I'm a big fan of the Atlas/Seaboard titles in general, but I especially love
Planet of Vampires, a completely unoriginal mash-up of
Planet of the Apes and
I Am Legend, with a title cribbed from a Mario Bava film, and elements seemingly borrowed from Charlton's
Doomsday+1 comic. Four American astronauts - two married couples - return to Earth after a space mission to discover that, in the aftermath of a nuclear war, Earth is now ruled by technological vampires who survive on the blood of human survivors.
The first two issues, written by
Larry Hama and illustrated by the astounding team of
Pat Broderick and
Frank MacLaughlin, are awesome, with lots of post-Apocalyptic action, an incredibly high body count, and a surprisingly grim tone. The third - and final issue - isn't quite as good (like all Atlas titles, the book self-destructed early), but does feature some gorgeous art by the legendary
Russ Heath.
This first issue cover was penciled by Broderick and inked by
Neal Adams.
You forgot to include Strange New World, the final part of the Genesis II/Pax trilogy!
ReplyDeletePlanet of Vampires and Howard Chaykin's pulp-influenced The Scorpion were my two favorite Atlas titles.
NOTE: Bava's Planet of THE Vampires was set on an alien world, and really didn't have vampires in the classical sense. ;-)
Love Atlas-Seaboard, and this was one of the standout titles. This is the best cover of all the Atlas books, with the possible exceptions of the debut issues of Phoenix and Grim Ghost.
ReplyDeleteI just got Russ Heath to sign a copy of the third issue of this run.
Rip Off
I've seen something about this series before. Definitely sounds intersting
ReplyDeleteYou summed it up perfectly. I agree with your assessment of the art, the series and the beautiful cover.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading/collecting comic since the late 60s; POV is one of my top favorites. I hated to see it (and Atlas/SB) end.
ReplyDeleteIs it too much to hope for a POV reboot with the new version Of Atlas launching in October????