Under the Covers! Splash Down!
Hey, Kids! Comics from 50 Years Ago!
Groovy Age Splash Page of the Week
Groovy Age Spotlight On...Splashes from Iconic Groovy Age Comics!
Covers! We love 'em! Many, many, many fans buy comics based on (and often just for) the covers. BUT...many, many of us dig the insides, too! So, Ol' Groove thought it'd be a cool change of pace to revisit some of my favorite (you can share your favorites in the comments if'n ya wanna) "iconic" Groovy Age mags via their splashes instead of their covers! So, here are 10 splashes from comics that slayed me, one per year from 1970-1979 (yeah, I could've done 1971-1980, or whatever, but... whatever! ;D) Remember: these are from comics are iconic to ME. They may not mean a thing to you, but that's the fun of lists like this: deciding whether to applaud or slap your forehead and wonder "Why'd he pick THAT one?" Oh, and it's not necessarily the splashes that are iconic, but the books that they, well, splash on. Have fun, Groove-ophiles!
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| 1970/Jack Kirby/Vinnie Colletta art |
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| 1971 |
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| 1972 |
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| 1973/Detective Comics #437 |
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| 1974 |
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| 1975/Mike Grell art |
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| 1976/Superman vs Spider-Man |
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| 1977/Marvel Super Special #1 |
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| 1978/Micronauts #1 |
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| 1979/Daredevil #159/Frank Miller/Klaus Janson art |
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!
The Marvel Special with KISS has always been a favorite of mine. I was a huge KISS fan and that just seemed magical at the time. Another I really enjoyed was the splash page of the treasury sized Battlestar Galactica
ReplyDeleteWell, you threw down the gauntlet, and I feel compelled to respond! Your choices are terrific. I especially love New Gods 1 and Micronauts 1: both splashes get the story moving right away and both have a real sense of grandeur. Here are some more that I admire:
ReplyDelete1970: Green Lantern/Green Arrow 76 (the splash with GL flying through the city shows that we are about to enter a new era)
1971: Amazing Spider-Man 102 (Peter has six arms! Come on!)
1972: The Demon 1 (Kirby's rendition of Merlin surrounded by a frame of gold was right out of ancient texts and should be appreciated as a beautiful piece of art)
1973: Batman 255 (The iconic Joker piece by Adams, punctuated by the laughs)
1974: Omac 1 (I know, two Kirby pages, but how can I not choose the pic of Lila with just a head and legs showing? Really freaked out young John once upon a time)
1975: First Issue Special 9 (Dr. Fate by Simonson, still one of my all-time favorites)
1976: Jungle Action 21 (T'Challa hanging from a burning cross was still one of the most unique and powerful images ever in a comic, especially during the Groovy Age)
1977: Avengers Annual 7 (the toughest year of the lot, there are some serious contenders-John Carter 1 by Kane and Cockrum, Tarzan 1 by John Buscema, DC Special 29- the whole JSA in one splash!)
1978: Batman Family 17 (the ultimate Starlin Batman piece)
1979: Detective Comics 483 (The Curse of Crime Alley is a masterpiece of its kind, and shines through Don Newton's art)
There could be numerous others to mention, but I have gone on long enough. Always a pleasure, Groove!
Best,
John
Fab-a-mundo list, John! Many, many of those were contenders for my list! I really wrestled with "Joker's Five-Way Revenge", but I've used it so many times for so many posts, that I figured I'd let it rest--at least just this once ("The Laughing Fish" was also a strong contender!) All your others make me wanna pull 'em out and read them. I'll never forget Spidey #102 or Avengers Annual #7 or John Carter #1 or DC Special #29--those are burned into my mind! And Omac #1? That one freaked just about all of us out, didn't it? Thanks for sharing your awesome list!
DeleteI know what you're talking about: my son is reading the Superman/Spider-Man team up tabloid, and I just read Micronauts 1 for the millionth time. Have you read the Artist's Edition of Manhunter? If you haven't it is worth the time and the expense. The massive size and format made it feel like I was reading it for the first time. Also, I have recently finished the Deathlok Epic Collection, and was pleasantly reminded of how great that series was. Having the great tales in high quality editions is a blast!
DeleteBest,
John
Oh, how I wish I could afford the Manhunter Artist Edition (or Warlock, or...lol!)! I'm sure they're amazing. Maybe someday. Meantime, I sure am thankful for things like the Epic Editions. That good old-fashioned coloring sure looks great on nice paper! Oh, how many times have I read the Deathlok collection? So glad they included the great post-Groovy Age Captain America stories by DeMatteis and Zeck!
DeleteYeah, they are expensive! The DeMattis/Zeck Cap stories are some of my favorites; the Stern/Byrne run preceded it, which means there was a solid three year run of the book that was classic. I should mention as well-the Teen Titans issue above was my all-time favorite issue of that title.
DeleteBest,
John
ASM #89 was the first Spidey issue I bought.
ReplyDelete