Halloween Week! Making a Splash: Gene and Tom's Tomb

Happy Halloween, Groove-ophiles! Instead of giving out that ol' teeth-rotting candy, let's dig on some mind-bendingly awesome artistry, shall we? What better pages to peruse on this particular day than 13 of Ol' Groove's fave  Tomb of Dracula splashes? Gene Colan and Tom Palmer provided some of the best malevolently  magnificent splash pages of the Groovy Age--and (usually) Marv Wolfman wrote all over 'em!

The Grooviest Covers of All Time: The Tomb of Kane and Palmer

Ah, October. The time of year when a young fan's mind turns to...Dracula?!? But of course, my Groovy Ghoulies! Marvel's Tomb of Dracula, to be precise! Let's trip on down memory lane with a bevy of blood-curdling Tomb of Dracula Covers covers by the artistic dream team of Gil Kane and Tom Palmer! Yeah, Ol' Groove thought you'd dig that!

Admiring Adams/Grooviest Covers of All Time: The MARVEL-ous Neal Adams

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! We all know what a hit Neal Adams was when he did X-Men and the Avengers for Marvel, but during his early-70s stint at the House of Ideas he did a nice li'l batch comicbook covers for Amazing Adventures (where he drew the Inhumans, don'tcha know) as well as a few random goodies here and there. Check 'em out, baby!

Yep, Neal also painted some outstanding covers for Marvel's B&W line, but those are planned for a future post. Can't fire all of our guns at once, now, can we?

Countdown to Halloween 2010! Grooviest Covers of All Time: Creepy Colan Covers

HowwwOOOOOOOOOO's it goin', Groove-ophiles! Let's plant our peepers on a pile of creepy covers created by Marvel's Dean of Dread, Gene Colan! Most are inked by Terrifying Tom Palmer and come from mags like Dr. Strange and Tomb of Dracula, but there might just be a surprise or two in the mix, as well! 'Tis a baker's dozen of Colan's beastly best, baby--and it's all for you!

Monster Master: Gene Colan

Greetings ghouls and gargoyles! It's time for another trip into the tomb as we keep on truckin' with...











Nobody, but nobody mastered the Marvel's monster-ous mood like Gene (the Dean) Colan. From Dr. Strange to Brother Voodoo to Man-Thing to Son of Satan to the lord of evil, Dracula, himself, Gene's powerful, painterly pencils set the pace that all others could only follow. The only time Colan's work ever looked better than it did under the inks and colors of Tom Palmer was when Marvel published his work in black and white, allowing his gray pencil work, wash, and tones to come to the fore in a way color could never allow. Aw, I could rave and rave about the Dean's work, but why do that when there are pages of his art to be savored? Enter freely and of your own will...(and click 'em to enlarge 'em!)



Here's a rare look at Mr. Colan's painting skills, from Marvel Preview #16:

Last, but not least, here are some pages from the far-out feud between Drac and Marvel's hirsute horror, Jack Russell, Werewolf By Night, as rendered by Messrs. Colan and Palmer:



AaawOOOO! It's the supernatural smack-down of the ages. Can't get any more Halloween than Dracula vs. a Werewolf, can ya now, Groovesters?

One more thing: as many of you probably already know, Gene suffered some serious health problems back in the spring. Much of the comics world has come to Mr. Colan's aide to help out financially (through auctions, donations, and sales) and morally (cards, letters, and e-mails). While it looks like he's on the mend, I'm sure he'd appreciate all you Groove-ophiles and Monster Maniacs stopping by his site, dropping him a line or signing his guest book, and/or purchasing some goodies from his gift shop. Ol' Groove'd appreciate it, too!