Setting the Pace: "Wolfquest" by Kraft, Perez, and McLaughlin

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Time to plant our peepers on another early George Perez Man-Wolf masterpiece! "Wolfquest" written by David Anthony Kraft and inked by Frank McLaughlin appeared in Creatures On the Loose #35 (February 1975). You can already see The Pace-Setter's ornate, detailed style getting stronger and stronger, his storytelling chops gaining the sure-handedness we'd all know and love, and some early robotic styles that could have helped inspire a certain teen with titanium parts. Check it out!!

Bring On the Back-ups: "Silent Sky...Screaming Death!!" by Kanigher, Hama, and Smith

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! How many series (back-up or no) debut with a fill-in art team? Even Ol' Groove doesn't know for sure, but according to the letters page of Men of War #8 (May 1978), the return of Enemy Ace featured "able pinch-hitters" Larry Hama and Bob Smith just buying time for incoming artist Humble Howard Chaykin. Writer/creator Bob Kanigher was going full-throttle, though...

And, oh, yeah, we'll be groovin' to Howard's imperishable Enemy Ace pages in upcoming posts!

Making a Splash: Happy Herb's Hulk, Part One

Greetings, my Green-Skinned Groove-ophiles! Ya know, one thing Ol' Groove hasn't done enough of here on the Diversions is rap more about Happy Herb Trimpe! Herb's art was one of the coolest, and most reliable things we could enjoy as we trucked on through the Groovy Age. While Mr. Trimpe worked on lots of cool comics (including Iron Man and Ant-Man in Marvel Feature), he's best known for his long stint on The Incredible Hulk. Herb's Hulk-ish history goes way back to Ol' Greenskin's days as a co-feature in Tales to Astonish, where the Happy One would ink Marie Severin's pencils. Not long after TtA morphed into the mag we know and love as The Incredible Hulk, Herb started penciling over other layout artists, until finally, with ish 110 (September 1968) Mr. Trimpe took over penciling (and often inking) for nearly every issue through Incredible Hulk #193 (August 1975)--not to mention a filler or two after that. Is it any wonder why the names Herb Trimpe and the Hulk became nearly synonymous  back in the good ol' days?

Today we're gonna dig on Mr. Trimpe's splashes from Incredible Hulk issues 110- 128!

Layouts for the next big Hulk artist!

Man, that's what comics are supposed to look like, innit? Wanna see the rest of Herb's Hulk splashes? Ya gotta let me know!

Addicted to Alex Nino: "Small Invasion" by Mayer and Nino

Happy 74th Birthday, Alex Nino!! Let's dig on an early Nino fave o'mine from House of Secrets #101 (September 1972), Groove-ophiles. Written by Golden Age Great Sheldon Mayer, here's "Small Invasion"!