The Grooviest Covers of All Time: The Groovy Age Spectre

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Where can you find insanely outstanding art by comicbook giants like Carmine Infantino, Murphy Anderson, Neal Adams, Nick Cardy, Jim Aparo, and Jim Starlin? On comic covers featuring The Spectre, baby! Whether it be in his own mag, guest-starring in team-up mags like Brave and the Bold and DC Comics Presents, or headlining Adventure Comics, the Ghostly Guardian with his stark white and green costume makes for some creepy-cool comicbook covers! Here's a bunch of Ol' Groove's faves! Hope some of 'em are on your list of faves, too!

Shades of Gray: "Warrior's Dream" by Skeates, Skrenes, and Morrow

Hey, hey, hail to thee, Groove-ophiles! Here's a superior sword and sorcery chiller from Archie's Red Circle Sorcery #6 (February 1974)! Written by Steve Skeates and Mary Skrenes with art by Gray Morrow, it's time to wake up to a..."Warrior's Dream!"

Black and White Wednesday: Our Pal Sal's Avengers

What it is, Groove-ophiles! Yers trooly has been thinking a lot about Sal Buscema's Avengers art lately. You know that it was Sal's amazing art (and yeah, Roy Thomas' spectacular scripting) on Avengers 88-92 that turned Young Groove from an occasional comicbook reader to a comicbook freak, so I do that a lot. And besides, is there ever a bad time to plant our peepers on some sensational Sal B. original art? Here are a smattering of pages (plucked from all over the Interwebs) from some of Ol' Groove's all time favorite Avengers issues. Hope you dig 'em, too!

Avengers68

Avengers 71

Avengers 88

Avengers 89

Avengers 89

Avengers 90

Avengers 91

Decent Comics: "Yo-Yo Hang-up In the Sky!" by Fox, Kubert, and Anderson

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Let's truck waaaaay back to December 1968 and check out a suh-wheet Hawkman tale by the three fellas who are most associated with the Silver Age Winged Warrior: Gardner Fox, Joe Kubert, and Murphy Anderson. From The Atom/Hawkman #41 here's Hawkman in "Yo-Yo Hang-up In the Sky!"

Marv-elous Monday: Eating the Fantastic with Scott Edelman and Marv (Get It?) Wolfman

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Yeah, Ol' Groove's being a little sneaky with the Marv-elous Monday title, but I think you're really gonna dig this. Scott Edelman, a Groovy Age fave who (among many other accomplishments) edited F.O.O.M. Magazine, wrote some awesome issues of Captain Marvel, and created The Scarecrow has a series of podcasts called Eating the Fantastic, in which Sparkling Scott shares a sumptuous meal and interesting conversation with sci-fi luminaries. Scott's latest podcast, though, is especially of interest to those of us here in Groove City as he's interview another Groovy Age great, none other than Marv Wolfman whose Tomb of Dracula, Nova, and many other 1970s comics (and 80s comics, and 90s comics...) are much loved by us all. Of special interest is how Scott ties his conversation with Marv into an the last interview Scott conducted with Marv--back in 1974 when he was editing the aforementioned F.O.O.M. Magazine!

And just because Ol' Groove loves ya, baby, here's some more cool stuff Scott put into that particular ish of F.O.O.M. (#8)...

How cool is that? Now, the real reason we're here (I'm getting to it, Scott!), if you'll please follow the link and...

Join comics legends Scott Edelman and Marv Wolfman for gelato in Episode 54 of Eating the Fantastic!

One more last pic, of Scott, Marv, and the late, great Len Wein from F.O.O.M. #10!

And if you dig that, how about this discussion with Game of Thrones' George R. R. Martin (who talks a bit about his work in fanzines and as a Marvel letterhack)? It's right here: Down drunken noodles with George R. R. Martin in Episode 43 of Eating the Fantastic.

And there are dozens more cool interviews on Eating the Fantastic, so don't forget to save Scott's site to your favorite browser--oh, and leave a nice tip for the waiter!

Making a Splash: Happy Day After Keith Giffen's Birthday!

Happy birthday to Keith Giffen who just turned 65 yesterday! If you've hung around Groove City for any time at all, then you know the ever-so-talented Mr. Giffen is one of Ol' Groove's fave Groovy Age (and beyond! He still rocks!) artists. You can find samples of his best known Groovy Age series' like JSA (in All Star Comics), Defenders, Challengers of the Unknown, and Claw the Unconquered by doing just a little digging in the sidebar. But there are a few mags that you may not realize KG lent a pencil to, and those are the ones we're focusing on today: Kobra, Kamandi, Super-Villain Team-Up, and even House of Mystery! Happy birthday, Keith Giffen! Keep makin' those amazing comics!

Groove's Faves: "The Ghost Town Sheriff" by Newman and Gill

Dig it, Groove-ophiles: Ol' Groove totally digs the Lone Ranger. Always have, always will. Young Groove didn't buy a lot of Lone Ranger comics 'cause they were hard to find, but when I did find a stray Gold Key ish with those gorgeous painted covers, I'd snatch 'em up. I never new if an issue had new stories or reprints (until I started noticing those "Reprinted by Popular Demand" blurbs stamped on the first pages of the stories), but I didn't care. Take for instance "The Ghost Town Sheriff" from Lone Ranger #14 (February 1969). This gem by Paul S. Newman and Tom Gill could have come directly from the late 1800s for all I cared--I just knew a rousing fun story with terrific art when I saw one! Check it out for yourself...

Oh, and this one was, indeed, a reprint from Dell's Lone Ranger #100 (cover dated October 1956).