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Black and White Wednesday: Warren's Captain Company Ads from the Summer of 1979

June 4, 2013, 9:02 pm
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The more things change, the more they stay the same. That's a fact, Groove-ophiles! Check out these Captain Company ads from the July 1979 ish of Creepy (#111 to be exact): Star Wars, Star Trek, Superman, Tolkien, Conan, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, the Incredible Hulk! Why, these same names quicken the pulse of fandom here in 2013, as well! Greatness is timeless, baby! Dig these ads...












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Groove's Faves: 5 Star Super-Hero Spectacular 1977

June 5, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Greetings, Groove-ophiles! The Summer of 1977 started off with a bang for Teen Groove when an after school trip to the store landed him a copy of DC Special Series #1, aka 5 Star Super-Hero Spectacular #1-and-only! As soon as I laid eyes on that explosive Neal Adams cover, that dollar bill just leaped from my wallet and into my waiting hand (had to dig into my pocket for that nickel for tax, though!).

Peeling back the cover of this 80 page monolith, I saw the Jim Aparo-illoed contents page that detailed what would be going on with Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and the Atom, then, BOOM! into high-speed action with the Flash meeting Ms. Flash (courtesy classic Groovy Age Flash team Cary Bates and Irv Novick), away we went (and you can read that Flash tale right here, baby).

Next came a Green Lantern solo sci-fi tale (at the time he was sharing his montly mag with Green Arrow) written by regular series writer Denny O'Neil, but the art was provided by one of my fave Boys from Derby, Joe Staton making his GL debut! (You can read that classic here!)

Before I could recover, Gerry Conway and Dick Dillin laid a pretty cool Aquaman short on me...

...then the Atom went back in time to help Alexander Graham Bell in a Paul Kupperberg tale illustrated by Steve Stiles and Bob McLeod!

That was four, but with the fifth DC was saving the best for last! Batman vs. Kobra in a full-length classic (originally intended for the never-published Kobra #8)  written by Martin Pasko with in-freakin'-credible art by Mike Nasser (aka Michael Netzer) and Joe Rubinstein. This story with it's globe-spanning, super-heroes-meets-James Bond kinda feel was worth the buck alone, baby. Check it out...


















And just 'cause Ol' Groove loves ya, here's the editorial that lays the story behind the mag on us...


 Now that's how to start summer off right! More super-summertime memories to come all summer long, Groove-ophiles. Stay tuned!
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Making a Splash: Marvel Comics 40 Years Ago, June 1973

June 6, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Summertime! Swimming pools, kool-aid, and comicbooks, baby! The Summer of '73 was a biggie for Young Groove with stuff like Englehart's Avengers/Defenders Clash, Thomas/Smith's Red Nails, McGregor and Buckler's Panther's Rage, Starlin's Captain Marvel, Thing team-ups  (that led to Marvel Two-In-One) in Marvel Feature, Marvel's just-a-bornin' b&w Monster Mags, and the debuts of Man-Wolf and Brother Voodoo! These far-out and fab features were just the tip of the snow cone for this card-carrying member of FOOM. Just take a gander at the wonderment that filled the spinner-racks in June of 1973...







































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Groove's Faves: "Tumult in the Tower of Time!" by Wolfman, Gan, and Marcos

June 10, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! A year ago today we rapped about Skull the Slayer #2, so today we're gonna rap about ish #3! Ol' Groove had no intentions of making this an annual gig, but that's the way it goes sometimes, huh? Anywho, Skull #3 (October 1975) is creator/writer/editor Marv Wolfman's final ish and does he ever go out with a bang, baby! The Tower of Time went a long way in explaining what was going on in Skully and company's world, plus it left lots of room for all kinds of future adventures. This was also Steve Gan's final ish as penciler, though he would return to ink new permanent penciler Sal Buscema in Skull #6. The art in the ish is great, as usual, but the differences in Marcos' and Gan's inking styles is jarring for a couple of pages until you get back into the flow...

