Getting to Meet Groovy Age Greats!

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove just had to share some of his experiences at the Lexington Comic and Toy Convention this past March 9, 2024. I had the opportunity to visit the Lexington Con for one day (thanks to my brother-in-law/YouTube movie reviewer Badraven), so I wanted to make the most of it, as did he and his son Drewdrop. We made our plans to leave early on Friday morning (around 8 a.m.) to get to the Con in plenty of time before it officially opened (we'd gotten our tickets online to speed things up).  And we were glad we did.

We got there about an hour before opening, but you could go inside to get your lanyards and get in line for whichever event you were going to visit first (I headed for the comicbook creators/vendors line on the third floor, Badraven and Drewdrop headed downstairs to level one for the Celebrity autographs and photo-ops.) What lines! Long, four rows wide lines in the spacious halls of Rupp Arena, but once the doors opened, everything moved swiftly and smoothly into the artists/vendors area.

Having planned ahead, I made a beeline for Jim Shooter's table. No one else was there, so I got to have a very nice visit with him. I'm sure he'd heard similar stories before, but I thanked him for being so kind to 14-year-old me back in 1978 when I sent in my Angel vs. a Sentinel pencil samples (on typing paper, natch--sorry I still don't have them--or the letter for that matter. Sigh.). I reminded him that he'd been especially kind and helpful in his letter/critique and that I was sure I wasn't alone in being so thankful for his kindness and encouragement. We had a short, pleasant conversation and shared two warm handshakes. I walked away so happy from that meeting. Later that day I got to sit in on his Q&A session. I learned a lot about his life, career, and his time at Marvel as E-I-C. I may share some of that in a later post if'n ya wanna hear it. :D

My next stop was across the aisle and and at the opposite end of the hall: Joe Staton! I've always heard about how warm and friendly artist Joe Staton is, and Ol' Groove's here to tell you--them's the facts, Jack! 

Joe was working on a piece of art when I interrupted him to say, "Hello." He looked up, a big smile on his face, put down his pencil and extended his hand for a handshake. I got to tell him my story about how I got my hands on E-Man #1 (August 1973) (which I rap about here) and how much I love the characters Alec Tronn, Nova Kane, and Mike Mouser. 

I got to talk about how his co-creation (with Paul Levitz and Bob Layton) The Huntress, and how I believe that Showcase #100 (I'm still gonna do a post on that one) might just be the best DC comic of the 1970s (or tied with the origin of the JSA--which, huh--Joe also illustrated). That got Joe to stand up and give me a high-five. What an awesome moment. 

Then Joe took the time to get to know me a bit, asked about my family and was interested in hearing about my comics. He knew and appreciated DotGK and was pleasantly surprised to learn that he was rapping with Ol' Groove. I bought a hand-drawn Scooby Doo from him, and he gave me an autographed E-Man trading card. It was an awesome visit for sure. 

Ol' Groove's youngest grandsons happily posing with a Joe Staton Original Scooby Doo Sketch

This was only Ol' Groove's second Con, and now that I'm retired, I hope to visit many more. Ol' Groove does think, though, that this year's visit to the Lexington Comic Con set a mighty high bar! 

Rap at ya later, Groove-ophiles!

Making a Splash: Joe Staton's E-Man

Ol' Groove's in the mood to enjoy a look at Joe Staton's Groovy Age E-Man splashes, Groove-ophiles. Hope you are, too!

E-Man #2

E-Man #5

E-Man #9

Charlton Bullseye #4

Yeah, most of these are actually title pages instead of splashes, but who cares? Aren't they the ginchiest?

The Boys from Derby: "The Genius Plant" by Cuti and Staton

What it is, Groove-ophiles! We're only a few short weeks away from the dazzling debut of Charlton Arrow Vol. 2, No. 1 featuring the return of E-Man and Nova! To celebrate, let's truck on back to April 1975 for E-Man #9 and "The Genius Plant!" This one has it all! A powered-up Nova! Teddy Q.! A cool, painted cover ('Cause Charlton had learned that painted covers were cheaper to print than standard comicbook covers! Who'd'a thunk it?)! Mike Mauser! General Dove (who looked like a cross between George C. Scott and Sarge from Sad Sack)! Scientists with big heads! And a villain who used the same tailor as The Red Ghost during the 70s * (talkin' 'bout the one RG wore in Defenders #'s 7-8)! This should hold ya until co-creators Nick Cuti and Joe Staton give us a brand new E-Man and Nova adventure next month!

