Frankie Was Afraid

Looking back at our awesome Atlas Fest earlier this month, I suddenly realized I made an inexcusable, and rather monumental mistake: How on Earth can we have an Atlas Fest without featuring my all-time favorite artist ever-- Bill Everett??!! Okay. Fixing that la boo-boo now with a real screamer from the June 1952 issue of Journey into Unknown Worlds #11 (Everett also created that incredible cover design too!) And because of my awful, absent-mindedness, I've suddenly decided that we'll continue on this journey into even more unknown worlds by extending / reviving July's Atlas Fest --granted, if I can find enough worthy material-- for the entire month of August! Sound good? Oh, who am I kidding? Like I won't be able to find enough worthy material! It's Atlas after all... see ya's shortly in August for lots rots more!

Horror Under the Earth

One of the creepiest Al Eadeh / Atlas era monstrosities ever highlights this terrifyin' tale of horror from under the Earth. In our story, the creature is referred to as the "Cardiff Monster", not to be confused with the classic Cardiff Giant archeological hoax of the 1800's (CLICK HERE to read about it.) Still, it's a fun, fast paced and moody story, complete with a totally non-related, but none the less excellent, accompanying Bill Everett cover image. And apologies to those who notice how I completely bailed about half way through my own color-correcting process of this overly faded / yellow post too... from the February 1953 issue of Marvel Tales #111.

ZOMBIE!

Time for the grandaddy, livin' deader of 'em all-- "ZOMBIE!" by Stan Lee and Bill Everett. And yep, like most of the Everett illustrated stories featured here over the last week or so, this classic can also already be found in the THOIA 2010 Archive HERE, but it's the black 'n white reprint version... I'm not sure how we went this far without the original color version. And along with that iconic cover (also by Bill), this is a fabulously fitting, and extra eerie way to end our monstrous Menace Fest-- hope everyone enjoyed it! Lots more on the way, stay tombed! From the July 1953 issue of Menace #5.

Burton's Blood! / Blood Relation

So far this month we've had mummies, werewolves, and weird graveyard ghouls-- so let's keep the monster mash a'bashin' now with a Saturday Afternoon Vampire Double Feature! First up, Stan Lee and Bill Everett team-up for a freaky, fang-filled tale of futuristic fear, from the April 1953 issue of Menace #2 (and check out that Everett cover too!) Followed by an eerie blood suckin' quickie via Ed Winiarski and the January 1954 issue of Menace #9. Hope everyone's enjoying this menacingly macabre Atlas Fest I've apparently started...

The Fangs of the Wolf

Before anyone yells out "deja vu!" please note that yes, I have posted this spectacular Bill Everett classic here at THOIA before, and it was waaaay back in 2014 HERE (also for a Werewolf Wednesday!) But fyi it was a black 'n white reprint / retitled version, and NOTATION #2: when it comes to Everett, you guys deserve nothing but the best (this story looks great in b/w though too, just sayin'.) From the January 1954 issue of Menace #9. NOTATION 3: tale is mentioned on the blacklight postery Gene Colan cover as "Wolfe's Fangs!"

Vampire at the Window

Yeah, I know, another vampire post. But word came down the pike recently that the 2024 remake of Stephen King's Salem's Lot now has a release date (after sitting in limbo for like 2 years since its completion), where it will finally be streaming on MAX this October. I've been looking forward to it for a while, and since the original 1979 TV two-parter is one of my all-time favorite films, I thought I'd show you this funny little Atlas quickie from the October 1952 issue of Astonishing #18, where the vampire has a very similar Nosferatu design that is also very much like the Mr. Barlow character from the 70's version. Plus, we get some "outside the window" action, which, if you've ever seen Salem's Lot, you know EXACTLY what I'm talkin' about. CLICK HERE to learn more about the upcoming film (hope it's good!), and I've also included a related photo, not from the film, but from my attic instead!

With Intent to Kill

One more killer tale from the March 1953 issue of Suspense #28, and it's a Maneely / Stan Lee team-up with a super hot ending to boot! Also, big bad Bill Everett returns with a screamingly superb cover illustration as well!