SCI-FrIday: "Arena" by Brown, Conway, Buscema, and Giordano

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Today Ol' Groove is gonna lay some high-quality science fiction on ya, so grab a zeta-beam, use the force, and full speed ahead warp factor 7! We're headed for Fredric Brown's "Arena"!

Cincinnati-born (just like Ol' Groove!) Fred Brown was a fave of other great writers like Mickey Spillane, Ayn Rand, Philip K. Dick, and Neil Gaiman, who wrote tons of sci-fi and mystery back during the Golden Age of sci-fi. His most popular work just might be "Arena", which he wrote for the June 1944 issue of Astounding magazine. The story has been reprinted dozens of times and adapted many times as well. Not only did Marvel Comics adapt it for their Worlds Unknown #4 (August 1973) the focus of today's post, but it inspired episodes of Star Trek ("Arena"), Outer Limits ("Fun and Games"), and Space: 1999 ("The Rules of Luton"). "Arena" was also voted one of the Top 20 science fiction stories written before 1965. And just 'cause Ol' Groove loves ya, baby, you can read Brown's actual prose tale here.

Mighty Marvel knew they were dealing with a classic and pulled out all the stops. Editor Roy Thomas handed the writing reins to his pal Gerry Conway (already a published sci-fi novelist at that time) and the art chores to the titanic team of John Buscema (layouts) and Dick Giordano (finished pencils/inks). He even got the future definitive X-Men letter and colorist, Tom Orzechowski and Glynis Wein to ply their talents. There were only two mis-steps, in Ol' Groove's opinion. They mis-spelled "Fredric" in the credits on page one (thankfully, they got it right on the cover! Whew!). The other boo-boo? Ol' Groove'll fill ya in on that one after you've savored today's masterpiece! Onward!


Marvel's other mistake was in their re-printing of "Arena" in their black and white Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction one-shot back in 1976. Naturally, Glynis' cool colors were gone, but the worst crime was that they re-lettered the story using rectangular word balloons and type-set letters in an effort to make the story look "more adult." Blecchh! Ah, well, nobody's perfect, Rascally One!

Making a Splash: Dick Dillin's Annual JLA/JSA Team-ups, Part One

When you think about it, DC has had an annual "crisis" since the Silver Age. Thing is, back in the Silver and Groovy Ages, those crises only occurred in the summer issues of Justice League of America. Throughout the Groovy Age itself, the true hero of each of these crises was penciler Dick Dillin, who year after year handled the task of drawing a dozen or more super-heroes in action for up to three issues (not even taking into account the other issues that filled each year with JLA-ers--plenty of those all the time!). Writers, inkers, and even editors came and went, but we could always count on dauntless Dick Dillin to be there, juggling all of those characters, keeping things cosmic--all the while keeping the story flowing and easy to follow. Ol' Groove doesn't think the man ever got enough kudos for accomplishing all of that. It wasn't summer without a good JLA/JSA team-up, so let's get this summer started!

Stay tuned for Part Two next week! Meantime, what are some of your faves from this batch?

Black and White Wednesday: "When Businesses Start Going After the Over-65 Market" by John Severin

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Today we're taking another peek at the sensational satire supplied by the extraordinary John Severin for Cracked magazine. I'm not sure if Sev wrote this piece or not, but either he or the mystery author must have had a crystal ball. A bit of a fuzzy one, but surprisingly accurate, nonetheless. You know that if you watch TV you're inundated with commercials about retirement, medicine, and other aids to the elderly. Many a magazine on the racks today focus on fare that the retired set will definitely dig (even Archie has grown up and gotten married, and while that's not aimed at the elderly, it's a step in that direction, innit?). Cable channels like TVLand even keep the senior stars at least partially employed with their new sitcoms. So travel back to the fall of 1978 as we "look forward" to "When Businesses Start Going After the Over-65 Market". Enjoy this post before it's (ulp!) retired, Groove-ophiles!

This-n-That Tuesday: Housecleaning, New Blogs to Explore, a Plug, and...Captain Avenger!

What it is, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove's got a lot to hit ya with today, so let's get it on!

