Black and White Wednesday: "The Soft, Sweet Lips of Hell" by O'Neil, Adams, and Englehart

HowOOOOO's it shakin', Groove-ophiles! Today we're gonna take a look at somethin' creepy and kooky. No, not the Addams Family, Lester! Ol' Groove's rappin' about Stainless Steve Englehart's (who's 70th birthday was this past Saturday, by the by) first comicbook credit in Vampirella #10 (December 1970)! Unknown to editor Julie Schwartz at DC(well, Julie might've know, but it sounds cooler this way) , his titanic Batman and Green Lantern/Green Arrow team of Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams were working together on a story for Warren's B&W Vampirella mag. "Wait, Groove," you say, "you started off talking about Steve Englehart!" I know, I know. We've mentioned here before that before breaking into comics as a writer (on strips like The Beast in Amazing Adventures, as well as a couple'a little-known mags like Captain America and Avengers), Mr. E. tried to get work as a comicbook artist. He managed to land the awesome assignment of assisting Neal Adams (a dream job, to be sure). According to Steve on his website (right'chere), he and Neal took turns laying out pages, penciling, and inking pages to the point where even he isn't sure who did what. In those days, assistants worked in anonymity, but Adams gave Englehart co-credit for this particular art job to help Steve "...start a career." How cool is that? And how cool is (are?)..."The Soft, Sweet Lips of Hell!"

Yo, Rocky! That's why Mick was so cranky!

Black and White Wednesday: "She'll Never Learn!" by Skeates and Barr

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! A short while ago we grooved to the far-out cover art of Ken Barr. Well, today we're gonna dig on his comicbook storytelling (black and white--ink and wash, baby!). Ol' Groove is sure you're gonna enjoy the talented Mr. Barr's interior work on "She'll Never Learn!" from Vampirella #11 (March 1971). And the story is by none other than boy genius Steve Skeates, so how can ya go wrong?

Black and White Wednesday: "Out of the Fog...and into the Mist!" by Skeates and Barr

We loved Ken Barr's cataclysmic covers for Marvel's b&w mags, but man, those rare interior b&w jobs were outtasite, too! Here's a good'un written by the incredible Steve Skeates from Vampirella #8 (cover-dated November 1970) called "Out of the Fog...and into the Mist!"

Black and White Wednesday: Gardner Fox and Barry Smith's "The Boy Who Loved Trees!"

Here's a far-out collaboration between Golden Age vet Gardner Fox and Groovy Age maestro Barry (Windsor-) Smith from Vampirella #9 (cover-dated January 1970). Bet you'll dig "The Boy Who Loved Trees!"

Famous First Fridays: Dave Cockrum Debuts

One of the most awesome artists of the Groovy Age was, naturally, Dave Cockrum. Dave's slick, stylized, hip art (especially his facility for creating some of the most way-out costumes ever) never failed to dazzle the eyes. He started out providing art for various fanzines (including Marvelmania--the pic to the left comes from ish #2) and soon made his name helping revive fan-favorite super-teams like the Legion of Super-Heroes and the X-Men, where e helped create Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Thunderbird, Phoenix, Wildfire, and many more.

His road to stardom began in Warren's Vampirella #11 (cover-dated May 1971) with a story written by writer/fanzine publisher/comics shop entrepreneur Buddy Saunders called "Prisoner in the Pool!" Check it out!


After that dazzling debut story, Dave continued producing work for Warren publications, as well as the fanzines. He also found himself assisting DC mainstay Murphy Anderson. This helped lead to Dave's first full-color pro work, found in the back of the immortal Superman #248 (November 1971): a Fabulous World of Krypton short written by another rising star, Marv Wolfman, called "All in the Mind!" And yep, Ol' Groove's got that one for ya, too!


Dave was also a dynamic and prolific cover artist, especially during his tenure at Marvel, so , before we go, why don't we take a look-see at his first-ever pro cover: Batman #246 (September 1972)--inked by Neal Adams, no less!

Black and White Wednesday: Remembering Jose "Pepe" Gonzales

Vampirella lost another "father" last week, when her definitive artist, Jose "Pepe" Gonzalez passed away from a long illness. He was 70 years old. Gonzalez's interpretation was exactly what co-creator/publisher Jim Warren had envisioned when the idea for Vampirella first occurred to him: "The minute I took one look at Pepe Gonzalez's artwork, I knew we had it! We survived 12 issues but there it was. This is what I wanted for the first issue but couldn't put together." (The Warren Companion, Two Morrows Publishing, 2001, p. 261.)

Vampi's legion of fans felt the same way. Gonzalez's realistic, detailed, expressive art catapulted Vampirella to cult star status, helping the character gain a popularity that has led her to appear in a movie, a series of paperback novels, and a host of comicbooks. The stunning beauty Gonzalez was able to imbue Vampirella with gained him a legion of admirers and artistic followers, as well. Who doesn't remember the iconic pose from the cover of Vampirella #19 (July 1972), used on so many covers, in so many ads--and on that awe-inspiring six foot tall poster? Or the stunning splash pages and front pieces he provided issue after issue?

I couldn't think of a better tribute to the man than to run his Vampirella debut, written by the late, great Archie Goodwin. From Vampirella #12 (April 1971), here's "Death's Dark Angel".