Black and White Wednesday: Original John Buscema Cover Art

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove was just wandering around the interwebs and stumbled across a variety of bee-yoo-tee-ful scans of original John Buscema cover art for Groovy Age Marvel. These are some of yers trooly's fave Big John-penciled covers (inked by the best of the best). Wanna see some of 'em? Yeah, Ol' Groove thought you would...

Ernie Chan inks

Frank Giacoia inks

John Verpoorten inks

John Buscema inks

Neal Adams inks

Bob McLeod inks

Black and White Wednesday: "Kerene" by Kraft and Domingo

David Anthony Kraft, best known for his stellar work as writer on the Defenders, Man-Wolf, Savage She-Hulk, and his own mag, the magnificent Comics Interview, made his comicbook debut with "Kerene" in Skywald's Psycho #7 (May 1972). This hip and "of its time" terror tale of the occult and "past life memories" was gorgeously illustrated by fine artist Domingo Gomez. Can you dig it?

Black and White Wednesday: "Shadow of the Axe!" by Sim and Heath

After the birthday celebrations, Ol' Groove hates to have to rap about the passing of the inimitable Russ Heath, but sadly, I must. Mr. Heath passed away last Thursday, August 23. Besides co-creating the Haunted Tank for DC and having his art "swiped" by Roy Lichtenstein, Heath had a long career that began in the late 1940s and lasted until well into the 2000s. His detailed, realistic, nuanced art won him many, many awards and accolades--and it seemed that he could never produce enough art to please us fans. A search on Grand Comics Database shows he did way more than we ever gave him credit for (for most every comics publisher, as well as Playboy, Peter Pan Records, slews of non-U.S. publishers, advertising (remember that ad for 132 toy Roman soldiers? That was Russ Heath art!). Still and all, his prodigious talent will be missed. And yeah, it's seems a bit weird to be remembering an artist by posting a story about an axe murder, but it's so beautifully rendered--and written by a young, pre-Cerebus Dave Sim. It's from Creepy #79 (March 1976). Oh, and these are scans of the original art (from the indispensable Heritage Auctions site).  Check it out...

Black and White Wednesday: "Where Sorcery Lives!" by Goodwin and Ditko

Hey, hey, HEY, Groove-ophiles! Wanna see a creepy-cool story by two of comics' finest creators at the height of their powers? Then just flip open a copy of Warren's 1970 Creepy Yearbook! Yeah, it's a reprint mag featuring some of the best Creepy stories of the late 1960s, but it was published in 1970, so it's fair game here on the Diversions. And even if it wasn't, who'd gripe about viewing a masterpiece like Archie Goodwin and Steve Ditko's "Where Sorcery Lives"? (Reprinted from Creepy #14, February 1967)

Ya know, the cover to that magnificent mag...

 ...reminds Ol' Groove of an homage he's seen lately. Hmmm. What was it...? Oh, yeah, check this out:

The Creeps 2019 Spooktacular! Cool huh? Cooler still, at least for moi, is that I had the honor of having my story from The Creeps #8, "Clownin' Around" reprinted in it! (If that ain't enough to get your curiosity going, there are stories in there by Groovy Age/Warren Greats Nick Cuti and Don Glut, t'boot!) It's ON SALE NOW wherever finer magazines are sold, or check out this link to Warrant Publishing. Who says this isn't the Groovy Age of sneaky sales pitches?

Black and White Wednesday: Marvel-ous Original Art

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! Here's another round of stunning and sensational original art pages Ol' Groove has corralled from around the interwebs. This one focuses on Mighty Marvel and features work by some of the all-time greatest comicbook artists evAH!

Black and White Wednesday: "Something to Remember Me By!!" by Tom Sutton

HooooOOOw's it shakin', Groove-ophiles! Isn't it about time we grooved to the macabre comicbook mastery of  the great Tom Sutton once again? Ol' Groove thought so, too! So let's flip through the pages of Creepy #44 (December 1971) until we find Mr. Sutton's cadaverous contribution, "Something to Remember Me By!!"