Decent Comics: "The Hundred Dollar Deal!" by Albano and DeZuniga

Saddle up, Groove-ophiles! We're'a gonna slap leather with Jonah Hex today! Ol' Groove just recently re-read Hex's second appearance from All-Star Western #11 (February 1972) and I truly dug it! Co-creators John Albano and Tony DeZuniga were still experimenting a bit with our hard-as-nails anti-hero (just check out the blackly humorous ending), but you can sense as you read that they knew they were on to something special. So special that, with the very next issue due, no doubt, to the rapidly rising popularity of the Jonah Hex strip, the mag's very title would be changed to reflect our weird western hero. More on that next time! Now let's siddown next to the campfire and dig on the story of..."The Hundred Dollar Deal!"

Cover art by Tony DeZuniga and company

(P)Raising Kane: "The Night of the Snake" by Kane with O'Neil and DeZuniga

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! You liked Gil Kane's western wonderment a couple'a weeks ago, so Ol' Groove has decided to treat ya to yet another little-seen GK western classic. "The Night of the Snake", from All Star Western #6 (April 1971), pointed toward the title's metamorphosis to becoming Weird Western Tales about a year later (mystery maven Joe Orlando had taken the editorial chair the issue before--wonder why the change took so long?), but on top of that it is one of the most gorgeous art jobs of the 70s! Plotted by Gil Kane, scripted by Denny O'Neil and penciled and inked by Kane and Tony DeZuniga, prepare your peepers for pictorial perfection!

Bring on the Back-ups: "The Gypsy Curse!" by Kanigher, Weiss, and Giordano

Ayooohah, Groove-ophiles! Today we're moseying on back to the wild old west, to the back pages of DC's All-Star Western #7 (June 1971) with El Diablo! Story by Robert Kanigher! Art by Alan Weiss and Dick Giordano! Are you prepared for..."The Gypsy Curse!"?

Bring on the Back-ups: "The Devil Rides for Vengeance!" by Kanigher, Weiss, and Giordano

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Today's bodacious back-up featurette marks the dazzling color comics debut of awesome Alan Weiss! "The Devil Rides for Vengeance" from All-Star Western #5 (February 1971) was written by El Diablo co-creator Robert Kanigher and finished/inked by Dick Giordano. Are ya ready ta slap leather, pilgrim?

Shades of Gray: "Satan's Sanctuary" by Aragones, Wein, and Morrow

Howdy, Groove-ophiles! One thing about editor Joe Orlando--if he had to run a filler, then by gum he'd make it a good'un! The El Diablo short-short from All-Star Western #11 (February 1972), "Satan's Sanctuary" ran only four pages--but dig that ca-razee pedigree:! Story by Sergio Aragones and Len Wein, art by Gray Morrow. Dig it!

DCnU and the Groovy Age Connection!

Fandom is all abuzz about DC's upcoming line-wide re-launch. While Ol' Groove digs rappin' about the great comics of the Groovy Age, I feel compelled to at least make some mention of this ginormous undertaking. DC has been known to shake things up: the 25 cent/52 page format of 1971/72, the DC Explosion/Implosion of 1978, Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985, and so many more since. This, though, this is the Big One. Gotta say that rebooting every major title with an issue #1 is definitely not cool. Some of the creative teams do sound interesting. The coolness of the new looks for nearly every character vary widely (don't dig either of the Superman looks, f'rinstance, but Hawkman looks pretty far out).

But that's not what I wanna yak about.

I noticed that DC has cherry-picked from a variety of their 7+ decades, and we have a few mags that are reboots of some classic Groovy Age mags. I wanna spotlight those here today. How's that for an unexpected surprise, Groove-ophiles?

I'm going right down the line, using DC's solicitation info. Ready? Set? GO!

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #1

 
Written by Ethan Van Sciver & Gail Simone
Art by Yildiray Cinar
Cover by Ethan Van Sciver

Welcome to a major new vision of the Nuclear Man as writers Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone team up with artist Yildiray Cinar to deliver THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #1. Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond are two high school students, worlds apart – and now they’re drawn into a conspiracy of super science that bonds them forever in a way they can’t explain or control. The cover to issue #1 is by Ethan Van Sciver.


