Another cover where the copy puts it over the top. This Bob Layton SECRET WARS cover has a strong idea behind it, hearkening back to Steranko’s classic HULK ANNUAL #1 cover. But it’s the copy that sets the stakes and the tone, and helps to create the overall effect.
Here’s an instance where the cover copy makes all the difference. This Jim Lee PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL cover is a nice drawing, but not especially a grabber. But the cover blurb is so ridiculous and over-the-top and tongue-in-cheek that it makes the entire image work, and sets a very specific tone. It’s funny because it’s … Continue reading Great Covers – PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #19
As preserved in the personal art collection of Batman great Jerry Robinson, here’s the original artwork to that Fred Ray SUPERMAN cover.
It’s tough to make a pink background work on a super hero comic book cover, let alone a yellow and green logo, and yet this Curt Swan SUPERMAN cover does just that. Part of it is simply that the concept is so strong–this is the first time we’ve ever really seen Superman dead on a … Continue reading Great Covers – SUPERMAN #149
This Mike Zeck CAPTAIN AMERICA cover is all about contrasts and expectations. It’s a pretty shocking image, in that we expect to see Cap brandishing a shield, rather than an automatic weapon, and the look of anger and hatred on Cap’s face is similarly unexpected. How could you not want to crack open the book … Continue reading Great Covers – CAPTAIN AMERICA #321
An acknowledged classic, this Fred Ray SUPERMAN cover is perhaps the best-known of the wartime era. It equates the titular character with patriotism and defense of the nation by putting him into context with the large shield and the armed forces subtly in the background. The black background is really effective in popping the figure … Continue reading Great Covers – SUPERMAN #14
This BATMAN cover image with its word balloon is almost funny, until you realize that it’s not. There’s something chilling about that hanging Robin figure, and the way the ground line is tilted in the manner used by the television series whenever focusing on the villains. Artist Neal Adams frames Batman in the oval formed … Continue reading Great Covers – BATMAN #246
A positively brutal George Evans cover to CRIME SUSPENSTORIES from the justly-lauded EC line of comics. Everything just works about this one–the intensity, the color palate, the diagonal of the rowboat and the girl’s leg. The man’s eyes and teeth in white form the focal point of the image. Great work all around.
Similarly, artist Andrew Robinson uses strong design in his cover compositions. On this cover to WINTER SOLDIER: THE BITTER MARCH, he incorporates the logo lettering into the image in the manner of Will Eisner. And while the figures are all relatively small, they tell a full story for readers who pay enough attention–with Hydra agents … Continue reading Great Covers – WINTER SOLDIER: THE BITTER MARCH #2
Mike Del Mundo has come to prominence as a cover artist adept at using design and concept as the foundation of his covers. This ELEKTRA cover is a good example. The manner in which the ninja army surrounding Elektra becomes a bullseye with her at the center is clever, and is accentuated by the coloring. … Continue reading Great Covers – ELEKTRA #9
The Tom Brevoort Experience 