Marvel-ous Monday: "Behind the Mask of Zo!" by Goodwin, Heck, and Shores

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Well, here we are! The final issue of the "green" era of Marvel's Captain Marvel--issue #16 (June 1969). If you haven't noticed, the most consistent thing about the early Captain Mar-Vell was that nothing was consistent! His motives changed, his powers changed, his mission changed, and even his costume changed a little (up to this point). Now, under the hands of author Archie Goodwin and artists Don Heck and Syd Shores, the whole magilla was getting wrapped up, and Marv would have a totally different look (and outlook, and powers, and mission...) by the end of "Behind the Mask of Zo!" Check it out...

Oh, and yeah, the radically different next ish. featuring the blue and red Marv by Roy Thomas, Gil Kane, and Dan Adkins can be found right here!

Making a Splash: Scarlet Witch Spotlight

Ever just feel like doing something for the sake of just doing it, Groove-ophiles? For some reason, it got on Ol' Groove's mind to see how many times my first favorite Marvel gal, The Scarlet Witch, was featured on an Avengers splash page. I don't mean as just part of a crowd, but front and center at the very least. The answer: not many times. Not surprising, but for some reason, Ol' Groove just hadda know. "As long as I was looking 'em up," thought I, "why not share my findings with my Groove-ophiles?" So here ya go!

Avengers #186 art by John Byrne and Dan Green

And just 'cause Ol' Groove loves ya, here's the splash from Marvel Team-Up #41 (October 1975)featuring wonderful Wanda...

Marvel-ous Monday: "The Sting of the Widow!" by Conway, Heck, and Everett

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! It's the finale of the Black Widow vs. the Astrologer saga from Amazing Adventures #7 (April 1971). The thing Ol' Groove remembers most about this comic is the Goliath (Clint Barton version, natch) cameo, and the fact that I had doubles of this ish, so I traded a copy for a copy of Avengers #88 (the comic that made me a Marvel Maniac, you bet!). Story by Gerry Conway, art by Don Heck and Bill Everett--beware..."The Sting of the Widow!"

Marvel-ous Monday: "Blood Will Tell!" by Thomas, Heck, and S. Buscema

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! We're back with another Black Widow mini-saga from her run in Amazing Adventures! In "Blood Will Tell" from Amazing Adventures #6 (February 1971) writer Roy Thomas is joined by a new art team: Don Heck and Sal Buscema. (If you're wondering about the final Gene Colan/Bill Everett Black Widow job in ish #5, just follow the link here.) While I can dig Heck's art most of the time and I love Our Pal Sal's inks, they don't make a very thrilling art-team here. (Everett will join Heck for the next couple issues--stay tuned.) Thomas' story is kind of an in-between piece of a bigger puzzle, so there's honestly not a lot of thrilling things to draw, either. Roy does, however, add some depth to Madame Natasha as she's dealing with the feeling that she's living up to her name--that anyone who comes in contact with her is doomed.

Will the next wrap-up next issue be more zingy? Stay tuned!

Marvel-ous Monday: "Enter the Stilt-Man--Exit Black Goliath!" by Claremont, Buckler, and Heck

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! We're up to ish #4 of Black Goliath--the penultimate ish--as well as one that would pave the way to the best ish of the series (#5, natch--which you can read here). Writer Chris Claremont came up with a seemingly crazy idea of using an old (and greatly disparaged) Daredevil villain, the Stilt-Man to touch off what could have been the best storyline of BG's short run. Sales were poor, though, so the mag was cancelled before it came to fruition. The BG/Stilt-Man storyline would be carried out to a cool and cosmic conclusion later--in the pages of the Champions mag, and we'll get to those later (if ya don't let Ol' Groove forget!). Right now, let's truck on back to May 1976 for "Enter the Stilt-Man--Exit Black Goliath!" with art by the unlikely art team of Rich Buckler and Don Heck!

Cover art by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott