Merry Christmas 2019!

Season's Greetings, Groove-ophiles! As is our tradition in Groove City, we're sharing a favorite mag from the Groovy Age Yuletide Season, this time it's Freedom Fighters #1!

Back on December 9, 1975, DC unleashed Freedom Fighters #1 (Quality Comics heroes Uncle Sam, The Ray, Black Condor, Phantom Lady, Doll Man, and Human Bomb) on the spinner racks, and boy, was Young Groove ever glad! That snazzy Ernie Chan cover just begged to be bought, and the interiors by Ric Estrada and Mike Royer looked like fun (as was the story by Gerry Conway and Martin Pasko)! Len Wein and Dick Dillin had already introduced us to the super-team from Earth-X in Justice League of America issues 107-108 (June-August, 1973) and I really dug 'em, so finding this mag was quite a thrill! Ol' Groove hopes you get a kick out of it on this particular Christmas Day (or whatever day you might be reading it) four color memory!

The Story Behind the Story

And it wouldn't be a Christmas post without giving you a glimpse into Groove's Goodies for this year:

All the best to you and yours this Holiday Season! See you next year with the new, weekly Diversions of the Groovy Kind! Pax!

Marvel-ous Monday: "The Moment of--The Man-Slayer!" by Drake, Ayers, and Shores

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Here's Captain Marvel #12 (January 1969) by Arnold Drake, Dick Ayers, and Syd Shores. It's another wild one with Mar-Vell returning to earth (and all the problems he'd left behind) and using his new Zo-given powers to battle...the Man-Slayer! Kind of a snoozer of a villain, but the behind-the-scenes villain might intrigue you--along with the behind-the-scenes guest appearance of Madame Natasha--The Black Widow! It's time! "The Moment of--The Man Slayer!"

Cover art by George Tuska and Sal Buscema with John Romita (we think)

What happens to the Widow? Who was the baddie behind The Man-Slayer? You won't find out in the next ish of CM--nope, you'll have to skip on over to the Avengers #63 to find out! (Nope, Ol' Groove doesn't have that'un posted, sorry... but here's a small taste to help clear your wearied minds!)

Marvel-ous Monday: "Rebirth!" by Drake, Ayers, and Colletta

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! If you thought Jim Starlin was the first to take Captain Mar-Vell on a trippy metamorphosis, you might wanna think again! In Captain Marvel #11 (December 1968), Arnold Drake, new penciler Dick Ayers, and Vinnie Colletta killed off Marv's true love, Una; had his arch-enemy Yon-Rogg send our Kree Captain on a faster-than-light rocket ride to seeming oblivion; then made slight costume alterations and created a new set of powers for Mar-Vell at the hands of the mysterious entity known as...Zo (Oz backwards--get it?). Not sayin' they did it better than Judo Jim (just can't beat Judo Jim!), but they dood it first! Prepare to meet "...a new Mar-Vell..." in..."Rebirth!"

Cover art by Barry Windsor-Smith and Herb Trimpe