PixPost--Whitney Houston from 1985 to 2005

1985

Portrait 1985

American Music Association 1987

1988

Grammy 1988

1990

1993

1995

1996

Grammy 2000

2005

To celebrate the return of Fantastic Femme Whitney Houston and the debut of her new album I Look to You on Monday, August 31, we present our very first PixPost (a selection of pix covering a certain event or person)

Enjoy!

"...there are pictures for children who know how to look..."

--Fredric Wertham, M.D.
Seduction of the Innocent

...and it turns out, the whole controversy was a FAKE...from 2004!
Nothing EVER dies on the Internet, especially a lie!

Design of the Week--Space Ace

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...
Before Don Bluth appropriated the name for his video game, there were a couple of totally different Space Aces in the Golden Age of Comics!
This particular one was a Flash Gordon-type set in the then-distant future year of 2000, complete with one-man spacecraft, moving sidewalks, flying cars, mile-high skyscrapers, human colonies on other worlds, etc.! (You remember all that stuff, don't you?)
And, of course, aliens!
LOTS of aliens!

One of the interesting things about this image is that it doesn't feature a scantily-clad woman being held captive by the tentacled alien, making it particularly age-appropriate (but still retro-kool) for under-10 year-old kids' (pre-K / 4th Grade) back-to-school stuff!
Enjoy!

Monster of Frankenstein LogoWear

I walked into a Dollar Store today and noticed that they had a Halloween display up!
On August 26th!

Considering the lead-in time needed to get some of my products produced, perhaps it'd be wise to start reminding you NOW about the kool-ghoul kollectibles we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ offer to enhance your Halloween experience!

First up, a brand new line of items utilizing the classic Monster of Frankenstein logo from the Golden Age comic book by Dick Briefer.
T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies (light & dark), mugs, reusable trick-or-treat bags, and other grotesque goodies for the young or old monster in your life!

We also have lots of other Monster of Frankenstein stuff as part of our Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ collectibles line, including a nifty Monster of Frankenstein Icon line with a startling silhouetted close-up image of the Monster sans lettering!

It's never too soon to prepare for the horrors of October!
Order NOW...before it's too late!

Doctor Who--Five Doctors Special Edition

I've had a VHS of the 90-minute special Doctor Who "The Five Doctors" for over a decade and I've played it a number of times both for friends at get-togethers and myself, when I got the urge.
(FYI, my favorite Doctor of all time is Jon Pertwee (Doctor 3) who plays a key role in the special.)
I've just acquired a slew of used Doctor Who dvds, both Region 1 (US) and Region 2 (UK) including the one shown above, the first Region 2 release of the "Five Doctors" Special Edition (with enhanced sfx, missing scenes, etc.)
I'm going to sit down this weekend and compare it with the "original" VHS version, then let you know how it goes...

Miss Masque aka Masquerade, now one of the "Scarlet Sisters"

Debuting in Exciting Comics #51, Miss Masque was another of the line of rich socialites-turned-masked crimefighters in the Golden Age which included The Shadow, The Batman, and The Green Hornet!
Diana Adams had no superpowers or abilities, just her keen deductive mind and a pair of .45 automatics.
And, unlike her male contemporaries, she didn't have a sidekick or aides!
Clad in bright red cape, mini-dress, gloves, and slouch hat, she pursued criminals and saboteurs thru several issues of Exciting Comics, appearing on the cover only once (#53) during her run, before transferring over to America's Best Comics, where she teamed up (on the covers) with other heroes, most notably The Black Terror, even though they didn't appear together inside the comic! (They all had separate strips!)
Also, she seemed to lose parts of her wardrobe when she changed homes, as her fedora disappeared along with the midriff of her costume (see below), making her predate the trailer-trash look of Britney Spears by decades!
(Maybe it was her summer ensemble!)
When superheroes faded away after the end of World War II, so did Miss Masque.
Since the 1990s, she's been revived by several publishers, most notably, by writer Alan Moore of Watchmen fame in DC Comics' America's Best Comics imprint (ironic, eh?), and artist Alex Ross in Dynamite Entertainment's Project SuperPowers series as well as a mini-series under her new code-name of Masquerade, and as a member of The Scarlet Sisters super-team along with red-clad characters Lady Satan and The Woman in Red cover-featured together on the upcoming Project SuperPowers V2 #4!

We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ have also "revived" Miss Masque / Masquerade by digitally-restoring and remastering several of her best Golden Age cover appearances (including her first) on a line of t-shirts, mugs, and even calendars as part of our Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ line of kool kollectibles!

