooter however managed to demand a clause under which Gerber would have to meet the deadlines for the new title for at least two years. For this, Jack Kirby agreed to aid if only to bring the entire debacle to an end.
Thus, in September 1984, the first issue of Gerber and Kirby's
Destroyer Duck hit the stands under the Atlas Line. Though originally a story that seemed to mock Marvel with its main character seeming to be on a mission of revenge against the company who kidnapped and abused "The Little Guy" (hinted to be Howard), the story went deeper into showing how it had all been a ploy by Interdimensional Aliens who had cloned Howard and had sent said clone to being a war between the Company and Destroyer Duck, only for both sides having to work together to defend against their invasion.
It was satirical, mocking, and so utterly Gerber that it stood out between many of the stories during the year, proving in many ways how Marvel was truly holding to its promise. But if Shooter expected the floodgates to open, then he was sorely disappointed, as a sort of impasse remained, where both sides now acted almost shy, waiting for the other to make the first movement. Marvel already felt that they had done enough to show they were willing to change, and most of the other independents beginning to believe, but also not sure just when to give the first step.
Atlas Rising
Ironically, the next title to join Atlas would come not because of lack of trust, but because of the need for funds around November 84'. Dave Stevens, a writer/artist who'd been working on Pacific Comics for a while now, and enjoying the great deal of freedom that came with it. For three years he'd worked before the company went bankrupt and had to close its doors, and under any other circumstances he'd just commiserate with his co-workers before trying to find a new job.
Yet this time around, things were different, as now there was a new option that was looking for titles and was willing to pay top dollar for it. He'd been suspicious of them at the beginning, but the grand gesture suggested by Stan Lee had mollified most of those. Besides, he had a solid case to say his work belonged to him, so if Marvel tried anything funny later on then he'd have solid evidence to fight back. With confidence in his posture, and with a new concept on hand, Stevens went in to Marvel, and Atlas gained its second title.
The Rocketeer, a comic that while aping somewhat the style of Superheroes, was more of a throwback to old pulp serials. Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot, though he aids people, in the end has very little heroic qualities, save for those who shine through during his most extenuating circumstances. With small mentions and expies of famous pulp heroes, the story expanded a rich world that was so similar yet different to the old time before and after the 40s. Stevens also made sure to speak with the veteran writers who'd been there during that period of time, and included their stories in the comic whenever he had the chance as well.
Like the Eclipse Line before it, Atlas was slowly gaining steam, yet it would be during New Year's Eve 1984, when Marvel would greet the new year with one of the most genre defining stories ever written, and the flagship title for the Atlas Line for the next two decades.
Now, I want you to picture this; it is late at night, with only a few guards and night shifters working when a delivery driver in one of his last jobs at the graveyard shift goes into Marvel for a late-night delivery. The man is tired, yet does not seem to care as he prepares to receive the signature and go home once more. As he looks around while the guard stumbles a bit with his pen he happens to look at one of the new issues of Atlas, wondering just what it's about. Asking and receiving the news, the man leaves, with no one being the wiser as to what would happen during the next few days.
The next day, James O'Barr went directly to Marvel and brought his drawings with him; a tale of sadness, tragedy, love, vengeance... a poignant protagonist sinking in the shadows with the promise of light still embedded in it, the minimalist style perfectly suited to its needs, and a tale so gripping that you could not stop reading it.
Thus it was that
The Crow became the newest title in Atlas, and it took the entire country by storm. Once more, Marvel had crushed the competition, broke barriers, and brought one of the greatest titles ever to exist into the limelight. The Crow's tale of a man who is brought back to life to get vengeance for the death of his fiancée may have seemed at first like any other cookie cutter revenge tale, but O'Barr had imbued the characters with such pathos and personality that in the end, what drew you in was not the violence, but the story, interactions and inner struggle of Eric as he tries to find the light once more in a dark and lonely world.
And, as they say, once is an accident, twice is happenstance, three times becomes a pattern. The Crow made Atlas an option too impossible to ignore, the chances to strike it big, and the newfound trust Marvel had once more regained, making it so that a new deluge of independents to try their luck with the New House of Ideas.
[Scenes of different covers from the Atlas Line Comics]
The Atlas Line tale is not the same as the Eclipse nor Marvel Noir lines. It's a tale of a man reaching beyond its reach, of overconfidence nearly sinking the entire idea, and of still succeeding despite all the odds, mainly because of the acceptance of aid, overcoming one's ego, and luck... lots and lots of luck. If there's any lesson that can be taken from this ordeal is... never count your chicken before they hatch, and always be nice to the delivery man. You never know when they may have the right tool for what you need in the end.
Thanks for all your views, this has been MonkeeSeeMonkeeDoo, and come with us next time where we will be analyzing Toriyama's Art and the influence it had on Western Comics. Thank you all, have a great day, and Excelsior!
A.N.: Alright then. When I spoke with
@Kaiser Chris about the chance for an Atlas Line for more independent comics, the idea remained stuck in my mind, and thus it became this. I always wanted to have Steve Gerber deal with Marvel in a way to avoid the unpleasantness that would come later on, so adding him to the team seemed a no brainer. Dave Stevens should be unemployed at the time where the line should be inaugurated, and when I saw that
@Schehera Zade had made The Crow as a Marvel Pitch, well it all just seemed to line up.
