Showing posts with label superheroine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label superheroine. Show all posts

Friday, June 24, 2022

Friday Fun MODELING WITH MILLIE "Millie the Marvel"

If you think Marvel and DC are rebooting their characters (and continuities) more frequently than ever...
...you've never followed the many incarnations of Millie the Model from 1945 to the present!
This particular story is from the early Silver Age "romance comic" phase of her career.
This never-reprinted story from Modeling with Millie #54 (1967); written by Gary Friedrich, penciled by Odgen Whitney, and inked (uncredited) by Frank Giacoia; was Millie the Marvel's only appearance.
It was also the final issue of this particular title.
Over at her ongoing "sister" title, Millie the Model, the character returned to her previous Archie Comics-influenced format, once more becoming a teen-humor title without ongoing storylines.
Trivia: From 1945 to 1973, there was always at least one Millie title from Atlas/Marvel, for a total of five different series, plus annuals, a couple of one-shots, an ongoing strip in Comedy Comics, and a spin-off series for her rival, Chili!
Her main title ran for 207 issues, and was, until Fantastic Four #207 came out in 1979, Marvel's longest-running character-named book!
(Books with longer runs like Mighty ThorIncredible Hulk, and Captain America had different names [Journey into MysteryTales to Astonish, and Tales of Suspense, respectively] before becoming "character" titles.
Millie's flagship title was always Millie the Model!)
Millie was rebooted several times going from a romance/humor hybrid to Archie-style humor to romance/soap opera and finally back to Archie-style humor with changes to the characters' ages, professions, and relationships at each stage.
Millie Collins, despite being shown as outside the Marvel Universe in this tale, has appeared as part of the mainstream Marvel universe in several titles, including the "Wedding of Reed and Sue" in Fantastic Four Annual #3 (and Marvels #2), Dazzler #34, Sensational She-Hulk #60, and the Models, Inc mini-series.
In the 1980s, a middle-aged Millie appeared in the Star Comics mini-series Misty, about the teen-age daughter of Millie's brother!
(The best thing about this Trina Robbins-produced mini-series was the retro look and use of readers' designs for the characters' clothes.)
Millie was scheduled to be rebooted in 2003 as a teen-age tennis player in a manga-style mini-series called 15-Love.
When the project was finally published in 2011 (yeah, eight years later), the lead character was Millie's teen-age niece (though Millie herself did appear briefly)!

Saturday, July 11, 2020

Have A SUPER Summer with RetroBlogs Blogathons!

We've already begun...
...as the CW's favorite heroine, Supergirl, discovers summer camp is anything but fun!
Next week...
More Supergirl fun as we re-present one of her wildest, never-reprinted, adventures!
PLUS: Superman experiences the Kryptonian version of Covid-19 in the first chapter of a never-reprinted, multi-part saga at Hero Histories!

Saturday, February 22, 2020

The LOST 1970s Black SuperHeroine!

After 1971's The ButterFly...
...and 1975's Storm...
...there was...
SUPERBITCH!
The Black superheroine who's x-rated adventures were so hot we can't run them here!
But we can re-present her tale at our "brother" RetroBlog...
Dare You Miss this "Lost" Piece of Black Americana?

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Empire Magazine REALLY "Covers" Avengers: Infinity War!

England's Empire Magazine has a half-dozen covers...
...featuring an exclusive photoshoot with the Avengers: Infinity War cast as well as the kool illustrated cover (above) sent to subscribers!
Thanos gets a solo cover (you going to argue with him? I'm not!), then the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and various allies share the remainder.
What I find interesting is that all the masked heroes pose without masks, emphasizing the performers, not the characters, per se!
You can get the magazine at most major brick and mortar bookstores (like Barnes & Noble) that carry magazines.
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Captain America Isn't the ONLY Patriotic Super-Hero!

"I'm NOT Captain America, or Superman, you sieg-heiling swine!
I'm Super-American!"

Yes, you know about Captain America, but you might want to have a look at the other star-spangled heroes introduced during the Golden Age of comic books!

You did know Captain America was not the first superhero to wrap himself in the "colors that never run", didn't you?
The very first flag-wearing hero was Archie (then MLJ) Comics' The Shield who predated Cap by over a year!
Then, between 1940 and 1945, dozens of stars-and-stripes-wearing heroes (and heroines) flew, leaped, punched, kicked, and back-flipped thru the four-color newsprint world of comic books!
(Technically, Superman wore red, YELLOW, and blue, so he wasn't visually a flag-waving hero.
But Wonder Woman's Amazon garb was meant to show alliance with America's values and beliefs!)