*Here's The Red Ghost's costume for comparison...mebbe they were related?

They Just Don't Make Comics Like That Any More--Or Do They? Charlton Neo

Check it out, Groove-ophiles! Another new department for the Diversions! We look at the classic comics presented here on the Diversions and sigh and say, "They don't make comics like that anymore." Well, that's not necessarily true, and that's what this new department is all about. Read on, MacDuff!

We love the comics of the 1970s, there is no doubt. The best comics ever! But...did you know there is a movement to re-capture the joy and fun of the Groovy Age? Marvel and DC may pretend they want to go back from time to time, but they won't do it. No, if you want new comics to scratch that Groovy Age itch, you've gotta check out the indie scene. And there's no indie outfit that's any more far-out, groovy, and Bronze-Agey than Charlton Neo!

Charlton Neo started out as a FaceBook fanpage dedicated to classic Charlton Comics, created by "Fester Faceplant" aka Mark Knox. The Charlton Arrow page quickly gained lots of fans, among them former Charlton pros like Joe Staton, Nick Cuti, Paul Kupperberg, Roger McKenzie, Steve Skeates, Frank McLaughlin, John Byrne and other pros like Sandy Carruthers, Ron Fortier, Gary Kato, Howard Bender, Batton Lash, Rick Stasi, Lou Mougin, and many, many others. Eventually all of that energy and enthusiasm led to a web-site featuring reprints of old Charlton comics mixed with brand new offerings by pros and up-and-coming fans called Pix-C. Former Cracked and Marvel editor Mort Todd helped things build and grow, and eventually The Charlton Arrow became an actual, honest-to-gosh comicbook, printing stuff from Pix-C along with even more reprints and new stuff. Then there were spin-offs like Unusual Suspense, Charlton Wild Frontier, Roger McKenzie's Frenzy, and Paul Kupperberg's Secret Romances. Full color, high-quality, Groovy Age-style comics!

Yeah, Charlton Neo's  been going strong for almost three years now, and it's getting even bigger, because they've partnered with AC Comics in order to get distribution via Diamond. That's right, baby! Starting this fall (and in previews right now!), you can get your hands on Charlton Arrow at your local comics shop! They've decided to end Charlton Arrow Volume 1 with issue 6 (which is out right now and it's AWESOME), and start with a Volume 2 issue 1. But this isn't just some kind of marketing ploy. Besides the AC/Diamond deal, the new Arrow is going to feature the RETURN OF E-MAN (by Nick Cuti and Joe Staton!), as well as the return of Colonel Whiteshroud, Monster Hunter (by Paul Kupperberg and Mike Collins), and the debut of a brand new hero, Mr. Mixit by Roger McKenzie and Steven Butler! Plus there's gonna be tons more stuff that you're going to shed tears of joy over!

So the secret's out, and you need to get on board, Groove-ophiles! Charlton Neo's making comics that you're gonna love. You'll be thanking Ol' Groove later for turning you on to all this fab-a-mundo comicbook wonderment!

And you can say "thank you" by rewarding yourself with this Charlton Neo publication slated for 2018...

Yeah, baby, Ol' Groove doesn't just read Charlton Neo, I'm gonna be writing for 'em, too! Yee-haw!

For more info on Charlton Arrow Vol. 2, #1, go here, here, here, and here. You're welcome!

Charlton Fool's Day 2016! The Boys from Derby: "The Inner Sun" by Cuti and Staton

Happy April Fool's Day, Groove-ophiles! Several days ago Ol' Groove received an e-mail from Brian of Kracalacta  inviting yers trooly to join in on a cool event he dreamed up: Charlton Fool's Day! Naturally, Charlton Comics connoisseur that I am, I jumped right in to join Brian and the other blogs (Atomic Kommie Comics and Comic Book + ) and that will be using today to celebrate all the Charlton goodness we can!

For my part, Ol' Groove has chosen his favorite ish of his favorite Charlton mag--E-Man #8 (February 1975)! This full-length sequel to ish #3's "The Energy Crisis!" (which you can read right here) brought back both the Battery and Samuel Boar (two of E-Man's best/worst enemies) and changed our hero's life forever with his gal Nova gaining super-powers (and a costume) of her own! (And hey, Michael Mauser's here, too!) Even after all these years, Ol' Groove's still not sure if giving Nova powers was the best idea ever--but it sure made for a fab and far-out story! Here are Nick Cuti and Joe Staton knockin' it outta the park with..."The Inner Sun!"