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.
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.
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.
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.
One of the best-remembered covers of the early golden age of comics, this Jack Cole cover to SILVER STREAK COMICS heralded the return of the demoniac and popular Claw. Cole spared no effort in making the gargantuan monster look as hideous and evil as possible.
Simple and stark, this John Prentiss cover to REAL CLUE CRIME STORIES is a graphic grabber.
No idea offhand who drew this cover to DEAD-EYE WESTERN, but it certainly is dramatic as hell. Given his expression, it’s almost difficult to relate to the buckskin-wearing cowpoke who’s drowning that poor Indian as the good guy. The Grand Comics Database lists their best guess at the artist as being Dan Zolnerowich
A fun AIR FIGHTERS COMICS cover by Charles Biro featuring Airboy. The early Airboy covers tended to be more concept and design oriented than the typical covers of the period, and this one uses actual newspaper copy as it’s background.
This Alex Schomburg cover for EXCITING COMICS is as chock-a-block full of imagery as any of his Timely covers, and yet it’s almost the antithesis of them, in that here it’s the heroes who seem needlessly violent and brutal. Sure, those are enemy Japanese soldiers (caricatured hatefully though they are), but they’re not doing anything … Continue reading Great Covers – EXCITING COMICS #35
This Ron Wilson CAPTAIN AMERICA cover conveys the power of the Hulk in a visceral way–not by focusing on his size or weight, but on the shattering impact of one of his blows on Cap’s shield. It puts the viewer right at the heart of the action, and makes it feel almost as though that … Continue reading Great Covers – CAPTAIN AMERICA #230
The Tom Brevoort Experience 