Friday, September 11, 2009

Basil Rathbone IS Sherlock Holmes--the 12-Month Calendar!

As Sean Connery is to James Bond 007, so Rathbone is to Sherlock Holmes!

Yeah, Daniel Craig is the 007 du jour (and he is good, make no bones about it).
But, when you see the name in print or hear the theme, who do you picture?
Be honest, it's Connery...Sean Connery!

I'm looking forward to the Robert Downey jr flick, but the image that still comes to mind when "Sherlock" is uttered is the man who was the face (and distinctive voice) of the erudite, eloquent Holmes for generations...Basil Rathbone!

So celebrate Sherlock in general, and Rathbone in particular, with this new 2010 12-month calendar featuring a Baker Street dozen movie posters and lobby cards featuring Rathbone as Holmes along with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson and Dennis Hoey (yeah, I thought it was "Hooey", too) as Inspector Lestrade!

"The calendar's afoot, Watson!"

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Design of the Week: Halloween Hole-in-the-Head

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...
With Halloween coming, it seems only appropriate that we go with scary themes for the next few weeks.
Kicking off our compilation of creepy collectibles is this ghoulishly-graphic image from one of the types of comic books that gave Dr Fredric Wertham such fits in the 1950s!
(Wertham was the psychiatrist who claimed that horror comics caused juvenile delinquency, resulting in the demise of the genre and the near-death of the comic book industry. Despite his heroic efforts, juvenile delinquency continued to flourish!)
Yeah, it's gruesome, but in a campy, cartoonish fashion!
Isn't that exactly what you're looking for in Halloween-wear?

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

NEW Calendars are HERE!

A number of NEW 2010 12-month calendars are up at ATC's Calendar Corner!
Look for...
Classic DareDevil, which includes Silver Streak Comics #7 (DD's first cover appearance), DareDevil Comics #1 (the famous DareDevil vs Hitler issue), DareDevil Comics #13 (the FIRST Wise Guys), Daredevil Comics #31 (Final appearance of the Claw), and several other classic covers showcasing Charles Biro's amazing design sense!
Extra Bonus: The Splash Panel from page 1 of DareDevil Comics #1!
Classic Captain Future, which includes BOTH Captains Future--the original pulp hero who was renamed "Major Mars" in his comics incarnation in Exciting Comics, and the totally-new character created for Startling Comics (He's the one now known as "Zeus" in Project SuperPowers). We have all three first appearances as well as numerous other covers!
Classic Amazing-Man, featuring a dozen spectacular covers by Bill Everett and Sam Glanzman, including John Aman's first and final appearances!
Classic Cat-Man, with his first cover appearance (but second actual comic appearance) in Crash Comics, as well as ten of his own title, and an Australian Cat-Man cover for good measure! And there's lots of Kitten here as well, good-girl fans!
Classic Monster of Frankenstein, with a dozen Dick Briefer covers spanning both the humorous and macabre incarnations of Mary Shelley's character!
Captain Midnight, the best of his covers spanning his appearances in The Funnies to his own title, including Captain Midnight #1 with the Golden Age Captain Marvel introducing him!
Mr District Attorney, 12 law-abiding covers by the Bob Kane Studios (Y'know, the guys who did ALL the Batman comic books until Carmine Infantino took over in 1965!) featuring one of the greatest radio-tv crimebusters of the 40s-50s!
There's also lots of revised versions of previous calendars, as well as a half dozen new ones we're still working on that'll be available by the weekend!
Buy 'em! Trade 'em! Collect them ALL! (just kidding!)

Monday, September 7, 2009

U.S. Jones: the Everyman as Hero!

At first glance, U.S. Jones was just another of a long line of 1940s super-heroes who wrapped themselves in the star-spangled red white and blue of the American flag.
Introduced in WonderWorld Comics #28, he made the cover twice before the title was cancelled and he was given his own short-lived title.
What made him different from other patriotic-themed heroes was...
1) He had NO secret identity, (It's speculated that his name was "Ulysses S. Jones" or somesuch)
2) U.S. Jones had no weapons or super-powers.
He described himself as "...an average American doing what's right."
He always won in the end, but it wasn't easy for him...
3) No origin.
He simply was there from the first story onward, fighting foreign evil!
4) While other heroes ran fan clubs, U.S. Jones was calling American youth to action against "America's Enemies". (This was before the US entered World War II.)
The "U.S. Jones Cadets Membership Kit," which the readers sent away for, told the readers that democracy must be protected at all costs, and listed ten rules for members; these included keeping fit, conserving resources, and knowing one's neighbors, among other things. (It also goes for a pretty penny on eBay...when you can find it!)

Since then, he languished in comic book limbo until Alex Ross included him as one of the time-lost heroes of Project SuperPowers.
Unfortunately, he has not adjusted as well as most of the others to being revived in the present day...

We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ respect the Everyman of patriotic heroes and have digitally-restored and remastered his best Golden Age cover appearance as part of our Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ line of kool kollectibles!

And, just a gentle reminder to pick up the Project SuperPowers comics, on sale now!
They're the best Golden Age revival books out there!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Calendars are Coming! Calendars are HERE!

from Basil Rathbone IS Sherlock Holmes!™ 2010 12-Month Calendar

Among our most popular items are 12-month calendars.
(Y'know, the ones with different illustrations for each month.)
Last year we almost doubled the selection of subjects, and you pop culture aficionados responded by gobbling them up like there was no tomorrow (pun intended)!
Plus, there were several subjects that you requested we create calendars for!
No fools we! If the demand is there, supply it we will!

So, for 2010, Atomic Kommie Comics™ is unleashing the following ALL-NEW 12-month calendars...
Basil Rathbone IS Sherlock Holmes!™
(replacing Sherlock Holmes: the Greatest Sleuth of All!™ which will return, revised, in 2011!)
Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ Team-Ups
(classic covers featuring two or more characters together who already had their own strips or titles!)
Classic The Owl
Classic Monster of Frankenstein
Classic The Flame
Classic Doc Strange
Classic DareDevil
Classic Captain Future
(featuring all three versions--original pulp hero and both comic incarnations!)
Classic Cat-Man
Classic Blue Beetle
Classic Amazing-Man
Captain MidNight™
Phantom Lady
Mr District Attorney™
(replacing Crime & Punishment)
Captains of the Comics!™
(replacing Captains of the Cosmos™)
Jungle Girls™
Masked Western Heroes
Aviators of the Golden Age of Comics™
(replacing War: Past, Present & Future™)
plus revised versions of some of our previous best-sellers, some of which are already up!
The rest will be loaded as we finish production work, over the next few weeks!
Check back every few days to see what's new!
(note: we link calendars as they become available)