Comic Coverage

Simply the Best: Avengers #122

After running the Worst Cover Ever column for a few months, I thought I'd switch gears, take the higher road and introduce a Best Cover column I'm calling Simply the Best.  I'm not doing away with WCE, but the overwhelming number of truly great covers certainly deserves some attention, so consider the cosmic scales balanced!

After attending the Minnesota Fallcon on Saturday, and netting a heaping helping of beautiful Broze Age Marvels, I've decided to kick off Simply the Best with one of my all-time favorite Avengers covers from the swingin' 70's.

Waayyy back in the summer of 1974, when I was first bitten by the radioactive comics bug, I came across a friend's copy of Avengers #122...and I still recall how much it blew me away at the time.  Heck, it still blows me away whenever I look at my own copy.  Check it out:

Pencilled by the late, great Gil Kane and inked by art god John Romita Sr., this cover literally bursts with power and "go get 'em!" excitement, crowned by Thor's stirring "Avengers Assemble" call to arms.

Some elements that jump out:

• Thor's outstretched left hand was a dramatic flare common to many Marvel covers (most likely introduced by Jack "King" Kirby himself).

• John Romita's elegant inking significantly softened Gil Kane's tendency toward harsher "anatomy lesson" musculature, preserving Kane's dynamic sense of action while giving the characters an even greater sense of "reality".  It seems unlikely with such differing styles, but these two actually made a great team in many of their collaborations, especially their long run together on The Amazing Spider-Man a few years earlier.  Romita also had a way with rendering Iron Man's armor, being one of the few artists who could actually convey that it was shiny metal Tony Stark was wearing.  Decades before fancy computer coloring technology, it was up to the inker to convey convincing surface textures and the overall mood of the scene....something a master like Romita could always deliver.

• The background scene of interior panels was also a great touch.  The grey coloring offers a great contrast to the colorful Avengers, lending their burst through the page even more power and impact. As a kid, I enjoyed trying to match the interior panels with the panels reproduced on the cover.

• The Avengers logo itself is one of the best designed logos of any era, with it's large, attention-grabbing "A" nestled right next to the stoic Vision in the upper left hand corner.  It was a logo you could see a block away in a display of hundreds of comics.  In other words, the ideal logo.

• Finally, lines like "the final battle" and "it's a fight to the finish" were exactly what the artwork needed to send the book over the top into irresistable, undeniable "must read" territory.

Come on.  Admit it.  You want to know what happens in this story, don't you?  Of course you do.

Which is exactly what qualifies a comic book cover for Simply the Best status.

Simply the Best: Spectacular Spider-Man #2

I can't overstate how much I've always adored the artwork of John Romita Sr., especially his classic run on The Amazing Spider-Man with Stan Lee.  Yes, Steve Ditko was Spidey's co-creator, and his three years on the title will always be pure magic...but I personally think John Romita's run on the title represented the artistic high mark of Spider-Man that others have been trying to reach ever since.

Romita had a particular flair for illustrating dramatic, attention-grabbing covers...such as the cover to The Spectacular Spider-Man #2 (1968).

Technically, The Spectacular Spider-Man was a short-lived color magazine (in fact, this was the last issue), and not to be confused with the Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man title that would launch in 1976.

As for the cover itself, Romita's beautiful painted scene (typical of the "deluxe" status magazines enjoyed in that era) takes an already stunning illustration to a lush, almost cinematic level.

Always on the lookout for story material for their line of annuals, Marvel reprinted the 58 page interior story (minus a whopping 18 pages) in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #9 (1973).  Romita even drew a new version of the magazine's cover, doing a good job of capturing at least a portion of the original's dramatic power (as well as adding a webline for Spidey's flailing left foot....absent from the magazine cover).

However, the magazine version remains one of comics' most enduring, mythic images....not only capturing but defining the connection between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, his deadliest enemy.  Whether it's the passivity suggested by Spider-Man's stance (the Goblin was actually the father of his best friend, and naturally didn't want to hurt him), or the utter madness reflected in the Goblin's face, John Romita Sr. perfectly captured the central emotional conflict that defined so much of their long (and tragic) history together.

Simply the Best: The Spectre #8

"By the power of all that's holy, I COMMAND you to buy this comic!"

Really...could anyone back in 1969 resist the power of this cover and NOT buy the comic book?

Illustrated by another one of my favorite cover artists, Nick Cardy, The Spectre #8 remains one of the most powerful, arresting cover images in my collection.

