Marvel-ous Monday: "The Sting of the Widow!" by Conway, Heck, and Everett

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! It's the finale of the Black Widow vs. the Astrologer saga from Amazing Adventures #7 (April 1971). The thing Ol' Groove remembers most about this comic is the Goliath (Clint Barton version, natch) cameo, and the fact that I had doubles of this ish, so I traded a copy for a copy of Avengers #88 (the comic that made me a Marvel Maniac, you bet!). Story by Gerry Conway, art by Don Heck and Bill Everett--beware..."The Sting of the Widow!"

Marvel-ous Monday: "Blood Will Tell!" by Thomas, Heck, and S. Buscema

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! We're back with another Black Widow mini-saga from her run in Amazing Adventures! In "Blood Will Tell" from Amazing Adventures #6 (February 1971) writer Roy Thomas is joined by a new art team: Don Heck and Sal Buscema. (If you're wondering about the final Gene Colan/Bill Everett Black Widow job in ish #5, just follow the link here.) While I can dig Heck's art most of the time and I love Our Pal Sal's inks, they don't make a very thrilling art-team here. (Everett will join Heck for the next couple issues--stay tuned.) Thomas' story is kind of an in-between piece of a bigger puzzle, so there's honestly not a lot of thrilling things to draw, either. Roy does, however, add some depth to Madame Natasha as she's dealing with the feeling that she's living up to her name--that anyone who comes in contact with her is doomed.

Will the next wrap-up next issue be more zingy? Stay tuned!

Marvel-ous Monday: "Deadlock" by Gold, Colan, and Everett

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Today we're looking at a cool episode of Black Widow from Amazing Adventures #4 (October 1970). Not only does it have knock-out gorgeous art by the incredible penciler/inker team of Gene Colan and Bill Everett, but it's the only Black Widow script written by the trail-blazing Mimi Gold, who enjoyed a successful career as a writer, comicbook editor, colorist, and book editor in her amazing, adventurous career (which you can read about right here when you finish reading this action-packed mini-epic!)

Cover art by John Buscema and John Verpoorten

Second Smash Issue: "The Sirens of 7th Avenue!" by Conway, Chaykin, and Chiarmonte

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! It's the second day of the New Year, so it's time for yet another Groove City tradition: celebrating the second smash ish of a fave Groovy Age comic! "Waitaminnit, Groove," you say, "no wonder you don't teach math anymore! That's Amazing Adventure #19 you're dishin' out--not ish #2!" Well, I know that, Irving, but it is the second smash issue featuring Marvel's War of the Worlds/Killraven! (You can read all about the series and the first story in ish 18 right here, by the way.) "Sirens of Seventh Avenue!" is kind of a confusing title since the "Sirens" don't last for three whole pages, but this second WotW/Killraven adventure does introduce two very important members of KR's cast of characters: M'Shulla and Hawk (who looks and acts very different in his debut). It also gives us a first look at what a Martian really looks like (blecch!) and gives us plenty of action and wild Howard Chaykin style costumes! From April 1973, under a Herb Trimpe/ Mike Esposito cover--can you hear 'em? It's those blamed Sirens...