Making a Splash: Al Milgrom's Guardians of the Galaxy

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Y'know, when most folks think of Al Milgrom, they think of him as an inker or editor. If you were a fan in the Groovy Age, you know about his penciling prowess, most famously on Marvel's Captain Marvel and DC's Firestorm. For Ol' Groove's money, though, Al's best work was on Guardians of the Galaxy in Marvel Presents issues 3-12 (November 1975-May 1977). The Amiable One had to have been inspired to the max working with the original Mad Genius Gerber on the first seven issues (minus a part filler/part reprint in ish 8), and that inspiration carried right on through the last few Roger Stern-penned stories. It didn't hurt that Al's powerhouse pencils were inked by guys like Pablo Marcos, Howard Chaykin, Terry Austin, and Bob Wiacek, either, baby! Feast your focal fissures on these first-rate folios!

 

The Grooviest Covers of All Time: John Byne Made Me Buy These!

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Kick back, relax, and dig on some of Ol' Groove's fave Groovy Age Marvel John Byrne covers.

There's lots more where these came from--got any faves you'd like me to run next time?

Famous First Fridays: Plop! #1

What it is, Groove-ophiles! For an April Fool's Day Famous First Friday, Ol' Groove can't think of anything better than sharing the preposterously peculiar premiere publication of Plop! from June, 1973. Can you? Now I've shared the hilarious and horrendous history of this macabre mag of mirth before (you can read all about it here), but I've never laid that first ish 'pon ya! Well, here it is, baby! Feast your eyes, grab your gut, and get ready to guffaw--and/or glorf, depending on your particular sensibilities. Like it or not, don't blame me! It's all Carmine Infantino, Joe Orlando, Basil Wolverton, Sergio Aragones, Slim, Frank Robbins, George Evans, Sheldon Mayer, Alfredo Alcala, Steve Skeates, and Bernie Wrightson's fault!