Black and White Wednesday: "The Amazing Spider-Man vs. the Phantom Burglar!" by Lee and Romita

More Smilin' Stan this week, Groove-ophiles? Why not! We all know (we do, don't we?) that the Amazing Spider-Man has been web-slinging his way through newspapers via the funny pages for almost forty years. But, did'ja know that Stan Lee and John Romita put together a presentation consisting of twelve days worth of Spidey strips way back in the late 60s--that was rejected by the syndicates? True! The proof can be found in two 1970 issues of Marvel's short-lived fanzine, Marvelmania issues 3 and 4! See? Read it right here, right now..."The Amazing Spider-Man vs. the Phantom Burgler!"

Decent Comics: "Bushido!" by Kirby and Berry

Teeeeeen HUT! Dig it, Groove-ophiles! Jack Kirby and D. Bruce Berry gave us some great character moments and tons of action in "Bushido!" Join us for a look at Our Fighting Forces #154 (January 1975)...

Marvel-ous Mondays: "The Coming of Captain Marvel!" by Lee, Colan, and Giacoia

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! By the time Li'l Groove got into comics, the original Marvel Universe was well in place. The FF, Hulk, Avengers, Spidey, DD, Inhumans, Silver Surfer, Asgard, Sub-Mariner, even the Kree and Skrull had already been introduced and well established. But Stan and Company weren't through creating yet--especially when a copyright was on the line! Ya see, although DC (then National Periodical Publications) had squashed the original Shazam!-shouting Captain Marvel back in the Golden Age, that didn't mean an enterprising young publisher (Myron Fass) wouldn't glom onto that Grand Old Name over a decade later. According to lore, Marvel Comics quickly seized the "Captain Marvel" name after Fass' version was cancelled. Marvel, they say, didn't want another publisher making moolah off a Captain that should belong to them, right? The result? One of Ol' Groove's all-time favorite characters, Captain Mar-vell was born. While the original run started off strong (as we'll see in today's post), a variety of writer, artist, direction, and even power changes made the series so uneven that even Roy Thomas and Gil Kane's legendary revamp couldn't save it. After Marv's huge role in the immortal Kree/Skrull War in Avengers issues 89-97, the good captain was re-commissioned and rewarded with the return his own mag, which ran from 1972 to 1979 and included even more legendary runs by Steve Englehart and Al Milgrom, Doug Moench and Pat Broderick, and the best of them all, Jim Starlin. But you knew that already, didn'tcha? Well, just for giggles, let's go aaaaaaaallllll the way back to Marv's debut from Marvel Super-Heroes #12 (September 1967) when Stan Lee, Gene Colan, and Frank Giacoia got it all together for..."The Coming of Captain Marvel!"

Black (and White) Friday: "Blackmark Chapter 2" by Goodwin and Kane

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Whether you're getting ready to head out or coming home from the big sales, has Ol' Groove got a treat for you! Waaaaaay back in November of '09 we looked at the first chapter of Gil Kane's Blackmark as it was reprinted in Savage Sword of Conan #1. Well, today we're finally gonna plant our peepers on the second chapter of Kane's sci-fi/fantasy stunner from Savage Sword of Conan #2 (August 1974)! Scripted by Archie Goodwin, here's "Blackmark: Chapter 2!"