Monday, July 29, 2013

Five Years Old and Still Truckin' Through the Groovy Age! PLUS: A Peek at The Groovy Agent's Pad!

It's really been half a decade (as of yesterday) since Ol' Groove decided to start up a comicbook blog! I didn't really know what I was doing (as you can tell from the first few posts!), just breaking a (probably old) news about a classic 70s character (Warlord) making a comeback under his creator (Mike Grell). As the days went by, though, I started getting a feel for what the Diversions should be about, along with finding the "voice" of the Groovy Agent (I mean besides the Wolfman Jack/Casey Kasem/Dr. Johnny Fever mishmash in my head). "Departments" started coming to me, like Famous First Fridays, Black and White Wednesday (probably the most popular), and Grooviest Covers of All Time. Within a couple of weeks, folks started commenting, treating the Diversions like it was something worthwhile. Now, after over 1,600 posts, hundreds of followers, and nearly three million (!) page views, Diversions is part of a lot of folks' daily routines and a place for fans to go when they want info on a comic mag or character. It's a lot of work (especially considering the ground that's already been covered), but I love this blog and I really, really love my Groove-ophiles (fans and pros alike!). Every once in a while I think, "That's enough. What's left? Why keep this thing going?"--then I get an e-mail or comment from someone telling me how important the Diversions is to them or challenging me with a really cool request or question that fires me right back up again. So, what's Ol' Groove trying to say here?

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, GROOVE-OPHILES! You keep on visiting Groove City, and yers trooly will do his best to make it worth your time. Deal?

Meantime, how'd ya like to take a look at the Groovy Agent's recently remodeled pad? It's not completely finished, but it's preeeety close...


Yep, that's my original FOOM poster hanging by the closet door! The "pictures" I made myself, using scans of favorite panels (on the FOOM wall) and covers (on the Superman wall). Wanna see 'em a little closer up? Pics are taken using my phone, so they may not be the highest quality, but you can make 'em out...




Just for fun, anyone wanna try to pin down the panels I used in the FOOM wall pics?

Ol' Groove'll be back tomorrow with more comicbook stuff. See ya then!

25 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the big 5-year mark, Groove. Let me just say I truly appreciate all the effort you put into this site, and even if I don't leave comments as much as I should, clicking on this page is a highlight of every day. Keep up the great work.
    Oh, yeah: love the groovy pad. Wish my place was big enough to have a room dedicated to comics alone.

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    1. All ya have to do to get a room like that, Edo, is wait for your kids to grow up and move out. Oh, and it helps to have a wife who understands your comicbook craziness. ;D

      And thanx for the kind words. I always love reading your comments!

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  2. I'm struck by how much your bookcases look like mine. Weird Heroes, Conan, Tarzan, Essentials, and so on. We have very similar tastes indeed.

    Congrats on five lively years!

    Rip Off

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    1. Thanx, Rip! Keeping up with your blog, I often think we'd have been best pals growing up because, as you say, our tastes are very much alike! F'rinistance I just finished the Doc Savage/King Kong novel you recommended and loooooooved it. Never would'a known it even existed without your blog!

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  3. Congratulations and thanks for so many good memories revisited.
    If I still had my collection (long gone) I could find your FOOM pics (though they're a bit fuzzy).

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    1. Thanx, Gary! And thanx for being such a loyal reader and commenter!

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  4. Happy 5th anniversary Groovster!
    I love this site & thank you very much. For all the hard work & long hours you put into this site. A special thank you also. For letting me a guest poster here. To showcase my Tony Dezuniga Man-God obbession! LOL I hope to find some time & start doing some more blogs for you soon! By the way Gladiator by Philip Wylie is now a audio book & up on Youtube free. Since it's public domain!

    I love seeing your collection. Hey I got a fan just like that one too! All kidding aside! I really enjoyed seeing your posters! Three of my favorites, I wish I still had my Capt.A statue too. One of my favorite Capt.A collectables. The base Cap's shield was so cool. Keep up the Super work Groovy One!

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    1. My sister gave me that statue for Christmas years ago. It IS awesome!

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  5. Congrats on your milestone Groove!
    Absolutely love the blog, wish I had found it sooner been following it for about 2-1/2 years. I rarely post because that uses time that could be spent reading all the great material you provide, I really appreciate all the work you put into this site.
    My favorite feature is the grooviest covers.

    Love that comic fan room you're working on there, glad to see I'm not the only one who decorated a room that way.
    Our spare bedroom is my comic fan room, the bed has an Avengers blanket and pillow set to match the walls. You could probably find something similar for that couch:)

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    1. Thanx, Mike! I appreciate your loyalty as a Groove-ophile and would love to see some pics of your comic room!

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  6. Love the stylings sir.. I actually sold my personal copy of my Foom poster, it having weathered 40yrs of adorning my rooms. A website out in CA sells many Pop Art posters at various sizes, paper stock and etc, and I purchased a nicer copy of that same poster, slightly smaller for office matting.

    Love your Batman-Joker cover as well ~ It was amazing that I was on a long cartrip with my folks back in '73, we pulled into a Kmart in AZ, and when I bought a bag of 3 comics, that issue was indeed in there. Such an awesome Joker story inside.

    Great digs sir, everything very well presented.