Cover art by Ron Wilson and Frank Giacoia















All-in-all not a bad swan song for Wolfman and Gan, but even better things were waiting for Skull in a couple of issues under Bill Mantlo and Sal B. Stay tuned! Mebbe Ol' Groove won't wait another year to visit Skull the Slayer!
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Black and White Wednesday: "Monster, Monster in the Grave!" by Funnell and Marcos

June 11, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Ol' Groove just loves the way Pablo Marcos drew werewolves. They always looked scary-but-cool, like the one in "Monster, Monster in the Grave!" from Psycho #13 (cover-dated July 1973). The story is kinda cool 'cause it's highly experimental, with it almost reading like a heavily-illustrated prose piece by sci-fi author Augustine Funnel, but there are moments when the prose let the picture tell the story in such a way that the story actually depends on the illos. Very different, but what do we expect from one of Skywald's Horro-Mood mags, eh?






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Bring on the Back-ups: "The Baby Who Walked Through Walls!" by Wein and Adams

June 12, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Ol' Groove's been hearing some buzz about a super-hero flick coming out tomorrow (or maybe even sneak-previewing near you right now!), have you? 'Bout a guy with a red cape and blue suit from another planet who's pretty super, man! Yeah, Ol' Groove's just jivin' ya, Groove-ophiles! I'll be in line to see the new Superman flick this weekend, you bet'cha! To celebrate The Man of Steel's return to the Silver Screen, how 'bout we take a look at a quiet tale about Superman's private life from the back-up series (duh!) ThePrivate Life of Clark Kent? From Superman #254 (May 1972), here's "The Baby Who Walked Through Walls!" by Len Wein and Neal Adams...







I dunno if thisClark will be in Man of Steel, but I can hope, can't I?
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The Grooviest Covers of All Time: The Super Six of the Groovy Age

June 13, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Today is the big day for Superman fans the world over! Man of Steel is prepared to blow us away and yers trooly is ready for it! Still, though, the folks behind MoS have made it clear that this isn't a "comicbook Superman", which makes me a bit nervous, but then the recent trio of Batman flicks haven't been our "comicbook Batman" either, and I dug them. So what has all of this to do with the Groovy Age? Nothing really, but in my warped brain, it does! See, the real Superman films began with Superman the Movie in 1978, followed by Superman II in 1980, Superman III in 1984, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace in 1987, and Superman Returns in 2006. Get it? No? Man of Steel, though it's a reboot and isn't s'posed to have anything to do with the first five, is still gonna be the sixth Superman movie, which gave me the idea to showcase my favorite six Superman covers of the Groovy Age. Get it now? No? Well, it makes sense to me, but then, I understand myself all the time! Anyway, dig on these suh-wheet Superman-centric covers for a while, okay?

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Black and White Wednesday: "Don't Die Up There, Stanley" by Hewetson and Suso

July 9, 2013, 9:02 pm
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What it is, Groove-ophiles! Today's Horror-Mood classic by Archaic Al Hewetson and Jesus Suso Rego is a freaky comic about a comic and a bunch of freaks...and boy does it live up to the mag's title! How's that for stupefying succinctness, baby? Inspired by a comic friend of Hewetson's, "Don't Die Up There, Stanley" first came to us via Skywald's Psycho #11 (cover-dated March 1973). Dig it!









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Groove's Faves: "The Sporting Life" by Doyle, Lucey, and Stone

July 10, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Young Groove was always a fan of Archie 1--the prehistoric adventures of Archie and the Gang--and I still dig 'em to this day, especially when they're done by the team of Doyle, Lucey, and Stone. Frank Doyle always spun a fun yarn and the art team of Harry Lucey and Chic Stone turned out the most gorgeous art of the whole Archie line (imho). Just take today's "The Sporting Life" from Archie #223 (cover-dated December 1972) for example. Archie 1 invents batball...yeah, it's silly, but I betcha laff!!






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Making a Splash: The Kree/Skrull War

July 11, 2013, 9:02 pm
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As true-blue Groove-ophiles know, The Kree/Skrull War in the pages of the Avengers 89-97 (March-December 1971) is what converted Young Groove from a comicbook dabbler to a full-fledged comicbook fiend. The works of Roy Thomas, Sal & John Buscema, Neal Adams, and company will forever hold the most special of places in my comicbook lovin' heart--as it does, I suspect, in the hearts of most Marvellites of my generation. Staring at these sensational splashes makes me misty-eyed and googly-eyed all at once! Join me, won't you...?










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Groove's (Not So) Faves: "Time Out of Mind!" by Englehart, S. Busecma, and Esposito

July 14, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove has made no secret about how much he dug Skull the Slayer. T'was a "top of the stack" title every other month for about sixteen months. There was one ish, however, that, in spite of it's all-star creative team of Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema, and Mike Esposito, that was a huge disappointment for Young Groove. Steve and Sal had mesmerized me with their work on Captain America and the Avengers, so when I heard they would take Skull over with issue four (December 1975), I was thrilled. When I finished "Time Out of Mind!" I was...I s'pose annoyed would be the best word for it. Sterling Steve could usually do no wrong, but his decision to wipe out Skull's supporting cast, his creation of the villainous Slitherogue, and his characterization of Jim Scully as a heartless war-machine* took things way off the rails for me, though I did dig the introduction of the original Black Knight. Sal's layouts were great, action-packed and thrill-a-minute for the most part. No quibbles there. But after guys like Steve Gan and Pablo Marcos, Mike Esposito's inks lacked the exotic feel I'd grown accustomed to when reading Skull the Slayer. Oh well, at least the Rich Buckler/Dan Adkins cover was pretty awesome! Dig you dig Skull #4, or do you think it was jive? Let Ol' Groove know!


















*On his website, Englehart states that Skull the Slayer was the "...job (he) least liked doing because (he) never felt any empathy with the character."
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Random Reads: "The Lair of the Parrot!" by Fleisher and Garcia-Lopez

July 15, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Howdy there, Groove-ophiles! Let's travel the trail with Jonah Hex to the "Lair of the Parrot!" Cool story by Michael Fleisher with suh-WEET art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez from Jonah Hex #2 (February 1977). Giddyap!



















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Black and White Wednesday: Kull II by Marie and John Severin

July 16, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Today let's feast our eyes on the magnificence of Marie and John Severin's incredible art for the Kull II Portfolio* as presented in Marvel Preview #19 (Summer 1979). The first five plates are Big Brother John's solo work, while the last three are laid out/penciled by Sister Marie and inked by Bro John. Are you ready for this?








(*Kull I, wherefore art thou?)
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The Boys from Derby: "See No Evil!" by Gill and Zeck

July 17, 2013, 9:02 pm
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What it is, Groove-ophiles! What do you get when you mix a little of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with a bit of The Picture of Dorian Gray? Perhaps something like Joe Gill and Mike Zeck's "See No Evil!" from Haunted #26 (December 1975)? Let's find out...








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The Grooviest Covers of All Time: Summer of 1978--the DC Explosion Continues!

July 18, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Here's a look at the second round of the DC Explosion from July 1978, Groove-ophiles! Teen Groove was out of the fandom loop at the time, so I had no idea how short-lived this super-experiment in comicbookery would last, but I sure was diggin' the ride! Remember these...?

























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Groove's Faves: "The Beast's Revenge" by Albano and Kaluta

July 21, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Greetings, Groove-ophiles! We're in the Dog Days of Summer, so why not howl a little! This classic shocker, "The Beast's Revenge" first turned up in the dog-eared pages of House of Mystery #200 (January 1972). Story by John Albano. Art by Mike Kaluta (who also did the cover and the intro page). You can bet this tale is no dog!









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Admiring Adams: "Man-Thing!" by Wein and Adams w/Romita

July 22, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Ya know, if the second ish of Savage Tales had gone as originally planned, the second Man-Thing story would have been by writer Len Wein (creator of Swamp Thing) and artist Neal Adams. S'true! Letting nothing go to waste, Mighty Marvel shoe-horned that filed-away fable into Astonishing Tales #12 (March 1972) in which the mag's star Ka-Zar would soon come golden locks to carrot nose with Manny, himself. One thing I don't dig are the touch-ups by John Romita. Dunno why they were necessary, but as great as Jazzy John is, his style and Neal's don't mesh at all. Minor distractions aside, Ol' Groove felt this seldom-seen classic is definitely worth a peek-a-boo, so here 'tis in all it's black, white, and yellow gory glory!








