Still Going: Mike Kaluta

He was a sound effect (Green Lantern/Green Arrow #84)! He was the original Swamp Thing villain (House of Secrets #92)! He was a founding member of the Studio! Who is Michael Wm. Kaluta? Here's what he has to say about himself; Ol' Groove says he is one of the most incredible illustrators to ever grace the pages of a comicbook!

Kaluta got his start in the late 60s, doing strips for fanzines, Charlton Comics, and even undergrounds. Around 1970, he got his big break at DC Comics, doing covers and strips for their mystery/horror line. In no time, he was the regular artist for Edgar Rice Burroughs' Carson of Venus, the back-up strip in DC's Korak, Son of Tarzan. He had a wonderful (though brief) stint in the back of the Phantom Stranger comic on the Spawn of Frankenstein. And of course he produced tons and tons of covers for DC, everything from superheroes to mystery/horror to sci-fi to war. Then came his most famous work: adapting pulp hero the Shadow along with writer Denny O'Neil (issues 1-4, 6). Only five issues, but they were the stuff of legend. Detailed rendering, perfect mood and staging, topped by such attention to authentic detail of the 1930s that it looked like it had actually been illustrated in the 1930s! Such attention to detail made it impossible for an artist of Kaluta's caliber to meet deadlines, so the rest of the issues, while beautifully illustrated by Frank Robbins and E.R. Cruz, just don't compare.While doing posters and art prints for the Studio, Kaluta filled the rest of the Groovy Age with some of the coolest covers that ever fried your brain. Superhero covers? Kaluta could deliver:

(Click 'em, Clyde!)



Horror/mystery covers? But, naturally!



Sci-fi? Dig it!



Fantasy covers? Like he was born to it!



Comics and illustration alone couldn't contain all that talent. In the early 80s, Kaluta co-created the stage play Starstruck with playwright Elaine Lee. In the mid-80s, he collaborated with Alan Parsons Project on the Don't Answer Me video.

Still in all, Kaluta has kept his hand in the comics world, working on a variety of projects. Things like strips in Heavy Metal magazine, the graphic novel/comicbook adaptation of Starstruck, working with his pal, the late Dave Stevens on the Rocketeer Adventure Magazine, and of course, lots more far-out covers like these:



Sing it loud, sing it proud: "Kaluta, Kaluta, Ka-luuuu-taaaaaaaaa!"

Still Going: Paul Gulacy

When you think about the greatest comics of the Groovy Age, Master of Kung Fu is always high up on the list. When you think of the most awesome artists of those dazzlin' days, Paul Gulacy is near the top, as well. Gulacy made his name on MOKF with his cinematic storytelling, Steranko-esque figure work, and highly expressive characters. (By the way, that Rawhide Kid cover is Mr. G's most far-out masterpiece in Ol' Groove's opinion!)




After MOKF, Gulacy helped pioneer the direct market with collaborator Don McGregor on Eclipse Comics' Sabre graphic novel. Throughout the 80s, 90s, and still to this day, Mr. Gulacy is ranked as a top artist and is highly in demand. You'd be hard-pressed to find a publisher he hasn't turned out one masterpiece or another for!

Batman, Catwoman, James Bond, Star Wars, Predator, Terminator, Captain Action, the Punisher, and many other iconic characters have had Peerless Paul's pencils grace their covers, interiors or both. Check these out:





Still going strong, here's the cover to the first issue of Paul's latest project for Marvel Comics, True Believers. That particular mag, by the way, is written by another name fans of the Groovy Age should well remember, Cary Bates who had stellar runs on Superboy and the Legion of Super Heroes, Superman, the Flash, and many more DC classics. Who knows, Cary might pop up in the next Still Going! You'll just have'ta wait and see! Catch ya on the flip-side!

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!

Still Going!

A great comicbook creator is kinda like the Energizer Bunny; their careers keep going and going. Here's a couple artists who kept me going to the spinner rack back in the day, and keep me haunting the comics shops to this very day!

Mike Grell: I've discussed "Iron Mike" a bit before (see the article about his return to the Warlord), but he's so great, he deserves mentioning again! I first discovered his work in the back of Adventure Comics (during the creepy Spectre run) as the new Aquaman artist. His figures were a bit stiff and lanky, but his layouts and storytelling was fantastic, and his inking was very slick and modern. I next grooved to his work in Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes as he took over the art chores from Dave Cockrum (who went to Marvel to do some inking and kick of some obscure mag...X-something or other...). I hated to see Cockrum go, but Grell was a more than able replacement. His costume designing wasn't quite up to Cockrum's level, but his outer space scenes more than made up for it. He was so good at depicting great sci-fi, he was tapped to do the art on Denny O'Neil's revival of Green Lantern/Green Arrow, which took on a more sci-fi/super-hero bent than the renowned O'Neil/Neal Adams "relevant" GL/GA series of the early 70s. Mike Grell outdid all of that with his next project, Warlord. Combining the great Edgar Rice Burroughs' creations John Carter of Mars and Pellucidar, Grell crafted DC's most successful new character since the dawning of the Silver Age. The combination of fantasy, sci-fi, action, adventure, and great characterization made Grell and Warlord legends. When the 80s dawned and new publishers with creator incentives came a-calling, Grell concocted the "reverse Warlord", Starslayer (a barbarian whisked into the future) and Jon Sable, Freelance, arguably Grell's greatest creation (though I still have a soft spot for Travis Morgan). Sable ran through most of the 80s, even spawning a short-lived TV show in the 80s and a prose novel in 2000. After Sable, Grell returned to DC and re-booted Green Arrow into a gritty vigilante for the late-80s/early 90s. Since that time he's also worked on comics featuring characters from James Bond to Iron Man, including his own creations for Image Comics, Shaman's Tears and Bar Sinister. He recently did an "incentive cover" for Action Comics featuring the LSH, and his return to Warlord is on the horizon. Grell sure lives up to his "Iron Mike" nickname!

Jim Starlin: One of my all-time favorite writer/artists, Jim Starlin has shown great staying power for over 35 years. From fanzines to Iron Man to Captain Marvel to Warlock, he defined "cosmic" comics for Marvel, treating us to the wildest science fantasy epics ever. He also managed to create a few enduring characters for the House of Ideas, as well. If you've never heard of Shang Chi (Master of Kung Fu), Thanos, Gamora, or Drax the Destroyer, I don't know why the heck you're reading this blog! (Unless it's to make up for a misspent lifetime--then that's cool.) After his Marvel stint, Starlin did some crazy/cosmic stuff for Warren's black and white line (Darklon the Mystic), and played around in DC's sandbox on titles like Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes (them again!), DC Comics Presents, and a few covers here and there. Starlin then helped Marvel get it's creator-owned material off the ground with Epic Illustrated (Metamorphosis Odyssey), the first Marvel Graphic Novel (Death of Captain Marvel), and the Epic Comics imprint (Dreadstar). Starlin moved Dreadstar to First Comics for a while, then spent most of the 80s and 90s writing things like Batman (including the infamous death of Robin storyline, "A Death in the Family"), Cosmic Odyssey, the Weird, Batman: the Cult, and various Thanos-centric "Infinity" mini-series' for Marvel. For Malibu's Bravura line, "Judo" Jim wrote and drew two mini-series featuring his 'Breed character. He still writes some and draws a little for Marvel and DC, his most recent work being the Hawkman Special. Starlin is still cosmic after all these years! (Hey, Jim! I just gave you the title to your biography!)