The Grooviest Covers of All Time: Mike Zeck's Chilling Charlton Covers

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! When we think of the Groovy Age art of Magnificent Mike Zeck, we most often think of Master of Kung Fu (and post-Groovy Age Captain America, Punisher, and Secret Wars). Like many other super-stars of the late 20th Century (John Byrne, Joe Staton, Jim Aparo, and Don Newton, to name a few), some of Mighty Mike's earliest professional color comics work rolled off the printing presses at Charlton Comics in Derby, Connecticut. Here are the scary and stunning covers he produced from 1975 to 1977. Not nearly enough of 'em, but t'was about quality--not quantity! Enjoy!

Charlton Arrow Week! The Grooviest Covers of All Time--featuring The Charlton Horror-Hosts

 Greetings, Groove-ophiles! We're winding up our week-long salute to The Charlton Arrow, and Ol' Groove sure hopes you've had as grand a time as moi! Hearing from Mort Todd, Roger McKenzie, and the gang behind the Charlton mini-revival has been a hoot! Looking back at the Charlton of yore has been a blast, too, but it wouldn't be complete without some sort of tribute to Charlton's far-out Horror Hosts!  Can you name 'em all?

 (And if you love those hosts, you're gonna go bonkers for Lou Mougin and Mort Todd's "The Hosts of Horror" in The Charlton Arrow #1!)

The party doesn't end here! No way! Now let's have a word from Mort Todd and the Gang from Charlton Arrow about Charlton Arrow #2!!
 

Mr. Bones returns to host a story "The Cure-All," by Stephen Skeates, Howard Bender and Neil D. Vokes.

A panel from Jack Keller's "Never Hitch a Ride," featuring Clint Curtis. Originally appeared in Hot Rods and Racing Cars #89 (February 1968) and presented to promote ACE Comics' new title Classic Hot Rods and Racing Car Comics #1, appearing in May, and shot from the original Charlton silver prints. 

An unpublished 1967 epic by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette, "The Golden Pharaoh," which will be serialized for a couple issues of The Charlton Arrow. 

 "The Barely Sentients," a parody of Charlton's off-beat superheroes The Sentinels, written & drawn by Mort Todd. 

 A panel from the highly regarded Spookman series, a Pay Boyette creation, brought back to "life" by Roger McKenzie & Sandy Carruthers. All material © their respective creators. Hot Rods & Racing Car Comics © & ™ ACE Comics Co., Inc. 




We're also talking with a very well-known Charlton creator to print a poster of his art, but can't say who yet! The Charlton Arrow #1 has a planned June 2014 release date. It and the first issue, will be available at http://morttodd.com/charlton.html

To which Roguish Roger McKenzie adds... 

...one piece of news Mort didn't mention is The Charlton Arrow #2 will feature the return of Mr. Jigsaw (man of a thousand parts!) in an all-new, all-outrageous adventure by creators: Ron Fortier & Gary Kato!




Keep the Charlton love flowing, Groove-ophiles! Buy those Arrows!!

The Grooviest Covers of All Time: Jim Aparo at Charlton

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Today, what'say we trip on back to, oh, about 1967-1970, when Jim Aparo was just taking the comicbook world by storm at Charlton Comics! Charlton's editors knew a good thing when they saw one, and they put JA on many covers--mystery, adventure, sci-fi, romance, western, race cars, even humor! And Jim could do it all--and quite magnificently! Have a heaping helping of Aparo/Charlton goodness and see if your day doesn't seem a lot brighter!

A big ol' "Thank you!" to Grand Comics Database for the suh-weet scans!

Dy-No-Mite Duos Week! Diggin' Ditko: Winnie the Witch and Dr. Graves

Ol' Groove hopes you'll indulge him if he cheats a bit with this wild wind-up for Dy-No-Mite Duos Week. While Winnie the Witch, star of Ghostly Haunts, narrates "I'll Never Forget...What's-His-Name?", she doesn't actually team-up or interact with guest-star Dr. M. T. Graves (host of The Many Ghosts of Dr. Graves, natch), it's quite rare and pretty far-out when any Charlton characters mingle with one another. Plus it's drawn by the great Steve Ditko, so it's not like you're really gonna have much to complain about, Groove-ophiles--unless it's that these scans provide yet shining example of the horrid printing we often got in our Charlton mags. Still, this terror-tale from Ghostly Haunts #27 (August 1972) is a keeper, so Ol' Groove's sure you'll enjoy it--printing splotches and all!

Still Going: Joe Staton

I first discovered Joe Staton's far-out pencil stylings when I nabbed the first issue of E-Man off the top of a stack of comics waiting to be put on the old spinner rack. His cartoony-yet-realistic pencils, coupled with a very slick inking style just grabbed me and never let go. Not only did Joe do magnificent work on E-Man, but his work found its way into tons of Charlton comics. He did some outstanding stories for titles like Haunted, Haunted Love, Ghostly Haunts, the Many Ghosts of Dr. Graves, Teen Confessions, and many others. Let's face it, Joe Staton was Charlton's Jim Steranko/Neal Adams!

Before ya knew it, Joe was at Marvel, doing superb work inking Sal Buscema on the Avengers and then the Incredible Hulk. He also did art jobs for the black and white titles, like Deadly Hands of Kung Fu. Then, suddenly, Joe was at DC back at the drawing board. He did magnificent work on a variety of titles, especially All-Star Comics (the Justice Society of America, baby!), Green Lantern (first in Adventure Comics, then on the main book), Plastic Man (in Adventure Comics), and Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. Joe was also penciler and co-creator of such milestone stories as the Untold Origin of the Justice Society, the All-New Doom Patrol, and the daughter of the Earth-2 Batman and Catwoman, the Huntress.

Joe continued right on out of the Groovy Age, working on everything from Superman to a revamped E-Man to American Flagg. In the 90s Joe was a regular artist on the Batman Adventures titles, among other things, and today he's working on such far-famed comic characters as Scooby Doo and Jughead. And through it all, he's managed to keep E-man going in some form or fashion.

Go, Joe!