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
Here’s a first, from the great Alex Schomburg: the first time in comic book history a cover promoted an epic battle between two separate super heroes, in this case the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. This MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS cover must have proven exciting to readers, as Timely went on to stage several other Torch-Namor … Continue reading Great Covers – MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #9
A great DAREDEVIL cover by Wally Wood, debuting Daredevil’s iconic and sleek red costume. On top of Wood’s slick line once again the coloring has been composed for maximum effect. Daredevil is surrounded by light blue air bubbles against which his red outfit really pops. The deep purples of the background make Namor come forward … Continue reading Great Covers – DAREDEVIL #7
A cool painted cover for RAMPAGING HULK magazine by Earl Norem, produced during a period when it was rare to see a super hero rendered so realistically. I’m not wild about the way all of the copy is handled on this one, mostly in terms of color (TO AVENGE THE EARTH is a bit hard … Continue reading Great Covers – THE RAMPAGING HULK #9
A very simple and effective ALPHA FLIGHT cover by John Byrne. This is the infamous issue, released during the April Fools-ish “Assistant Editor’s Month”, that contained five blank pages with only word balloons and sound effects, as Snowbird battled the Wendigo in a snowstorm. Legend has it that Byrne not only insisted on being paid … Continue reading Great Covers – ALPHA FLIGHT #6
In terms of getting across the concept of a series, it would be difficult to top this cover to THE GENERIC COMIC BOOK by, well, nobody. It’s a perfect replica of the generic brand packaging of the era, and communicates exactly what the gag of this one-shot is all about in a way that any … Continue reading Great Covers – GENERIC COMIC BOOK #1
Another crowded and overwhelming Alex Schomburg masterpiece, this cover to USA COMICS is typical of his output for Timely Comics. The figures of Cap and Bucky are large, ridiculously so in proportion to the other elements of the piece. But it works–even if it does look like Bucky is shooting down a toy plane with … Continue reading Great Covers – USA COMICS #7
This Dan Adkins TALES TO ASTONISH illustration really isn’t anything special, but what makes this cover noteworthy is the monochromatic blue color, in this instance applied even to the corner box and Marvel logo. Stan Lee would occasionally favor such an approach to a cover, often to good effect (as on the X-MEN #17 cover … Continue reading Great Covers – TALES TO ASTONISH #98
An often-homaged cover, this CAPTAIN AMERICA piece by Mike Zeck combines detail and composition into something of a synthesis of the approaches of Neal Adams and Jim Steranko. Deathlok’s red eye right at the center is focal point, and the diagonal of the gun and hand takes the viewer to the image of Captain America … Continue reading Great Covers – CAPTAIN AMERICA #286
A simple and iconic John Byrne IRON FIST cover. This piece was done during a period where most covers were cluttered with figures and drowning in copy, so the impact of just being a shot of Iron Fist doing his thing right at your face would have been heightened. I’m not in love with that … Continue reading Great Covers – IRON FIST #8