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Black and White Wednesday: "Cassandra...Sorceress of the Seventh Wind" by Wolfman, Heck, and Esposito

July 23, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Marv Wolfman! Don Heck! Mike Esposito! "Cassandra...Sorceress of the Seventh Wind"! Horror! Fantasy! Sword and Sorcery! Where would a Groovy Age fan expect to find such an explosion of near-awesomeness? In a Marvel mag? Nope. A DC mag? Nuh uh. Today's short-shocker comes from Skywald's Psycho #14 (cover-dated September 1973). Dig it!










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Ol' Groove's Request Line: "75-25 or Die" by Kanigher and the Redondo Studio

July 24, 2013, 9:02 pm
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Lots and lots of you out there in Groove City have been asking for more Ragman. Well, here ya go, Groove-ophiles! From Ragman #2 (July 1976), here's "75-25 or Die" by Robert Kanigher and the Redondo Studio!















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Groove's Countdown: Top 10 Wolverine Moments of the Groovy Age

July 25, 2013, 9:02 pm
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The Wolverine hits theaters 'round the U.S. today, and Ol' Groove is rarin' to see it. Yeah, tall and handsome Hugh Jackman isn't our Groovy Age Wolvie, but in the Marvel Movie-verse he's got the swagger and attitude to pull off playing our fave berserker. That's not the point of today's post, though, Groove-ophiles. Ol' Groove'll stop the pluggin' and get on with it! Today's all about...

The Top Ten Wolverine Moments of the Groovy Age! 

NOTE: These events are in chronological order, not order of importance. Just sayin'...

10) X-Men #96: First view of Wolverine's Berserker Rage! We'd heard about Logan Unleashed, but we finally sawWolvie cut loose with all his fury on one of the N'Garai...did a super-HERO ever go that nutso before?

9) X-Men #98: Wolverine Unmasked! He has a face! And a funky hair-do. Who'da thunk it?

(Yeah, Logan was unmasked on page one of ish 98, but we didn't know it fo sho until the panel above that it was Wolvie. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it...)

8) X-Men #98 (again!): Wolverine's Claws Are a Part of Him! Here we were thinking those adamantium Ginsu knives were in his gloves...

7) X-Men #101: Wolverine Says It with Flowers (Or Not)! A rare early glimpse of Wolverine's tender side as he deals with his feelings for Jean Gray in his own inimitable way...



6) X-Men #108: Wolverine Is HOW Tough? While battling the Imperial Guard, Logan is punched literally into orbit and survives. Yeah, the scene is played for laughs, but think about it. Approaching escape velocity. Alive. Wolverine. One tough dude!


5) X-Men #109: Wolverine's Not Just About Killing...Logan has a sensitive side and  a depth neither the X-Men nor many of us readers had given him credit for up to this point...

4) X-Men #116: ...But Wolverine Will Kill Without Mercy! When lives are on the line and stealthy assassination is a must, Logan will do what he has to do . And his fellow X-Men will just have to live with it...

3)X-Men #118: Wolverine Meets Mariko.Logan meets the love of his life, giving us a new and very unique wrinkle in our enigmatic hero's personality--the romantic ronin. (And she'd better be in this new flick!)


2) X-Men #132: Wolverine Emerges from the Sewer, Ready to Kick Butt! ZOOM! Logan's cool-factor multiplied by triple-digits with the last page of X-Men 132, one of the all-time iconic images in all of comicdom. Beaten and humiliated, his teammates captured, the baddies aren't a bit worried about Wolvie. They think he's dead. Their bad.

1) X-Men #133: Wolverine Lives Up to His Promise (and Does a Pretty Good Dirty Harry)! We expected to see Logan go to war on the Hellfire Club's minions when we got our eyes filled with that last page of X-Men 132. We tear back the cover of ish 133 to see if our expectations are fulfilled. Boy, are they ever!




What d'ya think, Groove-ophiles? Those are my picks. What are yours?
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