They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore--Or Do They? Forbidden Gallery

Check it out, Groove-ophiles! What mag gives you new, Groovy Age style talent mixed with brand new horror and sci-fi tales by Groovy Age luminaries like Joe Rubenstein, Paul Kupperberg, Roger McKenzie, and Nick Cuti (plus post-Groovy Age talents like Craig Hamilton, Brian Postman, Lou Mougin, Sandy Carruthers, and more)--in color? ACP's Forbidden Gallery, baby! Dig it, Forbidden Gallery is like a combination of a Warren horror mag (Creepy or Eerie, take yer choice--and yeah, that mean's FG isn't for the kiddos) in a format and (sometimes) feel of the DC's classic mystery mags (House of Mystery, House of Secrets, and the rest), but updated with new writers and artists who totally "get" the great mystery/sci-fi comics of the 1970s and 1980s.

The first ish (with a cool painted cover by Paul Tuma and Joe Rubinstein) came out back in the fall and it blew Ol' Groove away with it's cover-to-cover (literally! No ads--and the framing story starts on the inside front cover) motherload (36 pages) of cool comics: "Archimedes" by editor/publisher William Mull and Paul Tuma, "Kenny's Very Bad Dream" by Paul Kupperberg and Sandy Carruthers, "Greenhouse Effect" by Roger McKenzie and Jack Snider, "Destroyer" by Lou Mougin and Mike Montgomery, "Two Kingdoms" by Mull and (art director) Dærick Gröss Sr., and "Twin Moons Over Theroin" by Ed DeVore and Jeff Austin (who really captures the feel of Groovy Age artists like Bernie Wrightson and Dan Green). Gröss' art direction and colors (along with the other colorists, on a roster that includes Matt Webb)  give Forbidden Gallery #1 a slick, modern look, but with a decidedly wonderful retro palette that truly pleases these groovy ol' eyeballs! Frightening fun all the way with the first ish...

Which leads me to...

Forbidden Gallery #2 which is on sale any day now! It's another gore-geous package of more of the same Groovy Age style wonderment, with more stories (very well) written by editor/publisher Mull, but also tales from Charlton Neo's Rene King Thompson and the (Ol' Groove doesn't use this word lightly) legendary Nick (E-Man) Cuti! The artists in this ish include Craig Hamilton, Carl Comendador, Tim Holtrop, Brian Postman, and (Ol' Groove's partner in The Creeps #8's "Clownin' Around") Nik Poliwko. Gröss' brilliantly art directs and leads a crack team of colorists again. The stories are a hoot, the art is gorgeous, and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of Forbidden Gallery #2 (Mull was kind enough to let Ol' Groove have a sneak-peek via .pdf, don'tcha know)!

Ol' Groove tips his kreeblah to Editor/Publisher William Mull for making lightning strike twice by heading up two sensationally spooky issues of a comic that is sure to appeal to fans of Groovy Age! Here's to many, many more issues, William!

To order your copies (or for a link that will take you to comiXology, if you dig your comics in digital form) go to the ACP website right now--and tell 'em Ol' Groove sent ya!

They Don't Make 'Em Like That Any More--Or Do They? InDELLible Comics' Popular Comics

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Hot on the heels of the successful re-birth of Charlton Comics (as Charlton Neo) comes the rebirth of Dell comics as InDELLible Comics! In fact the Charlton re-birth inspired the good folks at InDELLible to bring back one of the oldest and most venerable titles of all time: Popular Comics as All-New Popular Comics featuring public domain Dell characters, public domain Golden Age characters, brand new characters, and more! Not only that--aw, what do you wanna hear from Ol' Groove? Let's hear the straight skinny from InDELLible honchos Jim Ludwig, Dave Noe, and Daerick Gross Sr.! Take it away, InDELLible Ones!

Cover art by Steven and Lily  Butler

All-New Popular Comics #1 is now available on Amazon in physical and digital editions.  It’s a 64 page, 8X10, full color comic book anthology with card stock covers.  The comic captures the new adventures of the Dell Comics characters from the forties to the sixties.  The first issue has a wide variety from superheroes to humor to horror and science fiction and fantasy and western!  The latter is represented by the return of a special historical character not seen since the mid sixties, Lobo, the first African-American character to have his own comic book.

Dell Comics was mainly known for its licensed work, and at one time vastly outsold Marvel and DC.  Its lesser known characters, however mostly languished quickly and were soon “orphaned” after Dell folded in the seventies.  Taking the spark of what made the characters interesting and keeping the fun adventurous and mostly all-ages aspect of Dell, InDELLible Comics has breathed new life into the classic motifs, eventually even adding new characters and other public domain characters as the stories permit.

