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[Downunder Dan]

As this was the second last issue of Captain Atom's run, I also thought it was interesting that they were still advertising the fan club. I wonder how long it continued once the comic disappeared?

According to John Ryan in Panel to Panel, it seems that the fan club was really only the way to get the membership 'badge' - a glow-in-the-dark Captain Atom ring. Graeme Cliff suggests there was a bit more in From 'Sunbeams' to Sunset - he mentions the ring, and that club members could participate in contests, but unlike other comics fan clubs I haven't seen competitions mentioned. (Also fan club members promised to do at least one good deed each day!)

It's possible the club might have gone further, but Atlas Publications was shut down in 1958. Atlas was founded by a partnership of Jack Bellew, George Warnecke and Clive Turnbull, all journalists who had become frustrated working for the established Melbourne press. (They've been described as 'a syndicate of well-off lefty journalists'.) They published a range of things - comics, magazines aimed at boys and girls, the Family Circle, westerns, a science fiction story magazine, and three men's magazines that were banned in Queensland for being to racy. And then Jack Bellew died in 1957 after a short illness, and things fell apart. George Warnecke moved to Ireland later the same year, and its likely that most of what published on into 1958 had been prepared in 1957. Without Atlas, there was no Captain Atom and no fan club. Small publishers were normal in the Australian golden age, and the loss of one key man would do the company in. And the end was coming: the lifting of the ban on American comics and the growth of television created an adapt or die situation for all of them.

[Morgus]

‘Downunder’, someday someone is going to untangle ALL the various and sundry Family Circle enterprises I keep running into! Mom used to buy a magazine of that name in the ’70’s, they finally went under in 2019. There was a restaurant chain with a franchise in town that FINALLY went under a year or so ago. And now you tell me there was a mag with the name in Melbourne.
By the way, what did they have to do to get banned as too racy in Queensland, I wonder? Just bare ‘mammalian protuberances', as Frank Zappa used to call them? Or the OB-GYN shots that would get PENTHOUSE occasionally banned here in Ontario? Toronto used to be so uptight that there was a man placed at side stage to lower the curtain IMMEDIATELY if The Castles, a MARRIED dance team, dared to try and KISS on their visits to town.
But I digress.
If I had to choose I think I like Captain Atom better, for some reason the style reminds me of Bob Powell. Both are perfectly fine adventures that would fit into any comic company in the US at the time. Sort of makes me wonder why Warren didn’t come to Australia instead of The Philippines when they wanted more economical art after Goodman and the Good Artists left town.
Q.Q.: nice picks as always, and GALAXY QUEST just might be one of the last cult films to make it out of the ’90’s. It’s gotten harder and harder for a movie to find a cult audience anymore, with a lot just crashing and burning and never returning when they don’t get the numbers that the suits want.
Oh, and by the way, the wife says the Family Circle restaurant here in town is still in business, but probably circling the drain.

[The Australian Panther]

They published a range of things - comics, magazines aimed at boys and girls, the Family Circle, westerns, a science fiction story magazine, and three men's magazines that were banned in Queensland for being to racy.

Famiiy Circle was an Australian licensed version publication of the US parent magazine, if I remember - still available until quite recently.
It wouldn't have taken much to be banned in Queensland in the early 50's. There were still censorship boards operating quite actively in Australian states at that time. I'm sure quite a lot of US comics, of the Crime and Horror type were likely banned in Australia, and not just EC books. . 

By the way, what did they have to do to get banned as too racy in Queensland, I wonder? Just bare ‘mammalian protuberances', as Frank Zappa used to call them? Or the OB-GYN shots that would get PENTHOUSE occasionally banned here in Ontario? 

  We are talking the 50's and early 60's here Morgus, anything like that would have probably gotten you a prison sentence.
Australian Men's Magazines in that period?
Think the kind of 'lurid' pulps that Martin Goodman's Atlas used to publish. 
cheers!

[SuperScrounge]

Q.Q.: nice picks as always, and GALAXY QUEST just might be one of the last cult films to make it out of the ’90’s. It’s gotten harder and harder for a movie to find a cult audience anymore

I believe the reason why it only had a cult audience was because the studio didn't expect it to do well and didn't spend money on marketing. When they did realize that it could be a hit, they considered a marketing campaign, but decided it was too late. *sigh*

[Quirky Quokka]

As this was the second last issue of Captain Atom's run, I also thought it was interesting that they were still advertising the fan club. I wonder how long it continued once the comic disappeared?

According to John Ryan in Panel to Panel, it seems that the fan club was really only the way to get the membership 'badge' - a glow-in-the-dark Captain Atom ring. Graeme Cliff suggests there was a bit more in From 'Sunbeams' to Sunset - he mentions the ring, and that club members could participate in contests, but unlike other comics fan clubs I haven't seen competitions mentioned. (Also fan club members promised to do at least one good deed each day!)

It's possible the club might have gone further, but Atlas Publications was shut down in 1958. Atlas was founded by a partnership of Jack Bellew, George Warnecke and Clive Turnbull, all journalists who had become frustrated working for the established Melbourne press. (They've been described as 'a syndicate of well-off lefty journalists'.) They published a range of things - comics, magazines aimed at boys and girls, the Family Circle, westerns, a science fiction story magazine, and three men's magazines that were banned in Queensland for being to racy. And then Jack Bellew died in 1957 after a short illness, and things fell apart. George Warnecke moved to Ireland later the same year, and its likely that most of what published on into 1958 had been prepared in 1957. Without Atlas, there was no Captain Atom and no fan club. Small publishers were normal in the Australian golden age, and the loss of one key man would do the company in. And the end was coming: the lifting of the ban on American comics and the growth of television created an adapt or die situation for all of them.

Thanks for the extra info, Dan. I have the 'Sunbeams to Sunsets' book, but had missed some of the facts you mention. Re your comment about the problem with small presses, maybe that's why a number of comics ended quite suddenly. If a key person left, there goes the company or at least the comic book. Lucky that Frew is still able to reprint some of the old ones like Catman, the Panther, the Shadow, Sir Falcon, Captain Strato, Phantom Commander and others.

Cheers

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

Morgus said:

Q.Q.: nice picks as always, and GALAXY QUEST just might be one of the last cult films to make it out of the ’90’s. It’s gotten harder and harder for a movie to find a cult audience anymore, with a lot just crashing and burning and never returning when they don’t get the numbers that the suits want.

and SuperScrounge said:

I believe the reason why it only had a cult audience was because the studio didn't expect it to do well and didn't spend money on marketing. When they did realize that it could be a hit, they considered a marketing campaign, but decided it was too late. *sigh*

I'm glad you liked them, Morgus. I thought they'd be up your alley 

Re Galaxy Quest and cult films, I guess streaming has really changed the game in terms of how we view films. Some movies go straight to streaming, and if you don't subscribe to that channel, you don't get the movie. I think what made Galaxy Quest special was that it was a spoof, but with a lot of heart. You could tell the writers, director, etc respected the craft, and they had a classic hero's journey story with Tim Allen's character. It made ComicCons cool, and shows like 'Big Bang Theory' capitalised on that, making comic book stores cool. So many great lines and a great cast. One of my all-time favourite movies.

Did you see the doco they did for the 20th anniversary? It was on Amazon Prime, but I'm not sure if it's still there. 'Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary'. Really good.

Cheers

QQ