Groove's Faves: "The Cloud of Hate!" by Leiber, O'Neil, and Chaykin

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Here's another classic adaptation of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Denny O'Neil, Howard Chaykin, and friends! (How many inkers can you spot in today's story?) From Sword of Sorcery #4 (June 1973), here comes..."The Cloud of Hate!"

The Grooviest Covers of All Time: George Tuska

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! When fans of the Groovy Age think of George Tuska, we think of Iron Man, Teen Titans, and lots and lots of fill-ins. George is one of those journeymen who'd been around since the Golden Age and we just (sadly) kinda took him for granted. I never personally went out of my way looking for a George Tuska book, but I was rarely disappointed when I bought a mag George had penciled. He had the trademark Marvel powerful figures and in-your-face action-packed layouts down pat. Another thing George could do, but didn't get nearly enough opportunities to do so, t'would sadly seem, is create some outstanding and even iconic covers! Just check out this Marvel-ous offering of Tuska covers...

Gracias to the Grand Comics Database for the awesome cover scans!

The Boys from Derby: "An Unfinished Tale" by Gill and Sutton

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles? Ever have something just naggin' at the back of your noggin? Something just important enough to tickle your brain, but not important enough to remember? I feel like I need to do something...something's not complete, ya know? Sheesh... Well, while I try to figure out whatever it is, you can read this creepy classic by Joe Gill and Tom Sutton from The Many Ghosts of Dr. Graves #42 (July 1973). Prepare to finish..."An Unfinished Tale"!

Hey! Now I know what it was...I needed to finish this post. Ah, nowwwww Ol' Groove feels better!

Black and White Wednesday: Do You Remember...Dr. FOOM?

What it is, Groove-ophiles! Today Ol' Groove's gonna jog your memory a bit: any former FOOMers remember Charley Parker's Dr. FOOM? Parker's Dr. FOOM was first introduced in FOOM Magazine #4, which led to appearances in issues 8, 9, and 10. The were silly fun in the Not Brand Echh tradition and I always looked forward to 'em.

Parker also did an X-Men parody in ish 10, a Jack Kirby parody in issue 11, and a Vision parody in issue 12. You can read the Kirby strip here, and 'cause Ol' Groove loves ya baby, guess what's comin'...?

Charlie, where'd ya go? You left Young Groove wantin' more! (And if you're out there, stop by and tell us how you're doin'!)

Bring on the Back-ups: "The Day Krypton Didn't Die!" by Maggin and Buckler

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Today let's get a little sci-fi--Kryptoninan style! Here's a very cool "Fabulous World of Krypton" back-up from Superman #251 (March 1972) written by Elliot S! Maggin and illustrated by Rich Buckler! Are you ready to witness..."The Day Krypton Didn't Die!"?

Ol' Groove's Request Line: "What If Peter Parker Had Become Nova?" by Wolfman, Andru, and Giacoia

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Ever since Ol' Groove shared the Walt Simonson and George Perez chapters of What If #15 (April 1979) waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in September 2009 (you can read that post here), one of the most oft-requested tales for posting here in Groove City is the "What If Peter Parker Had Become Nova" section of that self-same mag. Written by Marv Wolfman (who was writing both Amazing Spider-Man and Nova--at least for one more ish--at the time) and illustrated by Ross Andru and Frank Giacoia (who'd been illustrating ASM for a huge chunk of the Groovy Age), this is the story you've been clamoring for! Peter Parker as...Nova!?! Dig it, baby!