Marvel-ous Monday: "Reflections In a Crimson Eye!" by Mantlo, Buckler, and Janson

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove has gotta say that Bill Manlo, Rich Buckler, and Klaus Janson knocked outta the stratosphere with Astonishing Tales #33 (October 1975) and "Reflections In a Crimson Eye!" It's one of Ol' Groove's favorite Deathlok sagas and one of my favorite comics ever! Mantlo and Buckler just meshed so well on this story. Buckler's exciting, experimental, exquisitely cinematic layouts and storytelling is astounding here, and Mantlo definitely came out from under that "Stan Lee lite" shadow with his thoughtful and thought-provoking prose. Buckler and Janson meshed extremely well, too. Their uses of reflections, shadows, black gutters between the panels, and detail makes this mag live up to its name (Astonishing, Irving! Sheesh!). Deathlok issues like this are why I rank Deathlok with other 1970s icons like Killraven, Adam Warlock, Manhunter, Swamp Thing, Black Panther, Jonah Hex, Unknown Soldier, and Shang-Chi. For Young Groove (and Ol' Groove, still), these comics were what the Groovy Age was all about! I don't know why I'm gushing here--you just wanna see the comic, don'tcha? Well, here ya go!

Marvel-ous Monday: "The Soft Parade...of Slow, Sliding Death!" by Moench, Buckler, Pollard, Jones, and McWilliams

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Man, could author Doug Moench come up with some doozies for story titles? "The Soft Parade...of Slow, Sliding Death!" didn't sound like it was gonna be a Spidey or Millie the Model tale, does it? Nope, it could only work on a mag that featured Deathlok the Demolisher! (Come to think of it, chapter two's "Shootout at the Flesh Factory!" is pretty provocative, as well!) Also of great interest for this unforgettable ish of Astonishing Tales (#30, March 1975) is the art. Creator/designer Rich Buckler laid the tale out in his sizzling cinematic style, then penciled some of the pages, while a couple of his powerhouse pencil-pals, Keith Pollard and Arvell Jones, finished the pencils on the other pages. And while Al McWilliams, craftsman that he was, wouldn't have been Young Groove's first choice of inkers, his singular style certainly pulls the various artistic styles together into a cohesive whole. And maaaaan, is this ever an action-packed ish!

Making a Splash: Rich Buckler's Deathlok

Hey, hey, hey! Howzabout some far-out Deathlok the Demolisher splashes by the astounding (and sometimes DotGK contributor) Rich Buckler, Groove-ophiles? It's been a while since we celebrated "The Swash", and Ol' Groove can think of no better way to show off Rich's genius than by showcasing the sensational splashes featuring his coolest and most classic creation. Deathlok held forth, natch, in Astonishing Tales #'s 25-28, 30-36 (May-November 1974, March 1975-April 1976) dragging comics into the future. Not just "the future" in the sci-fi sense, but the future of comics with its anti-hero, its more realistic violence, and its adult characterization (Buckler was smart enough to team with writers like Doug Moench and Bill Mantlo to make that happen). This was a ground-breaking, trail-blazing series, baby--and Buckler's superb art (inked by heavy hitters like Pablo Marcos and Klaus Janson) was the cherry on top! See for yourself!

Nope, Ol' Groove didn't forget Marvel Spotlight #33 (January 1977), baby! Where's your faith?