Ol' Groove's Request Line: "Tower of the Serpent-Women!" by Carter, Fox, Mayerick, and Howard

"More Thongor!" cried Groove-dom! "More Thongor you will have!" replied Ol' Groove! "Tower of the Serpent-Women" by Gardner Fox, Val Mayerick, and Wayne Howard (continuing the adaptation of Lin Carter's Thongor and the Wizard of Lemuria) was published in Creatures on the Loose #26 (August 1973). It's the first of two issues authored by Golden Age great Gardner Fox (who also was a pro at prose sword and sorcery, natch), but it's also the final issue for penciler Val Mayerick (who replaced him? Stay tuned for future Thongor posts, Groove-ophiles!) Also of interest is the fact that this is a rare Marvel job for Charlton mainstay Wayne Howard. His Wally Wood-inspired inks give Mayerick a very different look, don'tcha think? Enjoy!

The Boys from Derby: "Uncle Arthur's Workshop!" by Gill and Boyette

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Here's a fun frightener from Charlton's Ghostly Haunts #32 (February 1973) by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette called "Uncle Arthur's Workshop!" Looking back on this story, I realize what a wonderful cartoonist Boyette was. Though his figures looked stiff and the faces oddly distorted, they still have a grace and beauty all their own. He was able to combine the simplicity of the Golden Age with a modern (Groovy Age modern, that is) sensibility that gave his work a singular, stark style that managed to be wholly original and at times (just look at that cover!) downright stunning.

The Grooviest Covers of All Time: Spidey vs. the Lizard

Can't get enough of our favorite Friendly Neighborhood Wall-Crawler laying the smack-down on the Lizard, Groove-ophiles? Well then feast your eyes on this cornucopia of cavortin' covers featuring Spidey vs. the Lizard--with a few guest-stars mixed in for good measure! And, yeah, Ol' Groove's cheatin' a little by including Amazing Spider-Man #'s 44-45 in the mix--they're slightly (only by a couple'a months) pre-Groovy Age, but ish #44 is the first ish of Spidey I remember owning--and that cover (plus the cover of ish 45) definitely belong(s) in the GROOVIEST COVERS OF ALL TIME category, don'tcha think?

Groove's Faves: "Ice Cream Belle" by Gladir, DeCarlo, and Lapick

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! It's a hot summer day--the perfect kind of day to travel back in time via our Groove-a-licious Archie-powered time machine to get our giggle on! "Ice Cream Belle" by George Gladir, Dan DeCarlo, and Rudy Lapick covers tons o'summer fun--hanging out by the pool, girls, summer jobs, girls, the ice cream man--and girls! From Archie Giant Series Magazine (aka Betty and Veronica Summer Fun) #236 (July 1975) comes fun, fun, fun in the sun! Dig it!

Happy July 4th, 2012!

Ol' Groove's just posting a shortie, 'cause like most folks in the U.S. of A. I'm celebrating the Fourth of July with my family. Have a great day, and I hope you dig this pic of most every Groovy Age kid's ideal Superman--the late, great Christopher Reeve!

The First Spider-Man Movie?

Need more Spidey in your life? Like the debut of Amazing Spider-Man isn't enough? Well, our pals at Vision Comics recently shared this rarity on Facebook--thanx guys! According to Fudgebudger, the Marvelite who posted this mini-flick on Youtube, this Don Glut mini-production of Spider-Man came out in 1969 with Don playing the part of Spidey, himself!


Don, as we've mentioned here before, is a highly talented and prolific writer, having written tons of great comics (like Dr. Spektor, Dagar, the Invaders, and so many more), but we haven't touched much on his career as a prose author, writing award-winning books on dinosaurs and the novelization of The Empire Strikes Back. Nor have we talked about his work in movies and television on projects like Shazam!, Land of the Lost, Transformers, G.I. Joe, and his own work with his own company, Frontline Entertainment. And now we learn that he did a ton of fan films before going pro! What a guy! You can check it all out on Don's own website! Get thee hence, Groove-ophiles!

Groove's Faves: "It's All in the Mine" by Englehart and Rogers

One of the (many) highlights of DC's Summer of 1977 output was the return of Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle. Though The King was no longer at DC, the powers that were placed the Super-Escape Artist's re-vamped mag in the hands of the super-star team that was wowing us in Detective Comics, writer Steve Englehart and artist Marshall Rogers. Thanks to this ad...

...Teen Groove was psyched and ready when he got his hands on Mister Miracle #19 (June 1977), and lemme tell ya, I was not disappointed in the least. Not only did Englehart and Rogers craft an action-packed, explosive tale to knock my socks off (though truth to tell I usually spent my summers barefoot), but editor Denny O'Neil allowed Rogers to enlist the amazing Ilya Hunch to ink this minor masterpiece! Dig it!

What? You wanna know who the heck Ilya Hunch is? So did we, baby! O'Neil laid the truth behind "Ilya Hunch" on us in the letters page of MM #20. Check it out!

Who says Diversions can't be edumicational?