Indie Comics Focus: Atomic Pulp Comics

Comic books have certainly come a long way from humble beginnings.  Once the staple of the newspaper reserved to keep kids quiet whilst their parents read the “important stuff”, they moved in to a medium in their own right, be it the pulps like The Shadow and the superhero boom started with Action Comics and Detective Comics.  Over the next 80 odd years they have fought their way through a multiple of crises, events and finally crossing the boundary into popularity through a number of hit movies.  But lets backtrack a little.  Way back, comics used to be simple; there is a definite bad guy, a definite good guy and tons of adventure.  It is that sense of fun and adventure that Christopher Mills is aiming for with Atomic Pulp Comics!

Utilising a range of characters from yesteryear, Mills has allowed his love of comics to create a range of books that are pulpy and just plain fun, with the newest release being:-

Savage Sagas starring the Mighty Crom #1

(W) Christopher Mills; (A) Rich Burchett; (C) Matt Webb; (Let) Christopher Mills

As with the majority of the Atomic Pulp Comics, they are based on disused characters.  Bear in mind that at the time, it seemed that every character was an almost off-shoot, “homage” to other characters.  Hence Crom, created by Gardener Fox and John Giunta.  For those in the know, you will recognise the  word Crom  as the deity to which Conan the Barabarian  swears on.  This Crom though, whilst steeped in the likening of said barbarian is a far cry from his inspiration.  That doesn’t mean that the book isn’t enjoyable; it is in a way that evokes the feeling of comics from yesteryear.  There is something to be said for simpler times.  Rich Buchett provides the art in a style that is quite a bit removed from you might expect from the Batman & Robin alumni.  Matt Webb’s colors are on point for the style and are that the team are trying to emulate.

There is a back-up strip in here, featuring Cave Girl, again written by Mills with art this time by Neil Vokes and colors supplied by Webb.  This tale is an odd mix.  Recently, I reviewed Frank Cho’s Jungle Girl and there are similarities; both are blonde, both wear leopard print swimwear/bikini’s, though that is where the comparison ends.  In fact, this reads more like Marvel’s Shanna the She Devil (at least the color version),  than Jungle Girl.  The star for  me on this is story is Webb; sure the story reads well and the art has a Michael Golden feel, but Webb moves the color scheme from the dayglo brightness of some of his other work, going for a darker scheme that really sets the tone for the sotry.

Sleuth Comics starring the Black Owl #1

(W) Christopher Mills; (A) Don Secrease; (I) Rich Burchett; (C) Matt Webb; (Let) Christopher Mills

Based on the 1940’s character created by Robert Turner and Pete Riss, the Black Owl is kind of like Batman, although the visual is very much like Owl Man.  The book reads like an the ’66 Batman show, maybe without the very obvious jokes.  it is a style that pervades Mills writing.  It is a style that many will scoff at, after all there is no major plot other than a robbery; there is no crossover.  What you do get is nice slice of the past complete with wholesome characters.

Don Secrease provides the art for this book and is helped by Rich Burchett, the latter being a veteran of many DC books including the Batman and Robin Adventures.  The pair deliver a scheme that matches the story and dialogue for it’s old school-ness.  Colors are provided by Matt Webb who tries to match the schemes of yesterday; all that is missing is the little red dots to help build the colors.  Writer Mills also contributes with a letter scheme fit for the 40’s.

Space Crusaders starring Spacehawk #2

(W) Christopher Mills; (A) Peter Grau; (C) Matt Webb

Covering the third staple of the golden age of comics is Space Crusaders which as the titles suggests is the sci-fi corner of the Atomic universe.  Spacehawk is the creation of Basil Wolverton, a type of Dan Dare though without the British snobbishness and “space navy” navy of Dare’s earliest adventures.  Throw in some Buck Rogers and you will get exactly where Mill’s is piloting his space ship.  It’s an interesting choice for sure, as I can’t think of a modern day equivalent; Black Owl has Batman, Crom has Conan and Spacehawk has?  The lack comparability may mean that this is a harder sell than the other books.  That’s a shame as some for the art by Peter Grua works really well for the book, with just a hint of Infantino to whet the visual appetite.

Overall, Atomic Pulp Comics work on a couple of levels.  Firstly there is the obvious nostalgia element.  The second is that the books are “good clean fun” which for a readership weary of multi part crossovers and death, destruction and more death could be a breath of fresh air.

If you are interested in any of the titles above, or want to check what other titles are available from Atomic Pulp Comics,  the whole range is exclusively at IndyPlanet, which you can find by clicking here.

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network

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