Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: atlas, Joe Maneely, pre-code horror

Joe Maneely's Eyeball-Searing Cover on Astonishing #30, at Auction

Joe Maneely's wild cover for the 1954 Marvel/Atlas release Astonishing #30 is a perfect match for the lead story of this issue.

Published Thu, 13 Jul 2023 12:02:10 -0500

by Mark Seifert

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The Marvel/Atlas title Astonishing started life with the name Marvel Boy in 1950, with the series being renamed Astonishing with the third issue. While the series still featured the Marvel Boy character until issue #6 (although his last cover on the title was with Astonishing #5), the rebooted series took a clear and harder turn towards horror. The Pre-Code portion of this run includes some frankly incredible PCH covers, particularly from artists Bill Everett and Joe Maneely. Maneely's cover for Astonishing #30 is one of the most memorable of these, and there's an Astonishing #30 (Atlas, 1954) CGC VG 4.0 Off-white pages up for auction in the 2023 July 13 – 14 Pre-Code Horror & Crime Comics Showcase Auction #40227 at Heritage Auctions.

Astonishing #30 (Atlas, 1954) cover by Joe Maneely.

Maneely's cover for Astonishing #30 is based on the interior story The Eyes by artist Pete Tumlinson. It might just be one of the most bizarre Marvel/Atlas stories of the Pre-Code era. Around the world, humans are being attacked by giant, disembodied eyeballs who can project some disintegration beams from themselves. It's soon learned that the goal of these eyeball creatures is to steal human eyes from freshly buried bodies and grow them to giant size — increasing the numbers of this strange eyeball army. One almost wonders if the Maneely cover came first, and Tumlinson and Stan Lee created a story to match it.

Another stand-out story here is Rulers of Earth by Joe Sinnott, in which alien invaders are defeated by playing the long game. But it's that wild Joe Maneely cover that makes this one so sought-after by PCH collectors, and there's an Astonishing #30 (Atlas, 1954) CGC VG 4.0 Off-white pages up for auction in the 2023 July 13 – 14 Pre-Code Horror & Crime Comics Showcase Auction #40227 at Heritage Auctions.

Astonishing #30 (Atlas, 1954) CGC VG 4.0 Off-white pages. Joe Maneely cover. Joe Sinnott art. Overstreet 2022 VG 4.0 value = $516. CGC census 7/23: 8 in 4.0, 27 higher.