She was a woman ahead of her time...but her time has finally come!

PS: Pick up the Project SuperPowers and Masquerade comics!
They're the best Golden Age revival books out there!

Captain Science: Hero of Nerds & Geeks (including us) everywhere!

We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ are major fans of the tv series The Big Bang Theory.
Sheldon, Leonard, and their associates speak to us as fellow geeks, pardon me, pop culture aficionados.

But what we want to know is...why don't they dress the part?

Sheldon wears Green Lantern t-shirts.
GREEN LANTERN!
Now consider the Earthmen who have worn the particular insignia of the intergalactic police corps that Sheldon wears...
A jock test pilot!
A psychotic social worker/teacher!
An architect/ex-marine!
Note: the newest GL, comic book artist Kyle Rayner wears a variation of the insignia Sheldon wears, and is not included. Ironically, of all the Silver/Bronze/Current GLs, he's the GL Sheldon SHOULD be wearing!)

You'd think Sheldon would wear The Batman, the thinking-man's hero, the man with NO powers who can defeat even Superman!
Or the Golden Age Green Lantern, a radio technologist-turned media mogul (what a role model!)

But, if he'd really want to "go geek", he should go...
CAPTAIN SCIENCE (part of our O Captain, My Captain: Captains of the Cosmos™ line)!
After all, is he not Master of Technology™?
Does he not utilize his knowledge to triumph over bigger, stronger, foes?
Does he not have both a cool name and logo?
And he has a very retro look popular among us ner--I mean pop culture aficionados!
C'mon Big Bang crew, let Sheldon's true nerd shine thru!
Show him wearing CAPTAIN SCIENCE, the clothing line he was born to wear!

Fantastic Femmes--Christina Milian

Christina Flores is a beautiful award-winning multi-talented singer, actress, dancer, songwriter, album producer, and model / spokesperson.
Never heard of her?
Yes, you have...under her stage name "Christina Milian"!
Currently appearing in the new film Bring It On: Fight to the Finish, it's hard to figure when she has the time to do all she does and also eat, sleep, and, occasionally, relax!
And, almost half her acting credits are genre projects!

Genre appearances include...

Ghosts of GirlFriends Past (Keelia)
Need for Speed: Undercover [VG] Carmen Mendez)
Def Jam Vendetta [VG] (Angela)
Smallville "Action" (Rachel Davenport "Warrior Angel")
Torque (Nina)
Be Cool (Linda Moon)
Pulse (Isabelle "Izzie" Fuentes)
SnowGlobe (Angela)
Charmed "Wendigo" (Teri Lane)
Check out...
Christina's Blog
Christina's MySpace Page

The Courageous Captain!

A plethora of patriotic super-heroes POW! THWOCK! and BIFF!ed their way into the pages of Golden Age comic books, usually clad in red, white, and blue garb.
A number of them were either assisted by an embodiment of an element of "American Spirit" (like Fighting Yank) or were themselves the actual embodiment of a "Spirit of Freedom", like Uncle Sam!
Captain Courageous was one of the latter.
He had no secret identity, and tended to appear when brave Americans were in perilous situations requiring almost divine intervention, disappearing after the threat was disposed of.
His powers were never clearly defined, and seemed almost limitless, including flight, super-strength and limited invulnerabilty, although he could be captured or knocked-out as the plot required.
(In addition, his costume went thru a number of variations in design and color, which could be attributed to different people perceiving him differently, but was more likely just mistakes by the variety of artists who drew and colored him!)

The Captain debuted in Banner Comics #3 and took over the title as of #6.
(There was no #7, so maybe renaming the book for him wasn't the best possible move.)
Instead he moved into the anthology Four Favorites from #5 on to #29, when the comic dropped superheroes in favor of humor features.

As you might have guessed, Alex Ross has included him in the assortment of characters revived in the new Project SuperPowers universe, this time as part of the "Super-MysteryMen" team made up of other characters from his original publisher, Ace Comics!

We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ have revived Captain Courageous, as part of our Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ line, with two covers (including the single issue of his own title) on t-shirts, messenger bags, mugs and other kool kollectibles!

Remember, Captain America ain't the only star-spangled captain in comics!

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!

Design of the Week--Cosmo Cat!

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...
A perfect back-to-school design featuring a classic animation-style funny animal who's also a sci-fi super-hero!
Behold...Cosmo Cat!
Available both on high-end organic cotton clothing from American Apparel and our usual high-quality (but less pricey) line of garb and goodies!

