Black and White Wednesay: "A Picture of Dorian Gray" by Wilde, Heweston and Cesar

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! One of Ol' Groove's all-time favorite horror stories is Oscar Wilde's A Picture of Dorian Gray. Teen Groove read it in high-school and was totally wowed by the concept and Wilde's writing. Archaic Al Hewetson and Cesar Lopez Vera did a fine job of adapting the classic tale in Scream #5 (February 1974). Hope you dig it, too!

Decent Comics: "Black Orchid" by Mayer and DeZuniga

What it is, Groove-ophiles! Today we're gonna take a loving look back at one of the most mysterious super-heroines ever--Black Orchid! With the powers of flight, super-strength, and invulnerability topped off with her skills as a master of disguise, Black Orchid's short-lived run as headliner in Adventure Comics (issues 428-430, April-August 1973) left us all scratching our heads wondering who she really was. Co-creators Sheldon Mayer and Tony DeZuniga seemed to enjoy leading us astray as to her true identity--and it was kinda fun--but they never told us who Black Orchid really was. Later, our mysterious heroine got a series of back-up stories in Phantom Stranger (issues 31-32, 35-36, and 38-41) with different creators taking turns teasing us about her true identity. It wouldn't be until 1988 that Black Orchid's origin and identity would be revealed--but that's a whole nuther story. Right now let's dig on Black Orchid's debut (but NOT her origin, no matter what that cover says)!

Cover art by Bob Oksner

Marvel-ous Monday: "Five to One, Deathlok...One In Five..." by Rich Buckler

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Here we are with another Deathlok masterpiece--this one has creator Rich Buckler unleashed, baby, doing plot, pencils, script, and inks! No one did comics like Buckler! Everything in Deathlok was so fresh and daring--studded with cinematic storytelling and bone crushing action...oh, and a page with TWENTY-ONE PANELS! All this angst, adventure, drama, and sci-fi crammed into one story--they just don't make 'em like this any more! From Astonishing Tales #28 (November 1975), here's "Five to One, Deathlok...One In Five..."

Making a Splash: John Byrne's Groovy Age FF

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! We all know that in the 1980s, John Byne rocked the Fantastic Four (issues 232-293). Did'ja know that he drew several issues during the Groovy Age? Even wrote a couple! It's true (Issues 209-218, 220-221, May 1979-February 1980; March-April 1980)! Byrne joined writer Marv Wolfman as layout artist with FF mainstay Joe Sinnott finishing the pencils and inking (except for a fill-in by Pablo Marcos). Byrne helped Wolfman finish a pretty cool storyline featuring Galactus, the Nova Corps, and Nova's arch-foe The Sphinx--oh, and the comicbook debut of H.E.R.B.I.E.) then went on to do a few more storylines before writing and laying out issues 220-221. Although Sinnott's slick inks kept the FF looking consistently Marvel-ous, you could see Byrne's style come shining through, especially in the layouts and storytelling. Fun stuff that only gave us a glimpse of the glory that was to come in the 80s! Take a peek!