Great Covers – THE SHADOW v32 #6

A simple but memorable SHADOW cover by Graves Gladney.

Great Covers – DAREDEVIL #187

Another minimalist Frank Miller cover for DAREDEVIL, this one using white space both to isolate the character and to make the size and impact of DD’s word balloon that much more pronounced.

Great Covers – BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS #4

A bold and famous cover, Frank Miller reduces everything to silhouettes for the final issue of BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, thus heightening the iconic power of the conflict between Superman and Batman depicted. This whole series was a trend-setter in terms of cover treatment–you didn’t see covers like this on comic books before this … Continue reading Great Covers – BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS #4 →

Great Covers – NIGHTWING #125

A sharp NIGHTWING cover by J.G. Jones, where the color is an intrinsic element. Not only does it create depth by using the blues of Nightwing’s costume to isolate the foreground from the warm background colors, but the work on the orange morning sky and cityscape is especially well done.

THE ELECTRIC COMPANY

My first experience with plagiarism came as a result of my devotion to THE ELECTRIC COMPANY. THE ELECTRIC COMPANY was the Children’s Television Workshop’s follow-up to Sesame Street, aimed at somewhat older kids in an attempt to teach reading skills and encourage reading. By the time I started watching it in the early 1970s, I … Continue reading THE ELECTRIC COMPANY →

Great Covers – HEART THROBS #120

This is a pretty creepy cover for a romance comic. As usual, Neal Adams delivers the drama–even if the size relationship between the two figures is a little bit odd. An interesting choice to color this HEART THROBS cover in monochromatic magenta.

Great Covers – CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #13

This issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS was the first produced after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S.’s entry into World War II. Artist Al Avison gets across the anger and outrage of the average American citizen in this drawing. As is typical for the era, the Japanese soldier is horribly caricatured.

Great Covers – TEEN TITANS #26

The striking purple background really makes this Nick Cardy TEEN TITANS cover pop, and adds to the drama of the situation. Couple that with the dramatic word balloon and the act of the heroes leaving their costumes behind, and it’s a winner.

Great Covers – LIMITED COLLECTORS’ EDITION #C-25

This Neal Adams BATMAN figure was only a few months old when it was reused as the cover of this Treasury Edition, but that only served to make it more iconic. Making the background red added an eerie quality to the piece, as it’s meant to be a night sky.

Great Covers – TALES OF SUSPENSE #82

More than anything, it’s really the green color hold on the illusory figures that makes this Jack Kirby TALES OF SUSPENSE cover sing. It’s a very striking color choice.