Friday, December 4, 2009

Design of the Week--Santa and the Kids!

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...a vintage 1950s illustration of Santa Claus and a line of kids waiting to tell him what they want for Christmas!
It's an ideal image for a greeting card, tree ornament, or kidswear stocking stuffer!

And, don't forget to check out our whole line of retro-style Santa Claus collectibles!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Christmastime is CRIME Time!

Ah, Christmas.
What do we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ think of?
Peace on Earth!
Good Will towards Men!
25-to-Life in Sing-Sing!
Wha...?
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 New York's Governor), 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 real-life 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!

Kool Trivia:
The narrator (known as "The Voice of the Law") 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. 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.
PLUS: A 2010 12-Month Calendar with a dozen dynamic images of criminals getting what's coming to them!

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 early Christmas present, to you, our faithful fans: mp3s of the Mr District Attorney radio show!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Belle--the Woman Who Loved Scrooge!

When you think of Ebenezer Scrooge, "lovable" is probably the last word you'd associate with him.
Yet, one woman gave her heart to him...was engaged to him...and had her heart broken by him!
Her name was Belle!

She appears twice in A Christmas Carol, during Scrooge's journey with the Ghost of Christmas Past.
First, we see how the young Scrooge choose between his love of money and love of her.
Second, we see how, after the breakup, she married a good man and together they raised a loving family, giving Scrooge a look at what "might have been" had he chosen to remain with her!

Almost every dramatic adaptation shows the first incident, but omits the second scene (usually due to time constraints), thus many people have never known how Belle's life turned out after Scrooge left her!
(You'd be surprised how many people never actually read the story, only seen tv or film versions!)

Most of the illustrators of the many editions that have been printed over the decades have also bypassed the conclusion of Belle's plotline.
But not Arthur Rackham!
The legendary illustrator did not one, but two color illustrations just for the short conclusion to Belle's story in Stave Two!
And we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ just had to include both of them in our A Christmas Carol collection!
One, Belle & Children shows Scrooge's once-love playing with her kids.
The other, Belle's Family portrays the children crowding around their father as he comes home, laden with presents!

They're absolutely beautiful pieces, some of the best work Rackham ever produced!
In fact, I'm using one of them as my personal Christmas card this year.
You might want to do the same...
Just a thought, from your faithful servant--B

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Cowboys + Dinosaurs = Christmas FUN!


They just don't make comics like this anymore!
Masked cowboy hero vs gunslinger riding a pterodactyl...and a bright magenta pterodactyl at that!
It's the sort of concept a nine-year old would come up with while playing with his (or her) brand-new action figures under the Christmas tree, mixing the dinosaurs with superheroes and cowboys!

Why not?
That's what makes it so KOOL!
It's so darn silly you just have to look at it and think "what the--?"

That's exactly the sense of wonder we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ still feel!
We want to live in a world where anything can, and does, happen!
In pop culture, we call this sort of tale "cross-genre", where a story draws elements from disparate categories of fiction.

Sometimes there's a certain logic to it.
One of my favorite books involves fiction's greatest detective dealing with the first alien invasion!
Since he lived in London at the time the invasion took place, it seems only (dare I say it) elementary, that Sherlock Holmes would witness and analyze the Martian invasion of 1898!
That's the basis of Sherlock Holmes' War of the Worlds by Manly Wade Wellman & Wade Wellman!
That novel, to us, defines KOOL!
(The fact the story also includes another of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic characters; Professor Challenger from The Lost World and other sci-fi novels, is a cross-genre bonus!)
Track down a copy. If you're a Holmes, Challenger, and/or War of the Worlds fan (I'm all three), it's well worth the effort!

Sometimes there's no real logic to it except--"why not?"
That's the category where Santa Claus Conquers the Martians goes!
And that's where the cover shown above goes.
This particular design was so cross-genre we put it in three different sections--Dinosaurs!, Masked Western Heroes, and Tykes, Toddlers & Tiny Tots (and Their Mommies)!™ because, hey, it fits in each of those categories, so--"why not?"

Keep the Sense of Wonder alive!
Give a gift that keeps inspiring the imaginations of both the young and the young-at-heart!
Stick a present from Atomic Kommie Comics™ into a stocking or under the tree!

Monday, November 30, 2009

CYBER MONDAY is HERE!

ALL Black/Dark Hoodies
normally $49.99...NOW $34.99!
SAVE $15!
or browse thru the store

ALL Black/Dark Zip Hoodies
normally $49.99...NOW $39.99!
SAVE $10!
or browse thru the store
ALL White-Light Aprons
normally $24.99...NOW $19.99!
SAVE $5!
or browse thru the store

ALL Dark Aprons
normally $24.99...NOW $19.99!
SAVE $5!
or browse thru the store

normally $14.99...NOW $9.99!
SAVE $5 on an already-incredible low price!
or browse thru the store

PLUS, the BLACK FRIDAY SALE
continues thru Monday...
ALL 2010 12-Month Calendars
normally $19.99...NOW $14.99!
or browse thru the store

ALL Messenger Bags
normally $29.99...NOW $19.99!
or browse thru the store

ALL Tote Bags
normally $19.99...NOW $14.99!
or browse thru the store

ALL Wall Clocks
normally $19.99...NOW $14.99!
or browse thru the store

ALL Blank SketchBooks/Journals
normally $14.99...NOW $9.99!
or browse thru the store

Prices in effect from NOW to 11:59pm PST Monday, November 30th, 2009!
AND: Today, Nov 30th!
FREE Economy Shipping on orders of $60 or more!
Just use Coupon Code MONDAYSHIP at CheckOut!