Supercool Atomic Age Comic Book and Record Set (by Noel Sickles?) 1 1

[sfcityduck]

I'm pretty proud of a comic book and record (and map, and booklet, and letter from the CEO) set I just picked up.  It is a General Dynamics promotional piece:

 It features a comic book, "The Atomic Revolution," which is copyrighted by M. Phillip Copp,   Copp, a leading producer of giveaway comics for industrial companies, had been an agent, and represented Noel Sickles in the 1940s.

The art definitely has a Noel Sickles influence in the use of heavy blacks and contrast (apologies, these pics are from my undercopy and I'm hoping to get decent scans later):  

 

While press reports say a "team" of artists drew the book, the style is very consistent and the only artist actually identified as having some involvement was Sam Citron.  Citron started as an artist for DC on Superman, then did westerns, romance, and adventure titles for a variety of publishers in the later 1940s and 1950s.  He also did art for Classics Illustrated and horror stories for Eerie and Creepy in the 1960s.  I'm not sure what Citron's art would look like on a project like this, but we know he was involved somehow because here is a picture of Copp and Citron reviewing the original art for page 30 of the comic  

http://web.archive.org/web/20030729001544im_/http://greg.org/images/m_philip_copp_samuel_citron.jpg

I'm just not entirely convinced from what I've seen of Sam Citron's art this is his, but some panels do appear to have the clean DC style and could be by someone who did a lot of romance.  In fact, it is almost good enough to have followed Raymond on Rip Kirby:

The record is a lecture by Edward Teller, the father of the H-Bomb, on the Theory of Relativity.  I am very fortunate that my set includes a record that is autographed by Teller.  My set also includes a printed letter from the CEO of General Dynamics with a business card. The other booklet has some pretty avante garde art promoting General Dynamics in a slightly trippy fashion.  The map is a pretty standard star chart type map.

I'll post some more about this book and record later, when I can get some better images of the key interior art of the comic.

 

Edited August 25, 2022 by sfcityduck

[sfcityduck]

This is a poster by Noel Sickles that makes me think his hand (or at least great influence) is present in the portrayals of machinery in The Atomic Revolution comic book which is also high contrast and very clean.  My supposition is also based on the fact that Sickles had done work for the US Air Force in 1955 and General Dynamics was one of his clients at points during his advertising career:

Other examples of Noel Sickles from around the time period of The Atomic Revolution includes these:

 

[sfcityduck]

Another reason I think Sickles may have been involved, beyond his relationship with Copp, is this piece that sold at an auction of men working on an Atomic plant:

Why was he drawing Nuclear plants?  

But it is all a guess.

Edited November 10, 2020 by sfcityduck

[Pat Calhoun]

My older (by 36 years) brother John C, the same soul who would drive me up from San Diego to Cherokee Books, worked at Convair down there, which was a branch of General Dynamics. I've had this 4" plastic cube forever...

Edited November 11, 2020 by Pat Calhoun

[Pat Calhoun]

[sfcityduck]

17 minutes ago, Pat Calhoun said:

My older (by 36 years) brother John C, the same soul who would drive me up from San Diego to Cherokee Books, worked at Convair down there, which was a branch of General Dynamics. I've had this 4" plastic cube forever...

What a great little memento!

[sfcityduck]

6 minutes ago, Pat Calhoun said:

Now you're choking me up.  An increasingly frequent thing in this age of Covid.  Family matters. 

[Randall Dowling]

On 11/9/2020 at 7:17 PM, sfcityduck said:

Mmmm... The good old Magnetronic Reservisor...  those were the days! 

[sfcityduck]

You guys may not be impressed by this, but I am:

 

The autograph of the father of the Hydrogen Bomb and the great rival to Oppenheimer the father of the A-Bomb.

[sfcityduck]

General Dynamics was sort of a trippy avant garde company for the 1950s. From the booklet that accompanies the comic book and record:

[sfcityduck]

General Dynamic's CEO's letter:

 

[Randall Dowling]

1 minute ago, sfcityduck said:

You guys may not be impressed by this, but I am:

 

The autograph of the father of the Hydrogen Bomb and the great rival to Oppenheimer the father of the A-Bomb.

That's a very impressive artifact!  I've read a fair amount about the development of the atomic bomb and much of the testing and innovation that followed.  Teller is often referred to as the father of the Hydrogen Bomb but that doesn't mean he came up with it.  My understanding is that he saw the idea and became a fierce advocate of dramatically increasing yield.  And he was extremely good at political maneuvering.  From everything I've come across, his ambition left a bunch of casualties in it's wake.

[sfcityduck]

I'm loving my Atomic Age comic book and record set.  Really cool item with really great art:

[Randall Dowling]

I keep looking at the images of this piece of history and I'm so impressed.  It's very, very cool!  Thanks for sharing this!

[sfcityduck]

8 minutes ago, Randall Dowling said:

That's a very impressive artifact!  I've read a fair amount about the development of the atomic bomb and much of the testing and innovation that followed.  Teller is often referred to as the father of the Hydrogen Bomb but that doesn't mean he came up with it.  My understanding is that he saw the idea and became a fierce advocate of dramatically increasing yield.  And he was extremely good at political maneuvering.  From everything I've come across, his ambition left a bunch of casualties in it's wake.

Don't get me wrong.  Teller was a ... less than thoughtful person.  I'm on the Oppenheimer side of the debate.

Edited November 11, 2020 by sfcityduck

[Randall Dowling]

Just now, sfcityduck said:

Don't get me wrong.  Teller was a ... less than thoughtful person.  I'm the Oppenheimer side of the debate.

Likewise!  Doesn't take away from how cool this little set is!  It's the sort of thing that I'd be really proud to own.  

[sfcityduck]

15 minutes ago, Randall Dowling said:

Likewise!  Doesn't take away from how cool this little set is!  It's the sort of thing that I'd be really proud to own.  

Well ... I certainly love it!  But, I understand others may not quite be as into a giveaway promotional comic on the atomic revolution whose art is b&w or single color.  My love isn't hurt one bit that I've convinced myself that Noel Sickles or someone equally skilled is the actual artist of this thing (I think Sam Citron may have been more the editor).  After all, look at this image!  The hair, the rolled up sleeves, and the grass! This is a frigging masterclass on deep contrast art:

[sfcityduck]

To me, this screams Sickles:

But I can't prove it.  It's just great art.

[sfcityduck]

Pat, thanks for the likes.  I've beein filling in the holes on my CBM collection and getting nice feedback from you is gratifying.  I try to tell interesting stories or bring to light cool unknown things, as CBM's writers used to do.

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by sfcityduck

[Pat Calhoun]

You are welcome. And I thank you for the compliment and your worthy efforts. The book is a fun find (which you presented nicely) with excellent art, historical significance, and more. Plus you gave me a chance to mix it up with some mighty memories. Cheers. Pat