Covers in the 1970s tended to lean towards the cluttered, with tons of characters and blurbs all crammed into a relatively tiny space–a more-is-less approach that kept most of them from being truly memorable images. But this Ed Hannigan FANTASTIC FOUR cover isn’t too bad in this regard. Still, it requires a burst, two captions … Continue reading Great Covers – FANTASTIC FOUR #170
This Jack Kirby FANTASTIC FOUR cover similarly uses knock-outs and a limited palate, but it’s way more successful. By any stretch of the imagination, this is an odd image for the cover of a super hero comic book–Stan pretty much makes it work by calling it out as the most off-beat ending of the year … Continue reading Great Covers – FANTASTIC FOUR #87
DC weren’t the only ones who could louse up a perfectly good Jack Kirby cover in color, Marvel did it occasionally as well, as on this FANTASTIC FOUR cover. Knocking all of the other elements back to browns and reds definitely helps Crystal to pop as the center of the composition, but it’s actively unattractive. … Continue reading Great Covers – FANTASTIC FOUR #81
A very simple FANTASTIC FOUR cover by John Byrne that focuses on arch-nemesis Doctor Doom, who’d be the focus of the issue. Especially fun here is the fact that the splash page glimpsed through the crumpled, torn cover is indeed the splash the reader will see when he opens the book.
A very basic but very dramatic FANTASTIC FOUR cover by Jack Kirby, emphasizing the scope of the cast and implying the energy and excitement of the story within. In rare restraint, this cover features no copy whatsoever, allowing the image itself to do the work of selling it. A white background here was almost a … Continue reading Great Covers – FANTASTIC FOUR #82
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
FANTASTIC FOUR UNLIMITED #8 December, 1994 FANTASTIC FOUR UNLIMITED #8 represents the one and only time I had the opportunity to write a Fantastic Four story, and it remains a highlight of my career. I can’t be completely objective about how the final product turned out, but I was very pleased with the results. Artists … Continue reading BHOCOS: FANTASTIC FOUR UNLIMITED #8
FUN BOYS SPRING SPECIAL April, 1991 Jeff Bonivert’s wonderfully nostalgic FUN BOYS one-shot had perhaps an unexpected effect on me. The tale tells of a trio of kids who make the weekly pilgrimage to Pop’s Comic Book Shop for their weekly fix, and who run afoul of the local bully on the way home. Said … Continue reading BHOCOS: FUN BOYS SPRING SPECIAL #1
FANTASTIC FOUR #1 November, 1961 I saw this book at a New York show in the early months of 1991. I’d already spent all of the cash I’d put aside for the weekend when I spied it on a dealer’s wall across the way. It had a post-it on it identifying it as a “beaten, … Continue reading BHOCOS: FANTASTIC FOUR #1
2014 Note: There was an entry for FANTASTIC FOUR #29 at this point, but the text of it has been lost to the mists of time. There are a handful of entries that are similarly missing.
The Tom Brevoort Experience 