Marvel Comics published this material in Groovy #1 in 1968.
But, even if you are a serious Marvel fan, odds are that you've never even seen the comic book these pieces appeared in!
That's because, while, technically, it is a Marvel comic book, it wasn't produced by the Marvel Comics crew!
Publisher Martin Goodman also owned a number of other non-comics b/w magazines, including humor titles Cartoon Capers and Cartoon Laughs.and mens' magazines Male, For Men Only and Stag.
In 1968, Marvel was able to finally expand the amount of titles it had on the newsstands when they switched distributors.
So Goodman decided to have Marvel distribute a new comic book-sized color title using material he had already run in his non-comics magazines!
Groovy was the result!
Sadly, comics fans didn't know what to make of this weird book, and adults who bought the magazines rarely looked at the comics racks!
The comic sold poorly...really poorly!
Even finally putting a Marvel logo on the 3rd issue didn't help!
Despite that, the book died with #3.
"Corporate synergy" in the 1960s!
What could go wrong?
What could go wrong?
Sadly, comics fans didn't know what to make of this weird book, and adults who bought the magazines rarely looked at the comics racks!
The comic sold poorly...really poorly!
Even finally putting a Marvel logo on the 3rd issue didn't help!
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