Tags
We’ve seen some scans of Jack Kirby’s only issue of Atlas floating around the web, but never the complete story. So here, in all its raging glory, is Atlas! Enjoy!
Collector’s Guide: From First Issue Special #1; DC Comics, 1975.
Jack Kirby’s Atlas – First and Only Issue!
21 Monday Jan 2013
Posted in first issue, superhero
Mars Will Send No More 
Pingback: Jack Kirby's Atlas – First and Only Issue! « Mars Will Send No More | Jack Kirby | Scoop.it
Long live the King
LikeLike
I got very annoyed with John Milius a few years ago, when I was reading some 1970s comics I had never read before… and there it was… the “origin” in the “CONAN THE BARBARIAN” movie. An origin that didn’t need to be told, that never existed before that over-rated misguided movie. STOLEN outright from an entirely different character. It wasn’t Robert E. Howard or L. Sprague DeCamp or Roy Thomas or any of the “Conan” writers that film was stealing from… it was JACK KIRBY. NO S***.
Hollywood just can’t stop stealing from this guy.
LikeLike
Thank you for dropping by and commenting, and for the shout-out to Jack Kirby.
I’ve ignored the Conan movies, so I can’t weigh in on them. But I have noticed they somewhat define Conan in popular culture. When I say I’m a fan of Conan, people think of the films, not the original REH stories. The first thirteen published tales have such beautiful prose, and they paint a different portrait of Conan than what people recall from the films.
LikeLike
I’m almost embarrassed to admit I’ve never read any Howard (or DeCamp), only Thomas (and one graphic novel by Moench). But then, many of my favorite characters, I’ve never read the originals. But I have read Fleming, 25 books by Leslie Charteris, 8 by Verne, 4 by John P. Marquand (that one always surprises me, the fact that I read those), a few stories by Doyle, and 1 Earl Stanley Gardner novel (heh). And, in the last 5 years, a TON of Poe, mostly in support of an insanely-massive comics blog project. (Would you believe, there’s at least 1 Poe story that has been adapted into comics 50 times? 50!!! That’s NUTS!!)
For years I had no interest in Conan, despite being a fan of Harryhausen’s Sinbad movies (“sword and sorcery”). But somehow, Roy Thomas got me hooked. So I would have preferred if the films had been closer to how HE did it. But whatever!
The “origin” wherein a young boy’s entire village is murdered, and he grows to seek revenge upon the one responsible, again, was BETTER in the “Atlas” comic, as Kirby had the boy rescued by someone who raised him, without all those years as a SLAVE in between. It’s criminal Kirby never got around to doing the 2nd HALF of that story…
I admit, it’s possible Kirby & Milius both borrowed from some other, earlier story… but if so, I’ve no idea what it might be.
Crazy enough, my favorite REH movie is “KULL THE CONQUEROR” with Kevin Sorbo. Lots more fun, a sense of humor, and that voyage to the north pole was actually more entertaining than the 3rd Sinbad film. Also, I LOVED the mix of classical & rock music, to contrast “civilization” and “barbarian”. Kull may always seem 2nd-rate compared to Conan, but somehow, that film, I felt, PERFECTLY captured everything you’d ever need to know about the character. There was no need for a sequel… but it was done so well, I wish there had been one. (I’m hoping to get a DVD of it sometime soon.)
LikeLike
Kull is a fun character. His short-lived 1970s comic book was similar to Conan, but he had magic tiger powers. Here’s the first issue: https://marswillsendnomore.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/all-hail-the-first-issue-of-kull-the-conqueror/
If you liked the Roy Thomas approach to Conan, you might dig the more recent Conan series by Dark Horse. The first 50 issues were pretty amazing.
LikeLike