In that virtuous vein, we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ want to tell you about a plethora of patriotic pummelers at Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ in our Flag-Draped Heroes line of kool kollectibles!
We're talking about
American Crusader
American Eagle (now Burning Eagle)

Captain Battle & Captain Battle Jr
Captain Courageous
Captain V
The Conqueror

The Eagle & Buddy

The Flag

Fighting Yank
Major Victory

Man of War

Miss Victory

Stars & Stripes

Super-American

Unknown Soldier (now Soldier Unknown)

U.S. Jones

V-Man

Yank & Doodle

Yankee Doodle Jones & Johnny Reb

on t-shirts, mugs, messenger bags, and other goodies!

So fly the flag (or The Flag himself) this 4th of July with Flag-Draped Heroes ONLY at Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™!

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Wonder Woman vs Supergirl!

With Wonder Woman headlining a new movie opening tomorrow...
...we thought this would be a good time to re-present their first battle royale, which has never been reprinted in color since its' initial publication in 1968 (49 years ago)!
You can read the tale, starting HERE at our "sister" RetroBlog Heroines!
It was also the penultimate appearance of the super-powered Wonder Woman in the Silver Age since a major change occurred in the next issue...
But that's a story my good friend Rip Jagger can tell you HERE...at his Dojo!
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Order...
Showcase Presents
Wonder Woman
Volume 4
(which concludes with the story we're re-presenting...but in black and white!)

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Show Your Mom You Think She's a HEROINE!

Mother's Day is coming!
We offer a slew of kick-butt heroines from the 40s to the 70s, from spies and detectives to superheroines to photographers and newspaper reporters, as well as a line of branded Heroines-wear!
Mother's Day is May 14th!

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Show the lady you love that she's your HEROINE on Valentine's Day!


If you'd like to show your woman that you appreciate her strength as well as her beauty, why not give her a Valentine's Day gift that symbolizes exactly that?
We offer dozens of designs showing powerful women doing what they do best!
Whether it's '70s psychedelic or '40s retro, we have a heroine to suit your needs!
There's a kool variety of products ranging from his-and-her garb to mugs and mousepads to messenger and tote bags to blank sketchbooks!
Check out Heroines™!
Your lady (and you) will be glad you did!

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Make it a FURY-ous Christmas!

She wasn't the first superheroine, but she was the first to be created by a woman!
Conceived, written, and illustrated by cartoonist Tarpe Mills (who dropped her first name "June" from her published credit), Miss Fury started life in 1941 as a newspaper comic strip called "Black Fury".

Wealthy socialite Marla Drake was preparing for a costume ball when she discovered a friend was going to wear the same costume as her!
Horrors! Social ruin!
Francine, her maid, hastily suggested an alternative--she instead wear a black panther skin sent to her by her uncle, which had previously been used as a ceremonial robe by an African witch doctor.
Strangely enough, it fit Marla perfectly!
En route to the party, Marla encountered an escaped criminal and kicked his, well, you know...
Police and reporters initially referred to her as "Black Fury", but she called herself "Miss Fury" in notes attached to crooks she caught. (The name "CatWoman" was already in use! ;-) )

Two items of note:
1) The panther hide didn't give her any super-powers, as such items tend to do in comics*!
Marla was a gifted athlete, and, that combined with the visual shock value of the costume, enabled her to defeat foes. (ask another wealthy socialite, Bruce Wayne, about his similar, equally effective, strategy!)
2) Unlike most Golden Age heroines (Wonder Woman, Black Cat, Phantom Lady, et al), who seemed to wear skimpy swimsuits to battle evil, Miss Fury's costume totally covered her (but extremely tightly)!

The series spun off into comic books in 1942 published by Timely (Marvel's Golden-Age predecessor), but only as reprints of the newspaper strips (albeit with new covers by Mills).
Sadly, unlike most other newspaper adventure strips, there were no other spin-offs like movie serials, radio shows, or even a Big Little Book or two!
The book ended after 8 issues.
The newspaper strip ended in 1952, but Tarpe Mills continued to work as a comic illustrator for various publishers, including Marvel Comics! Her last published work was a new cover for a graphic novel reprint of Miss Fury in 1979. She passed away in 1988.
Miss Fury is one of numerous Golden Age characters revived by Dynamite Entertainment, both as a solo book, and as part of the ensemble of Noir (featuring her with Black Sparrow) and both Masks and Masks 2, (which features a host of well-known characters including The Shadow, Green Hornet & KatoThe Spider, and Zorro).

We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ felt such a unique character would make a great, empowered role model for today's girls, so we gave her a section of her own in Heroines!™, where the so-called "weaker" sex RULES!
She'd make a cool pop-culture Christmas gift under the tree or in a stocking for your sister, daughter, or girlfriend!
Perhaps it'll inspire them to create a character of their own...

