Showing posts with label D J Arneson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label D J Arneson. Show all posts

Monday, October 9, 2023

Monday Monster Madness DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, and "WEREWOLF"...as SUPERHEROES???

we warned you...
Our "brother" RetroBlogHero Histories, has the complete runs of the swinging Sixties superhero incarnations of FrankensteinDracula, and WolfMan, (which was retitled "Werewolf" due to trademark conflicts).
Did you know writer/editor DJ Arneson and artist Tony Tallarico put Universal Monster SuperHero Universe references within the three series?
Was a crossover team-up or battle planned...but not published?
If that doesn't scare your pants off, nothing will!
Click on the links...
Frankenstein
Dracula
WereWolf
It's Up to You to Decide if this is our Treat to you...or a Trick!!!

Friday, April 21, 2023

Friday Fun GRIN "Knowstalgia!"

From the short-lived MAD clone GRIN...

comes this "what the future will be like" feature which we're looking at from the future they "predicted"!


Illustrated by Al Scaduto and likely written by D J Arneson, this never-reprinted feature from the final issue of APAG House's GRIN (#3 in 1973) combines both topical humor and predictions about the future including technology, morals, and behavior that are amazingly-off from what actually happened!

Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...
Sincerest Form of Parody

Monday, January 30, 2023

Monday Madness FLYING SAUCERS "Far Out Physical"

To wind up this month of flying saucer fun...
...here's a long-unseen tale with a decidedly-different approach to the aliens!
You'll note that the aliens' world balloons are left blank!
Editor Don (D J) Arneson wrote all the stories in the four-issue run of Dell's Flying Saucers, also making sure the various artists presented a fairly-consistent "look" to the aliens.
(Note: the series ran five issues, but the fifth was a reprint of #1)
In the case of this tale from #1 (1967), Sam Glanzman brought his realistic, natural style to a story using many of the already-established elements of UFO lore.
Trivia: Both Dell and Gold Key produced anthology comics about alien visitors and their kitchenware-shaped vessels during this period.
Gold Key's UFO: Flying Saucers ran for twenty five issues, changing to UFO and Outer Space as of #14!

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

The FIRST Black Character to Get His Own Comic was a COWBOY???

YOU BETCHA!
In 1966, the year the Black Panther debuted in Marvel's Fantastic Four...
...Dell Comics went them one better, introducing the first Black character to get his own comic!
Other Black characters had their own series in anthology titles, but Lobo was the first to have his name AS the comic's title! 
Lobo combined a couple of popular plot concepts...
Man on the Run for a Crime He Did NOT Commit
Exemplified by then-hit tv series The Fugitive, Lobo was framed, but couldn't prove his innocence.
Lone Western Hero
A loner wandering the Old West, righting wrongs was an especially popular sub-genre in tv Westerns.
Variations on the theme included gamblers (Maverick) and martial-arts experts (Kung Fu)
Note: the tv series Branded also combined both the Loner and Man Framed themes!
...as well as a new concept:
Prominent Black character
Black characters (except for sterotypes like Amos 'n Andy) were few and far between on tv until the mid-1960s, and even then only as supporting characters (usually servants).
1960s urban dramas like Naked City and East Side, West Side, which dealt with current social themes had Black guest stars including James Earl Jones and Diana Sands, but no Black regulars.
Star Trek (1966) had both a Black regular character (Lt. Nyota Uhura) and Black actors in prominent roles as scientists and high-placed officers (admirals, etc,).
But, at that point, there were no tv series with a Black lead or Black title character!
(Diahann Carroll's groundbreaking series Julia didn't debut until 1968, two years later!)
So, Lobo was, to say the least, a daring experiment, albeit one with as many popular themes as possible to maximize sales potential!
Dell writer/editor Don (DJ) Arneson and artist Tony Tallarico felt the time was right, and managed to convince their publisher to take a chance.
(You can read Arneson's tale of Lobo's creation HERE.)
Unfortunately, it didn't work.
Many vendors outside of East Coast cities refused to even put a comic with a Black hero on their racks, and the book had an almost 90% return rate!
Lobo the comic only ran two issues.
It's rumored that a script and unfinished art exist for a third issue, but that's never been confirmed.
You can read both issues of Lobo HERE and HERE.

And don't forget our line of Lobo comic collectibles, including t-shirts, mugs, and other goodies at...

Sunday, February 9, 2020

The FIRST Black Hero to Have His Own Comic was...a Cowboy???

In 1966, the year the Black Panther debuted in Marvel's Fantastic Four...
...Dell Comics went them one better, introducing the first Black hero to get his own comic!
Other Black characters had their own series in anthology titles, but Lobo was the first to have his name AS the comic's title! 
Lobo combined a couple of popular plot concepts...
Man on the Run for a Crime He Did NOT Commit
Exemplified by then-hit tv series The Fugitive, Lobo was framed, but couldn't prove his innocence.
Lone Western Hero
A loner wandering the Old West, righting wrongs was an especially popular genre in tv Westerns.
Variations on the theme included gamblers (Maverick) and martial-arts experts (Kung Fu)
Note: the tv series Branded also combined both the Loner and Man Framed themes!
...as well as a new concept:
Prominent Black character
Black characters (except for sterotypes like Amos 'n Andy) were few and far between on tv until the mid-1960s, and even then only as supporting characters (usually servants).
1960s urban dramas like Naked City and East Side, West Side, which dealt with current social themes had Black guest stars including James Earl Jones and Diana Sands, but no Black regulars.
Star Trek (1966) had both a Black regular character (Lt. Nyota Uhura) and Black actors in prominent roles as scientists and high-placed officers (admirals, etc,).
But, at that point, there were no tv series with a Black lead or Black title character!
(Diahann Carroll's groundbreaking series Julia didn't debut until 1968, two years later!)
So, Lobo was, to say the least, a daring experiment, albeit one with as many popular themes as possible to maximize sales potential!
Dell writer/editor Don (DJ) Arneson and artist Tony Tallarico felt the time was right, and managed to convince their publisher to take a chance.
(You can read Arneson's tale of Lobo's creation HERE.)
Unfortunately, it didn't work.
Many vendors outside of East Coast cities refused to even put a comic with a Black hero on their racks, and the book had an almost 90% return rate.
Lobo the comic only ran two issues.
It's rumored that a script and unfinished art exist for a third issue, but that's never been confirmed.
You can read both issues of Lobo HERE and HERE.

And don't forget our line of Lobo comic collectibles, including t-shirts, mugs, and other goodies at...