
Following up on the release of Secrets of the Unknown, spotlighting Class Comics and publisher Alan Class, Nick Neocleous has announced another project from his own imprint, Moonage Books. This time out, he’s seeking crowdfunding support for a book focused on a British comic artist, Light and Dark – The Art of Lee Elias.
The crowdfunder is live now on IndieGogo here
As we reported earlier this week, Secrets of the Unknown is now on general release, available from comic shops, and AmazonUK (Affiliate Link).
“Lee was a fantastic artist working from the 1940s to the 1980s,” Nick explains. “He will mostly be remembered for his gory covers for [US publisher] Harvey Comics in the 1950s. He also drew their Black Cat feature and worked on several DC characters, including Green Arrow.”
Light and Dark – The Art of Lee Elias, currently seeking support on IndieGogo, features a four-page foreword by famed comics artist and historian Michael T. Gilbert (especially known for his Mr Monster comics), an archive interview first published in the 1970s with Lee himself, and dozens of cover reproductions, many shot from the original art, strips and preliminary drawings.








Lee Elias (1920 – 1998) born in Manchester, but moved to the United States when he was still very young. In New York he studied music and followed artistic studies at the Cooper Union and at the Art Students League.
Lambiek notes he made his debut in the comic scene at Fiction House in 1943, collaborating on series like Captain Wings, Suicide Smith and Space Rangers, until 1946. He then began work for Harvey, cooperating on titles like Black Cat, and Terry and the Pirates between 1946 and 1958. From 1947, he worked on comics like Black Canary, Green Lantern and Hawkman for National Periodical Publications, which later became DC Comics.


He also worked on newspaper comics, assisting George Wunder on Terry and the Pirates and Al Capp on Li’l Abner. From 1952 to 1955 he drew “Beyond Mars”, a science fiction Sunday page in the New York Daily News, written by SF novelist Jack Williamson.
In the 1970s, he worked for Marvel Comics, on The Human Fly, Power Man, Invaders and other titles.
• This new heritage project from Moonage Books can be supported here on the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform
• Secrets of the Unknown is now on general release, available from comic shops, including GOSH, and AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)

• Behaving Madly by Craig Yoe and Ger Apeldoorn | IDW | 200 Pages | Hardback | ISBN: 978-1631408564 | Available here from Lambiek
When MAD was turned into a magazine in 1954, every publisher and his uncle came up with his own version, often using the same talent. “Behaving Madly” presents 200 pages of never reprinted material by Bill Elder, Jack Davis, John Severin, Al Jaffee, Joe Maneely, Jack Kirby, Ross Andru, Joe Kubert, Russ Heath, Bob Powell, Howard Nostrand, Basil Wolverton, Steve Ditko, Lee Elias, and many others. This coffee table art book is produced by comic strip historian Ger Apeldoorn and Eisner-winner Craig Yoe. Looking for a little more excitement in your life? Get mad and get Snafu, Lunatickle, Cockeyed, Crazy, Thimk, Frenzy, Frantic, Loco, Panic, and Zany, too!
- About the Author
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Comics, Creating Comics, Crowd Funding Projects, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, US Comics
Same size as the Alan Class book and it looks like only about 30 pages will be information and the rest cover repro’s. A 25 page interview should be interesting but will be from many years ago and it looks like no further interviews with editors or family members etc will be introduced. I’d love a comprehensive book on Elias but this doesn’t sound like it and much more a picture book.
No mention of his work for Marvel in the 1970s? I see Lee Elias’s name and I think of his work on the complete 19-issue run of the Human Fly!
(but also some Power Man, Invaders and other titles …)
Unusually, the useful Lambiek resource doesn’t mention Lee’s work for Marvel, and although I bought “The Human Fly” on release, I’d quite forgotten he’d worked on that. I’ve updated the item, thanks,