Making a Splash: Shanna the She-Devil

Check it out, Groove-ophiles! In 1972, new Marvel publisher Stan Lee came up with three titles that he hoped would lure in female readers: Claws of the Cat, Night Nurse, and Shanna the She-Devil. He thought it would be cool to have ladies write (and in the case of The Cat, draw) these new mags. T'was up to newly-minted editor-in-chief Roy Thomas to hire the creators and help in their development. For jungle queen Shanna, Roy hired Carole Seuling (ex of direct sales pioneer Phil Seuling) to write, George Tuska to pencil, and Vinnie Colletta to ink the first issue. Steve Gerber was tasked with beefing up the dialogue for the first couple issues, and wound up writing the rest of the series (and even using Shanna in some of the Daredevil issues he wrote), but he claimed no part in creating Shanna. With the second issue, Ross Andru took over as penciler, with Colletta remaining on the inks. Pretty sweet art team, don'tcha think? Okay, okay, Groove-ophies! Don't get your vines in an uproar! Here are the sensations splashes from Shanna the She Devil issues 1-5 (August 1972-May 1973). Look out, Tarzan!

Makin' Chaykin: Red Circle Sorcery Two-fer

Why, oh, why haven't I started a regular Howard Chaykin segment here on DotGK? To be totally honest...I dunno. But never let it be said that Ol' Groove makes the same mistake forever! To celebrate the sensational skills of "Humble Howie", welcome to the first official installment of Makin' Chaykin. And since it's a Tuesday, let's kick things off with a two-fer! Here's a pair of extremely rare Chaykin masterpieces that originally appeared in Archie Comics' Red Circle Sorcery. From Red Circle Sorcery #6 (January 1974), check out "The Patience of a Cat" written by Carole Seuling, followed by the Marv Channing authored "Pirate Island" from Red Circle Sorcery #10 (September 1974).