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!

Sci-Fi Week! Black and White Wednesday: The Six Million Dollar Man in "Witch Hunt for an Alien"

What's happening, Groove-ophiles! Dig this far-out tale from Charlton's Six Million Dollar Man magazine #2 (cover dated September 1976). It's written by Mike Pellowski with art by Continuity Associates (Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, Klaus Janson, Terry Austin, Rick Bryant, Bruce Patterson, Joe Rubenstein, and others). Ready! Set! Groove!

Sci-Fi Week! Two-Fer Tuesday: Sci Fi by J. M. DeMatteis and Tom Sutton

Salutations, Stalwarts! Here's a couple shockers from DC's short-lived but so awesome sci-fi mag Time Warp. These two particular tales feature the stunningly haunting art of the vastly underrated Tom Sutton, who gave Steve Ditko and Basil Wolverton a run for their money when it came to drawing weeeeeird aliens. Not only that, but each story was written by the incredible J. M. DeMatteis, who would later go on acclaim with Captain America, Moonshadow, Justice League, "Kraven's Last Hunt", Abadazad, and so much more. Ready for a treat?

First up, here's "The Truth!" from Time Warp #2 (November 1979).


And now, check out "...In Love's Name!" from TW #3 (January 1980).


Don'tcha just love the Groovy Age?