Grab him while you can!
He'll only be in orbit for a week!

Guess the connection between these two Lost Heroes!

Besides the fact that both can fly!

Answer: they're both jet-propelled!

(Air-Man's wings are balloons!
They don't flap like Hawkman, Birdman, or other avian-themed characters!)

When ornithologist Claude Stevens was brutally murdered by criminals with an unbreakable alibi, his son Drake decided to avenge him by becoming a masked vigilante.
Using a jet-pack of his own design along with wing-shaped balloons for maneuverability and lift, Drake created an appropriately bird-themed secret identity as Air-Man to work outside the law for justice!
Air-Man caught the murderers, and decided to continue battling evil wherever he found it in the pages of Keen Detective Funnies and Detective Eye Comics!

On the other hand, Cal Martin and Doris Dalton were scientists who used their jet-packs as RocketMan and Rocket Girl almost on a whim, and found they enjoyed crimefighting, so they kept at it for several years!
They appeared in the back pages of the entire run of Scoop Comics, but never made the cover spot!
When Scoop was cancelled, they moved to Punch Comics where Rocket Girl finally got a solo cover, but RocketMan never did!
When their publisher went out of business, another company picked up the rights but re-named them Zip-Jets, since the abandoned "RocketMan" trademark had been taken over by Republic Pictures for their otherwise unrelated leather-jacketed flying serial hero!
Two issues of Zip-Jet, reprinting their Scoop & Punch stories came out before their new publisher also went kaput!
The duo made a final appearance in a one-shot titled Atomic Comics, but whether it was new or reprinted material is unknown, since the issue we scanned for our kool kollectibles was slabbed! ;-(

All three characters have re-appeared in minor roles in Alex Ross' Project SuperPowers, with hints of bigger things to come!

We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ have revived both Air-Man (both Keen Detective Funnies appearances) AND literally ALL RocketMan & Rocket Girl aka the Zip-Jets cover appearances, as part of our Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ line, on t-shirts, messenger bags, mugs and other kool kollectibles!

So, next time someone says "Look, up in the sky...", it might not be who you think...

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!

"Back to School" with "Back to the Past"!

Traditional values!
That's what we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ espouse!
And with our G-Rated Tykes, Toddlers & Tiny Tots (and Their Mommies)!™ section, we restore the classic animated cartoon/comic book style that Disney, Warner Brothers, the Fleischer Brothers, and others in the 30s, 40s, and 50s did so wonderfully, to a new line of kiddie clothes and accessories!
Funny animals (including SuperDuper Mouse, Cosmo Cat & SuperDuper Cat), clowns, cowboys, spacemen, and much more in the retro style your parents and grandparents wore when they were little!

Available on
Organic Clothing from American Apparel
Bibs
Onesies / Creepers / Infant BodySuits
Infant / Toddler T-shirts
Kids' T-Shirts
Diaper Bags / SchoolBags
Shopping / Tote Bags
Nursery / Kids' BedRoom Clocks
Mugs
MousePads
Nursery / Kids' BedRoom Calendars
Refrigerator / BedRoom Magnets

Add something that SCREAMS "cute" to your child's back-to-school wardrobe and accessories!

And, if you do pick up one of our items, take a picture of your tyke wearing or playing with it, and we'll post it here on the blog!

Fantastic Femmes--Mýa

Some people are "triple-threat" talents.
Some are even "quadruple-threat" talents.
But the only word to describe Mýa Marie Harrison is "multi-threat"
Multiple-award-winning singer!
Songwriter!
Dancer!
Actress!
Model / spokesperson!
Album producer!
In addition, Mýa's done quite a bit for various worthy causes including gay rights, victims of domestic violence, and fighting breast cancer.
And now, she's been named as one of the competitors (and likely winner) on Dancing With the Stars!
A fantastic femme, indeed!

Genre appearances include...
Disciple (Female Lead)
(Filming hasn't started yet, and no details are available)
Cursed (Jenny Hicks)
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing [VG] (Mya Starling)
NCIS "Pop Life" (Samantha King / Jade King)
In Too Deep (Loretta)
Fat Albert (performer: "Not Gonna Drop")
Haunted "Abby" (Voodoo Priestess)
Atlantis: the Lost Empire (performer: "Where the Dream Takes You")
Volcano High (Yu Cha-i)

Check out...
MyaMya (Official Site)
Mya Arts & Tech Foundation (Her non-profit organization)
MyaHarrison.net (FanSite)
LoveMya.com (FanSite)

Happy 40th, Woodstock Aquarian Exposition!

