Teaming with Wal-Mart, 1970s comic book publisher Atlas-Seaboard will make a surprise comeback at New York Comic-Con (NYCC) on October 17-20, 2024, when they roll out four new Mego action figures, one per day. The figures will be packaged with reprint issues of the company's original comics. One of the figures will be The Grim Ghost, who was part of the company’s original offerings and the short-lived 2010 relaunch with indie publisher Ardden.

The imprint, launched by Marvel founder Martin Goodman in 1974, had announced on August 23 that Paramount would develop Devilina as a feature film. 

Grim Ghost and the other figures will be available at the Wal-Mart booth at NYCC along with t-shirts and at least a few exclusives. Several members of the original Atlas-Seaboard team will be on-hand with co-owner Jason Goodman, Martin’s grandson, and longtime Mego President Marty Abrams, the son of Mego founders

Among those attending will be original Atlas editor Jeff Rovin (Thursday and Saturday), writer Ric Meyers (Thursday through Saturday), and writer-artist Larry Hama (Saturday). Producer and co-owner Steve Paul will also be on hand.

Rovin said there will be a display of vintage material at the booth as well as the new Mego figures.

“[Alex] Toth’s Scorpion designs, my original chart of the Atlas Universe, Ric’s Targitt thumbnails, and more,” he said. “There is also an illustrated history of Martin Goodman and his career.”

Atlas-Seaboard’s titles, all of which were company-owned, included superheroes, science fiction, crime fiction, horror, sword and sorcery, and more. Titles such as Ironjaw, Phoenix, The Scorpion, Wulf The Barbarian, The Destructor, Demon-Hunter, Thrilling Adventure Stories, and Weird Tales of the Macabre comprised their line.

During the company’s original incarnation, the creators who worked on its line-up of color comics and black and white magazines included Ernie Colón, Larry Lieber, Howard Chaykin, Archie Goodwin, Walter Simonson, Russ Heath, Doug Wildey, Pablo Marcos, Steve Ditko, Neal Adams, Wally Wood, Pat Broderick, John Severin, Frank Thorne, and Jack Sparling, among others.

Including their Movie Monsters magazine, there were 72 Atlas-Seaboard titles published over a span of just months.

Aside from the 2010-2011 revival of The Grim Ghost, Phoenix, and Wulf by indie publisher Ardden, the line has chiefly relied on a devoted fanbase to keep the flame alive.

Until now.

Perhaps timing is indeed everything. This return also doubles as a 50th birthday celebration for Atlas-Seaboard, which opened its doors on June 24, 1974.

“At the time, I would not have believed we would still be talking about Atlas,” Rovin said.