It's a deceptively simple design.  With the majority of the Spectre vaguely defined by the power burst lines, the contrasting solidity of his hand creates a neat little three dimensional effect. Paired with his snarling grimace, you can't shake the feeling that you yourself are at the business end of the Ghostly Guardian's terrible wrath. 

Further amping up the power of the image is the very limited color palette of only a few blues and greens, used with great effect to emphasize the Spectre's wide-open eyes and gritted teeth. It was somewhat gutsy to use blue for the Spectre's face, since it was actually bone-white, but as I said, the splashes of white in his eyes, teeth and around his hand-blast are so effective, it was certainly a creative risk worth taking.

Hardly overwhelmed by the illustration, the black Spectre logo surrounded by a screaming yellow outline fairly blasts off the page, leaving no doubt who's jabbing a green finger in your face.

Now...if only DC would publish a poster of this image.

Simply the Best: The Flash #144

Despite the Fastest Man Alive tag at the top of each issue, the cover depictions of the Flash himself seldom gave that impression.  More often than not, Barry "Flash" Allen was illustrated with rather half-hearted speed effects, just enough to technically qualify for "super speed" status, but nothing to really make you sit up and say "WOW!  THAT'S fast!"  Many other covers featured Barry either standing around fretting about something or (since we are talking about Barry Allen here) dead as a doornail.

However, there were a handful of Flash covers that really showed him pouring on the super-speed, with one of my favorites being The Flash #144 (1964):

The stakes?  Couldn't be higher.  The Flash?  Giving it his all.  The story's title?  Er...well, let's just say there's room for improvement there and move on, shall we?

But, man alive, look at him go!  Points to illustrator Carmine Infantino (and inker Murphy Anderson) for pulling out all the stops on this one...not only for drawing the dynamic multiple images of the Flash and the accompanying five billion speed lines, but for the dramatic slow-motion explosion of the "nuclear bomb" itself.  You really do get a sense that Flash is holding back a mighty atomic explosion with his speed alone. 

Amping up the drama is the downtown setting, unusual for a Flash cover of this era. One of Carmine Infantino's more endearing quirks was drawing many of Flash's adventures taking place on (what appeared to be) vast, empty plains fenced in by looming, suburbanless cities (click on the thumbnail images for a larger view).  In fact, this is one of the primary reasons Flash #144 succeeds where an earlier attempt of the same basic concept failed three years earlier on the cover of Flash #122. The same desperate stakes, the same determined heroism from the Flash, another atomic-powered explosive device...but with that cityscape so far in the distance, the implied threat level just doesn't come across as effectively as it did with #144's cover. The downtown setting also gave the scene an almost claustrophobic vibe, as the buildings give the illusion of further constricting Flash's movement.  Lowering the camera angle to street level also helped to keep the focus on the Flash without any of the unnecessary visual information of #122's version.

Barry Allen....Fastest Man Alive?  On the cover of Flash #144, you bet he was.

Simply the Best: Superman #187

As a life-long fan and collector of Superman comics, I've seen my share of great (and not so great) covers featuring the Man of Steel.  As memorable as so many of them are, I don't think any of them can quite surpass a special cover that, in many ways, remains my favorite.

Why is that?  Well, quite simply, Superman #187 (1966) was the very first comic book I can remember reading.

My grandparents had a modest stack of comics for us grandkids to read when we visited.  Although most of them were Gold Key Disney and Looney Tunes comics, there was one comic book that wasn't at all like the others.  There was this "Superman" guy, hefting a huge golden key to unlock the ultimate secret clubhouse.  A "Fortress of Solitude"?  What's this?  A city in a bottle?  An Interplanetary Zoo?  An undersea Fortress in addition to the ice Fortress?  Even the phrase "80-page Giant" seemed cool beyond belief!

Obviously, I was in "Kid Heaven" with concepts like these...and can you think of any better crash-course introduction to superhero comic books? 

I can't tell you how many times I read and re-read this comic book when I visited my grandparents. A few years later, I started collecting comics and eventually bought my own copy of Superman #187.  Needless to say, it's still one of the highlights of my collection. Not only for its status as "my first comic book", but also for its association with my grandparents (now long gone).  In a way, it almost feels like a "souvenier" from a happy childhood.   

So, it might not win the "Most Awesomely Mind-Blowing Cover Design of All Time" award, but to me, it's Simply the Best.

Simply the Best: Batman #194

Every long-lived comic book hero occasionally needs a "tune-up", and Batman was no exception. Following bizarre and ill-advised attempts to adapt Batman to the wacky sci-fi environment of the late 50's and early 60's, DC Comics finally realized they'd run too far afield of the character's core concepts. Their response was assigning editor Julius Schwartz to helm the "New Look" Batman, who made his debut in Detective Comics #327 (1964).

