Enjoy some Graphic LUST at ChristmasTime!

If you've been a faithful reader of this blog, you're well aware we have a section in Atomic Kommie Comics™ called Seduction of the Innocent™ featuring risque pop culture subjects in both comix and film. In that vein, we present today's tawdry tale...
"She was greedy, heartless and calculating.
She knew what she wanted and was ready to sacrifice anything to get it"
Before Gil Kane's Blackmark, before Will Eisner's A Contract with God, there was It Rhymes with Lust, considered by many to be the FIRST Graphic Novel!
Created in 1950 by writers Arnold Drake (Doom Patrol, Guardians of the Galaxy) & Leslie Waller (numerous crime novels) under the pseudonym "Drake Waller" and artists Matt Baker (Phantom Lady) & Ray Osrin, the digest-sized b/w comic was a pulp noir potboiler about a steel-producing town (like Pittsburgh) and a manipulative woman named Rust who will use ANY means to control it. (It's a rather adult book, though not pornographic! Think "soft R" rating!)
Trivia: Leslie Waller, besides writing numerous crime novels, also penned the novelization of Close Encounters of the Third Kind!
The "Picture Novel" series (Lust was the first title) published by pulp/comic company St. John Publications, only ran for two books before being cancelled due to poor sales.
The book has been reprinted twice in recent years, first by Fantagraphics in the magazine The Comics Journal #277, then, in it's original format by Dark Horse Comics with a new intro by Arnold Drake. Both are available at your local comic shop or online.
Why do we tell you all this?
Because we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ believe that other companies occasionally produce kool collectibles, and in the Spirit of Christmas, we want to promote stuff that we ourselves would want under the tree. (Significant Other, please take note...)
Of course, the fact that we ourselves also produce It Rhymes with Lust collectors items like mugs, mousepads and mens'/women's clothing that would make great accompanying items in a themed gift package for a loved one who's into Graphic Novels this Yuletide never occured to us!
Nope, never!
Didn't even cross our minds! ;-)

DISCOUNT COUPON: Friday, Nov. 21 thru Sunday Nov. 23--FREE SHIPPING on Apparel//Clothing orders of $50 or more! (NOTE: Includes Messenger & Tote Bags!) Use Code FEMHOL8 at CheckOut!
Includes t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jerseys, jackets, polos, denim shirts, tank tops, camisoles, undergarments, bags, headwear, aprons, bibs, and infant bodysuits. Delivery address must be within the United States and cannot be a PO Box. All orders will be Economy shipping unless the order is not eligible for Economy shipping (e.g., order exceeds Economy weight restrictions). Coupon code must be entered at CafePress.com check out. Promotion starts on November 21, 2008, at 12:00 a.m. (PST) and ends on November 23, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. (PST). Cannot be combined with any other CafePress.com offers, discounts or coupons and this offer may change, be modified or cancelled at anytime without notice.

DINOSAURS under the Christmas Tree!

What kid doesn't love dinosaurs?
The very idea of being a huge, unstoppable creature rampaging, devouring, and stepping on everything and everybody has an undeniable appeal to little young ones, who normally feel helpless in a world too big for them! (Why do you think Godzilla is still going strong after 50 years? And what about the success of the Jurassic Park trilogy?)
We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ are no different! (A look at the various plastic "giant" reptiles adorning our office will confirm that!)
And since we're just big kids ourselves, we created a whole Dinosaurs section in our sci-fi section The Future WAS Fantastic!™ with ten different vintage images from classic comics AND movies!
What kid wouldn't want a dinosaur under the tree or in his/her stocking on Christmas morning?
Don't disappoint them! Give 'em something to ROAR about!

Dinosaurs!
Once they ruled the planet!
Now they'll dominate your wardrobe!

DISCOUNT COUPON: Friday, Nov. 21 thru Sunday Nov. 23--FREE SHIPPING on Apparel//Clothing orders of $50 or more! (NOTE: Includes Messenger & Tote Bags!) Use Code FEMHOL8 at CheckOut!
Includes t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jerseys, jackets, polos, denim shirts, tank tops, camisoles, undergarments, bags, headwear, aprons, bibs, and infant bodysuits. Delivery address must be within the United States and cannot be a PO Box. All orders will be Economy shipping unless the order is not eligible for Economy shipping (e.g., order exceeds Economy weight restrictions). Coupon code must be entered at CafePress.com check out. Promotion starts on November 21, 2008, at 12:00 a.m. (PST) and ends on November 23, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. (PST). Cannot be combined with any other CafePress.com offers, discounts or coupons and this offer may change, be modified or cancelled at anytime without notice.

Unwrap Undercover Girl this Christmas!

Spies have always been popular in fiction.
Girls have always been popular in fiction.
So, it stands to reason that girl spies would be popular in fiction, right?
Not quite...
With the notable exception of Modesty Blaise, female secret agents have not been able to hold the spotlight, despite several high-quality attempts to crack the glass ceiling of spydom!

In comics, the short-lived 1950s Undercover Girl series from Magazine Enterprises was probably the best of the femme-spy genre.
Featuring art by luminaries like Bob Powell, Gil Kane, and Dick Ayers, the series detailed the adventures of government agent Starr Flagg against spies, saboteurs, and criminals.
Starr could shoot and fight (And, as you can see from the art, ride a motorcycle, one-handed yet!) as well as any male agent, but could play helpless and innocent to throw the baddies off-guard until she could kick serious butt!

