Number 1804: Men in Space: Maneely and Romita

Our final post from our Men in Space theme week: a double treat from two of Atlas Comics’ top artists, Joe Maneely and John Romita.

Romita became one of Stan Lee’s top Marvel Age artists when he took over Spider-Man from Ditko, but he was good from the beginning of his career. His work at Atlas shows he was already a top-notch talent long before he made his bones drawing a wall-crawling superhero.

Joe Maneely, though (sigh)...I have spoken of him several times, and always with the wish that he could have lived (he died in an accident at a very young age).

Both stories are from Speed Carter, Spaceman #1 (1953).

 More Atlas Maneely and Romita. Just click on the thumbnails.

Number 1107


Up to Speed with Joe Maneely


Since starting this blog I've featured Joe Maneely over a dozen times. I've shown his work on horror, satire, kiddie, Western, crime, international intrigue and even medieval, but I believe this is the first science fiction of his I've shown. Speed Carter was a character in the Tom Corbett, Space Cadet mold. There were several science fiction heroes in that era who belonged to space-military or space-police type organizations.

Speed didn't last a long time. Under its official title, Spaceman, the comic went six issues, and Joe left it after issue #3. His work is dynamic, as always. Like other publishers, Atlas had its star artists, and Maneely was one. What a tragedy that he died of an accident in 1958 at the young age of 32.

From Spaceman #1, 1953: