Holy Halloween, Batman! Wertham Was RIGHT!

New Pics on Just Jared Say it ALL...

In Seduction of the Innocent, Dr Fredric Wertham claimed, "The Batman type of story may stimulate children to homosexual fantasies, of the nature of which they may be unconscious" and "Only someone ignorant of the fundamentals of psychiatry and of the psychopathology of sex can fail to realize a subtle atmosphere of homoeroticism which pervades the adventures of the mature 'Batman' and his young friend Robin."

There's a delightfully-snarky article about Wertham's conclusions HERE.

And catch the Halloween ep of Modern Family tonite on ABC!

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Seduction of the Innocent

by Fredric Wertham

Design of the EEK! THE NO-LONGER WALKING DEAD!

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week, as the new season of Walking Dead debuts on AMC,  we graphically-show the only way to stop a zombie/walker/biter (depending on who you're listening to)...do something to destroy the head!
He's available on t-shirts, messenger bags, mugs, and a whole slew of kool kollectibles perfect for Halloween, but only available from us for one week!
So order now, before he puts the bite on you...

Reading Room THE WALKING DEAD "Genesis of the Walking Dead"

Ever wonder how zombies are revived/reanimated?

Well, here's the explanation for the Walking Dead's undead!

Confused?

Oh, wait!

You thought it was the origin of the walkers/biters from this Walking Dead (whose TV version returns this Sunday) series?

Er...no!

This was the origin of the first b/w Walking Dead series!

Created by writer/artist Jim Somerville and published by Malibu/Aircel in 1989, it was vastly-different from the 2003-present series created by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore.

For collectors, there's good news and bad news...

Good news: There's only a four-issue mini series and a one-shot Special to collect!

Bad news: Because it didn't sell well, it's HTF (hard to find) and expensive!

Want to see more?

Let us know...

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the Original Walking Dead #1

Want to See The Green Hornet Beat Up a Criminal Named Trump...Twice?

Click HERE to see it...

... in his premiere episode from exactly 50 years ago today!

Note, The Green Hornet trashes gangster Al Trump (Charles Francisco), not the mango-hued moron currently running for President...

Fifty Years Ago...the Final Frontier!

The Fall 1966 TV season was a landmark for TV sci-fi/fantasy!

There were at least two series every night in Prime Time (sometimes opposite each other, which in those pre-DVR days drove us NUTS)!

(NO Internet! NO YouTube! NO Streaming Video! NO DVD/Blu Rays! Not even VHS Tapes!)

But, every night, after dinner (and presuming you finished your homework)...

Spies!

Super-Heroes!

Comedies with monsters/witches/genies/time-traveling astronauts, etc!

Straight sci-fi with The Invaders, and three Irwin Allen series (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, and Time Tunnel!

And, of course, the greatest of all...

Original 1966 NBC promo poster. Art by James (Doc Savage) Bama!

It was an amazing time to be eight years old!
Even though my family had two huge 13" TVs, both of them were b/w, so I didn't see all this stuff in color until the '70 when my dad finally got a color set!
(Some, like Captain Nice, I didn't see in color until VHS and DVD copies were available!)
But even in monochrome, those shows enthralled me.
So, tonite, I'm settling down in front of the tube (a 50-inch flat-screen) with my own mini-marathon of 50-year old sci-fi!
Batman "Shoot a Crooked Arrow" (which, technically, aired on Sept. 7) & "Walk the Straight and Narrow"
Star Trek "The Man Trap"
(Bewitched and Jericho [A spy series set in World War II Europe] also ran on Thursdays, but didn't begin their season until Sept 15th!)

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Fantastic Television

Noel Neill (1920-2016)

She was a newspaperman's daughter in real life...

Kirk Alyn (Clark Kent/Superman) and Noel Neill (Lois Lane) in Superman (1948)

...and she ended up playing the most famous newspaperwoman in fiction on both the movie and TV screens!

Noel Neill (Lois Lane) and George Reeeves (Clark Kent/Superman) in The Adventures of Superman (1950s)

I had the pleasure of meeting Ms Neill in Cleveland, at the 1988 International Superman Expo (celebrating Superman's 50th Anniversary), and she was absolutely delightful and gracious, the very model of what we used to call, in the pre-PC days, a "classy lady".

Trivia: Noel and Phyllis Coates (who was the first TV Lois Lane, both appeared in in the B-movie Rocket Attack U.S.A. (1952), but had no scenes together.

Nichelle Nichols by Francesco Francavilla

Do I need an excuse to run a magnificent illo like this?

Check out more work by the amazing Francesco Francavilla HERE!

RAUMPATROUILLE "Dance"

While there are many similarities between Space Patrol and Star Trek...

...the one big difference I've seen commented upon over and over again is...

...the dance numbers that occur in almost every episode.

The closest thing I've ever seen on American sci-fi tv was in the pilots for Battlestar Galactica (1978) and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979).
However, Raumpatrouille had their own ongoing choreographer, William Milié, to compose the funky dance numbers that appeared in the background of each episode!

RAUMPATROUILLE "Invasion"

These guys are smiling right now...

...but not for long, as we reach the apocalyptic series finale (yes, finale)!

The energy-based aliens known as "Frogs" make their move against Earth, using traitors from within to disable Space Command!
It's all-out war, and you, space cadets have a ringside seat!
Enjoy!

Note: We've tried to embed the English subtitles, but if they don't come up automatically, go to the "gear" icon on the lower right of the video screen, and set them manually.)
We'll be back next week with a detailed look at some of the unique aspects of the series.

RAUMPATROUILLE "Die Raumfalle" (Space Trap)

Welcome to the penultimate episode of 1960s' Germany's counterpoint to Star Trek...

...as the crew of the Orion is assigned to attempt to prove the theory that life on Earth originated in outer space.

Sounds sedate, eh?

Mix in a passenger who happens to be a science-fiction writer seeking inspiration for his next novel, a stopover at a penal colony, plus a mad scientist who tries to hijack the ship, and you get a space opera episode jam-packed with thrills!

Note: We've tried to embed the English subtitles, but if they don't come up automatically, go to the "gear" icon on the lower right of the video screen, and set them manually.)

RAUMPATROUILLE "Kampf um die Sonne" (Battle for the Sun)

We've seen sci-fi tropes like evil aliens, psycho robots, and wandering planets,

...now we confront two topics once considerered sci-fi, but are now part of daily life in the 21st century: global warming (bad) and feminism/women's rights (good), but told from a 1960s perspective!

Note: We've tried to embed the English subtitles, but if they don't come up automatically, go to the "gear" icon on the lower right, and set them manually.)
More 1960s sci-fi next Monday!

RAUMPATROUILLE "Deserteure" (Deserters)

Buckle up, space cadets, as we rejoin the crew of the SpaceShip Orion!

McLane is given a super-weapon called "OverKill" that he's to install on Earth outposts, but the Frogs can now mind-control humans...including the Orion's crew.

Will the space fleet have to destroy the Orion to keep OverKill out of the Frogs' possession?

Note: We've tried to embed the English subtitles, but if they don't come up automtaically, go to the "gear" icon on the lower right, and set them manually.)
Be here next Friday for another astounding adventure!

RAUMPATROUILLE "Hüter des Gesetzes" (Guardians of the Law)

After twice defeating energy-based aliens known as "Frogs"...

...the crew of the Orion 7 encounter rebellious robots on an Earth colony!

(Note the story makes use of Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics!
 Kool!)

OK, let the comparisons to how Kirk and Spock would've handled it begin...

RAUMPATROUILLE "Planet ausser Kurs" (Planet Off Course)

We Have Already Seen...

After being demoted from front-line combat to local space patroling, Cliff McLane and his crew discover previously-unknown beings composed of pure energy have overrun a distant outpost.

(SPOILERS: the sharp-eyed among viewers may have noticed that certain members of the star fleet showed great reluctance to deal with the invaders.

Wonder why?)

Now, the aliens return with a plan to send a rogue planet hurtling on a collision course with Earth!

(Note: It's German with English subtitles.

I've tried to set them up before creating the link, but you may have to click on the "gear" icon to implement them manually.)

Be back next Friday for another retro-kool adventure!

RAUMPATROUILLE "Angriff aus dem All" (Attack from Outer Space)

Let's kick the tires and light the fires...

...as we present the first episode of Space Patrol!
(BTW, it's the third tv series to use the name, after the 1950s American broadcast-live show and the early 1960s British puppet series.)

Meet Commander McLane and his rowdy "gang" (as their commanding officer refers to them), learn why they're being disciplined (again), and see why, despite various infractions against both civilian and military authorities, they're not doing life sentences in an interplanetary brig.

Also witness the introduction of the series' main villains, "Frogs", sentient energy beings who want to conquer the universe.

There's a lot to cover, so click on the screen and dive in...

(Note: It's German with English subtitles.

I've tried to set them up before creating the link, but you may have to click on the "gear" icon to implement them manually.)

Coming January 1st...Raumpatrouille!

What if Captain Kirk and his crew were a bunch of rule-breaking, hard-partying jerks...

...who still managed to save the universe on a weekly basis?

Meet Major Cliff Alistair McLaine and his international crew on this blog every Friday from January 1st onward!

Here's a trailer from a theatrical feature film compiled from several episodes to give you a taste...

And here's the title sequence with its variation of the "Space: the final frontier.." narration...

