MORE Nerdist-Themed Comics Graphics

To celebrate the new Nerdist Comic Book Club podcasts...

...why not pick up a few kool products featuring the classic Frazetta retro Buck Rogers art from their new banner?

After all, what could be better than to drink from your Nerdist Buck Mug, while wearing your Nerdist Buck Value T-Shirt, and (if you're chilly) wrapping yourself in your Nerdist Buck Throw Blanket while watching the Nerdist Comic Book Club podcast?

And don't forget out other Nerdist graphic spaceman goodies...

...as seen on the set of the Nerdist tv show!

Blast off for excitement...today!

Cowboys & Aliens...the 1950s Comic Book version!

Click on the art to enlarge

Long before the new movie Cowboys and Aliens, extraterrestrials and cowpokes did battle on Earth and in space!
Read the tale that predates the new movie by fifty years, starring Buster Crabbe (Flash Gordon / Buck Rogers), and illustrated by not one, not two, but three of the greatest sci-fi artists of the 1950s (Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, and Roy Krenkel), only at our "brother" blog Western Comics Adventures™!

Design of the Week--XZ-31 Ray Gun!

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...show those aliens you mean BUSINESS with this classic Buck Rogers XZ-31 Rocket Pistol from the 1930s!
While there are numerous XZ-31s available on eBay and other sites, finding one MiB is one of the Holy Grails of sci-fi collecting!
It was the very first metal toy ray gun produced in the US (by Daisy, the people also responsible for A Christmas Story's Red Ryder BB Gun)!
And, in a reverse-merchandising twist, the XZ-31 didn't look like the weapon Buck was actually using in the comic strip, but once it came out, the strip introduced the XZ-31 as Buck's "upgraded" weapon!
(And you thought the Walther people had a great deal when James Bond adopted the PPK!)

The Astounding Artifacts blog has a more detailed history of the XZ-31 HERE!
And Toy RayGuns has an overall history of Buck Rogers weaponry HERE!

Buck re-armed with new designs several times in the 1930s-40s, and we'll be introducing those designs, as well, over the next few months.
Available on an assortment of goodies from clothing to collectibles,  and the best thing of all...you won't shoot your eye out!

Design of the Week--The Return of Buck Rogers--Redux!

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week, like last week...the coming of the Famous Funnies' Buck Rogers!
Illustrated by the late, great, Frank Frazetta, the series of covers running from Famous Funnies #209-216 helped redefine the "look" of the character who, up to this point, seemed far more "cartoony" than rival Flash Gordon!
This particular art is from #211, and is wonderfully dramatic as Buck and Wilma stand-off against primitive, but lethal aliens! Who will make the first move?
We're offering him on items for state of the art tech like iPad and iPhone hardcases, as well as mugs, t-shirts, and other tchochkies!
We will bring Buck back, on more of the Famous Funnies covers, so don't "pass the Buck"!
Vote with your bucks for more Buck!

Design of the Week--The Return of Buck Rogers!

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...the coming of the Famous Funnies' Buck Rogers!
Illustrated by the late, great, Frank Frazetta, the series of covers running from Famous Funnies #209-216 helped redefine the "look" of the character who, up to this point, seemed far more "cartoony" than rival Flash Gordon!
This particular art is from #211, and is wonderfully dramatic as Buck and Wilma stand-off against primitive, but lethal aliens! Who will make the first move?
We're offering him on items for state of the art tech like iPad and iPhone hardcases, as well as mugs, t-shirts, and other tchochkies!
Depending on sales, we may bring Buck back, on more of the Famous Funnies covers, so don't "pass the Buck"!
Vote with your bucks for more Buck!

And, to make the deal sweeter, we're offering a discount on any kool kollectibles order totaling $40 or more from Design of the Week, and the Atomic Kommie Comics™ or Atomic Kommie Comics Annex™  stores...

*Save $5 off orders of $40 or more, excluding shipping charges, gift wrap charges, applicable taxes and custom duties. Coupon code SEASON40 must be entered at check out. Promotion starts on December 9, 2010, at 12:01 a.m. (PST) and ends on December 12, 2010, at 11:59 p.m. (PST). Cannot be combined with any other coupons or promotions and may change, be modified or cancelled at anytime without notice.

