If You Blinked You Missed: The Outcast by Steve Parkhouse and Barry Smith

Hey, hey, hey! Here's another one'a those short-lived features you probably never heard of, Groove-ophiles. This one, though, has a bit of pedigree that just might shock the socks off of ya. Y'see, the Outcast, whose one and only appearance was hidden in the pages of Western Gunfighters #4 (November 1970), was created by Roy Thomas, written by Steve Parkhouse, and drawn by Barry (Windsor-) Smith! Yeah, the fantasy artist supreme actually drew a western, and Ol' Groove's got it for ya! Look!

Check out the blurb on the last page--could this be one of Smith's earliest pro jobs? It doesn't completely look like it to my tired old eyes, but Stan and/or Roy could've let him dress it up a bit before it saw print. Whaddya think, Groove-ophiles?

Groove's Faves: "Hell Hath No Fury" Like Early Barry (Windsor-) Smith Art

Check it out, Groove-ophiles! Here's a rarely-seen bit of early Barry Smith magnificence from Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #12 (February 1969). Written by fellow Brit Steve (Warrior, Dr. Who) Parkhouse, "Hell Hath No Fury" really put our favorite eye-patch wearing spy through his paces, baby! Bummer, though, that Smith and Parkhouse only got to do this one issue (work visa problems?), but did they ever let it all hang out. Smith's figure-work is still Kirby-in-the-rough, but his layouts and storytelling show that he'd been studying Steranko (and maybe Eisner and Kurtzman). Ol' Groove especially digs pages 1, 14, and 17--and oh, yeah, that far-out cover! Enjoy!