Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Reading Room TWILIGHT ZONE "Calling..." & "Journeys into..."

Though the original Twilight Zone comic never adapted any of the TV episodes...
...it did use a stellar lineup of talent to craft some really good new stories as well as science featurettes like this George Evans-illustrated one from Dell's Four Color #1288 (1962)...
...and this Evans-penciled/Reed Crandall-inked piece from Dell's Four Color #1173 (1961).
Besides these talented guys, other artists on the early issues included Frank Frazetta, Mike Sekowsky, Frank Giacoia, Alex Toth, Frank Thorne, Don Heck, and Angelo Torres!
Though neither Dell nor Gold Key followed the Comics Code, they didn't allow the creatives to go back to the relatively-unrestrained horror material most of the artists (especially the EC alumni) had done previously!
Sadly, trademark and licensing constraints have prevented these stories from being reprinted, but you'll be seeing them re-pesented here and at our fellow RetroBlogs!
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...
(which is available in reprint, and features many of the same artists as the Twilight Zone comic)
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Monday, February 19, 2024

Monday Holiday Madness PRESIDENTS' DAY...the Holiday that Combines TWO Presidents' Birthdays!

Before they combined Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays into a "floating" holiday...
...Washington's Birthday was always celebrated each year on Feb 22nd...
...and Lincoln's Birthday was always on February 12th!
Why the change?
USA Today has an explanation HERE!
Since this is a comics blog, let's get back on-topic!
These two features appeared in a 1956 comic called "Every Day's a Holly Day"
(No, it's not a typo...as you can see!)
Why was it called that instead of "Every Day's a Holiday"?
Because it was given away to kids by grocers who sold Holly Sugar!
Illustrated by John Rosenberger, it's a unique pamphlet covering a number of American holidays, including Mothers' Day (though not Fathers' Day), Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and a couple of holidays we've largely abandoned...Pan-American Day and American Indian Day!
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Order...
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Black Angel vs the KKK!

Can this African-American/Native-American Aviatrix Take On the Klan?
You Bet Your A$$ She CAN!
Check her out on Monday, at

And Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics and Heroines!
Visit Amazon and Buy...
There's no English-Language hardcover/trade paperback edition...as of now!
and/or, you can buy...
(in French)
Paid Links
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Space...Hero?...Saturdays STRANGE JOURNEY "Captain Kiddeo Space Bum"

Is it humor?
Is it serious?
I can't decide...
...read the tale and judge for yourself!
The title is a variation of "Captain Video", a tv show which had been cancelled three years earlier when this never-reprinted tale appeared in Ajax-Farrell's Strange Journey #3 (1958).
Yet the story itself has nothing to do with Captain Video, not even as a spoof of it, like MAD's superb Captain Tvideo which you can read HERE!
The attempts at humor and wit are lacking in both, and the illustrations have none of the wonderful background detail (Called "chicken fat" by artist Will Elder) MAD's artists were famous for!
Plus, the art is so jammed-up, I have the impression the original (perhaps unpublished) story was longer, and re-edited to fit into the 5 page slot in an otherwise average sci-fi anthology.
We do know it's a product of the S M Iger Studio which packaged Ajax-Farrell's books, but not who the particular creatives were...
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday, February 16, 2024

Friday Fun THE VIDEO VERSIONS OF "ARENA"

"Arena" by Fredric Brown (See HERE and HERE) was adapted (sort of) twice for TV...
...first, in 1964, on The Outer Limits as "Fun and Games", starring Nick Adams.
There are a number of differences between the story and the episode, including a pair of new characters, a woman with a hidden past who works with the hero and a mate for the alien...whom the alien himself kills!
(Talk about "battle of the sexes)!
A year later the story was reused, on Classic Star Trek as "Arena"...
...except it wasn't...exactly.
Gene Roddenberry's right hand man, producer Gene Coon, had submitted a story about Capt. Kirk fighting an alien starship's commander in hand-to-claw combat to see whose ship would survive.
When the story was fact-checked, it was discovered that Coon had inadvertently-used numerous elements from Brown's story, which Gene had probably read years earlier!
Since the episode was already in the production cycle, "Arena" author Fredric Brown was contacted, and he agreed to allow "Arena" to be adapted again...not knowing the episode was already written.
Since the OL and ST episodes are sufficiently-different (and titled differently), many in the 1960s never realized...or noticed...the "Based on a story by Fredric Brown" credit!
Friday Fun Extra: Kirk (William Shatner) and the Gorn (not the stuntman from the 1960s!) meet again in hand-to-claw combat...
...to promote a video game based on the reboot Kelvin Universe Star Trek!
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Buy
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)