Sensational Seventh Anniversary! Titanic Tuesdays: "Trouble--Which Rhymes With Double!" by Rozakis, Brown, and Blaisdell

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! Today is Diversion of the Groove Kind's sensational SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY! Man, time doth fly when you're having fun, dunnit? Ol' Groove just wants to say "Thanks" and send a big ol' Dating Game-style "mmmMMWAH!"  to all'a you far out fellas and fems who have made Groove City their cyber-home-away-from-home! Ol' Groove loves ya, baby!

And now, welcome back to our regularly scheduled Diversions and  Mal and His Pals, er, Teen Titans, Groove-ophiles! Teen Titans #47 (January 1977) had a bit more "oomph" than the ish before it. Perhaps it was the author Bob Rozakis' plot in which Two-Face sent pairs of evil-doers after our heroes (goofy those twin terrors might have been--like something right out of Archie's campy Mighty Heroes line of the 60s). Perhaps it was the art by Bob Brown who was moving back to DC after spending most of the 70s at Marvel. Sadly, this was one of Bob's last completed jobs (or was it even completed? Looks like some art-tinkering went on here and there), as he passed away the very month this mag hit the stands. Ol' Groove's not sure, but I do know that ending was certainly an attention getter (as was that groovy Rich Buckler/Jack Abel cover)!

Groove's Faves: "The Man Who Mastered Women!" by Wein, Swan, and Blaisdell

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Ya know, after Wonder Woman's "powerless" phase, fans were confounded by the Bob Kanigher era that followed. The stories were looked at as old fashioned and too Golden Age style. DC was trying hard to get WW on the boob-tube (first unsuccessfully played by Kathy Lee Crosby, then, successfully--to put it mildly--by Lynda Carter), so it was kind of important that Wonder Woman's mag be a good one. Editor Julie Schwartz took over with ish #212 (March 1974) with the goal of making WW cooler and more accessible to fans. Both the Diana Prince and the Kanigher WW eras became questionable, allowing Schwartz and his creators to pick and choose what was "real" and what wasn't as they forged ahead with the newly re-powered Amazon Princess. To give the series a direction, Schwartz and company decided to have Diana prove herself worthy of the WW mantle to both herself and the JLA as she set out to accomplish a series of  twelve "trials" (inspired by Hercules, natch). This not only gave the series a clear direction, but it allowed to a different JLA member to guest-star for the next dozen or so issues.  Ish 212's "The Man Who Mastered Women!" by Len Wein, Curt Swan, and Tex Blaisdell, guest-starring Superman (who else?) kicked things off in the right direction. Check it out!

Cover art by Bob Oksner

A variety of writers and artists would chronicle WW's 12 trials, making for a fun variety of styles and guest-stars, but with a cohesiveness (thanks to Schwartz's master plan) that often left mags in similar situations sinking in a mire of confusion. Wanna see more of WW's 12 trials? Let Ol' Groove know!

Bring on the Back-ups: "Man-Bat Over Manhattan" by Rozakis, Rogers, and Blaisdell

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! It's October, innit? Well, it's time to get a bit scary in here, then! We'll ease into the Halloween season with this classic Man-Bat back-up from Batman Family #11 (February 1977)--Man-Bat's BatFam debut, at that! Look out! Here comes a..."Man-Bat Over Manhattan" by Bob Rozakis, Marshall Rogers, and Tex Blaisdell!

Man, I miss Marshall Rogers' amazing art!

Have a Super-Groovy Christmas 2011!! "Clark Kent's Lonely Christmas!" by Rozakis, Calnan, and Blaisdell

Just a little "Christmas Bonus" for all'a you faithful Groove-ophiles out there. Just a lot of random holiday-themed images that grabbed Ol' Groove's attention enough to make me wanna share 'em.

From http://kevinnowlan.blogspot.com/2009/12/2009-dc-holiday-card.html

From http://www.supermantv.net/Christmas.htm

From http://entertainment.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/853437/

If I had these I wouldn't be able to bring myself to eat em! From http://sugarswings.blogspot.com/2011/12/super-hero-gingerbread-men-and-women.html

Who WOULDN'T want one of these? From http://nerdbastards.com/2011/11/28/just-in-time-for-christmas-off-brand-superhero-snuggies/

And of course, we've gotta have some more holiday comix! Here's a Yuletide Clark Kent saga from Action Comics #469 (December 1976) by Bob Rozakis, John Calnan, and Tex Blaisdell..."Clark Kent's Lonely Christmas!"

Hope your Christmas Day is holly, jolly, merry, and bright, Groove-ophiles!