Amazed by Aparo: "Death's Bridegroom!" by Browne and Aparo

What it is, Groove-ophiles! DC didn't have enough mystery/horror mags in the Summer of '71, so in July they released the first issue of Ghosts. The hook for Ghosts was in the tagline that revealed that the stories in this mag were "True tales of the weird and supernatural!" The aim of each story was to, not only make you quake and shiver, but believe in ghosts. Did it work? Well, no, not for me, but I did really dig many of the trembling tales presented in that mag. One of the best appeared in the very first ish. It was written by "Geoff Browne" (actually Superman specialist Leo Dorfman) and drawn in an especially moody and macabre fashion by the great Jim Aparo. His use of shadows, his ability to make his characters "act" (just check out the facial expressions and body language), and his uncanny, Hitchcock-like knack for knowing what to show and what not to show made Jim one of the best mystery artists ever. No wonder many consider him to be the definitive artist on men of mystery like Batman and Phantom Stranger!

Tuesday Team-Up: Superman and Supergirl in "The Feud of the Titans!" by Browne, Swan, and Anderson

Welcome back to Groove City, baby! Here's a Tuesday Team-Up featuring our favorite Kryptonian cousins Superman and Supergirl in a "Tale of the Fortress" (of Solitude) featurette by "Geoff Browne" (aka Leo Dorfman) and the super-art team-supreme Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson. It's a fun and far-out tale that features a tiff between Kal and Kara that winds up in a fight filled with super-spite with a bit of Kryptonian lore thrown in for good measure. Bet you're gonna dig..."The Feud of the Titans!" from Action Comics #402 (May 1971).