Decisions, Decisions...

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! It's the Summer of 1979 and you're at the barbershop waiting to get a haircut (or waiting for your brother to get one). There's a stack of new comics in the waiting area. You have time to read only one of them...which do you choose and why? Have fun!

Making a Splash: Gil Kane's Flash

Dig it, Groove-philes! For a short time during the Groovy Age, Gil Kane drew four issues of The Flash! Bet ya forgot all about that, huh? Well, it's true--his action-packed art graced Flash issues 195, 197-199 (January, March-June 1970). The first tale was inked by Murphy Anderson, the other three by Vinnie Colletta. Yep, Kane came and went in a (dare I say it?) flash (waaaa!), but you don't have to speed through this post. Take your time and enjoy these sensational splashes, baby!

Groovy Christmases Past: 1971

Merry Christmas, and welcome back to our two-week trip to December nine-teen-seventy-something to look at the comics Li'l Groove scarfed up from the spinner racks of various drugstores and the ever-lovin' King Kwik! Christmas 1971 always holds a special place in Ol' Groove's memories. Lots of family who didn't normally get to travel for Christmas holiday got to visit aaaand, my fave memory, I finally, for New Year's Eve got to stay up and play Monopoly with the grown-ups! No one but me probably remembers that, but it was a huge deal for Li'l Groove! Anyway--here come da comics!

 Ol' Groove did a post on this one many years back. Li'l Groove so wanted a cowboy outfit like the one the kid on the cover is wearing!

While I dug the spooky villain, Starbreaker, what Li'l Groove really loved was the Golden Age reprints in this ish! These first tastes of the Golden Age really grabbed me!

 Why in the world did Li'l Groove buy Lois Lane comics? For the Rose & Thorn back-ups!

 After seeing comicbook characters flying, why did a guy WALKING on the air strike Li'l Groove as so cool? 'Cause it was cool!

Bad guys had been trying to figure out Superman's identity for years--but when it happened to Spidey, it took on a whole 'nother level of drama!

Okay, Ol' Groove mentioned in the last post that in 1971 I was supplementing the comics I bought new off the spinner rack with coverless, cellophane-wrapped comics (three for twenty cents or a quarter). Those, ahem, unaurhorized comics really helped me grow my collection--and snagged me some very important comics like Avengers #97 (the end of the Kree/Skrull War), Captain American #147 (Cap vs. Hydra--when those battles really meant something), and the first appearance of Jonah Hex in All-Star Western #10. And to let you experience 'em the same way Li'l Groove did for the first time, here are the splashes to those brain-blasting comics instead of the covers! (See, splashes are important, too!)

Groove's Countdown: Batman's Groovy Age B&B Co-stars

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! We talk about Batman's team-up mag, Brave and the Bold, a lot around here. Most of us dig it quite a bit...the "zany" Bob Haney stories (which were often deftly plotted and contained just the right amount of grim-and-gritty), the glorious Jim Aparo artwork, and, of course, the co-stars! The Caped Crusader seemed to have teamed up with just about everyone during the Groovy Age--but he didn't, really. In fact, he could have teamed up with a lot more DC Super-stars, but there were a few he kept hanging out with quite often! Who were the heroes who teamed with The Batman most often during the Groovy Age? The answer might just shock ya, baby! Here come The Batman's Top 5 (kinda/sorta) B&B Groovy Age co-stars via...

Whoo! And away we go!

#4: In fourth place, we have a SEVEN-WAY TIE! Yep, The Metal Men, Plastic Man, The Atom, Deadman, The Flash, Aquaman, and the Teen Titans all joined The Darknight Detective on (can you believe this?) four cases apiece! It's a fact, Jack!

#3: Coming in third--another tie!? S'true! Sgt. Rock (!), Black Canary, and Wildcat all teamed with The Batman on five adventures each!

#2: Okay, no tie here, but this one was the shocker! Believe it or not, Wonder Woman teamed with the Caped Crusader on six different occasions during the Groovy Age--and yeah, a couple of them were during her powerless stage! How 'bout those Amazonian apples?

#1: And the hero who teamed with The Batman most often during the Groovy Age era of B&B? None other than Green Arrow! Yep, the hero who started out (during the Golden Age) as a Batman clone joined his blue-and-gray inspiration on no less than eight different B&B adventures (over the course of nine issues--one case was a two-part/two issue affair)!

And there ya have it, Groove-ophiles! Don't never say Ol' Groove ain't never leart ya nothin'!

Random Reads: "Treachery!" by Bridwell, Skeates, Sekowsky, and Oksner

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! If someone asked you when the last time Mike Sekowsky drew the Justice League was, what would you say? If you'd say "Their guest-appearance in the Supergirl story in Adventure Comics #423 (July 1972)"--you'd be correct-amundo*! Oh, "Treachery!" (plotted by E. Nelson Bridwell, scripted by Steve Skeates, and inked by Bob Oksner) was Sekowsky's last turn drawing the Supergirl feature, as well. Supergirl. JLA. Aliens. What are we waiting for? Let's get on widdit!

Cover art by Bob Oksner

*Actually, we'd both be wrong, 'cause a couple Groove-ophiles have corrected Ol' Groove's blunder-ous blurb--'cause Sekowsky actually drew the JLA one more time in JLA (vol. 1) #240 (April 1985). I should'a checked Wikipedia...