Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Can you fit a not-so-jolly Green Giant under your evergreen?

Pre-dating the "Ho-Ho-Ho-ing" frozen vegetable spokesman by over a decade, a radically-different, costumed, Green Giant appeared in (what else?) Pelican Publications' Green Giant Comics #1 (and only) in 1940!

The emerald hero was secretly Mr. Brentood (no first name given in the tale), who beat Marvel's Henry Pym at the size-changing game with a costume which enabled him to grow to between 15-150 feet (depending on who illustrated the story)!

Less than a dozen copies of this incredibly-rare comic, which was distributed only in the New York City area, and valued at several thousand dollars each, are thought to still exist!
But you, dear reader, can peruse his one (and only) story HERE!

Atomic Kommie Comics™ has incorporated him into the Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ line, in the Solo Heroes section, where characters with only one cover available to us (at the moment) go!
If you're looking for a retro-style Christmas gift for a Golden Age of Comics fan in your life, why not bundle one (or more) of our Green Giant goodies with the Project SuperPowers hardcover or trade paperback for a kool, kollectible present?
It's what I'd want, if I didn't already have it! (one of the few perks of working here) ;-)
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Friday, September 1, 2017

PLASTIC MAN "Plastic Man's Fantastic Old Man" Conclusion

...err..wait!
This cover scene does not appear in this story!
In fact, there's no simian of any sort in the story! 
Apparently, then-publisher (and cover penciler) Carmine Infantino's fetish for apes got the best of him!
Well, at least the captions are accurate!
This tale concerns the Silver Age Plastic Man's dad...the Golden Age Plastic Man!
Now in retirement, the older super-hero is about to lose his only source of income, his Plastic Acres retirement home to the notorious criminal King of Spades!
The two heroes and their sidekicks pose as a shiek and his entourage in order to catch the greedy King of Spades robbing them...
Oh, look!
Another ape (on the Jerry Lewis cover)!
Wow, they were everywhere in those days!
Though writer Arnold Drake would remain for the rest of the title's run, this was artist Win Mortimer's swan song as he went on to extended stays on both Legion of Super Heroes (in Adventure Comics and Action Comics) and Supergirl (in Adventure Comics, when Legion transferred over to Action Comics)!
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Featuring classic tales from each of his eras (Golden Age/Silver Age/Bronze Age)

Thursday, August 31, 2017

PLASTIC MAN "Plastic Man's Fantastic Old Man" Part 2

...it turns out the Silver Age Plastic Man is the son of the Golden Age Plastic Man, who now runs a retirement home!
BTW, I mentioned we did an editorial change to the art for this never-reprinted story by writer Arnold Drake and artist Win Mortimer.
Nobody posted what it was, so I'll tell you.
I photoshopped the Golden Age Plastic Man's legs back to their "bare flesh tone" color!
The published story had both the Silver Age and Golden Age PMs with the red leggings that defined the Silver Age version, which made it difficult to tell them apart in panels where they appeared together!
So for the sake of historical accuracy, I modified the pages.
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Featuring classic tales from each of his eras (Golden Age/Silver Age/Bronze Age)

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

PLASTIC MAN "Plastic Man's Fantastic Old Man" Part 1

...but this never-reprinted tale is the real deal, we pinky-swear it!
When DC bought the Quality Comics line in the mid-1950s, they kept four titles going...Blackhawk, G.I. Combat, Heart Throbs, and Robin Hood Tales.
The rest of the titles (and characters) were held in abeyance, and apparently forgotten about.
(I'm not sure if editor Julie Schwartz even remembered DC had the rights to Plastic Man when the Elongated Man was created in The Flash, then given his own strip in Detective Comics!)
When Plas was revived in 1966, many fans were disappointed that he wasn't Jack Cole's Golden Age version with sidekick Woozy Winks.
This tale by writer Arnold Drake and artist Win Mortimer from DC's Plastic Man #7 (1967) was meant as a tie-in to that version.
You'll note the older Plas has the angular, almost lupine look of the original version.
In addition, I've taken the liberty of making an editorial alteration throughout the tale to keep the Golden Age version "on model".
If you haven't already figured out what it is, you'll discover what it is...TOMORROW!
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Featuring classic tales from each of his eras (Golden Age/Silver Age/Bronze Age)

Monday, August 14, 2017

Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics vs HITLER!

It's a 12-month celebration of some of the greatest heroes of the Golden Age mocking and kicking Nazi butt...specifically the butt of the most infamous Nazi of all time...Adolf Hitler!
Here are 3 (out of 12) examples...
Here's the kool part!
You don't have to wait until 2018 to display this calendar!
You can start it at any month from September 2017 to January 2018 and still get 12 full months of kool super-hero vs Hitler action!
So if you want the calendar to show September 2017 to August 2018, you can do it!
If you want it to show the traditional January 2018 to December 2018 timeframe, you can do that!
The choice is yours!
Order now, and let your friends and family know where you stand...with all freedom-loving Americans!

Thursday, August 10, 2017

PLASTIC MAN "Three Faces of Plastic Man" Conclusion

...the evil Dr Dome has cloned his equally-evil daughter, Lynx, to question the three people who claim to have witnessed the origin of Plastic Man so that the villian can go back in time and prevent Plastic Man from gaining his powers!
Two Lynx have already heard wildly-different versions of the Ductile Detective's origin!
Now the last Lynx interviews Plas' best friend, Gordon Trueblood.
What a time in DC Comics history this was!
The same month in 1966 this tale ran in Plastic Man #2, the Silver Age Batgirl made her first appearance in Detective Comics #359!
In less-notable events, the premiere and origin of B'Wana Beast was published in Showcase #66 and the Blackhawks began their (thank God temporary) transition from aviator-adventurers to superhero-spies in Blackhawk #228!
You can read about the Blackhawks' ill-advised revamping HERE!
None of the tall tales in this issue was Plas' true origin, though the first one does have elements of the Golden Age hero's origin!
But this guy is not the Golden Age hero!
(Note Dr Dome's comment that Plas and he have been at odds for eight years!
The final issue of the Golden Age Plas' book had been published eight years earlier!)
Everything will become clear at the end of August as we present the never-reprinted Silver Age sequel tale that clears up the matter!

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Featuring classic tales from each of his eras (Golden Age/Silver Age/Bronze Age)

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

PLASTIC MAN "Three Faces of Plastic Man" Part 2

When Last We Left the Stretchable Sleuth...
...the evil Dr Dome has cloned his equally-evil daughter, Lynx, to question the three people who claim to have witnessed the origin of Plastic Man so that the villian can go back in time and prevent Plastic Man from gaining his powers!
(NOTE: May be NSFW due to a racial stereotype that persisted into the 1960s)
Be here tomorrow as we witness the final alleged origin of Plas!

Please Support Hero Histories
Visit Amazon and Order...
Featuring classic tales from each of his eras (Golden Age/Silver Age/Bronze Age)