Saturday, December 23, 2017

Holiday Reading Room ELVIRA'S HAUNTED HOLIDAYS SPECIAL " 'Twas the Night before X-Mas..."

Here's a never-reprinted variation of the Clement Clarke Moore tale...
...that, despite being published 30 years ago, seems as appropriate now as it was then!
Written and illustrated by Ed Hannigan, this downbeat story of slaughtered Santa finds us just as close to war as we were when DC's Elvira's Haunted Holidays Special #1 (1987) appeared!
But we can't let our fans be depressed just before Christmas!

Friday, December 22, 2017

Holiday Reading Room BEST OF O HENRY "Gift of the Magi"

With the last weekend before Christmas approaching...
...let's look at how True Love and Christmas shopping can go hand-in-hand!
This straightforward adaptation of O Henry's Christmas classic appeared in the HTF Pendulum Press' Best of O Henry (1977) digest-sized comic.
Written by John Fago (whose father, longtime comic artist/editor Vince Fago packaged the series) and illustrated by Anton Caravana, it was part of a series of Classics Illustrated-type publications released like the Scholastic Book Club, directly to students and school libraries.
(Don't despair Friday Fun fans!
Tragg and the Sky Gods will return next week!)

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Space: the FInal Frontier (for Christmas Gifts)!

Since the 1890s, and the heyday of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, science fiction-themed presents have found a place under the Christmas tree and in Xmas stockings for the young (and young at heart)!
Continuing that entertaining tradition, Atomic Kommie Comics™ is proud to offer our line of retro-design sci-fi/fantasy collectibles, The Future WAS Fantastic!™, for both kids AND adults!
We're talking 12-month calendars, mousepads, mugs, magnets, t-shirts, sweatshirts and other goodies featuring some of the niftiest illustrations from the comic books, pulp magazines, and movie posters of the 1930s-1960s, all digitally-restored and remastered!
Spaceships with wings and big fins!
Ray Guns that can zap an entire army in a flash!
Slimy Aliens!
Killer Robots!
Heroes in bubble-helmeted tight spacesuits!
Heroines in even tighter space suits!
Never did the future look so...stylish!
If you're looking for something in the vein of Star Wars or Star Trek (You did know that George Lucas wanted to remake Flash Gordon, but King Features didn't want to trust a young director whose biggest credit at that point was American Graffiti, didn't you?), here's the stuff that provided the visual inspiration for today's hi-tech flights of fantasy!
Enjoy, and may your rocket tubes never overheat...

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Holiday Reading Room MYSTIC "Help Wanted"

A Christmas tale that begins just before Easter...
...proves it doesn't pay to be a Scrooge!
Mort Lawrence illustrated this tale of Xmas justice from Atlas' Mystic #19 (1953) including a rather...unusual-looking...demon.
This proved a tad problematic when editor Roy Thomas made the tale the cover feature for an issue of Marvel's horror reprint anthology Vault of Evil!
Penciller Gil Kane and inker John Romita Sr followed the demon's design perfectly...but someone forgot to tell the cover copywriter what the story was about!
There's no story in #6 (1973) even vaguely-related to insects!
And detail-obsessed Roy Thomas is the last person you'd expect to allow such a mistake!
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Give the Christmas Gift That Keeps On Giving ALL YEAR LONG!

One of our favorite types of pop culture collectible here at the Atomic Kommie Comics™ offices are calendars, in particular the multi-page 12-month kind, with a different illustration for each month.

I have over a decade's worth of James Bond 007 movie poster calendars.
Each year the new one adorns the wall over my computer.
When the year is over, I cut it up and use the art the next year as mini-posters to decorate whatever vacation place I rent during the summer.
Besides 007, over the years, I've picked up, or been given, various Star Trek, Star Wars, DC, Marvel, and other licensed property calendars.
I've always enjoyed using them, and often thought of the person who gave them to me!

But, there are pop culture categories and subjects that we've wanted in calendar form as presents for others (or for ourselves), but were never produced!
So, we decided to create them, using the wildest, rarest, kitchiest comic book and pulp magazine covers & movie posters we could find, each image digitally-restored and remastered from hi-rez scans of the original items, NO reprints or low-rez files!
Only $19.99 each!
Here are the  
Atomic Kommie Comics
2018 12-Month Calendars 
by genre

Mystery / Crime
Sherlock Holmes: the Greatest Sleuth of All! 
Basil Rathbone IS Sherlock Holmes!
Mr District Attorney


Horror
WereWolves & Vampires
Horror Comics of the 1950s
Vampires of Pulps and Comics
Werewolves of the Comics and Pulps
Zombies of Comics and Pulps
(shown above)

Camp / Kitsch
3-D Movies
3-D Comic Books
Seduction of the Innocent!!
Jungle Girls
Good Girl / Bad Grrrl


Romance
True Love Comics Tales


Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Art of Barsoom 
Thrilling Science-Fiction Tales 
Bugs & Creepy Crawlies of Comics and Pulps
Dinosaurs of the Comics and Pulps™ 

SuperHeroes
Captains of the Comics
Heroines!
Classic Phantom Lady

Lost Heroes of the Silver Age of Comics
Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics
More Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics

Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics Team-Ups
1st Appearance Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics
Flag-Waving Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics

Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics vs HITLER
Classic Captain Future

Classic Cat-Man
Classic Dare Devil
Classic Green Hornet
Classic Monster of Frankenstein 

Classic SuperSnipe

Western
Western Comics Adventures
Real-Life Western Comics
The Cisco Kid and Pancho



Military
Captain MidNight
Aviators of the Golden Age of Comics
WAR: Past, Present and Future
Classic Korean War Comics

NOT available in brick and mortar stores, only on-line!
 Order now...before time runs out! ;-)

Monday, December 18, 2017

Holiday Reading Room COMICO CHRISTMAS SPECIAL "Stiflemix Diaries"

Think stores begin their Christmas push  (as early as Labor Day) too early?
Some people thought so...three decades ago, as this never-reprinted tale from Comico's Christmas Special #1 (1988) demonstrates!
Note that, in 2094, we'll have both surveillance cameras (too true) and video tape (which, for consumer use, has all but disappeared as of 2017)!
Scripted by Doug (Swamp Thing) Wheeler, and illustrated by Tim (Batman: the Long Halloween) Sale, this story is an example of the kool off-the wall material by up-and-coming creators the sadly-defunct Comico was eager to run!
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Order...

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Design of the Week CYBER-SANTA

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...Future Santa (note the four arms!) meets his replacement...Cyber-Santa!
In the late 1950s-early 1960s we thought there was nothing science couldn't improve...including Santa Claus!
Galaxy Magazine's primary artist (both covers and interiors) in this era was Ed Emshwiller, who signed his work "Emsh".
Known for both detail and playfullness, Ed did a series of Christmas covers from 1951 to 1960 featuring a four-armed Santa in the future celebrating the Yuletide with humans and aliens alike!
Enjoy this final one in the series on mugs, t-shirts and other kool kollectibles!