Black and White Wednesday: "Samurai" by Gene Day

The comics world lost one of its brightest when Gene Day passed away in 1982. The Canadian writer/artist had a unique voice and style, making every project he touched extra special. I first noticed him as an inker on Marvel mags like Marvel Two-In-One (over George Perez), Star Wars (finishing Carmine Infantino's pencils) and Master of Kung Fu (inking Mike Zeck)--and yeah, his style blew Teen Groove away. Later, Day was allowed to pencil MOKF and Star Wars, and with his mind-bending, Steranko-esque layouts...WOW! Can your mind be blown twice and even harder? One can really get the full effect of Day's artistic prowess when reading one of his solo black and white tales, like "Samurai" from Mike Friedrich's Star*Reach #11 (cover-dated December 1977). The thought-provoking, cinematic layouts...the organic, ornate, lush inks...the mastery of spotting blacks...the ingenious use of negative space...it's there in all its glory. Dig it, baby...and thanks, Gene!

Byrne-ing to Read: "Gods of the Planet Olympus"

Here's another far-out John Byrne-illustrated issue of Space: 1999, Groove-ophiles! This one features the stars of the sci-fi TV tie-in against--yep, you guessed it, the gods of a planet called Olympus. Byrne handles the sci-fi/fantasy mix quite nicely, giving us some pretty cool looking giants and monsters, the likes of which the TV show's sfx budget would never have allowed. Author Nick Cuti serves up a fun script with some great moments of action and humor, really allowing Byrne to strut his stuff. The sight of sword-wielding giants dressed in ancient Roman duds battling space-ships is quite a sight, in Ol' Groove's opinion. Bet you'll agree! From Space: 1999 #5 (April 1976) prepare to face the "Gods of the Planet Olympus"!

Dick Giordano: Thank You and Good Afternoon

On Saturday, March 27, we lost an artist, editor, friend, and inspiration. Dick Giordano was one of those guys who seemed to be able to do everything--and be able to do it better than most everyone else. When I think of Giordano, quality and innovation are two of the first adjectives that spring to mind. His vision as an editor changed the comicbook landscape forever (the Charlton Action Hero line, the Watchmen, and many of DC's innovations in the 1980s), but it is his art, as penciler and/or inker, that puts Ol' Groove in awe. His penciling was always top notch; great storytelling, near perfect anatomy, beautiful faces. His inking, especially over Neal Adams, was truly mind-boggling. He brought a sense of realism, of weight and motion, to every job he inked. He was a true master and will be sorely missed. For an example of Dick's artistic prowess, here's a well-loved classic written by Denny O'Neil. It's Dick Giordano at his best, drawing his favorite superhero The Batman in "There Is No Hope in Crime Alley!" from Detective Comics #457 (December 1975).


Ol' Groove's posted about Mr. Giordano, or at least mentioned him in a post,well over a dozen times here on DotGK, but I still can't say enough about how important he was to the Groovy Age. I can only quote the man himself, from his wonderful MEANWHILE editorials of the 1980s. Thank you, Dick. Thank you and Good Afternoon.

Sports Sunday: "The Challenge of the Faceless Five!"

What's happening, Groove-ophiles! March Madness not mad enough for ya? Well, here's a little four-color bizarro b-ball for those of us who just can't get enough! From DC's Strange Sports Stories #4 (December 1973), here's Cary Bates and John Rosenberger with "The Challenge of the Faceless Five!"