You thought 1972's Stan Lee at Carnegie Hall event couldn't be topped for weirdness?
Well, this comes pretty damn close...
All I can say is "Excelsior!"
Monday, December 24, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
They are BIG Green Men from Mars with an even BIGGER robot!
Before Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, they were the ingredients for the weirdest Christmas movie ever!
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians was filmed in 1964 in that bastion of the cinema, Long Island (in an unused aircraft hangar).
Starring a host of tv and b-movie actors including handsome-but-stiff Leonard Hicks as the Martian Leader (and kids' father) Kimar, 60s villain/voiceover artist Vincent Beck (who did lots of work for Irwin Allen's sci-fi shows) as the film's mustache-twirling villain, Voldar, and John Call as a pretty damn convincing Santa Claus, the flick is touted as the debut of future talentless chantuse Pia Zadora as Martian Kid Girmar. Thankfully, she has rather limited screen time.
As an example of low-budget filmmaking, it's actually pretty effective.
Every penny (what few of them they had) is up on the screen.
They make good use of stock footage (from Dr. Strangelove, no less).
And the use of then-popular Wham-O Air Blaster toy guns as the Martian weapons was either a stroke of marketing genius or clever use of limited funds. Either way, sales of the guns shot thru the roof after the film hit the kiddie matinee circuit!
If you're between 3-9 years old, the flick's a lot of fun.
If you're between 10 and whatever the local drinking age is, it'll drive you nuts, especially the theme song!
If you're over the local drinking age, do so before watching! It's available on a host of public domain dvds as well as one of the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 snarkfests.
And you just knew we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ were going to include Santa Claus Conquers the Martians in our Cool Christmas collection on stuff including kid and adult sweatshirts and hoodies, mugs and coasters, tree ornaments, and greeting cards!
BTW: The image above is from the comic book tie-in, which you can read in three parts...
There was also a single of the theme, a spoken-word LP album of the movie's dialogue, and a novelization!
Now I can't get that damn theme our of my head..."Hoo-ray for Santy Claus..." AARRRGGGHHH!
An early Christmas gift from us to you:
The Mystery Science Theatre 3000 version of the film (don't tell Dr Forrester)...
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Holiday Reading Room: A CHRISTMAS CAROL "Stave Five"
Ebenezer Scrooge despised and loathed Christmas.
Not just the holiday, mind you, but also any and all who celebrated it!
But, thanks to what we today would call an "intervention" by the ghost of his business partner, Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning, profoundly changed...
Adapted by Doug Moench, based on the novella by Charles Dickens.
Credited to "Diverse Hands", the art styles I recognize include Bob
Hall, Frank Giacoia, Frank Springer, Dave Cockrum, Marie Severin,
Carmine Infantino, Steve Leialoha, John
Romita Sr, Al Milgrom, Mike Esposito, Tom Palmer, Ron Wilson, and probably anybody who wandered
into the Bullpen while this book was in production!
Support Small Business this Christmas!
Friday, December 21, 2012
Holiday Reading Room: A CHRISTMAS CAROL "Stave Four"
Thanks to the powers of the Ghost of Christmas Present, Ebenezer Scrooge witnesses how, despite unfortunate circumstances or lack of money, most people (including the family of his clerk Bob Cratchit) joyously celebrate the holiday.
Then, the specter disappears, leaving Scrooge on a fog-bound London street.
But the misanthropic miser is not alone...
Tomorrow:
(C'mon, it's a Marvel book!)
Adapted by Doug Moench, based on the novella by Charles Dickens.
Credited to "Diverse Hands", the art styles I recognize include Bob
Hall, Frank Giacoia, Frank Springer, Dave Cockrum, Marie Severin,
Carmine Infantino, Steve Leialoha, John
Romita Sr, Al Milgrom, Mike Esposito, Tom Palmer, Ron Wilson, and probably anybody who wandered
into the Bullpen while this book was in production!
Support Small Business this Christmas!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Holiday Reading Room: A CHRISTMAS CAROL "Stave Three"
Scrooge travelled through time with the Spirit of Christmas Past to relive Christmases from his childhood to the recent past.
Now as Ebenezer is safely ensconced back in bed, the clock chimes, and a second specter appears...
Tomorrow:
(C'mon, it's a Marvel book!)
Adapted by Doug Moench, based on the novella by Charles Dickens.
Credited to "Diverse Hands", the art styles I recognize include Bob
Hall, Frank Giacoia, Frank Springer, Dave Cockrum, Marie Severin,
Carmine Infantino, Steve Leialoha, John
Romita Sr, Al Milgrom, Mike Esposito, Tom Palmer, Ron Wilson, and probably anybody who wandered
into the Bullpen while this book was in production!
Support Small Business this Christmas!
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