Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Put Western Women under the Christmas Tree!

The tradition of Old West-themed Christmas presents dates back to the late 1800s, and was immortalized in the modern Xmas film A Christmas Story written (and narrated) by the late, great, Jean Shepherd.
Ralphie's quest for a Red Ryder BB Gun was mirrored by countless little boys (and probably more than a few girls) of the 1930s-1950s!
We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ believe the tradition should be upheld...but with a twist!
As part of our ongoing Christmas List of Pop Culture Stuff, we suggest...Women Outlaws, one of the coolest lines in our Western Comics Adventures™ section!
These AIN'T no ladies!
Think Barbara Stanwyck or Jane Russell in comic book form!
We're talkin' Horses! Leather! High-heeled boots! ShootOuts! Dominant females who don't take no sh!t! And...CatFights! Wah-HOO!
(And it's all rated PG-13 or PG!)
Besides the usual t-shirts, mugs, and other collectibles, these kool retro images also adorn women's duds! Jersey Tees, Spaghetti tanks! Thongs!
If women who can ride and shoot as well as any man ain't yer cup of prairie coffee, we also have Real-Life Westerners, Broncho Bill, The Cisco Kid & Pancho, Kid Cowboy, Masked Heroes, Native Americans, A Wealth of Westerners, and even Western Love!
Think of how they'll look under the Christmas Tree, especially with one of the books or dvds shown below! (And they're safer than a
Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle! You won't shoot your eye out!)

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Spend Christmas Protecting America in the Far Future with...SPACE CADET!

You've come here because you want something different (but 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 Tom Corbett Space Cadet tv 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 Space Academy, before graduating to join the Solar Guard. (Is it just me, or does that sound a helluva lot like the recent Star Trek reboot flick detailing the StarFleet Academy days of Kirk, Spock & McCoy?)
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 audio 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, especially combined with one or more of the books, dvds, or radio-show cds shown below!
Plus: we've also done some toddler-level Space Cadet stuff like bibs, onesies/creepers, infant t-shirts, and diaper bags in our G-Rated Tykes, Toddlers & Tiny Tots (and Their Mommies)!™ section!
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???)

Monday, December 13, 2010

Make it a Kick-Butt Christmas Day!

In our ongoing quest to suggest cool Christmas gifts for our faithful fans, we of Atomic Kommie Comics™ would like to direct you to, perhaps, the most unlikely of departments--Pop Art Martial Arts™
But, when you think about it, considering how Western-based, cops-and-robbers-oriented, and military-themed toys and gifts have been part of the Yuletide for generations (I'll never forget finding my first 11.5" GI Joe under the tree one Christmas morning!) it's only natural that martial arts-oriented gifts should also be part of the holiday season!
Beyond the fact that you can't shoot your eye out with a gi, (Note: Do NOT give ninja throwing stars to kids as a present!) all these themes are based on the concept of good triumphing over evil, protecting the helpless, and having fun doing it!
And, martial arts promote physical fitness! ;-)

We offer men's, women's, and kid's garb, as well as stuff to decorate your dojo.
And what a lineup...
The ORIGINAL StreetFighter!
and, for those who want a Power Rangers-style look with rubber-suited monsters aplenty...
Infra-Man!
And, if you combine one of our items with a related dvd (like those conveniently-listed below), you'll have the Ultimate  Gift Set for the kung-fu movie maven in your life!
So, make it a Merry, Martial-Arts Christmas!
Ho, Ho, Ho, Hiii-Yahh!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Return of the ORIGINAL FanBoy PLUS: Discount coupon!

The Boy with the Most Comic Books in America!
Nope, it ain't YOU, Bunkie!
It's Koppy McFad! (or at least it was in 1942!)
In one of the first comics metafictions, Koppy was a kid who read comics and then daydreamed about being a superhero himself, including interacting with other comics characters, who were fictional characters in his world, as well as real-life villains like Adolf Hitler!
Debuting in the back pages of Shadow Comics, he quickly transferred to Army & Navy Comics, becoming so popular that the book was retitled SuperSnipe Comics as of #6!
(In fact his appearance in Army & Navy Comics was so important, it featured the only time Doc Savage and The Shadow appeared together in a story before the 1990s!)
Not content to merely fantasize about heroics, McFad donned a red flannel union suit and attempted to crush evil in his neighborhood, usually with embarrassing (but humorous) results.
BTW, you'll note that Koppy didn't start wearing his red underwear until he gained his own title...
Ironically, he outlasted most of the superheroes who inspired him, ending his title's run in late 1949.
Curiously, his adventures haven't been reprinted, resulting in his comics being among the most expensive on eBay and other venues!
So we've brought him back on a new line of collectibles including t-shirts, mugs, iPhone cases, and a 12-month calendar!
Since 1949, a number of comics characters obesessed with comic books have appeared...
Some, like Captain Klutz, have worn red woolly underwear, but most, like Flaming Carrot and FanBoy, don't.
But all owe a debt to the first FanBoy...Koppy McFad!
What could be a better Christmas present for the fanboy (or fangirl) in your life than a kool SuperSnipe kollectible combined with one of the related books listed below for a fan-dream gift set?

Plus, we're offering a discount on any items (including SuperSnipe, natch) totaling $40 or more from the Atomic Kommie Comics™ store...
*Save $5 off orders of $40 or more, excluding shipping charges, gift wrap charges, applicable taxes and custom duties. Coupon code SEASON40 must be entered at check out. Promotion starts on December 9, 2010, at 12:01 a.m. (PST) and ends on December 12, 2010, at 11:59 p.m. (PST). Cannot be combined with any other coupons or promotions and may change, be modified or cancelled at anytime without notice.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Video Fridays: THE GREEN HORNET in "Corpse of the Year 1 & 2"

Continuing our weekly feature "Video Fridays"...
It's Hornet vs Hornet as an evil impostor with a duplicate Black Beauty (but no masked chauffeur) is wreaking havoc on the Daily Sentinel, attacking delivery trucks (killing a driver) and tossing a grenade into the paper's newsroom!
Who's behind it?
That's what Britt Reid has to discover before more people are injured or killed by this lethal "Green Hornet"!
The second two-part episode has lots of twists and turns as suspects are uncovered, revealed as red herrings, and then killed by the Hornet doppelganger!
Side Notes:
This is the second, and final, appearance of Barbara Babcock as Britt's on again-off again girlfriend, Elaine Carey, who previously appeared in "Frog is a Deadly Weapon".
There were two fully-functional Black Beauties built for the tv show. Both were used in the chase sequences. (Here's a link to a kool website detailing the history of the tv show autos.)
The clip provider has dropped the end credits of part one and the opening credits of part two, as well as the title cards for the second part to make the clips "flow" better as a story
BTW, I've noted the broken links in earlier blog entries due to removal of videos by YouTube.
I'll be editing in alternate links over the next week or so...
Here's the 18th and 19th episodes of The Green Hornet...