Random Reads: Weird War Tales Two-fer

Check it out, Groove-ophiles! Back in the Groovy Age, when you stood before that sensational spinner-rack, you never knew what wonders might await you. Take, for instance, Weird War Tales #40 (May 1975). WWT was always a cool mag with a mix of war, horror, mystery, horror, and sometimes even sci-fi that always gave you your quarter's worth of cool. Ish 40 was one of those surprise issues where you got not one, but two sci-fi oriented war fables--and that was plenty cool enuff to make me plunk down my twenty-five cents. But dig it: one of the sci-fi stories was by Len Wein and Howard Chaykin (inked by Bill Draut), "The Day After Doomsday!" Only two pages, but hey, it was c-o-o-l! When ya made it to the final story of the ish, veterans George Kashdan and Ric Estrada laid a trippy WWII/sci-fi/horror trifecta 'pon us--you know the kind that makes ya go, "Hmm!!" with "The Soldier from Space"! Check 'em out, baby!

Bring On the Back-ups: "Let There Be...Darkness!" by O'Neil and Grell

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Can ya believe it? Today is six years since Ol' Groove started blabbin' on this here blog! Six years of cool comics, terrific trivia, and rancid ramblings, all made possible by you! Yeah, I'm blamin' you, Groove-ophiles! If it weren't for your enthusiasm and support, Yers Trooly would'a quit this bloggy thing (apologies to Tony Isabella) bleems ago! But no! You keep encouraging me, so I keep on truckin'! Really, all kiddin' aside, Ol' Groove humbly thanks ya from the bottom of his tie-dyed heart!

Since the Diversions started with a Mike Grell-centric post, Ol' Groove thought it only fitting that we celebrate the occasion with a Mike Grell-illoed masterpiece. Whaddya think? This particularly superb sci-fi short, "Let There Be...Darkness!", was written by Denny O'Neil and inked by Bill Draut. It first appeared in the back of The Flash #237 (August 1975), during the time when O'Neil and Grell were working toward bringing Green Lantern back to greatness (and back into his own title). Their cosmic style clicked with both fandom and editorial, so about a year after this tale was published, GL would, indeed, get his own mag back under Denny and Iron Mike. Don't ya love happy endings?

Ol' Groove's Request Line: "The Caves of Doom" by Oleck, Conway, and Alcala

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Recently, Groove-ophile John R. e-mailed Ol' Groove with a request for Kong the Untamed #3, so here 'tis! Kong #3 (July 1975) was a transitional issue. Former cover artist Bernie Wrightson was gone, with Bill Druat covering ish 3. Writer Jack Oleck was out, only plotting this issue, as scripter Gerry Conway would take over the full writing chores next issue. The major blow would be finding out that this would be artist Alfredo Alcala's last ish. Keeping a creative team on a series back in the Groovy Age was a tough job. Seems like every two or three issues part or all of the creative team would disappear, often to be replaced with someone whose style was nowhere near the former creator's. Was a weird world, but it made for some interesting stories (both between and behind the covers)! Okay, John and everyone else who's interested, let's check out "The Caves of Doom" by Jack Oleck, Gerry Conway, and Alfredo Alcala!

And remember, if you wanna make a request, just click the Groov-E-Mail icon and lay it on me!

(P)Raising Kane: "The Face of a God!" by O'Neil, Kane, and Draut

Here's a quickie post to spotlight a short-shocker with some suh-weet Gil Kane art. From House of Mystery #253 (May 1977) it's "The Face of a God!", written by Denny O'Neil and inked by Bill Draut!

Tuesday Team-Up: Wildcat and the Creeper

Here's a titanic team-up of the truly bananas kind, Groove-ophiles! Beginning with the second issue of DC's Super-Team Family, the mag started mixing in brand new team-ups to the mostly reprint mag (the all-new teamings would take over the entire mag beginning with ish #11). There were some supremely strange ones (and we'll get to all of them, eventually), but the strangest just might be the Creeper/Wildcat team-up in ish #2 (September 1975). Never mind the Creeper stalked the streets of Earth-1 and Wildcat was a member of Earth-2's Justice Society--these were the good old days when DC never let continuity get in the way of a cracking-good (or even mediocre) tale. For "Showdown in San Lorenzo!", editor Gerry Conway, writer Denny O'Neil, and artists Ric Estrada and Bill Draut tossed caution--and continuity--to the wind to deliver a fun tale featuring two unlikely partners-against-crime. It's also interesting to note that this ish came out the same month as the Dr. Fate ish of First Issue Special--the month before the JSA would return to brand-new action in All-Star Comics' revival. Ya think All-Star writer/editor Conway (and perhaps even penciler Estrada) might've been trying to get fandom behind the JSA revival? Coincidence? I think not! Anyway...here come da comics!