Sci-Fi Week! Byrne-ing to Read: "Rog 2000 vs The Sog"

Ya say ya need a little more John Byrne art in your life? Especially of the Rog 2000 variety? Well you got it, Groove-ophiles! Here's Rog's final outing from E-Man #10 (June 1975)..."Rog 2000 vs The Sog"...written by Nick Cuti, natch! Dig it!

Sci-Fi Week! Diggin' Ditko: Machine Man in "Renewal!"

Remember back on Jack Kirby's birthday when Ol' Groove mentioned that Marvel revived Machine Man with ish #10 (May 1979) with Marv Wolfman and Steve Ditko at the creative helm? Well, I've finally gotten around to sharing it with ya (special thanks to max_renn for the excellent scans)--aren't ya glad? I think Ditko fans are gonna be especially delighted with "Renewal!" Ditko's art is magnificent--the detail, the use of shading, the far-out action sequences--I think it ranks up there with some of Ditko's very best.

Sci-Fi Week! Bring On the Back-ups: "Brainiac 5's Secret Weakness!" by Bates and Grell

What's happening, Groove-ophiles! Back in the Groovy Age, DC tried really hard to be hip, especially with the Legion of Super-Heroes. Cary Bates worked hard to give each member a personality, Mike Grell's art just oozed far-out future all in an effort to grab some coins from hard-core FOOMers. Well, for Young Groove, it worked. Stories like "Brainiac 5's Secret Weakness!" from Superboy #204 (July 1974) punched (pardon the ol' pun) all the right buttons. Yeah, some folks are gonna think Brainy's method of handling his puppy-love for Supergirl is a bit...well, sick and twisted, but hey, over in the Avengers Scarlet Witch and the Vision were the romance of the century, so it was the times, baby. If you really want to toss eggs, toss 'em at the usually sweet and thoughtful Kara-El, who ever-so-casually jerks the love-rug right out from under poor ol' Brainy. But whether ya wanna look at this story through the eyes of youth or poke some friendly "now we're much more sophisticated" fun at it, you're still gonna dig this classic! Ol' Groove wouldn't jive ya!

Sci-Fi Week! Secret Origins: Warlock's Sidekick Pip the Troll

When we think of Jim Starlin's awesome (in every sense of the word) run on Warlock, we think of heavy, dark, angst-ridden cosmic tales of death and redemption. Thing is, Judo Jim was hip enough to realize that something had to balance out all of that soul-searching and violence...so he gave Adam Warlock a side-kick by the name of Pip the Troll. Pip was everything Adam was not--a sluggard, a thief, a liar, a cheat, a coward. And yet. And yet, he was loyal and sly, and the best friend a guy like Adam could have. Pip was like a grown up Looney Tunes character, adding bits of levity in what could have become a depressingly dark series. Another really smart thing Starlin did was, as soon as the Warlock/Magus saga ended, he (along with finisher/colorist extraordinaire Steve Leialoha) gave us Pip's origin, a smart, funny, and sly break before diving into his next deep, dark cosmic saga. Young Groove dug "A Trollish Tale!" from Warlock #12 (January 1976) the most. Still do. Bet you will, too!