*Another Golden Age character, Cat-Man, whom Tarpe occasionally illustrated, did receive powers including agility, night vision and the gift of nine lives from his first cat-costume!
Villains would kill him, but he'd return to life by the story's end to avenge himself.
Someone figured out the "nine lives" idea would only work for nine issues, and it was dropped, but the other super-human abilities remained.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Meet the menace of the man called...FORECLOSE!

A startling story ripped from today's headlines...
...but it's from Phantom Lady #15, published in 1947!
Talk about "the more things change, the more they stay the same"!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Butterfly...The Final Story!

 Before Marvel Comics' Storm!
Before DC Comics' Vixen!
There was The ButterFly!
The final (never reprinted) chapter of the saga of the First Black SuperHeroine is now online in two parts...
and see the entire saga HERE!

And don't forget to check out the  

Monday, October 26, 2009

Tick Tock...Time for a Clock!

With Daylight Savings Time ending on Halloween Night,
NOW is the time to consider getting a new Wall Clock!
Choose from...
...Classic Comics Covers...Graphically-Kool Logos...
...or Classic Pop Culture Imagery (like Sherlock Holmes)!

To browse, you can either click HERE, which will take you directly to our Complete Pop-Culture Clock Collection, or come to Atomic Kommie Comics™ , and browse by genre!
But act FAST!
Time waits for no one!
(Actually, the quote is "Time waits for no MAN.", but I didn't want to appear sexist!)

Monday, August 3, 2009

Does Your Daughter Need a SuperHeroine?

That's what Peggy Orenstein asks in a recent Sunday NY Times article.
While searching for a fantasy role model for her 6-year old daughter, she bemoans the fact that today's super women are "more mammary than muscle", and that (except for Wonder Woman), most are just female variations of more-popular heroes (SuperGirl, BatGirl & BatWoman, Spider-Girl, She-Hulk, etc.)

Luckily for Ms. Ornstein, we have an alternative for her...cool clothing & collectibles featuring empowered heroines who aren't femme versions of established heroes, and aren't built like inflatable adult toys...

Saturday, June 27, 2009

OTHER Patriotic SuperHeroes (& SuperHeroines)

With all the tzimmis over the Return of Steve Rogers as Captain America (and who didn't know that was coming?), you might want to have a look at the other star-spangled heroes introduced during the Golden Age of comic books!

You did know Captain America was not the first superhero to wrap himself in the "colors that never run", didn't you?
The very first flag-wearing hero was Archie (then MLJ) Comics' The Shield who predated Cap by over a year!
Then, between 1940 and 1945, dozens of stars & stripes-wearing heroes (and heroines) flew, leaped, punched, kicked, and flipped thru the four-color newsprint world of comic books!
(Technically, Superman wore red, YELLOW, and blue, so he wasn't visually a flag-waving hero.
But Wonder Woman's Amazon garb was meant to show alliance with America's values and beliefs!)

In that virtuous vein, we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ want to tell you about a plethora of patriotic pummelers at Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ in our Flag-Draped Heroes line of kool kollectibles!
We're talking about
American Crusader
American Eagle (now Burning Eagle)
Captain Battle & Captain Battle Jr
Captain Courageous
Captain V (illustrated above)
The Conqueror
The Eagle & Buddy
The Flag
Major Victory
Man of War
Miss Victory
Stars & Stripes
Super-American
Unknown Soldier (now Soldier Unknown)
U.S. Jones
V-Man
Yank & Doodle
Yankee Doodle Jones & Johnny Reb
on t-shirts, mugs, messenger bags, and other goodies!
(We'll be doing individual Hero(ine) Histories of each of them over the summer. Watch for them!)
Most, if not all of them have recently been revived in the new series Project SuperPowers and it's spin-off titles. (Pick them up at your local comic book store TODAY!)

So fly the flag (or The Flag himself) this 4th of July with Flag-Draped Heroes ONLY at Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Fantastic Femmes--Ciara

Ciara Princess Harris has done quite a number of things in her relatively-short life...modeling, acting, singing, writing, producing, even video directing.
Now, she's taking a crack at portraying a super-heroine on the concept album Fantasy Ride, which comes out this Tuesday, as well as tie-in videos and a live concert tour.
It's her first foray into the sci-fi / fantasy genre. Hopefully, it won't be her last.
(BTW: The good-girl comic art is by noted DC / Marvel / Valiant artist Bernard Chang.)
Genre appearances include...
Fantasy Ride (Super C)
Check out...
CiaraWorld, her official site
Ciara's MySpace page
Sincerely, Ciara the "official fan site"