The Grooviest Covers of All Time: Weird Heroes

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Today Ol' Groove is (finally) sharing the covers of his all-time favorite paperback novel series: Weird Heroes! Byron Preiss' brainchild of New American Pulp will be getting lots and lots more digital ink in the future, so right now I'll just say the series was beyond amazing and its arrival was definitely a life-changing event for moi. (Why? Look at the names of the talent listed on these covers and you just might figure it out...) Instead of my rapping, let's just salivate over Weird Heroes as covered by artistic masters Jim Steranko, Alex Nino, Ralph Reese, Jeffrey Jones, and Stephen Hickman...

Black and White Wednesday: "Dragon Slayer" by Jones and Jones

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! We're going waaaaaaay back to 1967 to some early Jeffrey Jones work from Larry Ivie's legendary pro-zine Heroes and Monsters #2. According to Ivie's editorial in that ish, Jones' "Dragon Slayer" led the fledgling (and immensely talented) artist to gain work at Warren, King Comics, and even Ace Books (covers). Not only that, but the story was scripted by Jones' then-wife Louise (yep, the same "Weezie" who edited X-Men during the late 70s, co-created Power Pack in the 80s, and is married to Walter Simonson).

Yep, that was a long time ago, huh? Okay, are you ready for adventure? Then let's gooooooooo...!

Black and White Wednesday: "The Swordsman of Sarn" by Fox, Katz, and Colletta

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Here's another classic intended for the never-published Science Fiction Odyssey #1, rescued from File 13 by Horror-Mood Master Archaic Al Hewetson! This nearly-lost treasure is written by Golden Age great Gardner Fox with art by independent comics pioneer Jack Katz and the fastest brush in the land Vinnie Colletta and comes complete with cover art by the late, great Jeffrey Jones. From Skywald's Psycho #12 (cover-dated May 1973) prepare to meet..."The Swordsman of Sarn"!

Black and White Wednesday: "Cold Cuts" by Wrightson and Jones

Greetings, my Groovy Ghoulies! Here's a creepy classic featuring one dyn-o-mite collaboration! "Cold Cuts" is written by our fave macabre artist Bernie Wrightson (then Berni Wrightson) with art by Studio mate Jeffrey Jones. Gritty, gruesome, and of course, gorgeously illustrated, here it is, from Creepy #91 (cover-dated August 1977)!

Random Reads: "Monster Men of Tropica!"

From Charlton's Flash Gordon #13 (January 1969), here's "Monster Men of Tropica!" by Bill Pearson and a very young Jeffrey Jones.