I've Got My EYE On You!

The Eye was a giant, flaming, sentient eyeball!
Seriously!
The actual title of the strip was "The Eye Sees..." and no origin was ever given to the character, but the implication was that The Eye was an extradimensional or extraterrestrial entity, not a human ghost or reincarnated spirit like The Spectre or Captain Trumph, as he (it) didn't really understand human behavior, but was obsessed with the concept of justice, working hand in...whatever...with private eye Jack Barrister in dispensing it.
Like The Spectre, The Eye had near-infinite abilities including being able to warp and alter time and space, although he (it) usually limited him (it)self to generating heat rays or a searchlight beam, grow or shrink, fly, and teleport just about anywhere.

He (it) appeared in every issue of Keen Detective Comics from #16 onward to the end of the run, sometimes as the cover feature.
Then, he (it) was given his own title, Detective Eye, for two issues, ironically featuring fellow hero Air Man on the first cover and Jack Barrister (without The Eye) on the second!

We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ have revived The Eye as part of our Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ line, on t-shirts, messenger bags, mugs and other kool kollectibles!
While he (it) hasn't been included in Alex Ross' Project SuperPowers as of yet, we think we'll be seeing him soon!
So keep an eye out for...The Eye, because he (it) will be watching you!

Jay Chou IS...

KATO

in
The Green Hornet!

Chou is a singer / actor whose credits include the male ingenue lead in Curse of the Golden Flower, so he has both acting and action experience!
ALSO: Edward James Olmos has joined the cast, but as a good guy...or a bad guy?

Green Hornet art by Gil Kane

Revenge of SuperPowers Sunday

This is the FINAL Sunday we'll present the nifty updated designs of the Project SuperPowers characters by Alex Ross along with links to a couple of Squidoo pages of background info and links about the series and characters...
Alex Ross' Project SuperPowers
(featuring characters who've been cover-featured)
Alex Ross' Project SuperPowers Strikes Again!
(featuring the other characters)
Erik Larsen's the Next Issue Project & Savage Dragon
(featuring several of the same characters as Project SuperPowers and others, but set in a different universe!)

In addition, you can find Atomic Kommie Comics™ kool kollectibles emblazoned with the ORIGINAL 1940s classic cover art featuring these classic characters...
Air Man
The Black Owl
(both of them!)
Boy King
Dart & Ace
Doc Strange (aka "Doc")
Golden Lad
Man of War
Radior
Rainbow Boy
Yank & Doodle
at
Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™!
SparkMan will be added shortly. but, unfortunately, we've been unable to find solo cover appearances for Man O'Metal.
If you know of any, e-mail us the issue numbers and we'll track 'em down and scan them!

And don't forget to buy the NEWEST Project SuperPowers comics including...
Black Terror,
Death Defying 'Devil,
Masquerade,
and Project SuperPowers "Volume 2",
as well as Savage Dragon!
ON SALE NOW!

Batman and...The Green Hornet!

When last we blogged, we commented on the fact that Batman, not Superman, would be the first DC character to interact with Doc Savage.
But, then, Batman was usually the first to meet up with other publishers' characters..
Almost a decade before Superman vs. Spider-Man, Batman met up with another company's character...The Green Hornet!
(Note: Most people disregard this as a legitimate cross-over since it was live-action and not a comic, but, AFAIC, characters are characters, and if it's not a pirate / illegal production, it's REAL and it counts!)

In the two-parter "A Piece of the Action" / "Batman's Satisfaction", The Hornet & Kato visit Gotham City while tracking counterfeit stamps.
Since The Hornet's M.O. is pretending to be a criminal, Batman naturally assumes the Vermilion Villain is there to cut himself in on...you guessed it, a piece of the action!
But, since The Hornet is, in fact, a hero, he has to find a way to a) put the counterfeiters out of business and b) avoid a confrontation with the Caped Crusader!
To add to the problem, it turns out that the characters' millionare alter-egos, Bruce Wayne and Britt Reid, have known each other since childhood, and have been competitors at almost everything from then to now!

It ain't a classic by any stretch, but it is fun, and the Big Finale Fight is more Bat-fistcuffs than Hornet-martial arts, but it does have it's moments.

It also provides the answer to the trivia question:
Who's the ONLY actor to play a villain opposite Batman, Captain Kirk, and The Green Hornet?*
(Most people say Frank Gorshin or Julie Newmar, who had memorable appearances on both Star Trek and Batman!)

If you haven't seen them, the episodes will pop up as both Batman and The Green Hornet are in syndication, and airing in a number of cities.
In one of the Great Crimes Against Art, neither show is available on DVD, but I suspect with the Seth Rogan Green Hornet film coming next year, at least Van Williams & Bruce Lee will finally be made available!

*Roger C. Carmel, who played Harcort Fenton "Harry" Mudd in three Star Trek (2 Classic, 1 Animated) eps and Colonel Gumm in the Batman / Green Hornet crossover on Batman!

Doc Savage meets...Batman?

Over the years, there have been a number of attempts to bring pulp characters into comic books.
Among the more successful (artistically, if not commercially) were the '70s Denny O'Neil-Mike Kaluta Shadow comic and Doug Moench Doc Savage b/w magazine, and the '90s Dark Horse Shadow and Doc Savage titles (including, surprisingly, The Shadow movie adaptation).
There have also been numerous crossovers, beginning with a Shadow-Avenger team-up, a pair of Shadow-Batman crossovers that explained Batman's anti-gun stance, and even a Doc Savage-Thing team-up!
Now, DC is trying, again, to do Doc Savage. beginning with a Doc-Batman team-up.

It make sense in that both characters are near-perfect examples of human physical and mental development with an inordinate love of gadgetry.
But, let's face it, many fanboys, myself included, want to see Clark, the Man of Bronze, meeting Clark, the Man of Steel (his direct literary descendant)!
Maybe later...

A curious aspect is that they want to integrate Doc into the DC Multiverse, mentioning that both DC-owned Blackhawk and Rima the Jungle Girl, as well as another licensed character (from another company), The Spirit, will appear, which makes it unlikely that the comics will ever be reprinted in book form (due to licensing complications).
Presumably, these characters will appear in a 1930s-1940s setting, possibly prior to America's entry into World War II.

You can check out all DC Comics Doc Savage news here.