In the 1950's, there were any number of oddball comic book characters created. There were Mer-people, Robots of any shape and size, guys trapped in Gorilla bodies, Gods and Goddesses galore, and even a space faring hero from....Uranus. And to battle this bizarre assemblage of heroes are monsters of all kinds, the ubiquitous Nazis and stereotypical "oriental" villains like the Yellow Claw. Amongst all this craziness, daring feats were undertaken and the day was won over and over. Alas, like a neglected plant starved for nourishment and attention they die, so to did most of these bizarre concepts, left to languish in the obscurity of their checkered past, until now.

Enter the Marvel Comics mini-series, Agents of Atlas(AoA), recently completing its six issue run. Written by Jeff Parker with art by Leonard Kirk. AoA tells the story of those oddball concepts re-introduced into modern times, and given a place in the Marvel Universe of today. Mixing high adventure of yesteryear with modern day super heroics, AoA maintains a nice balance of nostalgia without coming off corny or dated.

The story starts off with a flashback to when these characters worked together as a team, before their eventual disbanding. We are then shown that the preceding story were reminiscences of Gorilla Man, being interviewed by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. They then explain that the original teams leader, Jimmy Woo, led a squad of agents against a shady company called Atlas and was the only survivor. Gorilla man is then shown Woo, laying brain dead in an infirmary. Suddenly a robot crashes through the wall and assists gorilla man in taking woo and escaping in a flying saucer. Thats just the first issue

The storyline soon revolves around a simple premise, the gathering of a team. This helps to get readers up to speed on these older characters, where they come from and what they can do. Included with the older characters is a new face, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent from Wakanda, Derek Khanata. Khanata was investigating Woo's failed mission, and is a really good stand-in for the reader, experiencing all this super hero business for the first time. He gets caught up, with the rest of this odd team in the search for answers about Atlas, while evading S.H.I.E.L.D. The story takes many twists and turns, as allegiance waver, relationships are formed and enemies are rediscovered. All this leads to a fantastic ending, that makes perfect sense.

As if the story wasn't amazing enough, the art is perfect. Leonard Kirk out does himself on every page. Whether it be an intense action scene, or talking heads, Kirk knows how to move the "camera" around. Each scene flows perfectly to the next, without ever confusing the reader. The art style is very simple, yet detailed. Heavy doses of black help to add a noirish feel when needed. At the same time the art can be open and bright, to showcase these fantastic people and places. Assisting Kirk with inking is Kris Justice and brilliant coloring by Michelle Madsen.

If your in the mood for a cracking good yarn, dressed in modern day sensibilities, or hankering for times past when a new idea showed up on every other page, then Agents of Atlas is for you.