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
Super-clean and dramatic, this John Cassaday ASTONISHING X-MEN cover uses the outline of the hole Cyclops has just blown through the wall to perfectly frame the characters. Stance and body language conveys something about the individual heroes. And the red background provided by colorist Laura Martin grabs your attention like the center of a bullseye. … Continue reading Great Covers – ASTONISHING X-MEN #7
Feel like I’ve been featuring mostly older covers, so for today some more recent ones. Artist Steve Epting reworked his ideas for this crucial CAPTAIN AMERICA cover a few times before finally hitting on this approach. But it’s very effective. The red of the one glove and the droplets of blood silhouette beautifully against the … Continue reading Great Covers – CAPTAIN AMERICA #25
comicbookcovers: Action Comics #52, September 1942, cover by Fred Ray
It’s really the cover copy that makes this Ed Hannigan JONAH HEX cover memorable. but that copy really works with the image, as does seeing Hex’s disfigurement exaggerated by the fish-eye lens of the booze-bottle. Even the fact that there’s a second, empty bottle off to the right provides more information. I also love the … Continue reading Great Covers – JONAH HEX #83
Here’s another excellent Jack Kirby cover to X-MEN. It’s a bit strange for a super hero cover in that we’re seeing almost all of the heroes from the back, where common wisdom would want at least one of them turned towards the camera, so as to engage the reader–nothing commands the attention of a viewer … Continue reading Great Covers – X-MEN #16
The Tom Brevoort Experience 