A salute to the late, great artist, who was born 98 years ago…
By PETER BOSCH
Once upon a time… in the days of yore, many a tale was told of knights and chivalry and of chaste princesses and maidens fair. It was the time of King Arthur and the gallant heroes of the Round Table.
There were also bad men, verily, and they would attack those who were good in order to control kingdoms. But none was more evil than Sir Modred, who masqueraded as a loyal friend of the court, all the while plotting most foul to usurp Arthur’s throne. Fortunately, there was a wizard, wise and good, who could see the villain for what he was and protected his liege in ways that many balladeers would later tell of as they travelled from village to village.
Such was the story of Merlin the magician and Sir Percy of Scandia, a blue-blood and alienated cousin of Modred, masquerading as a weakling but who secretly brought justice throughout England as Arthur’s defender, the mysterious Black Knight.
(And, yes, to those who are wondering, there is a connection between this Black Knight and the two different Silver Age modern-day Black Knights. The latter two are descendants of Sir Percy.)
Those who know the work of one of the greatest artists of Atlas comics (later Marvel) in the 1950s, Joe Maneely — born February 18, 1926 — are well aware that he was a master of every genre. (Check out this link to last year’s birthday celebration.) However, when looking at all of his work, that which shows possibly the most love, care, and attention to the period of its subject was the five-issue Atlas series, Black Knight. Of that, Maneely drew the contents of the first three issues and all five of its covers. (This also includes the back-up strip, “The Crusader,” in those issues.)
In honor of Maneely’s birthday, enjoy this king’s royal feast of Black Knight:
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Black Knight #1 (May 1955) cover
Black Knight #1 (May 1955) splash page – script by Stan Lee
Black Knight #1 (May 1955) – origin of the Black Knight – script by Lee
Black Knight #2 (July 1955) cover
Black Knight #2 (July 1955) splash page – unknown writer
Black Knight #2 (July 1955) splash page – unknown writer
Black Knight #3 cover
Black Knight #3 (Sept. 1955) splash page – unknown writer
Black Knight #3 (Sept. 1955) splash page – unknown writer
Black Knight #3 (Sept. 1955) splash page – unknown writer
Black Knight #4 (Nov. 1955) cover
Black Knight #5 (Apr. 1956) cover
Black Knight #2 (July 1955) splash page for “The Crusader” – unknown writer
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MORE
— 13 COVERS: JOE MANEELY Could Draw Anything. Click here.
— BLACK KNIGHT #1: Pre-MARVEL AGE Rarity to Get Facsimile Edition. Click here.
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13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. He is currently at work on a sequel, about movie comics. Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in Hollywood.
February 18, 2024
A fun read here. I was not aware of the Atlas version of the character. I think it is interesting that on the covers, the issue numbers are missing (excluding #5) and the comic code seal is HUGE.
February 18, 2024
This is beautiful artwork. Such a shame we did not get more from Mr. Maneely.
February 18, 2024
I remember reading somewhere that Stan Lee considered Maneely his favorite artist at Atlas.
Can you imagine Marvel going into the “Silver Age” with the triumvirate of Maneely, Ditko and Kirby, oh what could have been.
February 18, 2024
The art here is marvelous. It’s a pity the comic only lasted five issues.
February 18, 2024
To see more of Joe’s work, look for the just published Joe Maneely Artist Edition from Fantagraphics. 250 pages of restored Maneely work in all genres in the Atlas titles of the 1950’s.
February 19, 2024
Oh, this looks like fun!