It was 40 years ago today (and yesterday, and tomorrow)...

The ORIGINAL Nature Boy!

Long before pro wrestler Ric Flair usurped the name, "Nature Boy" stood for truth, justice, and ancient gods (Huh?)
Rich teenager David Crandall was yachting with his parents when a storm sank the boat and David was stranded!
Rescued by "gods" who control various aspects of nature, he is given a portion of each of their powers...
Neptune--water
Gusto--wind
Furo--fire
Eartha--earth
Electra--lightning
Allura--love
Azura--skies
Friga--cold
(Yeah, I know a couple of them overlap, and only one was an actual mythological god, but why quibble?)
David used his new powers to return home and reunite with his still-alive family.
He also decided to battle evil in various forms as Nature Boy, since he controlled the forces of nature, and the gods gave him a spiffy new outfit to show off!
He only had three issues of his own title (which started with #3) before he disappeared from the comics scene..until now!
But, within those three issues, the seeds were planted for an entire superfamily of Nature-heroes including Nature Man (an adult version of the hero from the future) and female counterpart Nature Girl.
This isn't surprising, since he was created by Jerry Siegel (co-creator of Superman) who knew a thing or two about that sort of thing.
To add to his hero cred, Nature Boy was drawn by John Buscema who later did Conan, Avengers, and damn near everything at Marvel in the 70s thru the 90s, so even if the stories were a bit silly, they looked damn good!

Technically, Nature Boy should be considered one of the first Silver Age heroes as his premiere was in 1956, just a couple of months before The Flash re-emerged in Showcase #4, but, like Captain Flash, and even the Martian Manhunter, he's thought to be one of the last Golden Age characters instead!
On that basis, we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ have revived Nature Boy as part of our Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ line, on t-shirts, messenger bags, mugs and other kool kollectibles!
It's unlikely that Alex Ross will include him in Project SuperPowers, but we felt he was worth re-presenting to the comics world, even if it's just on tchochkies!
He was one of the last, but hardly one of the worst...

The Cartoon Book WITHOUT Cartoons!

"...except we won't show you the cartoons!"

"Freedom of speech is at stake here, don't you all see?
If anything, we should ALL make cartoons of Muhammad, and show the terrorists and the extremists that we are all united in the belief that every person has a right to say what they want!
Look, people, it's... been real easy for us to stand up for free speech lately!
For the past few decades we haven't had to risk anything to defend it.
But those times are going to come!
And one of those times is right now!
And if WE... aren't willing to RISK... what we have, then we just believe in free speech, but we don't defend it."
Chris in South Park "Cartoon Wars"

It's a sad world where a cartoon character has more sense and courage than John Donatich, the director of Yale University Press, publishers of an upcoming book by a noted authority on Islam about the Muhammad editorial cartoons published in a Danish newspaper in 2005, and the ensuing controversy (to put it mildly)!

The book, The Cartoons that Shook the World!, will NOT contain the cartoons themselves!

It's like doing a book analyzing the classic comic strip Peanuts, but not using a single illustration of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, or any of the characters, or reprinting any of the strips!
Instead the author would just describe them in the text!

In addition, Yale removed all the other Muhammad images included in the book as comparisons, including centuries-old fine art published in encyclopedias and currently on exhibit in noted museums!

Needless to say, author Jytte Klausen is pissed!
She said “Muslim friends, leaders and activists thought that the incident was misunderstood, so the cartoons needed to be reprinted so we could have a discussion about it.”
Makes sense, right?

Donatich is quoted as saying the reason NOT to print the cartoons in the reference book was “when it came between that and blood on my hands, there was no question.”
What the hell is he talking about?
There has been no outcry about the book's impending publication, despite the fact that it was originally announced last year!
No death threats!
No fatwahs!
So, what is Donatich afraid of?
Is he buying into the stereotype of Muslims being fanatics who would kill him for publishing this book?
An academic who believes in ethnic stereotypes?
Now THAT'S scary!

Design of the Week--The War that Will NEVER Happen...

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...
You can look good while you duck-and-cover with our kool, retro (but not radiation-proof) World War III kollectibles showing a possible future nuking of the Capital building in Washington DC by an unnamed foreign power!
This 1950s one-shot comic detailed the possible events leading up to the Final War and how, thru constant vigilance against the Commie Threat, we average American citizens can thwart it!

