THE REVENGE OF MARTIN: CLOAK AND TIED (DEMON HUNTER)

Not every character created during that handful of months in 1975 died with the death of Atlas Seaboard. Two of them found themselves revived in 2010 by Martin Goodman's grandson Jason; somewhat fittingly, that revival lasted only two zero issues before Jason got embroiled in a legal battle for the Atlas name. And in 2019, SP Media and Jason announced they were going to revive the company's properties as a series of theatrical movies overseen by Akiva Goldsmith.

Still waiting for that first film, guys.

And then there's the case of two characters who escaped to the company Martin Goodman was looking for revenge against. Since Atlas Seaboard's offices were just a few blocks away from Marvel's at the time, the creators of these characters just marched down to the House of Ideas, changed just enough about them to make them legally distinct and continued writing stories about them. That is the case of Rich Buckler and his supernatural hitman/psychic/monster hunter Gideon Cross, the Demon Hunter.

Cross starred in one issue of Demon Humter, and his origin--which is recounted in said issue--is, well, convoluted. The tale is told non-linearly; we're told what a demon hunter is, we see him confront someone who was in his infantry unit who is who has become a hitman and hocks him over a cliff because...Mr. Cross is a hitman as well?....and then he receives a new assignment. Now keep in mind we see Gideon only in his red costume and blue cloak...only we're told he's using an illusion to make himself appear normal. Then we get some of Gideon's backstory before he heads to the airport and ends up fighting a blue demon dude in an unfortunate yellow outfit. Then he climbs a mountain in Nigeria, fights a little more, is told he's part of the cult we learned about in the beginning only to come across said cult conducting a human sacrifice ritual to summon Astaroth, the Grand Duke of Hell and...

Don't get me wrong--his origin is told in full, but the chopped up nature can make it lose some lucidity. How much of that is Rich Buckler, credited with 'concept, plot and art,' and how much of that is David Anthony Kraft may never be known. I will say that it wouldn't surprise me to learn that Kraft had a lot to do with this confusing non-linear story telling because he fancied himself the heir to Steve Gerber (just look at how much Gerber stuff he uses in his Marvel work), only with nowhere near the talent.

What isn't confusing is Buckler's art. Buckler was at the height of his game at this time, although he was held back by Marvel's dictate that he emulate a Kirby style. Here, with little to no oversight, Buckler is allowed to be his own man, and the work that results is lively and dynamic. On top of that, he designs a simple but striking costume for our demon hunter complete with a distinctive open face cowl. I find it telling that when the character is reworked elsewhere, the costume is altered very little--in the case of Devil Slayer, it amounts to just some palette swapping, the addition of crossed straps on his chest and the removal of the third eye and ankh symbols.

At the end of this issue, Gideon boards a plane in Nigeria to get to his next target. Not long afterwards, he gets off that plane in Marvel Spotlight with a new identity (Eric Payne) and codename (Devil Slayer) to fight Buckler's creation Deathlok. Under the name Bloodwing, he shows up in an issue of the fanzine Galaxia. The Marvel iteration stuck around for a while, primarily through Kraft's run of Defenders, and is given a resolution by J.M. DeMatties when he takes over the book. I'm somewhat surprised the Marvel version hasn't been revived in recent years given how they're busy reviving even the most obscure bit of ephemera. If Sleepwalker can get a brief revival, so can this echo of Gideon Cross.

Even though Demon Hunter kinda, sorta got a life beyond this single issue, I would have liked to have seen a second issue under Atlas. I suspect that the freer hand Buckler--and to a lesser extent Kraft--had over there might have led to a much more interesting book. As we'll see as we go deeper into Atlas Seaboard, the company wasn't afraid of being darker or more brutal than the company it wanted to unseat...and maybe Demon Hunter could have been a legitimate horror comic.

We're still horror territory next time and another single issue recounting an origin. But even though this one features art by a legit legend, the hero might be a bit...overfamiliar. Join me for the only issue of Fright, featuring...The Son of Dracula!

Until then, remember...Revenge is a Dish Best Served In Four Colors!

THE REVENGE OF MARTIN: BLAZING BATTLE TALES

Atlas Seaboard comics lasted less than a year. No comic published under the suspiciously familiar red band trade dress of the company last more than four issues.

It may very well be the first comic book company founded solely on spite.

In 1972, original Marvel Comics publisher Martin Goodman left the company. He had sold it in 1968, but stayed on, intending for his job to be taken over by his son, Chip. When it became obvious that the new owners wanted to make Stan Lee publisher, Martin walked out of the Fifth Avenue offices of Marvel, walked up a few blocks and rented office space for a new comic publishing house. In 1974, he hired Stan's brother Larry Leiber and Jeff Rovin to head up the new line.

It should be mentioned that some people don't think Martin did this over Chip's not being installed...but the combination of the trade dress, the hiring decisions and the choice of material for the titles make me think this is the truth...

Except for our first title, because everything about the one and only issue of Blazing Battle Tales screams DC's then thriving war line. The cover is a very conscious take on a classic Joe Kubert Sgt. Rock cover by Frank Thorne (a veritable legend, which we'll discuss more fully two articles from now), including the dialogue. And even though Marvel had its own Sargent in Nick Fury, the opening story (all three stories were written by John Albano) is obviously aping Rock with hero 'Sgt. Hawk' being aided by an native American and a jewish soldier to free a hot blonde French underground leader from the titular Nazi toturer, 'The One Armed Monster.'

The problem with this story, as well as the one that follows (the third tale is a recounting of a story about a Bronze Star soldier, so it's more akin to the single page 'Did You Know' pages included between stories in Golden Age comic) is simply that there's no character to these characters. If it wasn't for the fact that some of these characters are named and some wear different uniforms, I'd have no idea who was doing what to whom. The first story is mainly narration, and Albano doesn't give us anything--not even vocal ticks--to tell the main heroes apart. Since our heroes rescue the woman very quickly then go on a personal mission to avenge some dead American soldiers they happen upon, the woman...seems sort of inconsequential to the plot. At least the following story, 'The Sky Demon,' has actual dialogue but the plot--a navy pilot is told to stop doing solo missions, the pilot stops, but is told to continue doing solo missions once they learn a train he wanted to attack had Hitler on board...well, it's not...much, is it? Albano's style is dry and without much personality, and the entire experience of reading this book is the epitome of flat.

If there is a highlight, it is the artwork. Pat Broderick, very early in his career, pencils the Sgt. Hawk strip and, even though it seems like he was told to consciously ape Joe Kubert, his storytelling comes through. 'The Sky Demon' is drawn by Al McWilliams, and the two page back-up is by John Severin, both of whom are legendary war comics artists. They all needed much better stories to illustrate.

Now, to be fair, there is the possibility that Albano was intending to actually introduce some character to Sgt. Hawk, The Sky Demon, et al...but this was the only issue of Blazing Battle Tales, and we will never know if that was the case. I cannot recommend this title.

Next time, we'll be looking in on one of the few Atlas heroes who survived beyond Martin Goodman's folly...in this case, a horror-themed hero who got on an airplane at the end of his first and only issue and got off that airplane in the middle of an issue of Marvel Spotlight under another name to fight Deathlok...and also showed up in an issue of Galaxina under yet another name! Join us for the one and only issue of Rich Buckler and David Anthony Kraft's Demon Hunter!

Until then, remember...Revenge is a Dish Best Served In Four Colors