Black and White Wednesday: Wally Wood's Unpublished Plop-ular Poetry

You Groove-ophiles are absolutely the greatest! So kind, loyal, and generous! Gil Oritz, co-worker, friend, and photographer of the late, great Wally Wood read our old post on Woody's Plop-ular Poetry from DC's PLOP! mag and not only answered Ol' Groove's question ("I wonder if  poems "v"-"z" were ever completed? "), but shared the wealth, as well! Seems Woody had gifted Gil with the original art for the unpublished "V-Z" sections--and Gil has graciously shared scans of those long-lost (to fandom, not Gil) pages. Thank you a ka-zillion, Gil!! Thine unselfishness has earned thee the highest accolades that Groove City mayest bestow! We tip our kreighblas to thee, Sir!

The Grooviest BACK Covers of All Time: Basil Wolverton Goes Plop!

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! The amazing Basil Wolverton provided the creepy/crazy/cool covers for the first fourteen issues of PLOP! but did you know that for the first ten issues he also provided the back covers? S'truth! Y'see, the first ten issues of DC's Magazine of Weird Humor was an ad-free enterprise. The back covers were what we'd now call "virgin covers", showcasing the art from the front cover with no copy. Even more importantly, the art was printed in an even larger size on the back cover, giving us a greater glimpse of Wolverton's gloriously grotesque but gleefully goofy guys and gals...

And, oh, yeah! Dig those wild and crazy Sergio Aragones cartoons beguiling us from the background!

Funny Stuff: "It Came from Beneath the Sink!" by Skeates and Marrs

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! It's been a while since we Plop!-ped, so whaddya say we boogie on back to June 1974 for Plop! #7 and "It Came from Beneath the Sink!" by Lee Marrs (plot and art) and Steve Skeates (dialogue)! The main Plop!-per teamed with one of the first ladies of Underground Comics to present a humorous look at a monster of a chore--washing the dishes! Don'tcha be lettin' those pots and pans pile up--slothfulness can be hazardous to your health! Check it out...

Groove's Faves: "The Lawn That Devoured Cleveland" by Michelinie and Aragones

How 'bout a howling heap o' ha-ha, Groove-ophiles? It's an early script by David Michelinie, illustrated by Sergio Aragones! Are ya starting to get an inkling of where "The Lawn That Devoured Cleveland" came from? You got it! PLOP! #7 (July 1974)! Here are some snickers for your Halloween bag, baby!

Groove's Faves: "A Likely Story" by Skeates and Aragones

Oh, the genius of Steve Skeates and Sergio Aragones! They put the "op" in Plop! and that's for sure! From Plop! #8 (August 1974) here is "A Likely Story" by Skeates and Aragones! Look out!

Groove's Faves: "The Banana Dolls" by Aragones with Skeates

Nobody but nobody knew how to spin a PLOP! tale like Sergio Aragones and Steve Skeates--and why not? They pretty much invented and defined the concept with "The Poster Plague". Irreverent, violent, sadistic, and fall-on-your-face funny. "The Banana Dolls" from PLOP! #13 (March 1975) was plotted and illustrated by Aragones with a script by Skeates. It's a twisted twist on an old trope, but it ain't tripe, baby!

Groove's Faves: "Kongzilla!" by Robbins and Evans

Check it out, Groove-ophiles! Sick humor from DC's PLOP! #1 (June 1973). It's one of those stories that's so obvious that you can't figure out why you never thought of it yourself, but done up with such enthusiasm and panache that you can't help but enjoy it. Of course, what else would you expect from two old pros like Frank Robbins and George Evans? Run for the hills! Here comes..."Kongzilla!"

Black and White Wednesday: "The Gnark Is Coming! The Gnark Is Coming!" by Skeates, Ditko, and Wood

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Here's a mini-masterpiece of maniacal and macabre mischief by the super-team of Steve Skeates, Steve Ditko, and Wally Wood called "The Gnark Is Coming! The Gnark Is Coming!" This one was intended for an ish of Plop! but only saw the light of day (as far as I can discern) in Amazing World of DC Comics #13 (October 1976). Why would a story with such pedigree go unseen by only the most hardcore of DC fandom? Inquiring minds would like to know!

Oh, Alfredo! "A Rejection from Cain" and "This Little Witch Went to Market" by Pellowski, Kashdan, and Alcala

HOOOOOOOOOw's it goin, Groove-ophiles! One more day 'til Halloween, so Ol' Groove thought you might dig a two-fer from PLOP! #3 (October 1973) featuring gorgeously ghoulish, goofy, and groovy art by the great Alfredo Alcala. First up, here's how some writers might've handled..."A Rejection from Cain", according to author Mike Pellowski...

...next we have "This Little Witch Went to Market", written by the uber-talented George Kashdan!

How's that for a pre-Halloween treat, baby?