Groovin' Back in the Summertime: July 1970

What it is, Groove-ophiles! You seem to really be digging these titanic trips down memory lane to summers past, so Ol' Groove thought he'd share the covers to the mags I remember my 6 year old self getting in July of 1970. Now, by this time, I'd finished first grade and was a pretty decent reader (thanks to Dear Ol' Mom giving me plenty of reading lessons before I ever even started school). Because of this, Li'l Groove was buying more comics, but they were still pretty random--just characters or covers that caught my eye. Some were hand-me-downs from aunts and uncles who'd just finished reading them and just dropped 'em in my lap for keeps (Ol' Groove has a far-out family, lemme tell ya). Bear in mind, the biggest compulsion to for Li'l Groove to get a comic was familiarity via seeing the cartoons on TV. I was an Archie cartoon nut, and Superman, Batman, Aquaman, the Justice League, and the Teen Titans had loomed large in my Saturday mornings, hence the large number of DC's. I was just discovering the Marvel heroes via cartoon on Cincinnati's WXIX Channel 19 through the wild and wonderful Larry Smith and His Puppets show (which all of us kids referred to as "Hattie the Witch" since that was Smith's main character), but they were really capturing my imagination. I looked ahead (via Mike's Amazing World of Comics's nifty Newsstand) at August 1970,  and found that of the eight comics I got that month, five were Marvels. Yeah, it would be a few more months before my infatuation grew into full-blown fanaticism, but it was a-comin'! Anywho, check out these covers and see if any of 'em ring any bells for you!

Funny Stuff: "Freezer Plan" by Doyle, Lucey, and Stone

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! This story reminds me of my wife who loves ice cream--especially in cold weather. It also goes to show you that you can recycle most anything. Even ice cream--if you're brave enough to try! From Archie #217 (February 1972), here's "Freezer Plan" by Ol' Groove's favorite Archie team: Frank Doyle, Harry Lucey, and Chic Stone...

Groovy Christmases Past: 1974

Ho, ho, ho and Happy Holidays to you, Groove-ophiles! Well, it's December 1974. Earlier in the year my family had pulled up stakes in Fairfield, Ohio and moved back to Dear Ol' Dad's birthplace of Harlan County, Kentucky. While it was a bit of a culture shock, we were surrounded by family and I made a lot of good friends in the little town of Loyall. But the thing that really made it "home" to Kid Groove was my beloved Mack's Family Center--a Walmart before most of us had ever heard of a Walmart if you will: a grocery store complete with a built in Ben Franklin's (we called 'em Dime Stores back then) and the greatest book/magazine/newspaper section I'd ever seen. It sported two ginormous magazine racks, three paperback spinner racks, and (best of all) two loaded-down comicbook spinner racks. They got everything! I never missed an issue of any favorite comic, plus I got my first exposure to Warren's Spirit reprints which REALLY knocked me out! Yep, great memories and great comics were found in that huge corner of the best store ever!

 Mike Grell helped make the LSH continue to be awesome!

 Super Sons, Vigilante, and some truly far-out Silver Age reprints!

 Our Pal Sal Buscema inked by Joe Staton on a the origins of Mantis and Vision written by Steve Englehart! Whoo!

 A stellar story in Steve Englehart's stellar CA&F run. So long, Nomad, welcome back Cap!

 The beginnings of Steve Gerber and Sal Buscema's massive Headmen/Nebulon storyline starts here, baby!

 Kid Groove actually wrote an LOC on this ish. I loved it a lot more than I do now, but still, it's a fun ish.

 This spectacular ish (my first) made a life-long Eisner/Spirit fan of moi!

Atlas/Seaboard is represented!

Thanksgiving Feast 2016: "Archie Makes His Mark" by Doyle, Lucey, and Epp

Happy Thanksgiving, Groove-ophiles! Just a "light breakfast" this morning--but a tasty one! Prehistoric Archie and the Gang by Frank Doyle, Harry Lucey, and Marty Epp! "Archie Makes His Mark" is from Archie #188 (November 1968)...

Hey, did this story give any inspiration to the song "One Tin Soldier"? Hmm...?

Random Reads: "The Outcast" by Doyle, Lucey, and Stone

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Y'know, in this day of multiverse Archies, zombie-fighting Archies*, and soon-do-bite-the-big-one Archies, it's nice to travel back to the Groovy Age when our favorite teen's biggest problem was being too well-loved! From Archie #236 (April 1974), here's "The Outcast" by Frank Doyle, Harry Lucey, and Chic Stone!

(*Ol' Groove'll come clean here--Afterlife With Archie is at the top of my modern must-read list! Robert Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla are incredible!)

The Grooviest Covers of All Time: Santa Through the Groovy Age

Season's Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Let's wind down this super-special week with a look at Jolly Ol' St. Nicholas' comicbook cover appearances through the Groovy Age. Oh, the places that jolly old elf will go to ho, ho, ho!