The 1966 seven-episode series was never broadcast in the US, but matches its' contemporary, Star Trek, for high adventure, drama, and innovative special effects, plus a really kool jazz soundtrack!
NOTE: It's in German with English subtitles.

It's Crime Time at Christmas Time!

Ah, Christmas...

What do we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ think of?

Peace on Earth!

Good Will towards Men!

25-to-Life at Sing-Sing!

What...?
Yep, you heard right!
For a subject-specific gift for the lawyer, or other legal professional in your life, the crew at Atomic Kommie Comics™ suggests you have a look at the Daring District Attorneys and other Legal Eagles section of our Crime & Punishment™ collection, featuring the long-running radio/tv character Mr. District Attorney!
Inspired by the racket-busting exploits of New York City DA Thomas E. Dewey (who later became Governor of New York State), law student-turned radio writer Ed Byron created a nameless "everyman" DA who maintained law and order in an unnamed Big City (implied to be NYC).
The stories, while rarely based on actual cases (like rival show GangBusters) followed actual legal procedures to the letter, even introducing CSI-style "lab boys" to analyze evidence and present testimony during courtroom sequences!
A couple of kool trivia items:
The narrator was known as "The Voice of the Law" who defined both the DA's case at the beginning of the episode and pronounced the criminal's sentence at the end of the show. (A conceit picked up by rival radio / tv show Dragnet!)
Though several actors played Mr. District Attorney, the DA's secretary, Edith Miller, was played by the same actress, Vicki Vola, for the entire run of the show both on radio and tv (1939-1953)!
The comic book series, from which we draw our imagery, was packaged by the Bob Kane comic book studio. Bob Kane was the co-creator (with Bill Finger) of the most famous fictional detective of the 20th Century--The Batman!
We offer four different classic comic book crime-busting covers on items ranging from mugs to mousepads to t-shirts.
And, if attorneys aren't your thing, we also have Real Life Criminals, Police--the REAL Heroes!, Sherlock Holmes, Top Secret--Images without Words, All-True Detective Cases, Crimes by Women, Gangsters, Private Dicks, and G-Men T-Men & Spies!
Use them responsibly this Yuletide season, citizens!

BONUS: A FREE Christmas present, to you, our faithful readers: mp3s of the Mr District Attorney radio show!

Martians! Martians! Martians! (Or what Jan Brady said when she saw War of the Worlds)

Halloween is coming up fast, so what do I think of?

Martians!

I've always been a big fan of War of the Worlds, whether it's the H.G. Wells novel, Orson Welles' radio adaptation, the '53 movie, the 80s tv series (Year One or Year Two), Jeff Wayne's remarkable concept album, or the many variations, sequels, and pastiches (like my favorite: Sherlock Holmes' War of the Worlds!)
So, I added a line of shirts. mugs, messenger bags, and tchochkes to Atomic Kommie Comics' already bulging sci-fi collectibles section entitled Martians! Martians! Martians! (Or: what Jan Brady said when she saw The War of the Worlds!)
From benevolent visitors to arrogant invaders to an EarthMan turned Martian, we have them all! See The Devil Girl from Mars, Lars of Mars, Man O' Mars, John Carter: WarLord of Mars, and of course, the War of the Worlds' various incarnations!
(BTW, the Tote Bags make great trick-or-treat bags!)
We even have a three-way battle between Earth, Mars, and Venus as well as the campy cult classic Santa Claus Conquers the Martians!
So whether it's for Halloween, Christmas, a birthday, or anytime you feel the urge for alien antics, choose Martians! Martians! Martians!™
As the Martians in Mars Attacks! would say..."Ack! Ack! Ack!"

It's Elementary! Sherlock Holmes Calendars are the Perfect Gifts!

The IDEAL gift for the hard-to-please Sherlockian or Baker Street Irregular in your life (or yourself)!

Sherlock Holmes: the Greatest Sleuth of All!™

Basil Rathbone IS Sherlock Holmes!™

Plus MANY, MANY MORE!

Classic comic book and pulp magazine covers plus movie posters and lobby cards, scanned from the originals and digitally-remastered and restored!
Perfect for office, dorm, or bedroom!
NOT available in stores, only on-line! Order now...before time runs out! ;-)

Man from U.N.C.L.E. From 1965 to 2015!

The new Man from U.N.C.L.E. movie opens this Friday...

...and our "brother" RetroBlog, Secret Sanctum of Captain Video, will be doing a feature on the previous U.N.C.L.E. films.

But before that, we invite you to have a look at the premiere issue of the 1960s comic based on the TV series!

"Why?", you may ask?

Two reasons.

1) It's the closest the comic came to doing an epic tale that would've made a helluva big budget movie.

2) Oddly, enough, the renderings of Solo and Kuryakin look a lot like Henry Cavil and Armie Hammer!

Judge for yourself!