Superbowl Sunday Special! Sports Celeb Comic Book Ads

What it is, sports fans! Seems that everyone digs Superbowl Sunday, dunnit? Even non-football fans get in on the act if for no other reason to dig on the ca-raazee commercials that are sprung on us during the Big Game. That got Ol' Groove to thinking about how during the Groovy Age, some of our fave sports stars (some of whom are still famous, others, sadly, now infamous) would actually star in comicbook ads (often as comicbook characters!) to sell us on body building, batting practice, basketballs, and even boots. Ol' Groove always thought those ads were kinda far out, so I thought I'd share a few of 'em with ya today. You know, to give you something to do between naps, parties, time-outs, and possible wardrobe malfunctions. Enjoy!

Making a Splash: Jim Starlin's Warlock

What it is, Groove-ophiles! Y'know, if ya wanna get Ol' Groove in a really, really good mood, just hand him a stack of comics. A stack of Jim Starlin Warlock comics, however, sends him into a state of fanboy nirvana. There are so, so many amazing, astounding, and fantastic comic mags to be found during the Groovy Age, but for some reason Starlin's Warlock has a magical something that pushes them to the very top for Ol' Groove. Starlin's story is like nothing I've ever read before or since. And his art... Yeah, that art, whether inked by Al Milgrom, Alan Weiss, Steve Leialoha, Joe Rubenstein, or Judo Jim, himself, just totally blows me away. The majesty of Kirby. The weirdness of Ditko. The detail of Barry (Windsor-)Smith. The cinematic-ness of Steranko (you know something is special when ya gotta make up a word for it!). From Strange Tales #'s 178-181 (November 1974-May 1975), Warlock #'s 9-15 (July 1975-August 1976), and Avengers Annual #7 (Fall 1977), here are the wondrous Warlock splashes of Jim Starlin (including a couple of the original pieces). Enjoy!

Groove's Faves: "Bat-Murderer!" by Wein and Aparo

What it is, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove is in the mood to share one of his all-time fave stories. But first...

When Archie Goodwin ended his tenure as editor of Detective Comics and Julie Schwartz returned to that coveted seat, most of us Bat-fans figured we'd be back to Bat-business as usual. Little did we know what the Dean of DC Editors had in store for us: Len Wein. Jim Aparo. Talia. Batman wanted by the police. Grim. Gritty. Excellent writing. Masterful artwork. Young Groove and his compadres were floored by Detective Comics #444...

Bet you're floored, too, huh?

Black and White Wednesday: "Money" by Sanho Kim

While I loved the great Sanho Kim's work in Charlton's various color comics, his elegant, graceful line was always best served in Warren's black and white mags. Take the following masterpiece, "Money" from Eerie #35 (cover-dated September 1971) for example...