Monday, December 5, 2016

"The Cisco Kid was a Friend of Mine..."

The Cisco Kid was the first Hispanic multi-media superstar, featured in books, movies, radio, comic books, newspaper strips, and eventually, television, predating Zorro in each media (except Zorro never had a radio show)!

As created by legendary writer O Henry, in the short story "The Caballero's Way" in 1907. the Kid was neither Hispanic nor a hero!
A 1914 silent movie of "The Caballero's Way" altered the character to the version that's became famous...a wandering hero, called "The Robin Hood of the Old West", who, with his sidekick, righted wrongs without killing (but with lots and LOTS of shooting) just like the Lone Ranger!
Over two dozen more films followed, as well as a long-running radio series, a newspaper strip, several comic book series, and a 156-episode tv show famous for being the FIRST American tv series filmed in color!
Some of the films and tv series episodes are on dvd.
Note that not all dvds have color tv episodes, some have have b/w versions!
(All the movies were b/w!)
In the 1990s, Jimmy Smits and Cheech Marin starred in a very well-done tv-movie pilot for a new series that, unfortunately, wasn't picked up (but is available on dvd).
But, there's talk of a new big-budget film version of the character sometime in the next couple of years!

Just in time for Christmas, we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ are proud to reintroduce the classic Western character to a new audience in our Western Comic Adventures™ line.
Just go to The Cisco Kid & Pancho for a look at 6 different designs, including his 1st comic appearance on t-shirts, mugs, messenger bags and other goodies including a kool 2017 12-month calendar!
They'll have you going "Oh, Cisco!" "Oh, Pancho!" just like Duncan Renaldo & Leo Carrillo did in the classic tv series!

Feliz Navidad, amigos!

For our faithful fans...a FREE early Christmas present...over 80 episodes of the radio show!

Monday, October 24, 2016

Countdown to Halloween 2016: ORIGINAL GHOST RIDER "Beautiful Witch"

...we're going with a confusing Dick Ayers-illustrated cover that intros us to a never-reprinted tale...
Like most of the Ghost Rider-starring tales, this one from Magazine Enterprises' Ghost Rider #11 (1953) features both a hero and villains pretending to be supernatural beings.
(This one did feature real zombies, and the retelling of his origin featured the ghosts of famous Westerners...who weren't in the first version!)
Ironically, the backup "Tales of the Ghost Rider" feature almost always featured supernatural events!
Illustrated by Dick Ayers and Ernie Bache, the writer, unfortunately, is unknown.
We hope you've enjoyed our posts for the Countdown to Halloween 2016 Blogathon and hope you'll come back to visit as we return to monthly posting.
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Monday, October 17, 2016

Countdown to Halloween 2016: MASKED MARVEL "Phantom Devils of Lorado"

He's the masked Western hero who looks like a Dia de Muertos sugar skull come to life...
...battling threats both supernatural and simply criminal!
It's too bad the writer and artist of this never-reprinted tale from Youthful's Gunsmoke #14 (1951) are unknown, because there are some kool narrative tricks and page layouts (particularly pages 3 & 4) that wouldn't be out-of place today!
The Masked Marvel appeared in the entire 16-issue run of GunSmoke, but he never had the cover slot, except in the background of one cover as a "Wanted" poster on a wall!

Trivia: This Masked Marvel was the fourth hero to have the name, but only the third comic book character!
The first was a Golden Age masked mystery-man in Centaur's Keen Detective Funnies as well as his own short-lived title.
The second was another mystery-man who battled Prize Comics' Frankenstein Monster in several stories before disappearing.
The third was a Republic Pictures 1943 movie serial hero with the gimmick that the audience didn't know which of several good-guys he was...though the audience knew from the beginning who the villain was.
(Usually, a serial audience had to figure out which of several potentially-evil suspects was the mystery villain!)
BTW, you can read the other Masked Marvel tales we've presented HERE.

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Monday, October 10, 2016

Countdown to Halloween 2016: ORIGINAL GHOST RIDER "Devil Deals in Death!"

...set in the same fictional universe.
This week, the title character himself takes the reins...
As in most cases, there's no actual supernatural element in the tale, just bad guys (and the Ghost Rider) using the technology of the time to simulate magical events!
This particular tale from Magazine Enterprises' Ghost Rider #12 (1953) is one of several to feature Satan/Devil/Lucifer impersonators, but the only one to feature a one-eyed Devil!
It's an extremely-impractical disguise for anyone to use, since the "eye" in the mask itself isn't useable to see out of, nor is it likely to look realistic enough to fool anyone!
Did artists Dick Ayers and Ernie Bache or the unknown writer just do it to make this impersonator visually-distinctive?
We'll never know...
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Monday, October 3, 2016

Countdown to Halloween 2016: GHOST RIDER "Tales of the Ghost Rider: Tortures of the Damned"

Welcome to our weekly contribution to Countdown to Halloween 2016...
...a never-reprinted tale from Magazine Enterprises' Ghost Rider #11 (1953)!
Penciled by Ghost Rider co-creator Dick Ayers and inked by his cousin, Ernie Bache, this story plays with the "is it only a dream?" trope to good effect.
Sadly, the writer is unknown...
Ironically, most of these "Tales of the Ghost Rider", relating non-Rider Western ghost stories, had actual supernatural elements, while only a few of the Ghost Rider stories did!
They tended to feature criminals pretending to be supernatural beings...just like the Ghost Rider himself!
Note: the first version of the Rider's origin had no mystical aspects as shown HERE.
But the revised version from the premiere issue of his own book did introduce supernatural elements as shown HERE!
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Friday, August 26, 2016

WESTERN TALES: DAVY CROCKETT "King Ram!"

Our final Davy Crockett story doesn't feature a "bad guy"...
...but there's still action aplenty and it even has a lesson at the end!
Would this make Davy Crockett one of the first enviromentalists?
This never-reprinted story from Harvey's Western Tales #32 (1955) was penciled and inked by Jack Kirby, a rarity since he usually didn't have time to ink his own work!
The writer is unknown, but could be either Kirby or partner Joe Simon.
We hope you've enjoyed our re-presentation of these long-unseen tales, and promise wel'' be back on a monthly (if not more frequent) schedule starting in September.
Happy Trails to you, until we meet again!
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Davy Crocket: the Complete Television Series

Thursday, August 25, 2016

WESTERN TALES: DAVY CROCKETT "Running Fight"

While comics have shown us numerous meetings of legendary characters...
...it's not often they show us a meeting of real-life legends...even if the enounter is entirely fictional!
Andrew Jackson and Davy Crockett did meet in real life, when then-Congressman Crockett helped foil an assassination plot against then-President Jackson!
You can read about it HERE!
This never-reprinted story from Harvey's Western Tales #32 (1955) was penciled and inked by Jack Kirby, a rarity since he usually didn't have time to ink his own work!
The writer is unknown, but could be either Kirby or partner Joe Simon.
Be here tomorrow for the final chapter of Simon & Kirby's version of "the West's Greatest Hero"!
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Davy Crocket: the Complete Television Series

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

WESTERN TALES: DAVY CROCKETT "Missing Bullet Hole"

Many are the stories of the "Hero of the Wild Frontier"...
...but we bet you've never seen this one, unless you were alive in 1955!
This never-reprinted tall tale from Harvey's Western Tales #31 (1955) was penciled and inked by Jack Kirby, a rarity since he usually didn't have time to ink his own work!
The writer is unknown, but could be either Kirby or partner Joe Simon.
Here's a preview of what you'll see tomorrow...
Support Western Comics Adventures
Visit Amazon and order...
Davy Crocket: the Complete Television Series
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