Instead of the dated, cartoony look of the Bob Kane/Dick Sprang era, designer and illustrator Carmine Infantino introduced a clean, streamlined look much more suited to the times. The stories, while still a bit on the goofy side, brought Batman and Robin back to a more recognizable environment.

The souped-up interiors naturally inspired a number of exciting experimental covers, once again the responsibilty of Carmine Infantino (DC's premiere cover artist of the 1960's). One of my favorite Batman covers of this era is Batman #194 (1967), for obvious reasons:

On crowded newstands, the last thing a comic book publisher wanted to do was to alter a title's logo beyond recognition (as it is here), but my guess is that the popularity of the Batman TV series allowed for a bit more visual experimentation on DC's part. After all, with Batman so popular and so recognized by the general public, his image on the top of this cover design was as recognizeable (perhaps moreso) than the standard logo itself.

Sure, Hulk rip-off Blockbuster didn't enjoy the same sort of marquee villain status as the Joker or Two-Face, but with that vengeful Batman pose, crumbling stone logo and blazing red background, he didn't have to. This was simply a "Must Read Comic" to anyone who saw this cover...always the first and most important criteria for comics' greatest covers.

Simply the Best: HULK King-Size Special #1

In the arena of superhero comic books, Jack Kirby owned the 1960's.  Though certainly an important artist before and after that decade, Kirby's groundbreaking work during the 60's took comic book storytelling to a sprawling, bombastic new level.  Once Kirby kicked down the door, younger artists couldn't help but be inspired to experiment with their own brand of hyper-dynamic visuals.

One such artist was Jim Steranko, whose life prior to entering comics encompassed performance magic, rock music and ad agency work.  After a brief stay at Harvey Comics, Steranko received his first Marvel assignment from Stan Lee in 1966 inking (and later penciling) the Nick Fury, Agent of Shield feature.

In the years to come, Steranko took Kirby's spirit of innovation into stunning, surreal new directions through his use of graphic design, trendy "op art" and cutting edge cinematic techniques.  Marvel also commissioned Steranko to create a number of covers, many of them achieving "instant classic" status.  Chief among those covers, in my opinion, was the HULK King-Size Special #1 (1968).

This image perfectly captured the essence of the Hulk character, demonstrating his stubborn, savage defiance under the crushing "weight" of constant persecution.  The illustration's elemental mass, raw power and tenacity will never quite be surpassed.

After a relatively short stay in comics, Jim Steranko went on to continued success in the book publishing, magazine and film industries....yet his comic book work remains one of the artform's undisputed high points.

Simply the Best: Wonder Woman #72

I became an instant fan of illustrator Brian Bolland when I saw the cover of (and immediately purchased) Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #1 back in 1981.  As I found out many years later, this was the British illustrator's first professional work for an American comic book company, having broken into comics drawing Nigerian hero Powerman and later the British cult-favorite Judge Dredd.

Bolland went on to illustrate many high profile projects for DC Comics, such as Camelot 3000 (comics' first "maxi-series") and Batman: The Killing Joke with Alan Moore.  As great as those stories were, Bolland has made an even greater contribution through his outstanding cover illustrations.  In fact, Bolland's gift for subtle facial expressions, imaginative layouts and clean linework makes him one of the premiere cover artists of his (or any) generation.

Nearly every cover he's created for DC's Animal Man, The Flash, Wonder Woman, and assorted others became a bonafide "Instant Classic".   Within that huge body of work, a few covers stand out as something extra special...such as Wonder Woman #72 (1993).

The Wonder Woman character has always walked a narrow line between enlightenment and exploitation, most often leaning toward the latter.  Countless covers portray the title character in silly or downright demeaning positions and situations, which is why this cover stands out as something different.  Bolland retains the beauty and, yes, sexiness of Wonder Woman, but at the same time imbues her with an undeniable power, grace, determination and dignity.

In other words, all of the best qualities of womanhood.

Update: To see more of Bolland's work, click here for a modest cover gallery.

Simply the Best: Superman #276

For most of the 1940's and early 50's (commonly dubbed comics' "Golden Age"), Superman and Captain Marvel were two of the most wildly popular superheroes of the era.  In fact, Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel even surpassed Superman's sales at one point, which DC Comics countered with a copyright infringement suit, even though Cap was never actually that similar to Superman.  Nevertheless, Fawcett lost the lawsuit and ceased publication of Captain Marvel in 1953.

