You've come to
Atomic Kommie Comics™ because you want something different (and reasonably-priced) for your kitch-loving Special Someone this Christmas!
What would
we suggest?
Within our
The Future WAS Fantastic!™ section are some of the niftiest sci-fi collectibles for the pop-culture fan, including
Space Cadet!
In the 1950s, the
Space Cadet series was to kids what
Power Rangers are now; an incredibly-popular saga of teenagers banded together, using advanced technology to protect humanity from evil!
The
24th Century-set series followed heroic stalwart Tom Corbett, logical
Venusian exchange student Astro, and cranky Roger Manning, during their
tenure at the Space Academy, before graduating to join the Solar Guard.
(Is it just me or does that sound a helluva lot like Kirk, Spock and McCoy in the recent
Star Trek prequel film detailing their StarFleet Academy days?)
Despite
the fact they were students, the trio (and assorted hangers-on)
constantly found themselves in the thick of danger, usually due to the
classic "we're the only ship in the area" plot device. (Geez this
DOES sound like
Star Trek!)
The
show was done live as 15-minute episodes, three days a week. Storylines
ran from a week (3-episodes) to a month (18-21 episodes).
Kids flocked home after school to watch
Space Cadet, wore
Space Cadet pajamas and costumes, and played with
Space Cadet toys! (Now
that sounds like
Power Rangers, doesn't it?)
Trivia:
Some of the concepts are similar to the 1948
Space Cadet
novel by Robert Heinlein, but the Joseph Lawrence-created series
concept predates the book by several years, with an unsold radio show
pilot and newspaper strip entitled "Tom Ranger and the Space Cadets"
circulated for sale to licensors in the mid-1940s. Though Heinlein never
officially contributed to the tv series, a number of concepts from his
novel found their way to the final aired version in 1950. (Think of the
way
Star Wars-like elements [like cute robots and space fightercraft] were added to
Buck Rogers when it was revived for tv in 1979!)
The show ran on
all
four tv networks during it's original run! In order: CBS (1950), ABC
(51-52), NBC (52-53), DuMont (the home of Captain Video, 53-54) and back
to NBC (54-55)!
The show's science advisor was Willy Ley, noted rocket scientist and author of the non-fiction book
Conquest of Space (basis of a classic George Pal movie)
Space Cadet
produced a dramatic radio spin-off, using the tv show actors, and
adapting existing tv show scripts. (Usually, it was the other way
around, with a radio show producing a tv show spin-off.)
There were also novels, comic books, a newspaper comic strip, and a couple of lp record albums featuring the show's cast in
new stories! And, they were one of the
first live-action tv shows to have their own View-Master 3-D reel sets!
We've brought back the teen hero and his buddies in our own
Space Cadet line of mugs, messenger bags, shirts and other goodies, all of which would make kool stocking stuffers or presents under the tree!
Plus: we've also done some toddler-level
Space Cadet stuff like bibs, onesies/creepers, infant t-shirts, and diaper bags!
Why should adults have all the fun?
This Christmas, let your loved ones enjoy a gift of the best of the future, produced in the past, and available now! (Wha???)
