Notes on audio goodies...

Two items I've recently acquired that have proven invaluable...
1) I have a huge collection of old radio shows and "kids" records on vinyl, including stuff not available on-line or on cd (like the Raiders of the Lost Ark: the Movie on Record, a 1981 release with dialogue, music and sfx from the film and NO narration!). With the ION USB TurnTable, I rip those old albums to cd with ease using Audacity (for my personal use, only, of course)! (Believe it or not, I don't have an IPod, and don't want one. I much prefer my cassette and cd walkmans!) Got it at Costco for under $100!
2) And in terms of listening to those walkmans (walkmen?), I found I had to wear a bulky pair of over-the-ears studio headphones to get decent bass for, among other things, soundtracks by Korngold, Williams, or Goldsmith (Robin Hood, ESB, and STtMP, respectively). Not the most comfortable things to wear in the dead of summer while commuting...
I looked around for smaller headsets, and ended up getting a pair of V-Moda Bass earbuds.
BEST bass I've ever heard in buds (I no longer have to use the bass-boost setting on the walkman), plus they effectively block outside sound (very important in the subway!).

Alex Ross+Barack Obama=SuperShirt!

Take super-star artist Alex Ross.
Add super-politican Barack Obama.
What do you get?
Officially, it's called Obama: Time for a Change.
In reality, it's the coolest Presidential campaign shirt in history!
Buy It! NOW!
Wear it proudly!
'Nuff said.

Before The MiddleMan was...Captain Videooo!

Long before The MiddleMan and teen sidekick Wendy Watson battled video weirdies with advanced technology, another Eisenhower-jacketed, square-jawed hero and his teen sidekick battled aliens, robots, and the occasional specter.
I'm speaking of Ed Norton's Mutual Television idol, the one and only Captain Video and the Video Ranger! In the early 1950s, they used futuristic technology to keep Earth safe on a daily basis. (But with a much lower budget! Weapon props were constructed from literally whatever was at hand in the studio including flashlights, fire extinguishers, and leftover vacuum tubes!) Even so, his legend continues to this day as his name is still synonymous with tv space adventure/sci-fi.
We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ still remember Captain Video, and now happily reintroduce him to the audience who watches his proud descendant, the MiddleMan! (and the extremely-cute Natalie Morales!) ;-)

X-Files: I Want to Believe...but...

Like many who watched The X-Files in the late '90s, I'm looking forward to the new film X-Files: I Want to Believe.
But at the same time, I've wondered about where some of the show's wilder concepts really came from.
Chris Carter has acknowledged a variety of influences including the Twilight Zone and Kolchak: the Night Stalker . Curiously, while there's a lot of mood and atmosphere directly attributable to those sources, there's very little of the actual concepts or plots from them in The X-Files.

This is not the case with another sci-fi series...
The 11th Hour Web Magazine did a story about similarities between key plot points of The X-Files (both the series and first feature film) and a group of four mini-series (all of which were also made into feature films) from England about Bernard Quatermass, a scientist fighting both aliens from beyond and his own disbelieving government superiors! (sound familiar?)
Read the article, then continue...

Whether or not the copying was deliberate, it's there.
Thus, we consider Nigel Kneale's Quatermass series to be the direct ancestor to Chris Carter's The X-Files both in concept and content.
Thus, we consider Nigel Kneale's Quatermass series to be the direct ancestor to Chris Carter's The X-Files both in concept and content.
In that spirit we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ present a group of the posters of the predecessor series to The X-Files...
The Creeping Unknown (Quatermass Xperiment)
Enemy From Space (Quatermass 2) Italian Poster
Five Million Years to Earth (Quatermass and the Pit)
Five Million Years to Earth (Quatermass & the Pit) French Poster
on a variety of kool kollectibles in the tradition of "Secret Chic" that you have taken to heart.
Enjoy!

Did you miss us?

Hi!
Hopefully, you've noticed that we haven't been blogging for a month or so. (You did notice, didn't you?) Well, we have a good excuse, if not a note from our doctor...
We've been busy! VERY busy!
It's comic convention season, and we've been out there, acquiring MORE classic comics for use on Atomic Kommie Comics™ goodies!
We're expanding every section with new images, such as the one at left, in some cases including complete runs of titles, especially in Horror Comics of the 1950s™! (You wouldn't believe some of the deals we made!)
We're doubling the calendar collection, including individual calendars for a number of Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ PLUS a "1st Appearance" calendar of the 12 most popular heroes! (New calendars will be available in August. You can still get the 2008 calendars here at 25% off! As a print-on-demand company, we don't have reprints, overstock, or remainders! Once they're gone, they're GONE! Gives new meaning to "limited edition", doesn't it?)
AND, we're creating an all-new, kids-only section loaded with onesies, bibs, and other toddler and infant stuff including a brand-new Funny Animal section featuring classic cartoon-style art and characters from the 40s, 50s, and 60s! Of course, we'll have the spacemen, cowboys, and other comic characters already available on kidwear in the new section, scheduled to open at the end of July!
ALERT! ALERT! DISCONTINUED PRODUCT SALE! $4 off "Jr. Jersey T-Shirts" (A cool, long Girls/Womens shirt, almost like a mini-dress, perfect for beachwear or parties!) with ANY design currently offered, especially Heroines™, Seduction of the Innocent™, and True Love Comics Tales™! Use coupon code 4JRJERSEY. Sale starts TODAY, July 14, 2008. Expires when supplies run out!