Thanksgiving Feast 2011: "Where Bursts the Bomb!" by Wein and Kane

Happy Thanksgiving, Groove-ophiles! It's Groove City's Thanksgiving Feast 2011, and we are kicking it off with a bang. A Living Bomb-Burst, even! As I said yesterday, we Groovy Age fans have a lot to be thankful for. Gil Kane (inked by Mike Esposito and Frank Giacoia, yet!) art on Marvel Team-Up #18 (Thanksgiving 1973)--featuring the Human Torch and the Incredible Hulk! Wow! Not only is Gil's art appropriately fiery and smashing, but Len Wein's story is filled with mucho fun and action, to boot. I can remember laughing out loud the first time I read "Where Bursts the Bomb!" due to the hilarious repartee between Match-Head and Greenskin. Is it any wonder Live-It-Up Len would eventually become one of Lettuce-Lips' longest running authors?

Don'tcha just love it? But hey, don't glut yourself just yet--this party's just starting! Every six hours, Ol' Groove is gonna lay another titanic tale from Groovy Age Thanksgiving Past upon ya. See ya at six in the a.m.!

(P)Raising Kane: "Project: Second Genesis!" by Gerber and Kane

What it is, Groove-ophiles! Today let's get down with some groovy Gil Kane artistry! It's funny, but even though Gil co-created Morbius, the Living Vampire (with Roy Thomas in Amazing Spider-Man #101) he only got to draw one solo Morbius tale, today's spotlighted Fear #21 (January 1974). Morbius never hurt for artists, though, with talents as diverse as Rich Buckler, Paul Gulacy, Tom Sutton, Frank Robbins, and Don Heck working either on his strip in Fear or the one in Vampire Tales. Still, t'was a kick to see one of Morbius' "daddies" in top form delivering on the ever weird and wonderful Steve Gerber's "Project: Second Genesis!" Enjoy!

Praising Kane: "Mayhem Is...the Men-Fish!" by Wein, Kane, and Howard

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Today we're going to glom onto and gaze into a long-time fave--Marvel Team-Up #14 (July 1972). Imagine you're a kid with a quarter. It's summer time and you want to get the coolest comic you can get your hands on to help you wile away a scorcher of a day. You're at the spinner-rack at Heck's Drugs--there are tons of cool comics stuffed into that wire gateway to grooviness. You have to be careful, 'cause this is the only comic mag you're getting today. Ya gotta have standards, so what do you look for? Awesome characters? Spidey and Subby. Check. Far-out art? Gil Kane inked by Wayne Howard. Check. Weird villains? Tiger-Shark and the Men-Fish. Check. A fave writer? Len Wein. Check. Yep. "Mayhem Is...the Men-Fish!" is a keeper. Can you dig it?