Another great Alex Schomburg CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS cover, this one illustrating in horrific fashion the fate actually befalling Jews trapped in Nazi territory. Schomburg often leaned on horror as well as action in his covers, but this may have been his most horrific cover of all–because it was really happening.
Possibly the quintessential BATMAN cover of the 1940s, by Fred Ray and Jerry Robinson. This image was strong enough for it to have been reused seven issues later, albeit with some other elements added in. It’s got great drama, and also illustrates the essential contrast between the shadowy Batman and the bright and carnival-style Robin.
comicbookcovers: Strange Adventures #196,January 1967, cover by Jack Sparling
And finally, an example of a limited palate being used extremely well. Would this Jim Steranko X-MEN cover be so memorable were it not colored thusly? Cuing in on Lorna Dane’s green hair as the basis for the color scheme of the piece lends the image, and indeed the character herself, an air of mystery … Continue reading Great Covers – X-MEN #50
This Jack Kirby FANTASTIC FOUR cover similarly uses knock-outs and a limited palate, but it’s way more successful. By any stretch of the imagination, this is an odd image for the cover of a super hero comic book–Stan pretty much makes it work by calling it out as the most off-beat ending of the year … Continue reading Great Covers – FANTASTIC FOUR #87
DC weren’t the only ones who could louse up a perfectly good Jack Kirby cover in color, Marvel did it occasionally as well, as on this FANTASTIC FOUR cover. Knocking all of the other elements back to browns and reds definitely helps Crystal to pop as the center of the composition, but it’s actively unattractive. … Continue reading Great Covers – FANTASTIC FOUR #81
Here’s another strangely-colored Jack Kirby DC cover, this one for an issue of FOREVER PEOPLE. On this one, the strange choice was made to knock out all of the lead characters in red, and to make the focus the random Justifier in the background. Kirby’s selection of the background photograph doesn’t really help either, so … Continue reading Great Covers – FOREVER PEOPLE #3
When Jack Kirby went over to DC in the early 1970s, he wasn’t a great fit in terms of the office’s aesthetic, and they often had no idea what to do with him or his work. Take this MISTER MIRACLE cover, for example. For some reason, they decided not to color the central figure, but … Continue reading Great Covers – MISTER MIRACLE #3
comicbookcovers: Secret Six #2, July 1968, cover by Nick Cardy
Here’s a first, from the great Alex Schomburg: the first time in comic book history a cover promoted an epic battle between two separate super heroes, in this case the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. This MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS cover must have proven exciting to readers, as Timely went on to stage several other Torch-Namor … Continue reading Great Covers – MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #9
The Tom Brevoort Experience 