Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: russ heath, war comics

Combat #1 and other Russ Heath Marvel/Atlas War Comics, Up for Auction

One of the most important war comics artists in American history, Russ Heath worked on a number of Marvel/Atlas war titles during his career.

Published Sun, 26 May 2024 12:17:06 -0500

by Mark Seifert

Last updated Sun, 26 May 2024 18:51:25 -0500

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Article Summary

Explore Russ Heath's legendary war work through his Marvel/Atlas comics.
Heath's formative war-era experiences shaped his art and storytelling.
Heath's did extensive work across a large range of Marvel/Atlas war titles.

Remembered as one of the most important war comics artists in American history, Russ Heath had a sobering view of the subject he spent so much time illustrating. "War is ugly. If you've been forced to do war stories, you want to do one that shows war for what it really is," he told the Comics Journal in 1987. "This is the message I wanted to get across to the kids. War is not Sgt. Rock running across the battle ground, bopping people with his fist, and nobody getting hurt. I always wished they'd have in the captions, 'Good lives were lost in this battle,' even if they couldn't show it! Every graduating class in high school should have to look at gruesome films of war so they would learn how unacceptable and obscene war really is."

Born in 1926, Heath was a teenager during World War II, informing his work and influencing his artistic sensibilities throughout his career. As Heath once put it, during the war, "everybody was very consciously involved with the war. You were either in it or working from the sidelines. Everything back then was either black or white." Heath joined the Air Force in early 1945, and was still in training by the time the war ended. This period in his life would have a lasting impact on his work.

Heath did notable war comics work for publishers including DC Comics, EC Comics and Marvel/Atlas. At Marvel/Atlas, Heath contributed work to a large number of war titles including Battle, Battle Action, Battlefield, Battlefront, Battleground, Combat, Combat Casey, Combat Kelly, Marines in Action, Marines in Battle, Navy Action, Navy Combat, War Action, War Adventures, and War Comics. There are a few issues featuring Heath's Marvel/Atlas war comics work, including a copy of Combat #1 up for auction in the 2024 May 26-28 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122422 at Heritage Auctions.