I've come to the conclusion that my overall favorite DC comic of the Groovy Age is Adventure Comics. The Legion of Super-Heroes. Supergirl. Black Orchid. The Spectre. Captain Fear. Seven Soldiers of Victory. Aquaman. Superboy. The Dollar Comic era(with features like Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, the New Gods, JSA, and Deadman). Starman. Plastic Man. Dial "H" for Hero. The digest-sized era (Shazam! and Challengers of the Unknown). For experimentation and originality, Adventure was the DC mag, baby!For a couple issues, editor Joe Orlando got REALLY experimental, turning Adventure into a really mixed bag with savage pirate tales featuring Captain Fear, urban cowboy crime-fighting with Vigilante, and the truly "weird adventures" of the Adventurer's Club.
The Adventurer's Club was a pretty cool feature that lasted for only two issues (Adventure Comics 426-427, November, 1972-January, 1973). Written by John (Jonah Hex) Albano and drawn by Jim (Brave and Bold, Spectre) Aparo, the Adventurer's Club, featuring narrator and "chairman of the board" Nelson Strong, was actually a framing device for weird/supernatural adventure stories that might otherwise have seen print in Orlando's other mystery mags like House of Mystery or House of Secrets. The series didn't catch on (obviously) but the two stories showed great promise with their twisted plots and fabulous art. I ain't jivin', Groove-ophile! Just check 'em out for yourself!
Great stuff GA! I wish this would have lasted longer too for obvious reasons. We would have seen more Aparo art!
ReplyDeletethese are awesome, thanks for posting them. i've never seen THE ADVENTURERS CLUB stories before. jim aparo was one of the best. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that someday you post some CAPTAIN FEAR stories as well.
ReplyDeleteI posted this one with you in mind, Mike! Glad you dug it!
ReplyDeleteCaptain Fear is in the works, Andy! I hope to get Steve Skeates to do a post on it, since he wrote a few episodes. So uncross your fingers and draw some more!
sweet! i am the worlds biggest alex nino fan. i can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI love me some Nino, myself! Ever since his illos in Weird Heroes for Quest of the Gypsy, I have been a Nino-fan!
ReplyDeleteEven better, IIRC, there was a back-up story drawn by the Diana Prince, Wonder Woman team supreme, Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano.
ReplyDeleteAh, the Vigilante. Yep, that was Sekowsky and Giordano. Y'wanna see it? Stay tuned!
ReplyDeleteThe next Adventurers' Club was by Dominguez, as I recall, so I don't think Aparo would have stayed on if the experiment had continued. Thanks for posting these, GA--Aparo was at the top of his game around this time, and it's good to give folks a chance to see this work!
ReplyDeleteWasn't Club in Adventure Comics #430 as well?
ReplyDeleteOl Groove Says: You guys are right!
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