"First Noel" or "First Nowell"?

Is it "Noel"...

...as most spell it these days?

From Dell's Santa Claus Funnies #1 (1942), illustrator unknown

Or is it...

..."Nowell", as seen in Dell's Four Color #91 (1945)?

Illustrated by Arthur E Jameson.

"Nowell" is the English (British) spelling...and the hymn is of British origin.

"Noel" is the French (and other Old Latin-based languages') spelling.

Presumably it became the standard when the hymn was used in hymnals (which used Old Latin verses for many songs, though I've never heard an Old Latin version of  "First Nowell") in the 18th Century.

Christmas at Ground Zero

At this time of year, Christmas carols are in continuous rotation in the Atomic Kommie Comics™ office.
One of our favorites is Christmas at Ground Zero by "Weird" Al Yankovic.
(You were expecting maybe Adeste Fidelis?)

Which brings us to, perhaps, the most unusual theme for potential Christmas presents (and, you gotta admit, we've had some real weirdies!)...atomic Armageddon!

Within our sci-fi-oriented The Future WAS Fantastic!™ section is the Atomic War line of kool collectibles with classic comic book covers from the fear-filled '50s, featuring the nuclear destruction of New York City (see above), Washington DC, and Moscow on black hoodies, sweats, and tees, as well as mugs and other tchochkies!

So for all you survivalists out there, while you duck n' cover under the Christmas tree, prepare for the irradiated end stylishly with our radiation-proof (not really!) garb and goodies!

Holiday Reading Room HUMBUG "Humbug Award: Fake Santa Clauses"

Remember yesterday's cute tale of multiple Santa Clauses by Walt Kelly?

...well, here's a far more cynical take on the matter, courtesy of artist Will Elder from the appropriately-titled Humbug #6 (1958)!

The writer is probably Elder or editorial staffers Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Davis, Al Jaffee, or Arnold Roth.

Any guesses?

Holiday Reading Room SANTA CLAUS FUNNIES "There's a Santa..."

Here's a kool one pager...

...written and illustrated by Walt (Pogo) Kelly from Dell's Four Color Comics #91 (1945) aka "Santa Claus Funnies"!

For the rest of the month, we'll be presenting various holiday-related items, some one or two-pagers like this, some longer stories.

Have a seat, get a mug of hot chocolate, and enjoy!

Put a Super Green Beret under Your Evergreen this Christmas!

Never failing to capitalize on a pop culture trend, several comics publishers, noticing the 60s popularity of the hit single Ballad of the Green Berets (by Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler & Robin Moore) quickly launched series featuring the elite Army unit.
Most were standard war comics, but one stood out from the rest for sheer weirdness...
What do you get when you combine...
1) Green Berets (and the VietNam War) with...
2) Teenagers...
and 3) SuperHeroes?
Why, SUPER GREEN BERET, of course!

Green Beret Roger Wilson saves a Vietnamese monk from a wild boar, and in return the grateful priest attaches a pin to his beret which makes it glow.
Home on leave, Roger gives the glowing beret to his teenage nephew Tod Holton, who discovers that, when he puts it on and salutes, he's transformed into a super-powered adult dressed in a soldier's uniform!
Using his new-found powers of teleportation, telepathy, telekinesis, transmutation, time travel, invulnerability, and super-strength, Tod decides to fight Enemies of Our Country, mostly in present-day Asia, but also the American Revolution and World War II, during his two-issue run!
Yes, it's as hokey as it sounds!

We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ felt that we couldn't let such an outrageous character and concept be forgotten, so, as part of our War: Past, Present, & Future™ line, we incorporated Super Green Beret as a light-hearted example of 1960s funkiness to contrast with the seriousness of the World War II and Korean Police Action material (plus we wanted an excuse to make some kool SGB collectibles for ourselves)!

So stick Super Green Beret under the tree or in a stocking for your loved one! It's the next best thing to an original 11.5" GI Joe! (And I should know, since I received one of the first Joes at Christmas, many years ago!)

FREE BONUS: An early Christmas present for you: a link to the never-reprinted origin of Super Green Beret!