Reading Room: JET POWERS "Thing from the Meteor"

We ran this tale in our old, smaller format, but it deserves a bigger presentation...

More 1950s alien invaders, this time with a never-reprinted tale from Magazine Enterprises' Jet #1 (1950)!

Of course,  if the insectoid alien invaded today, Earth would've been totally-screwed since both lead-based paint and DDT are now banned!
It's a tale that '50s state-of-the-art special effects would've been hard-pressed to do convincingly, but for illustrator Bob Powell, it took only his talented pencil and brush to make you believe a sentient insect could...dare I say it...rule the world!

And check out...

SpaceMan Jet's

Comics Collectibles Store!

Design of the Week--Riders of Barsoom

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...with a new big-budget movie based on the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs book A Princess of Mars opening this week, now's the time to pick up a collectible t-shirt, tote bag, mini-button, or other wearable featuring kool vintage painted art to have on hand when you go to a screening, or the opening day, of John Carter (If you're reading this blog, you know you'll be in line, like me!)
Go "secret chic" with a throw blanket to lay on the cold movie theatre floor while you wait in line at the midnight show or a tote bag to carry your "forbidden" food and drink into the theatre featuring Dejah Thoris, John Carter, and their Thoat, and see how many true fans recognize it!

Design of the Week--Warrior of Barsoom

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...with a new big-budget movie based on the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs book A Princess of Mars opening in less than two weeks, now's the time to pick up a collectible t-shirt, tote bag, mini-button, or other wearable featuring kool vintage art by Burroughs mainstay Jesse Marsh to have on hand when you go to a screening, or the opening day, of John Carter (If you're reading this blog, you know you'll be in line, like me!)
Go "secret chic" with a throw blanket to lay on the cold movie theatre floor while you wait in line at the midnight show or a tote bag to carry your "forbidden" food and drink into the theatre featuring Dejah Thoris, John Carter, their Thoat, and a deadly Thark, and see how many true fans recognize it!

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

While I idolize Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, I'm looking forward to seeing this flick...

 ...this weekend, after which, I'll be dining on fish and chips, stilton cheese fritters, and Guinness Extra Stout at a British-style pub!

For those who are into these (like me), HERE'S the Official Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Downloads Page with desktop/laptop, iPhone/iPod, iPad wallpapers PLUS icons!

Enjoy!

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"The Gifts are Afoot, Watson..."

OK, it's a silly paraphrase of a classic line, but we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ take our Sherlockania VERY seriously...
As part of our Crime & Punishment™ collection, we've given The Greatest Sleuth of All™ his very own section!
12 different designs, including several with Basil Rathbone, the man who is to Sherlock Holmes as Sean Connery is to James Bond; not the first, but to many (including myself), the definitive portrayer!
Add to that, several classic comic book covers, a variety of other movie posters (including the campy A Study in Terror with Holmes as "The ORIGINAL Caped Crusader"!), the coolest cigar box art I've ever seen (based on William Gillette, the definitive stage Holmes), and 1st Edition covers including A Study in Scarlet and His Last Bow!
PLUS:
NEW: Sherlock Holmes Throw Blankets & Snugglies!
The Basil Rathbone IS Sherlock Holmes! 2012 12-Month Calendar!
The Sherlock Holmes: the Greatest Sleuth of All! 2012 12-Month Calendar!
With the NEWEST Robert Downey jr/Jude Law movie opening December 16th, if you're looking for a cool, retro Christmas gift for the Holmesian, Sherlockian, or Baker Street Irregular in your life, you can't go wrong with one of these calendars, mugs, bags, shirts or other goodies! (Let him/her go to the flick "secret chic" style with a vintage Holmes sweatshirt or hoodie!)

When Captain America Throws His Mighty Shield...

...wait a sec! He doesn't have a shield!

He's got a gun!

This "too kool for skool" shirt features the poster art for the 1940s movie serial Captain America, who didn't have a shield!
Or a kid sidekick named Bucky!
In fact he wasn't even scrawny recruit Steve Rogers!
He was "two-fisted District Attorney Grant Gardner"!
(The actor, Dick Purcell, died from the strain of performing the role!)
There was no Red Skull!
(But the created-for-the-serial villain, The Scarab, was played by classic b-movie baddie Lionel Atwill at his snarling, sneering, smarmy best!)
The heroine, Gail Richards, was played by one of b-movies hottest ladies, Lorna Gray (who usually played villainesses)!
For more info about the serial, we presented a classic article about it HERE!
As for the highly-collectible shirt itself, it's available in a variety of colors, including patriotic red (shown), white, or blue!
Just the "secret chic" thing to wear to a screening of the new Captain America flick!

