Making a Splash: Shanna the She-Devil

Check it out, Groove-ophiles! In 1972, new Marvel publisher Stan Lee came up with three titles that he hoped would lure in female readers: Claws of the Cat, Night Nurse, and Shanna the She-Devil. He thought it would be cool to have ladies write (and in the case of The Cat, draw) these new mags. T'was up to newly-minted editor-in-chief Roy Thomas to hire the creators and help in their development. For jungle queen Shanna, Roy hired Carole Seuling (ex of direct sales pioneer Phil Seuling) to write, George Tuska to pencil, and Vinnie Colletta to ink the first issue. Steve Gerber was tasked with beefing up the dialogue for the first couple issues, and wound up writing the rest of the series (and even using Shanna in some of the Daredevil issues he wrote), but he claimed no part in creating Shanna. With the second issue, Ross Andru took over as penciler, with Colletta remaining on the inks. Pretty sweet art team, don'tcha think? Okay, okay, Groove-ophies! Don't get your vines in an uproar! Here are the sensations splashes from Shanna the She Devil issues 1-5 (August 1972-May 1973). Look out, Tarzan!

Black and White Wednesday: "The Wrath of Raga-Shah!" by Gerber and DeZuniga

Question time, Groove-ophiles! What do you get when you mix Shanna the She-Devil (Marvel's answer to Sheena), Steve Gerber, Tony DeZuniga, boa constrictors, evil high priests, human sacrifices, and a middle-eastern setting? You get "The Wrath of Raga-Shah!" in which Gerber and DeZuniga push all the boundaries, baby! Would it have been as risky if it had been a back-up in Savage Sword of Conan rather than in the back of Rampaging Hulk #9 (April 1978), which featured a Silver Age style Hulk/Avengers slugfest? Hmmmmmm...

Tony DeZuniga Week! Black and White Wednesday: "The Billion Year War!" by Conway, Buscema, and DeZuniga

What it is, Groove-ophiles! Didja know that while Tony DeZuniga was best known for his Jonah Hex and mystery work for DC, over at Marvel Tony was the go-to guy for savages, dinosaurs, gods, and barbarians. His work as penciler and/or inker on gazillions of Conan and Conan-like characters made him a Groovy Age fave for fans of the House of Ideas. In Ol' Groove's opinion much of Tony's most inspired work came when he inked/finished Big John Buscema's pencils. Take this "movie-length" Ka-Zar masterpiece from Savage Tales #8 (November 1974) written by Gerry Conway, for example. Buscema's powerful figures and amazing storytelling are enhanced to the Nth degree by DeZuniga's highly evocative and illustrative inks. It's pure Marvel magic, baby, and it's all here just for you!