Design of the Week--SpaceHero

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week, a spaceman in the Flash Gordon / Buck Rogers mold, with rayguns and spaceships (not to mention scantily-clad women) aplenty.
A vintage image suitable for retro / ironic adults or starry-eyed kids, and available on clothing for both as well as mugs, messenger bags and other kool kollectibles!
Enjoy!
(And don't forget tomorrow is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!)

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept it...

He was not the original leader on Mission: Impossible!

With Martin Landau and Barbara Bain in 1966.

But once Peter Graves took over as Jim Phelps, no one even remembered the original (Steven Hill as Dan Briggs)

With Greg Morris, Leonard Nimoy (replaced Martin Landau), and Peter Lupus in 1970.

After Mission's seven-year run ended, Graves did extensive voice-over work including A&E's Biography (and parodying it in Men in Black II) and moved into comedy in Airplane and Airplane II.
He also appeared in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, as Major Noah Cooper, in "Return of the Fighting 69th", replacing Buster Crabbe who was unable to reprise his role as Brigadier Gordon.
Personally, I remember him in numerous 1950s genre films like It Conquered the World, Begining of the End, Red Planet Mars, and the over-the-top, but fun, Killers from Space!

Peter Graves (Peter Aurness)
March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010
Younger brother (by three years) of actor James Arness (James Aurness)

Kevin Smith's Green Hornet to be comic mini-series

As all us fanboys (and fangirls) know, before Seth Rogan's version of The Green Hornet was "green-lighted" (ahem), fan-turned-pro Kevin Smith was scheduled to write and direct a new film adaptation of the multi-media character.
Now, Dynamite Entertainment, who successfully revived classic characters Zorro, The Lone Ranger, Buck Rogers, and the 1940s heroes we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ classify as the Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ in Alex Ross' Project SuperPowers, are also doing The Green Hornet, with one of the projects being a comic book mini-series of the un-produced script for the Kevin Smith film project!
Interestingly, he seems to have adapted several elements from the tv series including the domino mask (rather than the lower-face mask of the comics and radio show ad art or the full-face mask of the serials) and use of a "stinger" weapon, as well as the NOW Comics' female Kato! (and of course, having Alex Ross do the costume designs and cover art doesn't hurt!)

One request to the powers-that-be at Dynamite...
Kevin Smith has become notorious for his problems meeting deadlines on his comic book projects.
Hopefully, the fact that he's already worked out the plot and probably most of the script of the movie will enable him to produce the mini-series in a far more timely manner than his other oft-delayed work.
At any rate, please don't schedule publishing the mini until at least 3/4 of the script is in-house!

More on this as it develops...

Batman Meets the Shadow...sort of!

There have been numerous examples of actors who previously played heroes appearing on superhero or sci-fi shows as other unrelated characters.

(This does not count actors meeting their later counterparts like Buster Crabbe on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Christopher Reeve and Helen Slater on Smallville, or Adam West on Batman the Animated Series!)

The Lone Ranger meets Commando Cody!
Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger on The Lone Ranger tv series) played the lead villainous henchman in Radar Men from the Moon!

Batman meets Superman
Robert Lowry (Batman in the Batman & Robin serial) appearing as a government agent on Adventures of Superman!

The Shadow meets The Green Hornet
Victor Jory (The Shadow in The Shadow serial) playing a villain on The Green Hornet [1966]!

Captain Midnight meets Captain Kirk
Richard Webb (Captain Midnight on the Captain Midnight tv series) as a psycho Starfleet officer on Star Trek!

Doc Savage / Tarzan meets Superboy
Ron Ely (Doc Savage in Doc Savage: the Man of Bronze & Tarzan on Tarzan [1966-69]) portraying the retired Golden Age Superman on Adventures of Superboy!

James Bond meets Superboy
George Lazenby (James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service) as Jor-El in Adventures of Superboy.

But, tonite, for the first time, we witnessed the meeting of two actors who played heroes, and neither was a heroic character!

Adam West (Batman on Batman [1966]) met Alec Baldwin (The Shadow in The Shadow [1995]) on 30 Rock!

Well, I thought it was cool...