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    1. Thanx, David! I, too, got my copy of Batman #251 in one of those bag of three deals. I'm trying to remember what the other two comics were...seems like it was a Superman and a Shazam, but I'm not sure.

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  7. Hey Groove -- Happy 5th!! I don't comment very often but I am a loyal follower, so please know that your blogging efforts are very much appreciated!

    Here's something wild -- Just last night I was talking with a friend of mine and he was telling me that he was down at the local Michael's store and saw a poster of Batman #251 @ 50% off. Now this morning I'm going through my news feeds and I see that very poster on Ol' Groove's wall!!!... and man does that look cool! -- is that freaky or what??? I'm taking this as a sign from the "Spirit in the Sky", so I will be jumping in the van and cruising on down to snag that bad boy up.

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  8. Love The Shadow -- a Sterenko original?

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  9. Many happy returns, Groove! I know that this is a labor of love for you -- it shows!

    And like others have said, I love and appreciate the photos of your room. It's always a thrill to see what other enthusiasts own, and how it's all displayed. Hey, I'd sit in that room of yours and curl up with a good book!

    All the best,

    Doug

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  10. HAPPY BLOGGIVERSARY!

    Yours is an awesome blog and one i love to visit when I need a jolt of groovy feelings!

    Your pics might be easier to place since you have some corresponding COVERS as well. (Although, I have NO idea if the panels are from the same issues of said characters.)

    But, I recognize all of them:

    STARLORD (by Byrne - I have the Special Edition comic that reprinted the Byrne origin with end-caps by Michael Golden. A FAVE!)

    KILLRAVEN (by P.Craig Russel - Amazing Adventures - tho I don't know if it's from a "WAR OF THE WORLDS" titles ish, or KILLRAVEN titled.)

    DEATHLOK (Rich Buckler - and tho the inks look like Keith Pollard, it's probably not, as more likely from the first issue "Astonishing Tales # 25" before Pollard came on board.)

    SCORPIO (Steranko! From NICK FURY, AGENT of S.H.I.E.L.D. # 5)

    ADAM WARLOCK (Jim Starlin, from a WARLOCK issue of STRANGE TALES - probably #178)

    NIGHTHAWK (Sal Buscema - from an issue of DEFENDERS - I could flip thru issues till I found the panel, but I'm not THAT nutty. Heck, it COULD be from a Marvel Team-Up for all I know.)

    SHANG CHI; Master of Kung Fu (Paul Gulacy -but from an actual issue of MoKF and NOT from that issue of "Special Marvel Edition" you've got hanging there, as that was drawn by Starlin. Trying to pull a fast one, eh?)

    IRON FIST (by Byrne. Not from that issue of 'Marvel Premier" you have on display, as that was by original artist Gil Kane. My guess: Iron Fist # 10 - the newspaper headline gave away the title.)

    CONAN (Barry Winsor-Smith? Too blurry to tell. So I'll just stick with guessing Conan the Barbarian # 25 - guest starring Red Sonja)

    So... how'd I do?
    Either way, EVERYONE wins since we all got to be Groovily Diverted for 5 years running!

    I'll let some other insane soul try to guess the DC stuff.


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  11. Congrats on the milestone, O Groovy One! The superhuman amount of love and effort that goes into this blog is very much appreciated. What I'm sayin' is - keep on keepin' on!

    Oh, BTW Ref. that last comment by ~P
    That BWS panel? That's Conan and Valeria of the Red Brotherhood from page 9 of "Red Nails" from Savage Tales #2, although this version is probably taken from the reprint in Marvel Treasury Edition #4 as it's in colour not B&W.

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  12. Congratulations, thanks for the memories old and new, and thanks for sharing the pix.

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  13. Happy Anniversary Groove! Looking forward to your posts always!

    - Mike from Trinidad & Tobago.

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  14. Thank you,Mr Groove,for everything you've
    shared with us over the years!
    And you bet I will keep visiting
    your city,Mayor Groove.
    Cheers!
    /Mr Anonymous

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  15. And,of course (how could I forget?):
    Keep on Truckin',Mr Groove!
    /Mr Anonymous

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  16. It would be super groovy if you posted a Rick Griffin comic story from the '70s. Just sayin'!

    Chris A.

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  17. If I haven't replied to your commment, it's not that I don't love ya, it's that I gotta go! I'll finish replying later this evening...

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    1. May be a little later in replying than I thought. My dad passed away this morning. Lots to do. Would appreciate prayers for my family. God bless!

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    2. Condolences to you and your family. You have my prayers and sincere sympathy at this time.

      Doug

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Special thanks to Mike's Amazing World of Comics and Grand Comics Database for being such fantastic resources for covers, dates, creator info, etc. Thou art treasures true!


Note to "The Man": All images are presumed copyright by the respective copyright holders and are presented here as fair use under applicable laws, man! If you hold the copyright to a work I've posted and would like me to remove it, just drop me an e-mail and it's gone, baby, gone.


All other commentary and insanity copyright GroovyAge, Ltd.

As for the rest of ya, the purpose of this blog is to (re)introduce you to the great comics of the 1970s. If you like what you see, do what I do--go to a comics shop, bookstore, e-Bay or whatever and BUY YOUR OWN!