The endeavor started out almost a year ago with Jim Ludwig over on his Dell Comics Heroes facebook page.  He had been talking about starting some kind of book, but wanted to know if anyone would be able to help him.  David Noe volunteered to help, and they co-founded what soon became known as InDELLible Comics.  Just a few weeks later, Dærick Gröss Sr. signed on as the necessary visual editor, and they were off and running.  Within the first year, the business was started, the book was conceived AND finished!  Dozens of creators have signed on to show their talents and tell their stories.

All-New Popular Comics, or PopCom as it is nicknamed, is published in a POD format.  That means there is no stockpile of books somewhere.  The books are only printed as they are ordered.  All the contributors, including editors, are volunteering their time and talents.  The only monetization for them is to buy at wholesale and sell at retail.  This is a labor of love, with the creators pouring everything they have into the stories.

Although the next few issues are already full or scheduled, InDELLible will soon be looking for more scripts and artists, colorists and inkers and letterers.! For more information, search for InDELLible Comics on facebook, or email the editors at:

Jim Ludwig (EIC)- narfstar13@gmail.com
Daerick Gross Sr. (visual editor)- daerickgross@yahoo.com
David Noe- (script editor)- wnoe@aol.com

There ya have it, Groove-ophiles! If you miss the sheer variety of the Golden Age, the fun of the Silver Age, and the cool of the Bronze Age, PopCom is gonna hit you where you live! (Oh, and Ol' Groove even has a story in a near-future ish! Stay tuned!)

They Just Don't Make Comics Like That Any More--Or Do They? Charlton Neo

Check it out, Groove-ophiles! Another new department for the Diversions! We look at the classic comics presented here on the Diversions and sigh and say, "They don't make comics like that anymore." Well, that's not necessarily true, and that's what this new department is all about. Read on, MacDuff!

We love the comics of the 1970s, there is no doubt. The best comics ever! But...did you know there is a movement to re-capture the joy and fun of the Groovy Age? Marvel and DC may pretend they want to go back from time to time, but they won't do it. No, if you want new comics to scratch that Groovy Age itch, you've gotta check out the indie scene. And there's no indie outfit that's any more far-out, groovy, and Bronze-Agey than Charlton Neo!

Charlton Neo started out as a FaceBook fanpage dedicated to classic Charlton Comics, created by "Fester Faceplant" aka Mark Knox. The Charlton Arrow page quickly gained lots of fans, among them former Charlton pros like Joe Staton, Nick Cuti, Paul Kupperberg, Roger McKenzie, Steve Skeates, Frank McLaughlin, John Byrne and other pros like Sandy Carruthers, Ron Fortier, Gary Kato, Howard Bender, Batton Lash, Rick Stasi, Lou Mougin, and many, many others. Eventually all of that energy and enthusiasm led to a web-site featuring reprints of old Charlton comics mixed with brand new offerings by pros and up-and-coming fans called Pix-C. Former Cracked and Marvel editor Mort Todd helped things build and grow, and eventually The Charlton Arrow became an actual, honest-to-gosh comicbook, printing stuff from Pix-C along with even more reprints and new stuff. Then there were spin-offs like Unusual Suspense, Charlton Wild Frontier, Roger McKenzie's Frenzy, and Paul Kupperberg's Secret Romances. Full color, high-quality, Groovy Age-style comics!

Yeah, Charlton Neo's  been going strong for almost three years now, and it's getting even bigger, because they've partnered with AC Comics in order to get distribution via Diamond. That's right, baby! Starting this fall (and in previews right now!), you can get your hands on Charlton Arrow at your local comics shop! They've decided to end Charlton Arrow Volume 1 with issue 6 (which is out right now and it's AWESOME), and start with a Volume 2 issue 1. But this isn't just some kind of marketing ploy. Besides the AC/Diamond deal, the new Arrow is going to feature the RETURN OF E-MAN (by Nick Cuti and Joe Staton!), as well as the return of Colonel Whiteshroud, Monster Hunter (by Paul Kupperberg and Mike Collins), and the debut of a brand new hero, Mr. Mixit by Roger McKenzie and Steven Butler! Plus there's gonna be tons more stuff that you're going to shed tears of joy over!

So the secret's out, and you need to get on board, Groove-ophiles! Charlton Neo's making comics that you're gonna love. You'll be thanking Ol' Groove later for turning you on to all this fab-a-mundo comicbook wonderment!

And you can say "thank you" by rewarding yourself with this Charlton Neo publication slated for 2018...

Yeah, baby, Ol' Groove doesn't just read Charlton Neo, I'm gonna be writing for 'em, too! Yee-haw!

For more info on Charlton Arrow Vol. 2, #1, go here, here, here, and here. You're welcome!