Decent Comics: "Command Performance!" by Englehart, Rogers, and Colletta

Happy Valentine's Day, Groove-ophiles! For this most romantic of days, Ol' Groove thought he'd lay the one Steve Englehart/Marshall Rogers (inked by Vinnie Colletta) Mister Miracle we haven't rapped about yet upon ya. What does MM #21 (September 1977) have to do with Valentine's Day you query? Why, don'tcha know that Scott Free and Big Barda were one of the Great Romances of the Groovy Age? It's true! And what better way to say "I Love You" than to risk your life to bring your loving spouse out of some sort'a cosmic coma? That's what we've got in "Command Performance!"

Don'tcha just love love? (Many thanks to HaCsA*Imbie for the superior scans!)

Making a Splash: Mister Miracle Volume Two by Rogers and Golden

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove's still in a Fourth World mood, so we're gonna plant our peepers on some sizzlin' splashes from the post-Kirby run of Mister Miracle, namely issues 19-25 (June 1977-May 1978). Issues 19-22 were written by Steve Englehart (he used his pen-name of John Harkness with his final ish, #22) with art by the a-freakin'-mazing Marshall Rogers (aided by a plethora of inkers). With ish #23, Steve Gerber came aboard as writer, joined by yet another a-freakin'-mazing penciler Michael Golden (inked, strangely enough, by Joe Giella, who was replaced by the much more suitable Russ Heath for the final two stories). While both Rogers and Golden's styles were miles away from The King's, they totally knocked their issues outta the park, baby! The proof lies below...

Black and White Wednesday: Groovy Marshall Rogers Original Art

Yep, you read the title right, Groove-ophiles! Ol' Groove has trucked around the Internet and scrounged up a few samples of original art by the late, lamented, and legendary Marshall Rogers! Rogers, of course, is best known for his Batman run in Detective Comics (alongside writer Steve Englehart and inker Marshall Rogers), along with Mister Miracle and (after the Groovy Age) Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer, Detectives Inc., Cap'n Quick and a Foozle, and so much more. We're focusing on the Groovy Age, natch, so here's some waaaaaaaaay far out Batman, Mister Miracle--and a few surprise-- original pieces comin' atcha!

Unused (dangit) cover art

Yeah, Atlas/Seaboard's Iron Jaw, baby! Oh, what might have been!

Amazed by Aparo: "The Impossible Escape" by Haney and Aparo

Batman. Mister Miracle. Bob Haney. Jim Aparo. Brave and the Bold #112 (January 1974). "The Impossible Escape!"

You're welcome.