Then, it was the U.S.S.R., since North Korea had no nuclear weapons.
Today, the U.S.S.R. is gone, replaced by the less-dangerous Russia.
However, a Communist nuclear threat remains...but now it's North Korea!
The more things change, the more they stay the same (sort of).

Fantastic Femmes--Alexa Vega

Note: this page has been updated with NEW info HERE!

Currently starring as the title character in the tv series Ruby & the Rockits, Alexa Ellesse Vega was a child star, making her debut in the movie Little Giants and tv series Evening Shade at age 6 and hasn't stopped working since!
Trivia: Utilizing her training in gymnastics, she performed most of her character's stunts in the Spy Kids films.
Alexa was going to play Stacey Thompson in Shorts (directed by Spy Kids writer/director Robert Rodriguez), but had to drop it due to a scheduling conflict.
She's performed songs on three soundtracks for films she's been in: Spy Kids 2, Spy Kids 3-D, and Repo (all genre films!)
Alexa made her Broadway debut in 2007 in Hairspray!Genre appearances include...
The Mine (Sharon)
Repo! the Genetic Opera (Shilo Wallace)
Spy Kids / Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams / Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
(Carmen Cortez)
NetForce (Susie Michaels)
Dennis the Menace Strikes Again (Gina Gillotti)
Shattered Mind aka Terror Inside (Sarah)

Check out...
Alexa's MySpace page
Alexa Forever (FanPage)Other actresses to play Gina Gillotti include...
Katie Leigh in All-New Dennis the Menace

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.

Design of the Week: Bella Vita

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...
Roy Lichtenstein-style pop art illustration I did for Bella Vita Salon / Day Spa.
It's kicky retro graphic fun with Ben-Day dots galore!
Perfect for beachwear or hanging around the mall!

Fantastic Femmes--Natalie Morales

Not to be confused with the network news reporter, Natalie Morales is an enigma surrounded by mystery!
After only two previous appearances we can trace, (as well as an unaired pilot she produced as well as starrred in) she won the co-starring role in the genre tv series The MiddleMan!
Since it's unfortunate (and IMHO premature) demise, she's done several projects, none of which have aired or screened yet.
Natalie's beautiful, a talented performer who does drama, comedy and action well, and can even handle production duties!
Why aren't Hollywood decision makers beating a path to her door?
It's a mystery!
UpDate: She's now a regular on the USA Network genre series White Collar!

Genre appearances include...
White Collar (Lauren Cruz)
MiddleMan (Wendy Watson)
Pimp My Ride [VG] (Aiyana)
CSI Miami "DarkRoom" (Ana Boa Vista)
Check out...
Biography on the Official MiddleMan site
Another mystery...why aren't there sites dedicated to her???

Woodstock 40th Anniversary T-shirts & Collectibles

BlackLite-Style Poster Store 1
BlackLite-Style Poster Store 2
BlackLite-Style Poster Store 3

BodyPainted Reveller Store 1
BodyPainted Reveller Store 2

ORIGINAL Aquarian Exposition Poster Store 1
ORIGINAL Aquarian Exposition Poster Store 2
ORIGINAL Aquarian Exposition Poster Store 3

Does Your Daughter Need a SuperHeroine?

That's what Peggy Orenstein asks in a recent Sunday NY Times article.
While searching for a fantasy role model for her 6-year old daughter, she bemoans the fact that today's super women are "more mammary than muscle", and that (except for Wonder Woman), most are just female variations of more-popular heroes (SuperGirl, BatGirl & BatWoman, Spider-Girl, She-Hulk, etc.)

Luckily for Ms. Ornstein, we have an alternative for her...cool clothing & collectibles featuring empowered heroines who aren't femme versions of established heroes, and aren't built like inflatable adult toys...

Jane Arden: Crime Reporter
Don't call her "GIRL Reporter"!™

Cave Girl
Princess of the Jungle™

Jet Dream & Her StuntGirl CounterSpies
GlobeTrotting Grrrls™

Friday Foster
The FIRST Black Comic Heroine!™

Miss Fury
Terror of the UnderWorld™

Miss Cairo Jones
First Female Detective in Comics™
Miss Masque
(aka Masquerade)
The Dominoed Dare-Doll™

Miss Victory
One of the FIRST Patriotic Heroines!

Molly O'Day: Super-Sleuth
Determined! Dangerous! Deadly! O'Day!™

Annie Oakley
The Real-Life Western Heroine!™
Does she remind YOU of Hillary Clinton?

