Happy Birthday, Jack (King) Kirby (August 28, 1917-February 6, 1994)

"It is said that when Man reaches The Edge of the Universe, he'll find 'Jack Kirby' signed in the lower right-hand corner."

Design of the Week--Sheena in 3-D!

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...
As you may have noticed, we're in the midst of the third cycle of 3-D media, which, oddly enough, seem to occur in 30-year cycles!
(The first was in the early 1950s, the second in the early 1980s.)
With James Cameron's Avatar back in movie theatres this weekend, we thought, why not present a cover image from a 3-D book featuring a beautiful woman in a technologically-primitive, exotic jungle environment? It's what I'll be wearing to the movies this weekend!
OK, so she's not blue, and she's not Zoe Saldana, but hey, you work with what you've got!
(But Sheena has appeared in pulps, several different comic book series, a feature film and two different tv series!)
Besides t-shirts & hoodies, the art adorns messenger bags, mugs, and other tchochkies!
(BTW, the cover is also available as a spectacular limited-edition print!)
Sheena will be around for one week. After that, she returns to the jungle, perhaps never to be seen again...

Man of Animated Celluloid Steel!

In 1941, Max and Dave Fleischer, the animators who had previously brought Popeye and Betty Boop to the silver screen, presented Superman's first movie appearance in full-color cartoon shorts.
Meticulously-following co-creator Joe Shuster's character designs, the cartoons also contributed several elements to the Superman mythos including; changing clothes in a phone booth, Superman actually flying (Up to this point, he had leaped from point to point) and the catch phrase "Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!"
Voices were provided by the dramatic radio Superman / Clark Kent (Bud Collier) and Lois Lane (Joan Alexander) who would also reprise the roles in the first tv Superman cartoons in 1966!
Trivia: Though nominated for Oscars, the Superman shorts lost each time!

We're proud to present one of the koolest of the original 1940s advertising posters for the cartoon series, digitally-restored and remastered, both as a limited-edition print and as a collectible t-shirt!
The bold graphic, though deceptively-simple, leaps off the page at you with it's power!
It's also the only Fleischer Superman poster we've seen that commissioned new art, rather than use existing comic book or animation art!
And best of all, it's in Swedish!
Perfect as a gift for an animation aficionado or Superman fan (or someone who's both)!

Fantastic Femmes--Jeannine Kaspar

Note: this page has been updated with NEW info  
HERE!

1960s Green Hornet & Kato by Gil Kane!

As The Green Hornet tv series went into production in June, 1966, the producers realized that there was no existing art showing the title character or his sidekick, Kato.
Actually, there was plenty of art, but it was of the previous, differently-costumed, 1940s version...

So, the producers commissioned new "key art" for promo and licensing purposes.
They chose noted comic book artist Gil Kane to produce the new graphics...

Using early costume-test photos (above: showing different masks used only in the pilot episode "Programmed for Death" and no gloves) as reference, Kane did several pieces which became the basis of almost all the merchandising art on various products including the Captain Action costume, playing and trading cards, and the sole paperback novel based on the tv show, Green Hornet in the Infernal Light (used on the back cover).

We've acquired 1966 original posters of the primary key art piece and digitally-remastered and restored them both on collectibles in our Icons line and as limited-edition posters Pop-Art #5 (Hornet) & Pop-Art #6 (Kato)!

With a new feature film set for January, now's the time to get the latest Secret Chic items to wear to screenings (or to class) or put on your bedroom, dorm, or den wall!

LOOK! It's 3-D Comics & Movies!

Captain 3-D did so well as a Design of the Week that not only are we giving him a regular spot at Atomic Kommie Comics™, but we've created an entire section just for vintage 3-D comics and movie posters where he'll reside!

With the revival (and improvement) of the 3-D process, we felt it was the right time to bring back the kitchy-kool graphics of the FIRST wave of 3-D to an appreciative pop-culture savvy audience (That's YOU, guys!)
Besides being available on t-shirts, mugs, and other tchochkies, we'll be offering TWO different 2011 12-Month Calendars, one each for comics and movie posters, in early September!

Regrettably, 3-D Glasses are NOT included...

Preview: Green Hornet: Year One #8 Alternate Cover

An alternate cover preview for issue #8 by artist and interior colorist Francesco Francavilla of the best new Green Hornet series now on the stands!
This piece reminds me of some of the best Shadow or Batman covers showing the hero looming ominously over the baddies!
A treat for Golden Age and Film Noir fans alike!