The Atlas Comics Library HC (2025)

When Harvey Kurtzman and Bill Gaines launched EC’s Mad comic book as a warmly received satirical magazine, a flood of imitators soon filled newsstands, but the first and best to follow in Mad’s footsteps (coinciding with the second issue of Mad magazine) was Snafu, edited and written by Kurtzman’s former boss: Stan “The Man” Lee! Snafu was packed with Marvel/Atlas’ top humor creators and, following the Mad playbook, filled pages with ad and news spoofs, alongside film, television, and book parodies like “The Blackboard Forest” by Russ Heath, “Pete Kelsey’s Booze” and “Bleed, You Bum!” by Joe Maneely, “Drugnet” by Howie Post, “Emily Toast’s Etiquette Page” by John Severin, and “Snafu’s Lovely Ladies” by Bill Everett, with production supervised by Marie Severin. Seen here is some of the most eye-popping work of Maneely’s short life, including great Hollywood caricatures done in a wash style. In this new volume in our Atlas Library collaboration with Marvel, Fantagraphics is tickled pink to present for the first time, the complete Snafu collection along with a history of Martin Goodman’s humor publications in all genres by editor Dr. Michael J. Vassallo.

In 1950, a romance comic became an empowering adventure comic for girls at the hands of some of Marvel's greatest cartoonists! This new volume in Fantagraphics' and Marvel's collaborative Atlas Library presents Girl Comics #1-12, a long unseen subversion of romance comics beautifully designed for a new generation of readers! In 1950, Timely/Atlas/Marvel took a typical romance title called Girl Comics and turned it into a sister companion to its successful men's-adventure comics: an empowering girls'-adventure comic! Mystery, adventure and suspense was promised and delivered! At the hands of a stellar artistic line-up, including John Buscema, Mike Sekowsky, Bill Everett, Joe Maneely, Russ Heath, and Bernard Krigstein, Girl Comics evolved from heart-stricken love stories to hair-raising girl-power thrill rides like "The Death Plunge!," "The House of Shadows!," "I was a Murderer's Daughter!," "They Called me a Spy!," "The Dead Hands at the Controls," and "The Dark Hallway." This volume also features the story behind the stories, with editor Dr. Michael J. Vassallo's essays on Marvel publisher Martin Goodman's enthusiastic relationship with romance comics and magazines at a time when the artform was cementing itself into American youth culture!