RIP Michael Jackson: King of Pop's Superman #400 Appearance

I'd intended on doing something completely different, but the shocking passing of 80s Icon and King of Pop Michael Jackson can't go unnoticed, even on this humble comicbook blog.While many might know that MJ appeared as Captain EO in Eclipse Comics' 1987 adaptation of the Disney movie/ride, how many of ya knew he popped up in this Jerry Robinson Superman tribute in the magnificent Superman #400 (July 1984)?
We'll return to our regular stuff next week. Thanks for your kind indulgence.

Marvel Super-Special=Marvel At the Movies

Remember Marvel's big full color magazine, Marvel Super Special and all its movie adaptations? Well, due to another day of freight-train style thunderstorms trucking through Groovyland, Ol' Groove doesn't have much time for posting, so here's a quick refresher course on the best--and the worst--of 80s movies in comicbook form...

I'll tackle these in more detail in future posts, Groove-ophiles, but in the meantime, how about your thoughts on what you thought were the best and worst?

Cover Me: Ed (The Name Might Not Ring a Bell) Hannigan

Shame on the comicbook industry for forgetting Ed Hannigan. Ed is one of those renaissance men who can write, draw, letter, color, and edit. He knocked around Marvel Comics through the last half of the 1970s, then in the early 80s, he attained the star-status he deserved as one of the most innovative cover-artists of all time. His covers, in my eyes, rank with Adams' and Steranko's for their dynamic designs and cutting edge use of color. Ed's lettering abilities allowed him to create covers that invoked the creativity of Will Eisner's Spirit splash pages. From about 1982-1986, Hannigan's covers were the most eye-popping, attention-grabbing covers on the stands. When I think definitive 80s artists, Ed's up there with guys like Byrne, Miller, Bolland, and Simonson. Here's why (a lot of these will overlap, but you get my drift, right?)...

Incorporating cover copy into the art...


Ingenious use of color (props to any and all colorists who "got" Ed's vision)...

Shadows and silhouettes...


Wild perspective...


Reflections...


Flat-out iconic covers...


And a few that are just too cool for words...


Those are just a few of the dozens of covers I would love to have posted. (For a behind-the-scenes look at Ed's cover-sketching process, visit the Covers and Sketches page of his website. Wow!!)

By the late 80s, Ed had scaled back his cover work (though he still supplied many layouts for other artists' covers) to work on drawing Mike Grell's Green Arrow revival. By the mid-90s, for some strange reason, worked dropped off to nothing for this highly skilled and innovative artist, and that's a shame. Ed's name should be remembered and revered in the Hall of Fame for 1980s artists. Not only that, but the man's still around, still able to create knock-out covers, like this recent Captain Action cover done for Moonstone. I say it's time for an Ed Hannigan revival!