Reading Room: Alien Invasions: Captain Video Part 2

YouTube Wednesday has been moved to Thursday this week only.
Read the first part of this tale HERE.

Aliens operating on the Dark Side of the Moon plan to attack Earth, and only Captain Video (with the Video Ranger) can stop them...

You may ask, "What's so special about this? It's typical sci-fi."
And you'd be right.
Except, due to it's low-budget nature, the Captain Video TV show and movie serial showed aliens who looked like this...

The "alien invasion force" from Captain Video; the Serial. Note Captain Video (Judd Holdren) and the Ranger on the left in clever disguises.

Only in the comic, unencumbered by financial or special effect restrictions, was the full, unfettered potential of the show realized.

Check out the

Captain Video™ Collectibles Store

and the kool Captain Video stuff from Amazon, available below!

Reading Room: Alien Invasions: Captain Video

Yes, Ed Norton's idol, TV's first space commander battled alien invaders as well as terrestrial threats!
From Captain Video #5...

To be continued, tomorrow!

Same Blog Time!

Same Blog Feed!

Check out the

Captain Video™ Collectibles Store

and the kool Captain Video stuff from Amazon, available below!

Design of the Week--Green Hornet & Kato vs the Rockets of Death!

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
Well, The Green Hornet collectible series had proven to be a major success, so why fight it?

With the upcoming big budget movie due out this week, we're proud to present our own contribution to the growing buzz (obvious joke) over the revival of the classic character...a kool sci-fi cover from 1945's Green Hornet Comics #24 featuring The Green Hornet and Kato battling Axis poison-gas rockets about to kill everyone in the city!

Available on t-shirts, messenger bags, mugs, and other kool kollectibles, this particular cover isn't on our main product line of Classic Green Hornet collectibles.
But it's the perfect Secret Chic sweatshirt, t-shirt or bag to take to a screening of the new flick, so pick it up now, before it goes back into the nest!

Design of the Week--Green Hornet's Coming At Ya!

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
Well, The Green Hornet collectible series had proven to be a major success, so why fight it?

With the upcoming big budget movie due out in a couple of weeks, we're proud to present our own contribution to the growing buzz over the revival of the classic character...a kool symbolic cover from 1946's Green Hornet Comics #31 featuring The Green Hornet and Kato charging towards the reader!

Available on t-shirts, messenger bags, mugs, and other kool kollectibles, this particular cover isn't on our main product line of Classic Green Hornet collectibles.
But it's the perfect Secret Chic sweatshirt, t-shirt or bag to take to a screening of the new flick, so pick it up now, before it goes back into the nest!

SkyLine: Quatermass for Dummies

I've been seeing trailers for a new cgi-laden alien invasion film called SkyLine.
It's about aliens hypnotizing humans, then transporting them up to their ships where they ingest the hapless people.

Too bad it's already been done...31 years ago, to be exact!
The final film in the legendary British sci-fi series about an alien-fighting scientist named Quatermass covered the same themes, on a much lower budget.
The first three entries were tv mini-series performed live, and then remade as feature films with different casts.
The final entry in the quadrilogy, entitled Quatermass, was a tv mini-series which was then condensed to feature-film length entitled The Quatermass Conclusion for it's American release, not remade.
It involves aliens who hypnotize humans then, using light beams, teleport the people to locations where the aliens ingest them.
But then, Americans have been using ideas from this little-known (on this side of the Atlantic) series!
The X-Files tv series and first film, Fight the Future, "borrowed" concepts and plots from all four entries as detailed HERE.
So, enjoy the film. The FX does look spectactular! These guys did an amazing job on a VERY low budget!
But remember, the story has already been told!

Design of the Week--Here's How 3-D Works!

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...
While we've had a great response to our new line of 3-D Collectibles,  there have been several requests for a more...generic...version of the Bwana Devil 3-D Diagram.
Not wanting to alienate a potential customer base, we've done just that!
So, for one week, you can get your hot little hands on this especially-created version of the already-best-selling graphics we've seen on people's shirts and bags at IMAX Avatar showings!
Secret Chic strikes again!

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!