Oh, Alfredo: "The Man Who Waxed--and Waned!" by Fleisher, Carley, and Alcala

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Sometimes a comicbook writer will come up with an idea that is so good (or so chilling!) that they're compelled to use it again (with some variation, natch). One such creepy cool idea belonged to Michael Fleisher who used it in Forbidden Tales of the Dark Mansion #13 (July 1973) with master artist Alfredo Alcala AND (on the cover, at least) monster-master Mike Kaluta--a melting man! "The Man Who Waxed--and Waned" is definitely a spooky shocker, as you're about to see...

The idea of the melting man was such a good one, Fleisher used it again in the debut story of his legendary Spectre run  in Adventure Comics illoed (Adventure Comics #431, October 1973) by yet another artiste, Jim Aparo. Kinda cool, innit?

Halloween Week: Oh, Alfredo! "The Man Who Waxed--and Waned!" by Fleisher and Alcala

Halloween Week is rolling merrily along, Groove-ophiles! We've gotta have spooky old crones, cats, and curses to make the holiday complete,don't we? Well, this terror-tale, superbly illustrated by Alfredo Alcala, natch, has it all! Written by Michal Fleisher (who made Jonah Hex and The Spectre so magnificently moody), "The Man Who Waxed--and Waned!" first appeared in Forbidden Tales of the Dark Mansion #13 (but of course!), July 1973!

Addicted to Alex Nino: "Death Laughed Last!" by Mayer and Nino

Arrr, me maniacal mateys! Ol' Groove does love him some pirate stories, especially good an' scary ones like "Death Laughed Last!" from Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion #12 (May 1973). Written by Golden Age great Sheldon Mayer and illustrated by our cap'n, Alex Nino, this story is sure ta shiver yer timbers!

Making a Splash: Mike Kaluta's Dark Mansion

Hoooowwwwwwoooooo's it' hangin', Groove-ophiles! Today let's get down with some superior spookiness courtesy a compendium of Mike Kaluta's fearfully fabulous frontispieces for Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion issues 7-12 (July 1972-May 1973). Dig 'em!

Pencils by Steve Harper

Addicted to Alex Nino: "The Blank Space" by Skeates and Nino

Two of the top talents of the Groovy Age, author Steve Skeates and artiste Alex Nino provided this creepy classic for DC's Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion #8 (September 1972). Great way to kick off a week, innit, Groove-ophiles?

Famous First Fridays: Howard Chaykin's Professional Debut

Howard Chaykin has always been one of the most awesome comicbook stylists around. (He don't suck at writing, either!) His style has morphed quite a bit over the decades, but it's always been a recognizable, sexy/hip blend of Alex Toth, Gil Kane, Neal Adams (he had assisted both Kane and Adams, by the by), Frank Frazetta (especially in the early days), and the great magazine illustrators of the 1930s. Except in his earliest work. Take for example his debut art job for DC. When Chaykin's pencils first appeared in Forbidden Tales of the Dark Mansion #7 (July 1972), they were inked by the extremely talented but awesomely overpowering brush of Tony DeZuniga. The slick, angular style we would come to know and love "Humble Howie" for was buried under DeZuniga's rough-yet-elegantly illustrative style. Not to say the Chaykin/DeZuniga combo wasn't pleasing to the eye--it was!--but it didn't give fans a real idea of where Chaykin's art was going to take us in near the future. See for yourself, Groove-ophile! Here's "Eye of the Beholder", written by Bob Kanigher.

Chaykin's second pro job (a mere month after Dark Mansion #7) for Marvel's Fear (starring Man-Thing) #10 was also inked by an awesome-yet-overpowering master of the pen and brush, Gray Morrow. Here are a few sample pages:

Now, wouldn't ya just love a shot of pure Chaykin? How's this for starters? From the back pages of DC's Tarzan #216 (October 1972), Howard both pencils and inks an episode of Beyond the Farthest Star (written by Marv Wolfman).

Need a wee bit more? Okey dokey! Here's Chaykin's first cover, Sword of Sorcery #1 (December 1972).

That's all ya get today, but before ya know it, Ol' Groove'll be tossing an SoS post your way. And Iron Wolf. And Tales of Atlantis. And Dominic Fortune. And Star Wars... And... Stay tuned!

Update: Kevin Knowlan has informed/reminded/etc. me that the cover to SoS #1 is the work of Mike Kaluta; some sources disagree with this assessment (GCD credits the art to Chaykin and the Crusty Bunkers, f'rinstance), but Kevin's a pro and I'm not, so I'm taking his word for it. I'm leaving it up for discussion's sake , but here's the cover for SoS #2 (February 1973) by Chaykin and Wrightson. This one's signed, so I'm pretty sure I'm getting it right this time. Not even Ol' Groove is perfect. I know, I know...