Groove's Faves: "Only the Computer Shows Me Any Respect!" by McGregor and Russell

Many are the reasons for Ol' Groove's love of the comics of the 1970s, not the least of which are the over-the-top, bombastic, experimental, thoughtful, lyrical, elegant, and compelling works of author Don McGregor. Fans of today see the profusion of wordage on one of Don's pages and shrink away in horror. To Ol' Groove, Don's like Stephen King: wordy, yes, but capable of such beautiful turns of phrase that they leave me wanting even more. I know Don's not crazy about us sharing his works online, but I hope he can forgive me if I just have to share once in a blue moon. His work on, especially, Black Panther in Jungle Action and Killraven/War of the Worlds in Amazing Adventures made such an impact on Young Groove--and they still impact me. I hate to see Don's masterpieces hidden in some dusty corner, forgotten. My hope is that someone who hasn't sampled Don's wares might be led to go out and buy the Masterworks and/or Essentials collections of his works.

It didn't hurt that Don found himself paired with some of the most brilliant and innovative artists of the Groovy Age. Rich Buckler and Billy Graham on Black Panther were mind-bogglingly magnificent. P. Craig Russell on Killraven/War of the Worlds reached a level of craft that has rarely been matched.

Just look at "Only the Computer Shows Me Any Respect!" from Amazing Adventures #32 (July 1975). The cover and splash let you know that you're in another world--a scary, despairing, yet somehow beautiful future. As McGregor plays mind-games with our cast, challenging Russell to respond with innovative layouts and experiments with prose and pictures, we're treated to a myriad of events that would take months--years, even--to experience in today's decompressed comicbook style. Killraven's trip through a psychic concert, Old Skull's butterflies and talking squirrels, Carmilla's facing death, M'Shulla's glorious battle, Hawk's back-story--complete with a kind-of guest appearance by Hodiah Twist (!), and the battle with the dragon, while short, all have depth and weight and give us satisfying glimpses into our heroes souls. To top it off, the last panel gives us a life-lesson that applies even more today! And all for a mere quarter...