Saturday, July 16, 2022

Space Hero Saturdays SPACEHAWK "and the Uncanny Underwater Tank!"

As we saw last time, SpaceHawk was reassigned by Uncle Sam himself to protect Earth......specifically, the United States of America, from harm...as you can tell from the strip's new sub-head!






Here's where the problem begins!
It's clear the underwater tank's crew are unfamiliar with rocket ships!
But the SpaceHawk strip was set in the future, where the entire solar system (including Earth) utilized advanced technology!
The previous story offered no indication that SpaceHawk was in the 1940s instead of his own time, but this tale from Novelty's Target Comics V2N3 (1941), showing an American fleet of battleships with smoke-spewing engines, and crewmen of an underwater tank who don't know about rockets, is a pretty clear indication our Space Hero is now in the "present day" (1940)!
BTW, the fact the underwater tank exists isn't proof the series is still in the future!
Pop culture (including comics, pulps, movies, and radio shows) showed both the Allies and Axis using advanced weaponry during WWII (as shown HERE and HERE)! 
In review the remaining SpaceHawk tales, we see our hero remains Earthbound for the remainder of the run, thus, he's no longer a "Space Hero"!.
So it is with a heavy heart that we'll be discontinuing his adventures after one final appearance two weeks from now!
But why are we waiting?
Be here in two weeks to see!
X

Friday, July 15, 2022

Friday Fun TOM CAT COMICS "Dog Daze"

It's hard to believe the Comics Code Authority OKed this rather violent and vicious tale!
But, apparently, having "funny" animals do it to each other renders the violence acceptable!
The identities of the writer and artist(s) of this tale from Charlton's Tom Cat Comics #4 (1956) have been lost to the mists of time, which may be just as well...

Thursday, July 14, 2022

Tales Twice Told STRANGE WORLDS "A Nation is Born"

As we mentioned last Tuesday, here's the original Golden Age version...
..of a Bronze Age b/w magazine story we already ran!
Illustrated by Golden Age journeyman Rafael Astarita, this tale appeared in Avon's Strange Worlds #4 (1951) and was reprinted in IW's Strange Planets #9 (1959).
It was then re-illustrated, with only minor changes to the script (including a re-titling), in Eerie Publications' Strange Galaxy V1N8 (1971) as we showed on Tuesday.
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Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder SILVER STARR "Operation Space Disc" Part 2"

...the handsome, square-jawed, muscular, blond hero, his girlfriend, and their bearded scientist buddy meet the despotic ruler of another world...
And on that diverting note, we bid the visitors to Mongo...I mean Spherule..."adieu" until next Wednesday...
Written by Frank Ashley, illustrated by Stanley Pitt.
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Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Tales Twice Told STRANGE GALAXY "Moon is Red"

In the late 1960s-early 1970s, numerous b/w comic magazines popped up...
...to publish the risque material the Comics Code Authority banned from color comic books!
Despite being drawn in 1970, this tale from Eerie Publications' Strange Galaxy #V1N8 (1971) has the feel of a 1950s tale, which wouldn't be surprising since the publisher both reprinted stories from defunct publishers when they could find photostats/printing film or re-illustrated stories using old scripts nearly verbatim.
In fact, this story's script is adapted from a tale in Avon's Strange Worlds #4 (1951) called "A Nation is Born", which we'll re-present Thursday so you can compare them!

BTW, this issue, despite being #8, was actually the first issue under that title.
What it was before then is unknown, since the publisher did numerous titles in various categories including astrology, romance, crime, etc.

"Oswal" was the pen-name of Osvaldo Walter Viola, an Argentinean writer/artist who began his career in the early 1960s creating Argentine's first super-hero, Sónoman.
His only American comics work was for Eerie Publications' titles.
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Monday, July 11, 2022

Monday Madness MARVEL TALES "Dictator!"

There's a rumor floating though the 'Net that the current coronavirus is a man-made disease!
It's unlikely, but, what if someone did do that horrible deed?
Did artist John Forte and an unknown writer of this story about a fat, insecure dictator from Atlas' Marvel Tales #125 (1954) predict something that could happen over 65 years later?
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Sunday, July 10, 2022

KOOBA COLA...the Soda Pop That NEVER Existed!

In 1940, Victor Fox, publisher of WonderWorld ComicsMystery Men ComicsWeird Comics, and other titles featuring The Blue BeetleSamson, and The Flame, among others, conceived an audacious marketing scheme.
Inspired by the success of Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola, he decided to promote Kooba Cola, "The World's Newest and Best-Tasting Soft Drink!" in ads across his entire line of comic books!
It was also "Delightfully Refreshing" and "Contained 35 USP units of Vitamin B-1 for the Sake of Health and Nutrition!"
And, when Fox's The Blue Beetle starred in a short-lived radio show that summer, he was sponsored by Kooba Cola!
Wait a second...
What's that?
You've never even heard of Kooba Cola?

That's because it didn't exist, except as a logo, a couple of mocked-up bottles used as props in ads and some art reference for illustrators.
(You'll note they couldn't even figure out what the color scheme for the label was!
It changed from ad to ad!)
Fox thought he could create a demand for Kooba, then license the name to one of the big soft drink companies, let them do the work of actually creating, bottling, and shipping the stuff, then he'd rake in royalties on the name!
It didn't work.
The "buzz" never developed.
The soda pop was never actually produced.
Even Kooba's "sponsorship" of The Blue Beetle radio show was just part of the show's script, not paid ads! (One of the reasons the show only lasted four months!)

But, such visionary hucksterness should not be forgotten!
(Besides, the ads were rather kool.)
So we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ decided to re-present the Soda That Would Not Die on collectibles ranging from Beachwear to mugs, messenger bags (and the irony of doing bags with "Kooba" on them hasn't escaped us!) and hoodies at KoobaCola 1 and KoobaCola 2!

So celebrate what could have been one of the bubbliest success stories of soft drink entrepreneurship, but instead fizzled out and fell flat!
(You just knew we were gonna do a pun like that, didn't you?)  ;-)