Okay, so I’ve been thinking about writing a little bit about a wide variety of subjects that influenced me while growing up, beyond just individual comics (although including them as well). And this wold seem to be the appropriate place for such recollections. So moving forward, this will be the place where I’ll be waxing … Continue reading New Mission Statement
Great Covers – AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #28
A pretty brilliant cover from Steve Ditko that reduces the iconic silhouette of Spider-Man down about as far as is possible while still keeping it identifiable. The fact that the caption boxes are also done in Spidey’s colors isn’t an accident, either. I suspect the decision was made to color Spidey’s eyepiece red rather than … Continue reading Great Covers – AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #28
Great Covers – BATMAN #230
I can’t swear to it with absolute certainty, but I suspect that this BATMAN cover by Neal Adams represents the first time that any person of color has been depicted on a Batman cover. And especially given the time period in which this cover saw print, late 1970, you’d expect that most readers would be … Continue reading Great Covers – BATMAN #230
Great Covers – MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #36
Another classic Alex Schomburg WWII-era Timely cover, this one depicting an amphibious invasion of Manhattan in such detail that each element had to be individually labeled. Once again, the wealth of detail and the explosive action made this book all but irresistible. Note that the coloring halos the Torch’s fist and head with white where … Continue reading Great Covers – MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #36
Great Covers – FLASH #193
This Murphy Anderson FLASH cover is another example of a technique that editor Julie Schwartz used on numerous occasions: a cover on which a character engaged the prospective reader directly. This iteration adds the additional wrinkle of the Flash’s fate being too gruesome to be outwardly depicted–who could resist cracking the cover to see what … Continue reading Great Covers – FLASH #193
Great Covers – RAWHIDE KID #39
Nothing about the size relationships on this RAWHIDE KID cover by Jack Kirby makes any sense–but the cover works anyway, because it’s about a giant ape hoisting the Kid over its head! Rawhide is perfectly framed by the yellow background, and the light grey of the tiny town also causes the ape to pop. Me, … Continue reading Great Covers – RAWHIDE KID #39
Great Covers – DETECTIVE COMICS #33
Here’s another brilliant and beautiful classic cover from the dawning days of super heroes–so much so that the Batman’s utility belt has a pistol holster. As was typical of the period, that huge logo masthead is like a spotlight, drawing in the eye. And the blues of Batman pull your attention right to him, since … Continue reading Great Covers – DETECTIVE COMICS #33
Great Covers – STRANGE ADVENTURES #75
Is this Gil Kane cover to STRANGE ADVENTURES #75 the greatest comic book cover ever produced? Could be! I mean, it has everything! A gun-toting gorilla! Who’s robbing a library of books! So that he can conquer the world! And (of course) he talks! This is one where the concept itself is more important than … Continue reading Great Covers – STRANGE ADVENTURES #75
Great Covers – FANTASTIC FOUR #33
It doesn’t completely work, but this Jack Kirby cover to FANTASTIC FOUR combines a photographic collage with hand-drawn figures. Throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s, Kirby experimented with incorporating collages into his comics work–he apparently produced them often, to relax. But the printing technology of the time, especially on the interior pages, wasn’t really … Continue reading Great Covers – FANTASTIC FOUR #33
Great Covers – USA COMICS #13
Another ridiculously over-detailed (and fundamentally racist) cover from the WWII era by Alex Schomburg, this one for USA COMICS. There’s almost too much going on here, though it all promises thrills aplenty within the pages. My favorite detail, apart from Bucky gunning down Japanese soldiers like a fiend, is the fact that Cap can’t be … Continue reading Great Covers – USA COMICS #13
The Tom Brevoort Experience 