As you can see, this is gonna be a mish-mash of just about every version of Firestorm, but at least the original, 1970s Ronnie Raymond is back as part of the equation.

SWAMP THING #1

 
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Yannick Paquette
Cover by Yannick Paquette

DC Comics embraces its dark side. On the 40th anniversary of the character’s creation, the New York Times bestselling writer of AMERICAN VAMPIRE, Scott Snyder, teams up with Yannick Paquette (BATMAN, INCORPORATED) to bring horror back to the DC Universe in SWAMP THING #1. For years, one man served against his will as the avatar of nature. And while he may have been freed of the monster, he’s about to learn the monster will never truly let go of him.


Swamp Thing is one of the best characters to come out of the 1970s. I doubt this version is gonna bear much relation to the original, though, and that's too bad.

DEMON KNIGHTS #1

 
Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Diogenes Neves & Oclair Albert
Cover by Diogenes Neves & Oclair Albert

Set in the Middle Ages, the Demon leads an unlikely team to defend civilization and preserve the last vestiges of Camelot against the tide of history. Critically-acclaimed writer Paul Cornell and artists Diogenes Neves and Oclair Albert combine sorcery, swords and superheroes in DEMON KNIGHTS #1.

The Demon as a team book? At least Kirby's kharakter is getting another shot. At least I hope it's Etrigan. Didn't name him in the solicits, did they?

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF SHADE #1

 
Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Alberto Ponticelli
Cover by Alberto Ponticelli

Frankenstein and his network of strange beings work for an even stranger government organization: The Super Human Advanced Defense Executive. It’s the breakout hero of Seven Soldiers as you’ve never seen him before in FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF SHADE #1, the first issue of a dark new series from acclaimed writer Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, The Nobody) and artist Alberto Ponticelli.

As with Swamp Thing and Demon Knights, the link between this mag and DC's original Frankenstein (which ran as back-ups in the 1970s Phantom Stranger) seems quite slim.
  

HAWK & DOVE #1

Written by Sterling Gates
Art by Rob Liefeld
Cover by Rob Liefeld

It’s up to the living avatars of war and peace to root out the hidden forces who look to plunge the country into a deadly civil war in HAWK AND DOVE #1. The exciting new series will be written by Sterling Gates and illustrated by legendary superstar comics artist Rob Liefeld.

Rob Liefeld?!? DC should have begged Steves Skeates and Ditko to come back! Oh, and the black-in-place-of-white on Hawk's uniform? Bad idea.

ALL-STAR WESTERN #1

 
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Grey
Art by Moritat
Cover by Moritat

Even when Gotham City was just a one-horse town, crime was rampant – and things only get worse when bounty hunter Jonah Hex comes to town. Can Amadeus Arkham, a pioneer in criminal psychology, enlist Hex’s special brand of justice to help the Gotham Police Department track down a vicious serial killer? Featuring back-up stories starring DC’s other western heroes, ALL-STAR WESTERN #1 will be written by the fan-favorite Jonah Hex team of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and illustrated by Moritat.

I hate the fact that DC has cancelled Jonah Hex, but this sounds pretty good (at least Gray and Palmiotti are still writing it). Bat Lash, Scalphunter, and El Diablo back-ups, please!!

OMAC #1
 

Written by Dan Didio & Keith Giffen
Art by Keith Giffen & Scott Koblish
Cover by Keith Giffen & Scott Koblish

A man loses control of his life as the omnipresent Brother Eye transforms him against his will into a powerful killing machine OMAC #1, written by DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan DiDio and co-written and illustrated by Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish.

Ol' Groove is actually a bit jazzed about this one. Genius stroke to get Giffen involved in this. Sounds like the relationship between Buddy Blank and Brother Eye is gonna be quite different in this version, but them's the breaks. Giffen rocks!


I probably should mention DC Universe Presents, which kicks off with a brand new Deadman story-arc. And Justice League Dark will give a home to such Groovy Age icons as Deadman, Shade the Changing Man, and Madame Xanadu (though the latter two will probably be closer to their Vertigo counterparts than their Groovy Age originals).

Lots of other stuff going on there, but that's fodder for other sites and blogs. Me, I'll keep my fingers crossed and dip in veeeeeeery carefully (All-Star Western and Omac for sure!). What do you think about the whole ta-do, Groove-ophiles?