Many regulars will remember that, when the news hit that Atlas Comics were to be revived I did a brief piece about it. You can find it here:
http://www.comicbitsonline.com/2011/03/20/atlas-is-back-you-do-remember-atlas/
The art shown didn’t look so bad and being a big fan, like many other fans, I thought “YEAH!”
Well, to be honest, the artwork by Kelley Jones on The Grim Ghost has been so poor that my one time favourite character isn’t even worth bothering with. It is AWFUL. Not just down to personal taste either; I’ve exchanged a few emails with die-hard 1970s Atlas fans who have simply cancelled their standing orders for the book. Tony Isabella ans Stephen Susco’s story and plot is quite ponderous and at issue 6 all I’m thinking is that I’ve wasted valuable money.
Jim Krueger/Brendan Deneen and Dean Zachary’s work on Phoenix has me divided. The art is okay but I’m getting bored of the whole “He’s dead….now he’s alive again….now he’s dead…” you get my point. It seems to be getting absolutely nowhere and I keep hearing comments such s “great art” but story? :-/
The charm has been Wulf. Now stranded on Earth, Wulf is written by Steve Niles who seems to understand how to write a story and plot things properly! The art by Nat Jones is gritty and nice. The colour work by MAI works well. Hey, they re-introduced Lomax NYPD and now…Iron Jaw! This book is going great guns.
The problem is that you can read all these titles in ten minutes -that is all three titles in ten minutes in one sitting. There are 22 pages per issue BUT Grim Ghost and Phoenix have little substance to them.
Then we come to Atlas Unified -the big event.
Only 22 pages so just a regular comic (I’m not sure if the thick paper they print on is supposed to make us think there is more?). As a writer, Tom Peyer has produced a story trying to spin an air of mystery but it is just a confused mess and it just is not helped by the absolutely awful art of Jimbo Salgado. Anatomy -out the window. Very basic art with as little background as possible which ain’t helping to hide the art flaws
oh. And Phoenix dies again. Permanently. But he’ll be alive again soon so do not worry.
I noticed the list of characters from the inside front cover: Kid Cody. Wulf. Phoenix. Kromag The Killer. Scott Galland (who??). Sgt Hawk. Vicki. Luke Malone:Manhunter and, of course, the Grim Ghost. I think some of these are the badly drawn quartet on the last page of the book?
If I didn’t like the Grim Ghost in his own book I hate the character in Unified. For one thing he now seems to be a mummy -WTF???????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At $2.99 I was robbed. If this is supposed to be the biggest ever event in (New) Atlas Comics history then all I can say is I am not surprised so many are jumping the Atlas fan-ship. Talking to UK store owners as well as fans in the US I’ve learnt that a lot of standing orders on the regular titles and for Unified have been cancelled. Sadly, there are some who are quite happy with the art which is very, very sad.
In the 1970s Atlas had great artists and writers but lasted little over a year. I can see the new Atlas going as well.
Ernie Colon was the artist who made The Grim Ghost such a hit originally -his art just oozes style. And he is STILL working today:
http://www.themortonreport.com/books/interviews/comics-ernie-colon-talks-inner-sanctum/
So why didn’t the new Atlas owners pull him on board? Please don’t tell me it’s because they would have had to pay more?
And, to relaunch it, why didn’t they get Sal Almendola to draw The Phoenix as he did in the 1970s?
If these characters are so great and “needed reviving” why then try smothering them to death??
Check out the page above from Unified #1
Above -Kelley Jones work on Grim Ghost #6. You know, I shouldn’t care but I do.
This return had so much promise but I see myself cancelling standing orders. What is worse is that there are good amateur artists out there who could have done a far better job on both Unified and Grim Ghost.
I really, really really want Atlas to succeed and be with us a long time but if they make it to 2013 I’d be very shocked.
look at the above cover and then 1970s style below. Point made. Or is modern American comic art meant to be piss-poor? Note the Grim Ghost as a mummy!!!
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