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As for why the Atlas heroes failed, it just wasn't the right time for superheroes to make a return.


Which begs the question: "Why?" I think the answer is obvious to anyone who's read both the Atlas stories and the DC stories that came out at the same time. IMHO, Superman and Batman thrived, where others failed, because their quality was head and shoulders above other superhero attempts, and the "tone" of the titles (as with Captain Marvel) was a lighter more fun tone in keeping with the times, unlike the retro WWII toned stories in Atlas.

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Superman, thanks partly to the George Reeves TV show, is the ONLY superhero to thrive in the 1950's.


During the time period of the Atlas revival, 1953-1954, Batman was certainly "thriving" in Batman, Detective and World's Finest. Captain Marvel thrived in 1953, but was put out of business. Still, the clear winner was Superman in six titles: Superman, Superboy, Action, Adventure (Superboy), World's Finest, and Jimmy Olson (starting in 9/54).