Volume 1 - War Adventures on the Battlefield

It was the dawn of a new era - with the end of World War II, Americans were eager to return to the quiet pursuit of the American dream. Most citizens envisioned the postwar era as a peaceful time of new-home ownership, a well-paying job, and a loving family. Yet what they would face was a culture of escalating tension and paranoia. With the nuclear genie let out of the bottle, and much of Europe and Asia organized under the banner of Communism, fears of "red" spies and sympathizers and nuclear annihilation defined postwar America.

These political and social changes profoundly affected the comic book industry. Marvel, then known as Timely Comics, had been essential reading during the 1940s. But after the war's end, readers lost enthusiasm for the exploits of superheroes such as Captain America and the Human Torch fighting leftover Nazis. A bold new entertainment option also chipped away at the comic book audience: television. With challenges on all fronts, the industry searched for its next big thing.

In a burst of creative experimentation, publisher Martine Goodman and his lead writer/editor Stan Lee, expanded into dozens of previously untapped genres: science fiction, realistic war comics, horror, and romance. Marvel even gave their classic customed heroes a new spin under the Atlas Comics banner, pitting Marvel Boy and Captain America against the more contemporary threat of Soviet spies and devious Communist saboteurs. From westerns to crime to horror, Atlas published it all!

While not all of the series of this ear found last success, their experimentation brought together the explosive talents that would make Marvel a household name. Marvel Masterworks present deluxe collections of the very best tales from this historic era, many of which have never been reprinted. Within these covers is a rare time capsule of a truly unforgettable era: the Atlas Era of Marvel Comics!