The Grooviest Covers of All Time: The Groovy Age JLA Covers That Really Grabbed Me

The title says it all, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove is just in the mood to pore over those Justice League of America covers that grabbed my imagination when I was just a Li'l Groove. Not just the awesome artistry of talented titans like Mike Sekowsky, Murphy Anderson, Carmine Infantino, Neal Adams, Gil Kane, and Nick Cardy, but the total package these covers presented. The logo, the layouts, the roll call, the colors, the lettering, even the judicious use of word balloons, captions, and titles all came together to create a magic spell that made quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies all disappear from my pocket. Feast your eyes, baby!

Groovy Age Gold: "Terror Rides the Rails!" by Kanigher, Infantino, and Giacoia

What it is, Groove-ophiles! Hidden in the back of JLA #99 (April 1972) is a reprint of the Golden Age Atom story that introduced Al Pratt's more "modern" costume as designed by artists Carmine Infantino and Frank Giacoia. Written by Robert Kanigher, "Terror Rides the Rails" was originally published in Flash Comics #98 (cover dated August 1948). Young Groove dug it a lot. Hope you dig it, too!

Black and White Wednesday: Happy Birthday, Bob Layton (and Thanks for the Scans!)

Yesterday was Bob Layton's 65th birthday. Happy birthday, Bob! Your inks made some of the greatest comics of all time even more special, and Ol' Groove thanks you for that! (And for sharing these sweet original art scans on your Facebook page!)

Decent Comics: "Master of the Seventh Void" by Michelinie, Giffen, Villagran, and Novelle

Here we go, Groove-ophiles! Some of you have been waiting for Claw the Unconquered to get out of Conan's shadow for good. If "Master of the Seventh Void" doesn't fit the bill, then Ol' Groove doesn't know what will. Writer/co--creator David Micheline is joined by innovative penciler Keith Giffen (inked by Ricardo Villagran and Oscar Novelle) to take Claw much farther into Michael Moorcock territory and farther away from Robert E. Howard than we've seen yet. T'was a blistering, action-packed, and cosmic sword and sorcery tale (under a Giffen-inked-by-co-creator Ernie Chan cover) that leaped from the spinner rack back in April 1976--and it's comin' your way right now!

Marvel-ous Monday: "Beware the Basilisk My Son!" by Wein, Kane, and Mooney

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! We're gonna kick off this week with a rare teaming of Spider-Man and Captain Marvel (the male, cosmic one) from Marvel Team-Up #16 (September 1973). "Beware the Basilisk My Son!" introduces a new villain named (what else?) the Basilisk, and it has Spidey and Mar-Vell tracking down some powerful cosmic Kree jewels--no, not the Infinity Stones, believe it or not--but the Alpha and Omega Stones. Were they some kinda relation to the far more famous gems for which Thanos hankers so much? Evidently not, which is either a missed opportunity or a save from an even more convoluted back story. Anywho, it's interesting that Marvel's cosmic adventures are so tied into cosmic gems of some type or another, no? It's a fun, action-packed tale by Len Wein, Gil Kane, and Jim Mooney. It's also a set-up for a team-up with Mr. Fantastic and Spidey helping our Kree Captain from his predicament--with Mole Man tossed in for good measure. Mull that over for a month or so, baby, but until then, let's dig on today's titanic tale!

Cover art by John Romita Sr. and Frank Giacoia