Black and White Wednesday: "Where Sorcery Lives!" by Goodwin and Ditko

Hey, hey, HEY, Groove-ophiles! Wanna see a creepy-cool story by two of comics' finest creators at the height of their powers? Then just flip open a copy of Warren's 1970 Creepy Yearbook! Yeah, it's a reprint mag featuring some of the best Creepy stories of the late 1960s, but it was published in 1970, so it's fair game here on the Diversions. And even if it wasn't, who'd gripe about viewing a masterpiece like Archie Goodwin and Steve Ditko's "Where Sorcery Lives"? (Reprinted from Creepy #14, February 1967)

Ya know, the cover to that magnificent mag...

 ...reminds Ol' Groove of an homage he's seen lately. Hmmm. What was it...? Oh, yeah, check this out:

The Creeps 2019 Spooktacular! Cool huh? Cooler still, at least for moi, is that I had the honor of having my story from The Creeps #8, "Clownin' Around" reprinted in it! (If that ain't enough to get your curiosity going, there are stories in there by Groovy Age/Warren Greats Nick Cuti and Don Glut, t'boot!) It's ON SALE NOW wherever finer magazines are sold, or check out this link to Warrant Publishing. Who says this isn't the Groovy Age of sneaky sales pitches?

They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore (Or Do They?): The Creeps

Ya, know, Groove-ophiles, sometimes Ol' Groove has to wonder why he does what he does--and doesn't do. For example, The Creeps magazine has been around for going on three years, and while I've mentioned Rich Sala's genius revival of Warren's Creepy and Eerie, I've never done a full on post about 'em. Well, hang on, baby, and prepare to get...The Creeps!

UPDATE! Ol' Groove's "High Moon" will appear in this very issue, #13! Order your copy NOW!

If you love Black and White Wednesday here on the Diversions, you really want to get this mag! Rich Sala not only writes and edits, but he's also collected a small army of outstanding artists like Nik Poliwko, Jason Paulos, Russ Rainbolt, Mansyur Daman, Reno Maniquis, and several others whose styles don't ape but instead truly capture the feel of the classic EC-inspired styles of James Warren's original line-up of artists for his Creepy and Eerie mags. If that's not enough for you, then dig this: Sala has also managed to get art and stories from Warren alumni like Ken Kelly, Sanjulian, Rich Corben, Alex Nino, Pablo Marcos, Rich Buckler, Neal Adams, Frank Brunner, Ralph Reese, Jeff Easley, Alan Weiss, Val Mayerik, Bill Black, Nick Cuti, Don Glut, Roger McKenzie, T. Casey Brennan...I can keep going, but I'm sure you get the idea. Check out this random gallery of contents pages and splashes! If these don't turn you on, I don't know what will!

Oh, and as Ol' Groove has mentioned before, Sala even lets me write a terror-tale every now and again. My "Clownin' Around" was in ish #8, and I have another called "High Moon" that will appear in issue #13! Whoooo!

So what are you waiting for, baby? You want comics that capture the Groovy Age vibe--and use honest-to-gosh Groovy Age creators, to boot? Then get thee to The Creeps' website (or to thine fave comics shop or Barnes and Noble) and get...THE CREEPS!

The Grooviest Covers of All Time: Ken Kelly's Creepy Covers

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove recently learned that Richard Sala and company were producing a new b&w full-sized magazine called The Creeps! Sala and the gang (which includes Groovy Age greats like Rich Buckler, Frank Brunner, Joe Rubinstein, and today's subject, Ken Kelly) are out to re-capture the Warren glory days, and, judging my my hot-off-the-presses copy, doggoned if it doesn't look like they just might pull it off!  'Tis a thing of blood-curdling beauty--looks like it just crept in from the 1970s (that's meant in the best possible way)! For more info on the inspiration for today's post, head on over to the official The Creeps Magazine website (but only after ya get done here, Irving)!

"And why don't we get on with today's post, huh, Groove?" Okay, Groove-ophiles! Feast your eyes on these creature-filled Creepy Magazine covers painted by the great Ken Kelly!