Groovy Posts of Christmas Past: Presents and the Comicbook Ads That Made Me Want 'Em

Happy Holidays, Groove-ophiles! For the rest of the week we're gonna be showcasing Posts of Christmas Past--in other words, re-runs or reprints of some of Ol' Groove's fave posts from Decembers other than this one. ;D Hope you enjoy 'em!

This one's from December 18, 2010!

Ho, ho, ho-wzit goin, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove spends a lot of time yakkin' about the covers, and splashes, and stories, and art in our beloved Groovy Age comics, but I don't seem to spend enough time on the ads. The ads were as much a part of the fun (sometimes more) of the comix experience as any of the rest of the aforementioned items. Heck, I remember buying a few comics just for certain ads! Crazy, huh? Crazy like a fox, baby, 'cause when you handled those ads the right way, you could lay some heavy hints on your parents for Christmas goodies! For example...

How 'bout you, Groove-ophile? Did you find any of these awesome items under your tree?

See ya Monday in 2018 for our first new post of the New Year!

Black and White Wednesday: The Little Horror-Mood Shop of Horrors

Check it out, Groove-ophiles! Warren mags' Captain Company wasn't the only way to order cool horror-related junk out of a black and white horror mag! Archaic Al Hewetson and company had their very own Little Horror-Mood Shop of Horrors going on in their Skywald Horror-Mood mags, as well. Just in time for your Halloween ordering pleasure (provided you have a time machine), you can check out all the spooky and slimy stuff offered in Scream #11 (cover-dated February 1975)...

Can you imagine a mailman carrying that Styrofoam boulder to the doorstep? Sheesh!

Burning Question: Were Comics Really Just for Kids?

Yep, just when you thought it was safe to visit the Diversions, Ol' Groove has come up with yet another department: BURNING QUESTION. For our inaugural post, I have to know: were comics really just for kids during the Groovy Age? I know the spinner rack called out, "Hey, Kids! Comics!" for many a decade. During the 80s, DC proudly trumpeted "Comics aren't just for kids anymore!" And at least 98% of the U.S. population just knew comics were kid stuff. But when I look through the Winter 1972/1973 ads of some of the major comicbook publishers, it sure seems that the advertisers didn't believe comics were "just for kids"! How many age groups--er--demographics do you see represented in the following samples...?

Mildew! What do you expect me to do about mildew?