Decisions, Decisions...

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! It's the Summer of 1979 and you're at the barbershop waiting to get a haircut (or waiting for your brother to get one). There's a stack of new comics in the waiting area. You have time to read only one of them...which do you choose and why? Have fun!

Making a Splash: Dave Cockrum's Legion

Check it out, Groove-ophiles! Today would have been Dave Cockrum's seventy-third birthday, so it seemed like a great time to remember that highly-regarded master of the comicbook arts. His career began its rocket-ride into the super-hero stratosphere in 1972 when he got to draw the Legion of Super-Heroes back-up in Superboy #184 (February 1972). He re-designed most of the Legion (as well as their mode of travel and club-house), then left for Marvel where he helped launch the All-New, All-Different X-Men, re-design the Guardians of the Galaxy and Ms. Marvel, and draw tons-o-covers. Today we're focusing on his LSH work: Superboy issues 184, 188, 190, 191, 193, 195, and 197-202. Watch a great artist grow, and the Legion get cooler issue by issue...

This post is dedicated to my pal, Jim Sanders III!

Making a Splash: James Sherman's Legion

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! James Sherman is one of those Groovy Age artist who won and wowed us, but also tantalized us by doing way too few comics. I loved Sherman's style (especially when he got out from under the overpowering inks of Jack Abel and was teamed with guys like Joe Rubinstein, Bob Wiacek, and Bob McCleod. Sherman is probably best remembered as the artist on Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes, replacing Mike Grell. Sherman did either lead stories, back-ups, or entire issues of SatLoS in numbers 225-226 (December 1976-January 1977), 228-231 (March-June 1977), 233 (August 1977), 236 (November 1977), 240-242 (March-May 1978), and 262 (January 1980). As you'll see, Sherman was stunning us by the time issues 240-242 came around, kicking off the well-remembered "Earth War Saga" with writer Paul Levitz. Creative differences with Levitz caused Sherman to leave the title, but he came back for one more Groovy Age Legion hurrah with author Gerry Conway in ish 262.

Sherman had a really cool, organic style that was totally original, but kinda lined up with awesome then up-and-coming artists like Michael Golden, Alan Weiss, and Keith Giffen. We'll dig on more of James' incredible artistry on down the line, but until then, check out these sensational Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes splashes!

Groove's Faves: "Mon-El's One-Man War!" by Levitz, Netzer, Rubinstein, Bryant

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes was one of the coolest mags of the Groovy Age, of this there is no doubt. Writers Cary Bates, Jim Shooter, Paul Levitz, and Gerry Conway made the Legion seem more hip than they'd ever been and artists Dave Cockrum, Mike Grell, Michael Netzer, James Sherman, Jim Starlin, Howard Chaykin, and Joe Staton kept the team looking young, hip, and, oh, yeah, sexy. This was especially true from late 1976-early 1978 when Superboy went to a double-sized format. We got everything from 34 page epics to two or three shorter strips adding up to that 34 pages, In SatLoSH #236 (November 1978), we got three shorter strips, all of 'em cool (the other two will probably show up here someday), two drawn by Sherman and this one by our favorite former Mike Nasser, Michael Netzer.  Written by Paul Levitz and inked by Joe Rubinstein and sci-fi legend Rick Bryant, "Mon-El's One Man War!" not only gave us a look at how great a superhero Mon-El actually was, but it set up what would lead to a major storyline on down the road. And Netzer's art! Wow!  In eight short pages he gave us Star Wars level outer space action with one of the coolest space-ships ev-er. Those pages still sing with grace and cool and originality! Well, the intro shouldn't be longer than the story, so Ol' Groove is shutting up and away we go wit the comix!