From Archie’s RED CIRCLE SORCERY in the 1970′s comes a nice small helping of features drawn by the unique and amazing artist Gray Morrow, here at a design peak in his long career of illustration and comics.

http://tencentdreams.blogspot.com/2010/01/gray-morrow-flash-forward-sorcery-week.html

The problem with Jim Steranko’s mid-sixties success on Marvel’s NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. is that the artist couldn’t keep up. Thus when the character was spun off into his own title, a number of fill-in artists took their turn at Steranko-style artwork. From 1969, here’s the very young Barry (Windsor-) Smith with some crude but energetic art wrapped in some amazing layouts.

http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2010/01/grooves-faves-hell-hath-no-fury-like.html

Stan Lee is on record as saying that the ill-fated artist Joe Maneely was always his favorite. The brand new blog, APOCOLYTE’S WORLD OF COMICS, presents a creepy Lee/Maneely collaboration from a 1952 issue of SUSPENSE that gives some idea as to why Lee praised his work so much.

http://apocolytesworldofcomics.blogspot.com/2010/01/ugly-man-joe-maneely-and-stan-lee.html

Finally, I’m told that the NYT Crossword Puzzle this past weekend was themed around the MAD Fold-Ins and yet somehow managed to avoid mentioning their originator Al Jaffee. We, on the other hand, not only mention him but share a handful of his 1959 Sunday strip, TALL TALES, from Ger Apeldoorn.

http://allthingsger.blogspot.com/2010/01/silent-wonders-monday-cartoon-day.html