Horrors for Halloween...Horror Comics of the 1950s!

This Page has been updated HERE!

The Green Lama

In the 1930s-40s The Shadow was big!
I mean REALLY BIG!
We're talking "Harry Potter"-level popularity here!
Between a bi-weekly magazine (and hardcover reprints), a radio show, b-movies and a serial, a newspaper comic strip, a comic book, big little books, and lots of collectible merchandise, He Who Knows What Evil Lurks was one of the FIRST multi-media and merchandising phenomenons!
It was inevitable that rich playboy-turned-cloaked avenger imitators would pop up.
Some were obvious and blatant like The Whisperer.
Some were obvious, but had a really distinctive style, like The Spider.
And some were...well...unique, like The Green Lama!

The Green Lama was rich playboy Lamont...I mean Jethro Dumont who spent a decade in a lamasery in Tibet learning how to become a Buddhist priest (or Lama).
This training gave him amazing mental powers including the ability to cloud mens' minds. (This is not to say all Buddhist priests go around doing that sort of thing. Jethro apparently took some extra-credit courses.)
Jethro also picked up radioactive salts which gave him physical enhancements as well , including super-strength and enabling him to fly.
Upon returning to America, Jethro resolved to use his abilities to right wrongs, punish evildoers, and in general, fight crime.
Like The Shadow, who had several other identities besides "Lamont Cranston", Jethro also used the identity of "Dr. Pali" to go places rich playboy Dumont couldn't.
Unlike The Shadow, he never used a gun, instead depending on his mental powers (and, if necessary, his physical prowess) to deal with villains.

Experienced pulp writer Kendall Foster Crossen was hired to create a character to compete with The Shadow on the newsstands.
He conceived The Green Lama and penned, under the name "Richard Foster", over a dozen tales about him for the pulp magazine Double Detective from 1940 to 1943.
(While The Lama was always the cover feature from his first appearance onward, he never had his own pulp, like The Shadow.)
The Lama also appeared in comic books, first in Prize Comics from #7 in 1940 to #34 in 1943, then moving into his own comic for eight issues until 1946.
Crossen wrote most of the comics, which were illustrated by Mac Raboy, one of the best artists of the period!
Three years later, the character was revived in a summer-replacement dramatic radio show which ran only 11 episodes starring Paul Frees, who sounded eerily-similar to Orson Welles, who had played The Shadow on radio!
In all these incarnations, efforts were made to portray Buddhism sympathetically, if not always accurately. For example, The Lama's primary incanation to invoke his powers; "om mani padme hum", is a mantra used while praying or meditating, not going into battle!

After the radio show ended, the Lama faded away except for the occasional reprint...until 2007, when Alex Ross revived the character as one of the major players in the new Project SuperPowers line of comic books using long-lost comic book characters.
In addition, Dark Horse Publishing recently published high-quality hardcover reprints of his title's long out-of-print 8-issue run!

We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ want to do our part in re-presenting The Green Lama to the pop culture world with a line of kool kollectibles including t-shirts, mugs, even a Classic Green Lama 12-Month Calendar for 2010!

So have a look at The Green Lama, today!
And "om mani padme hum" to you! ;-)

BONUS! A pre-Halloween "treat" for our faithful fans: a link to FREE mp3s of some of the Green Lama radio episodes!

And remember...pick up Project SuperPowers, where The Green Lama LIVES!

NOTE: We've temporarily deactivated our FaceBook account.
Too many tech problems on their end and their "Help" section seems out of date, referring to links and tabs that don't actually exist (but may have in the past)!

Fantastic Femmes--Nancy Giles

One of the high-points of my weekend is sitting back and watching CBS Sunday Morning while having brunch.
And, one of the too-infrequent joys of that are commentary segments with Nancy Giles.
(While I like Ben Stein, I loathe Mo Rocca, one of the most annoying people to ever appear on-screen. Why CBS doesn't just rotate Nancy and Ben 50-50 is beyond me...)
Though she started out as an actress, with ongoing roles on China Beach and Delta, Nancy seems to have found her niche as a television journalist and commentator, while still doing the occasional supporting tv or film role.
She's also appeared on Broadway and currently writes and performs a one-woman stage show both off-Broadway and regionally.
IMHO, truly a Fantastic Femme!

Genre appearances include...
Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles [VG] (Adi Gallia)
Law & Order "Gov Love"
Dream On (Carolyn)
Jury "Mail Order Mystery"
L.A. Law "BadFellas"
Smuggler's Run II: Hostile Territory [VG] (Robot)
Grand Theft Auto 3 [VG] (Pedestrian)
Joshua (Betsy Polsheck)
SuperHeroes (Barbara Finch)
DollHouse Murders (Librarian)
True Crime (Leesha Mitchell)

Check out...
Nancy's Official WebSite
Nancy on Twitter

Other actresses to play Adi Gallia include...
Gin Clarke in Star Wars Episode I: the Phantom Menace and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

Inexpensive Geek Chic! Part 2

Looking for a cool, campy (but cheap) way to spruce up your autumn wardrobe?
Get back to basics with our Value T-Shirt!
Enjoy a great look and fit at a reasonable price...ONLY $14.99 each!
Made of cool, midweight white 100% cotton perfect for casual wear with a letterman jacket, sport jacket, blazer, zip hoodie, or sweater!
PLUS: the shirts feature digitally-remastered full-color classic comic book and movie poster artwork (shot directly from the original comics and posters) UNAVAILABLE IN OTHER STORES!

Horror Comics of the 1950s Value T-Shirts

Crime & Punishment Value T-Shirts
(including Sherlock Holmes & John Dillinger)


True Love Comics Tales Value T-Shirts


Heroines Value T-Shirts


Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics Value T-Shirts


Western Comic Adventures Value T-Shirts

War: Past, Present & Future Value T-Shirts

Buy 'em! Trade 'em! Collect them ALL!
(Or at least one or two!)

Fantastic Femmes--Women of FlashForward

Gina Torres

Gabrielle Union

Lynn Whitfield

After last night's ep with both Gina Torres and Gabrielle Union, I couldn't resist the urge to do a page with all the Fantastic Femmes who've appeared on the series so far, along with links to their previous Atomic Kommie Comics™ blog entries!
You'll note we updated their entries to include the FlashForward credits. We'll be doing that for any Fantastic Femmes in the future (as we did with Ming-Na to reflect her role on the new StarGate Universe).

It appears all three actresses will be doing multiple guest appearances!
Now if only they'd do a scene together...