ITEM! You might notice that the Mind-blowing Blogs list looks a bit slimmer, now. Ol' Groove has decided to exorcise all the blogs that haven't updated since March, so if you're blog is missing, that's why. There are so many active blogs out there, I hate for them to get lost in the mix, so I hadda make a tough call. If you're blog is gone but you update it in the future, drop Ol' Groove a line and I'll put ya back in the list. Fair 'nuff?

ITEM! You might also notice a different list of blogs, "Gone but Too Groovy to be Forgotten". Those blogs either have shut down or haven't updated in quite some time, but are too full of important info and/or just too doggone great to get rid of. I thought giving their own little space would help cut back on confusion while allowing us to still access our old, never-to-be-forgotten faves.

ITEM! Ol' Groove has also kept adding blogs, as you no doubt notice. I mentioned Mike Vosburg's vozwords yesterday, and would like to point out a few more brain-blasting blogs today, if ya don't mind.

• First up, you've gotta be reading the Jim Shooter blog. No matter your feelings about the man, he's got some stories to tell, and the blog is open to comments, so there's plenty of discussion and in-depth info being shared there. Jim's done it all--writer (at age 13!), artist, editor, publisher--and he's still going strong. It's the ultimate "insider's take" on the last half-decade of the comics industry, and it's must-read material for the true comics fanatic!

• Assistant Editor's Month Online is a new blog that covers a specific, but extremely important event: Marvel's Assistant Editor's Month of 1983. That wild and wacky month saw all kinds of ka-razee stuff happen in all of Marvel's mags--from creators guest-starring in the very mags they wrote/drew/edited to pages of solid white comics (with word balloons and sound effects) of battles in blizzards to Aunt May becoming a herald of Galactus. Blogger J.A. Morris will cover it all on his awesomely entertaining blog.

• When I first started the Diversions, I had originally planned to cover all things pop-culture 70s: TV, movies, games, music, and comics. I should'a known I'd have gotten stuck on comics. Thankfully, Darryll Sherman has graced us with his All About the 1970s blog, so all the stuff I don't cover (especially the cool cars!) are taken care either on Darryll's blog or on one of the far-out blogs he's linked to. If you love the 70s, visit Darryll!

• Ol' Groove couldn't believe he hadn't mentioned or linked out pal Booksteve's awesomely original A Geek's Journal 1976! I've followed, and loved, that blog since day one! I guess the daily visits and all had me thinking I'd added it to the list (I know I'd meant to!), but better late than never. AGJ76 is one of those amazingly simple "Why didn't I think of that?" premises: Steve dug up the actual journal he'd kept back in 76 and shares it with the world via the Internet. Is that cool or what? He also adds graphics and updated info to supplement his teen-aged thoughts. If you've never seen it, go there now!

ITEM! You might notice that the sidebar sports the cover for Red Leaf Comics Daring Adventures #2 featuring my cosmic hero, Ultimus. Right now it's available as a digital copy for only ninety-nine cents. As soon as the link is up for the paper copy (which is at the printers and due out in about 30 days), I'll add that link as well. The link will also take you to a page where you can buy Daring Adventures #1, if ya haven't done so yet. Ol' Groove would certainly appreciate your support for Ultimus, and I'd love to hear what ya think of 'im!

ITEM! And now, how 'bout some comics! This little-seen gem is from the back of Captain America #221 (February 1978) and was part of Marvel's program to help beat deadlines. It's a cool little "untold tales" story that stars perennial side-kick Rick Jones getting his shot at being a super-hero way back in 1964 (the story is set between issues 14 and 15 of the Avengers). Here's what author Scott Edelman had to say about "The Coming of Captain Avenger!"

We were encouraged, when writing brief stories to fit in the back of Marvel comics, to find cracks and crevices between storylines that could be filled in. Which is how “The Comic of Captain Avenger,” meant to take place between The Avengers #14 and #15, came about. So I was writing in 1978 about an event which supposedly took place back in 1965.

The five-page story, which starred Rick Jones and all of the mid-’60s Avengers fighting against Baron Zemo, was drawn by Steve Leialoha (penciller) and Al Gordon (inker).