Phantom Lady
Mistress of Darkness™

Tiger Girl
Queen of the Urban Jungle™

UnderCover Girl
The Heroine ANY Girl can be!™

Just the things for girls and grrrls from 6 to 60!

Son of SuperPowers Sunday!

For the next few Sundays, we're going to 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...
Amazing-Man
The Arrow
The Black Terror & Tim
The Blue Bolt
Captain Battle & Capt Battle Jr
DareDevil
(aka Death-Defying 'Devil
& Dynamic DareDevil)
The Green Mask & Domino
PyroMan
Sub-Zero Man
U.S. Jones
at
Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™!
Unfortunately, we've been unable to find solo cover appearances for either The Liberator or Vulcan.
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!

Sorceress of Zoom--Villain or Heroine?

One of a number of comics anti-heroes who at times helped humanity and other times opposed it (best typified by Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner), The Sorceress of Zoom was the immortal ruler of an other-dimensional city which popped into our universe from time to time.
The Sorceress (she never had any other name) was not evil, but simply thought humanity was inferior and should be ruled by her as were the creatures she created to populate Zoom after all the original inhabitants, except her, died!
When two average everyday people named Tom and Janice inadvertently became involved in her affairs, her attitude slowly shifted from arrogant superiority to arrogant benevolence as she decided not to rule the Earth, but help against the greater threat of the real-life Axis.

Credited to the nom-de-plume "Sandra Swift", The Sorceress' adventures were drawn (and probably written) by Don Rico, a prolific creator of the '40s and early '50s with credits at almost every comics company including Timely (later Marvel).
She had her own feature in Weird Comics for it's entire 20-issue run, but only made the cover once, on issue #4.
While she hasn't appeared in the Project SuperPowers Universe as of yet, it seems inevitable that Alex Ross won't let a character with such potential go un-utilized for long!

We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ are already utilizing The Sorceress as part of our Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ line, with her only cover appearance on t-shirts, messenger bags, mugs and other kool kollectibles!

So, if you're looking for pop-culture collectibles featuring a powerful woman who doesn't take s**t from anyone, check out The Sorceress of Zoom!
Now!

Dante's Inferno

Youse tink just because we're pop culture aficionados, we ain't got no class?
Youse tink just because we're inta video games, that we're uncouth?
Hell, we got couth comin' out the wazoo, pal!
Youse want proof?
Look here!
We have whatcha call your classic Dante Alighieri image right outta da Middle Ages (like around 1900 or so)
And, it was originally cigar box label art, so you know it's classy! Not like a cigarette package! (Cartoon camels? Gimme a break...)

Now, Dante was one of the greatest writers of all time!
He wrote BOOKS, some of 'em witout pictures, even!
He wrote The Divine Comedy (I ain't sure why he called it dat, 'cause it sure ain't funny!), which described what Hell would be like (sorta like Staten Island witout da cute chicks you see on da ferry dat never talk to ya!)
And now it's being made into both a video game and an animated flick!
Dey don't do dat for just ANY book, youse know!

So pick up a t-shirt or mug wit Dante's mug on it!
Impress da ladies!

Design of the Week--the ORIGINAL Woodstock Poster!

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...
40 years ago, the ULTIMATE folk / rock music festival almost wasn't held in a field in upstate New York!
Subtitled "The Aquarian Exposition", it featured a one-time ONLY lineup of most of the greatest solo performers & groups of the era, including (incomplete list):

Richie Havens
Ravi Shankar (father of Norah Jones)
Melanie
Arlo Guthrie
Joan Baez
John Sebastian
Santana
Canned Heat
Grateful Dead
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Sly & the Family Stone
Janis Joplin & the Kozmic Blues Band
The Who
Jefferson Airplane
Joe Cocker
Country Joe & the Fish
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Sha-Na-Na
Jimi Hendrix

Amazing, eh?
Besides various live celebration performances commemorating the event, there's a new film about how the festival came to be--Taking Woodstock!
Over the next few weeks, Design of the Week will be hosting various Woodstock-related designs, just in time for you to go "secret chic"!
Here's the ORIGINAL poster for the festival, listing the original location, Wallkill, New York!
When the permits process fell through, the party was moved to Bethel, but the original artist was unavailable to do a revised poster, so an entirely new one was quickly created! (That's the iconic bird-guitar-hand image you're seeing everywhere now!)
The original poster was forgotten by history...until now!
We scanned one of those hard-to-find original posters and digitally-remastered it for your nostalgic pleasure!
Enjoy!
Peace!
Love!