The Grooviest Covers of All Time: R.I.P. Dick Ayers

Well, Groove-ophiles, as you no doubt know by now, Darlin' Dick Ayers has passed. One of the original Marvel Bullpenners and an all-time great talent, Mr. Ayers will be sorely missed. Ol' Groove got to know him personally via mail and e-mail, actually getting to work with him on a short story paying tribute to his pre-Marvel Atlas/Monster days. He was so kind and supportive. Down to earth. Modest. A great man.

Mr. Ayers was best known as an inker, but he was also one heckuvva penciler, as we saw during the Groovy Age. Dick Ayers was THE Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos penciler, helped revive his Golden Age creation Ghost Rider, and lent his talents to Marvel's other war mags, Captain Savage and His Leatherneck Raiders and War Is Hell, as well as lots of westerns, and even the occasional super-hero story (like The Incredible Hulk or Captain Marvel). Late in the Groovy Age, Dick did some awesome work for DC in their war mags (like Unknown Soldier and Gravedigger) and on Jonah Hex, Kamandi, Freedom Fighters, Scalphunter, and others.

Dick's covers are what really knocked Young Groove out, though. Man, he could come up with some dynamic, iconic images that would make the change veritably leap from my hands. Here's a dozen that Ol' Groove thinks you'll enjoy.

And thank you for sharing your immense talent, Mr. Ayers. You were first class all the way!

Famous First Fridays: Presenting Herb Trimpe

Most kids reading Marvel Comics during the Groovy Age dug the art of Herb Trimpe. Besides making himself "the" Incredible Hulk artist for most of the 1970s, he left his unique artistic mark on tons of mags like Iron Man, Marvel Feature (starring Ant-Man), Marvel Super-Heroes featuring the Phantom Eagle (his co-creation), Godzilla, and even the odd issue of Captain America. Herb's Kirby-inspired action-packed figures, his mastery of drawing authentic weapons, vehicles, and machinery, and his incredible storytelling skills made him a Marvel mainstay well into the 1990s. (If you're interested in Herb's life-story, mostly in his own words, you'd do well to read this awesome article at Comic Book Resources.)

While Herb is best-remembered for his superhero work in general and his nearly 100 issues on Incredible Hulk in particular, Ol' Groove finds it kinda cool that Herb's big break from running the photostat machine and providing the occasional ink-job was in that nearly-forgotten corner of Groovy Age Marvel--the western mags! Here's Happy Herb penciling and inking his heart out on Kid Colt, Outlaw #134 (February 1967) on a leather-slappin' script by a young Denny O'Neil, "Shoot-out at Hooker Flat!"

Tuesday Team-Up: Kid Colt and Night Rider

What's happening, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove's tryin' out another new semi-regular feature on ya--Tuesday Team-Up! From time to time I'm gonna hit ya with an oddball or rarely-seen team-up from the Groovy Age. First up is Kid Colt and Night Rider (really Ghost Rider, but the powers-that-were decided to change the name--temporarily--to keep fans from confusing the Old West Carter Slade version with the motorcycle ridin' Groovy Age version) from Giant-Size Kid Colt #3 (April 1975). Writer Gary Friedrich and artists Dick Ayers and Vince Colletta were no strangers to Marvel cowboys--heck, Dick Ayers helped create the original Ghost Rider (and several later versions, as well), so this titanic team-up was definitely in good hands. Get ready to slap leather as you face a..."Death Duel with Dack Derringer!"