Since she has no super-powers or outlandish gimmicks, we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ titled her "The Heroine ANY Girl can be!™" and made her one of the feature characters in our Heroines™ line with three different covers, as well as her classic retro-style logo on a variety of goodies including tops, shirts, mugs, and many other tchochkies.
What grrrl from 6 to 60 wouldn't want to find something featuring Undercover Girl under her Christmas tree or in her stocking?

COUPON: For today, November 20th ONLY...Save $5 on your order of $25 or more on ANY OFFICE PRODUCTS (Mousepads, Mugs, Clocks, Magnets, etc.)
Use code DEMHOL7 at checkout.
Expires at 11:59 pm Pacific Time.

The clock striking "12" signals the appearance of Santa and...

...Captain Midnight!
We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ are big fans of retro pop culture.
And in the 1940s-1950s one of the biggest pop cult phenomenons was Captain Midnight!
Books, Comics, Movies, Radio, TV...He was EVERYWHERE!

Created for radio in 1938, the patriotic aviator ran the Secret Squadron, what we today would call a "black ops" team, supported by the government but functioning outside of legal rules in dealing with spies, saboteurs, and (after the war) criminals!
Trivia note: the Secret Squadron originally used the code "SS" on their messages, decoders, and uniform patches, but changed it to "SQ" after World War II began to avoid reference to the notorious Nazi SS stormtroopers!
Cap replaced Little Orphan Annie as the flagship show for Ovaltine, carrying on the tradition of issuing mail-in collectible premiums in return for Ovaltine labels and jar seals, taking it to far greater levels than any other radio series in history! (The phrase "Captain Midnight Decoder" became synonymous with mail-in premiums.)
The show ran Monday thru Friday in 15-minute segments, with storylines running for several months at a time, ending each episode with a coded message which required a Captain Midnight Decoder to translate.
A series of Big Little Books, a newspaper comic strip, and two different comic book series quickly followed, as well as a 15-chapter movie serial.
The radio show ended with a bang in 1949, as Cap's archenemy Ivan Shark (an evil aviator) was killed in the final episode! Talk about "closure"!

Ovaltine revived Cap (but not Ivan Shark) in 1954 as a weekly tv series with a heavier science fiction emphasis.
Midnight was now a civilian adventurer operating out of a mountaintop base in the SouthWest US, battling criminals and the occasional Communist spy.
Though it only ran for 39 episodes, the show reran continuously until the mid 1960s.
Trivia note: the syndicated version was retitled Jet Jackson: Flying Commando because Ovaltine owned the "Captain Midnight" trademark and didn't sponsor the reruns!

Ovaltine continued to use "Captain Midnight" on advertising and occasional tie-in premiums until the late 1990s, when they finally abandoned the trademark.
He's now part of our Oh Captain, My Captain! Captains of the Cosmos™series in our The Future WAS Fantastic™ collection (which also includes Captain Video, Captain Science, and Captain Rocket) with six different vintage designs including five classic covers and his stylish logo!
As a unique Xmas gift for collectors of pop culture kitch, you can't go wrong with one of our klassy and kool kollectibles as a stocking stuffer!

Coupon good for today, Nov 19th ONLY: Use Code FEMHOL6 for FREE SHIPPING on Home Decor items (Ornaments, pillows, mugs, tile coasters, clocks, etc.) totaling $50 or more! Expires 11:59pm Pacific time tonite!

Our FREE Early Christmas Present to you: downloadable mp3s of the Captain Midnight radio show!
BONUS FREE Early Christmas Present: downloadable episode of the Captain Midnight tv show!

Wouldn't a Purple Claw look Kool under YOUR Christmas Tree?

PURPLE CLAW!
The name that strikes terror into the hearts of evildoers...at least to the minds of an impressionable 9-14 year old audience!
Technically, it's the name of the metal glove that imparts mystic powers to it's wearer, but some refer to the user himself (or herself) by the name...
The user in this 1950s series, which mixed horror with heroics, was Dr. Johnathan Weir, a former US Army doctor who acquired it when he crashed his plane in Africa. After the locals rescued him from the wreckage, he used his medical knowledge to save them from a plague.
Judging him as Honorable and Worthy, they gave him The Purple Claw, which had been left in their care by it's now-deceased previous owner.

The Claw's origin and history, which Dr. Weir tried to trace, is somewhat cloudy, since it was all word-of-mouth.
What is known is that it's an ancient mystic artifact of Great Power when used for Good. (Those who attempt to use it for Evil usually come to a Bad End!)
The bearer becomes a Defender of Humanity against Occult Evil, whether they want the job or not!
The Claw's exact abilities and limitations are unknown, and Weir had to experiment to see what would and wouldn't work, always stumbling upon the right way to use it before being killed/dismembered/disintegrated by a foe. (Talk about "on the job training"!)

The series ran for only three issues, but Weir continued to fight evil as a backup feature in Tales of Horror, until the Great Comics WitchHunt of the 1950s killed almost all horror/occult-themed comics titles.

As you might have guessed, we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ found it to be a perfect fit for our Horror Comics of the 1950s™ collection, even giving The Claw it's own section!

We think any of the collectibles we offer with The Purple Claw on them would make a kool Xmas stocking stuffer for the horror/occult pop culture kitch aficionado in your life!
But, remember...use them for Good...not Evil! ;-)