(You can follow the link to the page Ol' Groove quoted here.) The tale is drawn by Steve Leialoha, best known for his inking skills on Warlock and Howard the Duck and inked by the underrated Al Gordon. Dig it, baby!

If You Blinked You Missed: Starfire

In the spring of 1976, science fiction comics were risky business. Star Wars was a year away, Captain Marvel (Marvel's sci-fi hero) was hanging on, and the acclaimed mags like Killraven/War of the Worlds (in Amazing Adventures), Deathlok (in Astonishing Tales), and Warlock were breathing their last. At DC, though, Green Lantern/Green Arrow was coming back with a strong sci-fi vibe, which gave us hope. Sword and Sorcery mags like Conan and Red Sonja were doing well, but DC's answers like Beowulf and Claw were hitting the skids.

But DC decided to give Starfire a shot anyway. Now, this isn't any relations to the Teen Titan's beloved Koriand'r of the 1980s and beyond. This wasn't even the Russian super-hero the Titans fought in the late 60s. This Starfire was a lady. A combination Red Sonja and Killraven with a touch of Planet of the Apes. Excellent ingredients, don'tcha think? Created by writer David (Claw, Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle) Michelinie under the editorship of the great Joe Orlando, Starfire was gonna have to be pretty cool. The best thing to happen to the mag, though, was nabbing Mike Vosburg (aka Voz) as designer/penciler. Vosburg had a unique style, great storytelling skills, and drew some of the most beautiful women to grace the comicbook page. Though Starfire went through four writers (Michelinie, Elliot S! Maggin, Steve Englehart, and Tom DeFalco), three editors (Orlando, Jack C. Harris, and Denny O'Neil), and two inkers (Bob Smith and Vinnie Colletta), Voz stayed on for the entire eight issue run (May 1976-July 1977) giving the mag a consistency that most other comic mags of the day lacked (artists usually switched titles more than the writers did).

Starfire was the story of a half-breed slave girl on an unnamed planet who learned that her destiny was to free her people from the bondage of the warring, world conquering aliens known as the Mygorg and the Yorg. As Ol' Groove has already hinted, the ideas here weren't new, but they were craftily mixed together to make something fresh and fun. Check out the first ish (including the "official" behind-the-scenes editorial)...



See? Ol' Groove wouldn't jive ya about a cool comic, baby! And hey, what about Starfire's snazzy threads? Well, here's the skinny on the Siren of Sword and Science's original outfit straight from the ever-gracious and generous Mr. Mike Vosburg, himself (from a quickie interview with yoors trooly via e-mail):

"... I did create (okay...I "borrowed" the design from something Guido Crepax did called Valentina) her costume and look. The costume for her love interest with right out of Errol Flynn's Robin Hood. But in those days, you were the set designer and costumer when you took on a series."

Not only did Voz share that info with Ol' Groove but he attached scans of the Valentina strips that inspired Starfire's costume. Dig it, Groove-ophiles!

As Starfire's adventures continued and writers and editors came and went, several issues were intended to mark "new directions" for our Siren of Sword and Science. This usually meant that sales weren't great and things were being shaken up to boost them (imagine that!). It even meant that Starfire's Crepax-inspired outfit would be replaced with something new...

In spite of (or because of?) all the changes, Starfire finally succumbed to poor sales and was cancelled with ish #8. She's made cameo appearances here and there over the past few decades, naming her as everything from a Michael Moorcock inspired piece of an "Eternal Champion" to a figment of another character's (Nightmaster's) imagination.

Before I go, Ol' Groove needs to remind you (or call your attention to, as the case may be) Voz's new blog, vozwords. It's been over there in the Mind-blowing Blogs section for a couple weeks or so, and according to Mike a lot of you have been visiting his insightful and illuminating blog. Thank you! If you haven't visited vozwords, please do yourself a favor and hie thee over there. You'll no doubt be entranced by the wealth of info Voz shares there, from full-out lessons on comicbook storytelling to the stories-behind-the-stories of his amazing covers and storyboards for HBO's Tales from the Crypt--and there's lots more groovy stuff on the way.