In a crazy twist of irony, DC Comics acquired the rights to publish Captain Marvel in 1972, and quickly followed up with a new SHAZAM! series.  Instead of integrating Cap into the modern style of comic book storytelling, DC decided to stick with the lighthearted, whimsical approach of the Golden Age stories.  In fact, they even hired Cap's original illustrator C. C. Beck to draw the stories.

Despite Superman's strangely-silent presense on the cover of SHAZAM #1 (click on the cover image for a larger view), the two (former) Golden Age rivals had never actually met each other in a comic book story. Their first true meeting would get a little bit closer with Superman #276 (1974), featuring the titanic clash of Superman and Captain Marvel stand-in Captain Thunder!

According to writer Elliot S. Maggin in a 2006 interview, the reason behind using Captain Thunder (despite having the rights to the real deal) was that DC felt the more whimsical Captain Marvel appearing in SHAZAM would be a poor thematic fit with the more "realistic" Superman, and that Cap's appearance in Superman (or vice versa) would be too jarring a transition for either character to make.  Whatever the case, we all knew this was Captain Marvel (more or less), and if anyone still had any misgivings about the substitution, this incredible "MUST BUY!" cover by the prolific Nick Cardy was more than enough to overcome them.

I've always been a sucker for "clash covers".  You know, the covers where superheroes (or groups of superheroes...or villains) are hurtling toward each other at top speed, frozen in time at that split second before impact.  Despite all the "growing" and "maturing" superhero comics have experienced over the past few decades, it's still hard to deny the power and appeal of a good clash cover.  Pumping up the tension is, of course, the terrified fleeing crowds below the clashing superheroes, who are seemingly oblivious to the death and destruction the collision of their invulnerable bodies will generate.

In other words, the ideal comic book cover for your inner 10 year-old.

By the way, to see more of Nick Cardy's outstanding DC covers, click here for an extensive (and nicely organzied) cover gallery!

Simply the Best: JLA/Avengers #3

As a young comics fan during the late 70's and early 80's, some of the biggest thrills of that time were "company crossovers", those rare occasions when rivals DC and Marvel Comics combined their forces (and top characters) into a single story.  Characters who had previously met each other only in our daydreams were not only officially meeting each other, but were teaming-up for an adventure as well (after the obligatory misunderstanding/fight, of course).

Immediately following the successful 1982 X-Men and Teen Titans crossover, the candidate for the next crossover was an absolute no-brainer:  a meeting of DC and Marvel's premiere super-teams...The Justice League and The Avengers.

Sure enough, work began on just such a project in 1983, with fan-favorite George Perez assigned to do the artwork!  Since Perez had enjoyed long stints on both JLA and Avengers, he was the perfect guy for the job. Sadly, the project fell apart when Marvel and DC got tangled up in editorial disputes, but not before Perez had already penciled nearly 21 pages of artwork. Ouch!

However, after two decades of wondering "what might have been", fans (like me) were rewarded for their patience when DC and Marvel reached an agreement in 2001:  JLA-Avengers was finally going to be a reality.

Naturally, an enthusiastic George Perez was tapped to do the artwork, along with writer and recent Avengers collaborator Kurt Busiek. Both men had (and still have) a knack for juggling huge numbers of characters, so they seemed to be the ideal team to pull of such a challenging project.

But we had no idea just how challenging Busiek and Perez were prepared to make it for themselves.

Not satisfied with simply staging a meeting between the then-current JLA and Avengers line-ups, the creators devised a story that would involve literally every member of the respective teams from every incarnation, iteration and time frame.

As you'd expect, the four-issue epic was worth the twenty-year wait. But as great as the story was, the most memorable part of JLA-Avengers remains the stunning artwork. Perez went far above and beyond the call of duty to deliver a career-defining "love letter" to both his fans and the legendary characters themselves.  No single piece of artwork demonstrates that love more than the cover of JLA-Avengers #3 (2003), as both the front and back covers feature the mind-blowing spectacle of every member (past and present) of the JLA and the Avengers (click on the image for a super-sized larger view):

JLA-Avengers #3 (2003), by George Perez

Besides his obvious illustration talent (and patience), Perez is also one of the premiere page designers of the comics field.  Not only can he draw any character under the sun (each with their own subtly unique facial structure), but he can also arrange them in dazzlingly complex formations, patterns and visual planes.  As a cartoonist with a similar affinity for detail-packed compositions, Perez always blows my mind with the sheer audacity and surprising clarity of his mega crowd scenes...which never fail to capture the power, energy and sprawling grandeur of superhero comics.