Simply the Best: Bring on the Bad Guys!

In the age before elaborately painted comic book covers (and interiors, for that matter), seeing "realistically" rendered versions of your favorite comic book characters was an incredibly rare treat. In fact, due to the no-frills budgets of the average comic book, the only place you were likely to see the magic of multiple light sources was on the covers of more expensive magazines and paperback books.

Some of the most fondly remembered of these painted covers were Marvel's series of origin reprints, published by Fireside Books (click on the covers for a larger view). Origins of Marvel Comics (1974) featured the first stories of Marvel's biggest stars paired with one of their modern adventures, along with Stan Lee's reflections. It's sequel, Son of Origins (1975) stuck to the same format as it explored the beginnings of Marvel's second-tier heroes, while The Superhero Women (1977) focused on...well, you can probably figure it out. 

However, as great as these covers are (all illustrated by jazzy John Romita Sr), my absolute favorite remains the third volume of the origin series: 

BRING ON THE BAD GUYS (1976)

It's title obviously the inspiration for my looks at lousy comic book supervillains, this cover celebrated all that was good about being bad in the Marvel Universe. Looking like the poster of a movie I'd likely never see (at least until relatively recently), Bring On The Bad Guys reminded me why I loved these villains (and their heroic opponents) so much. Yeah, the "by Stan Lee" tag is poorly placed, but that minor nitpick is more Fireside's doing than Romita's...and easily overlooked when surrounded by such slick, cinematic artwork.

Of course, something this good doesn't always jump right out of the pencil and onto the page. Click on the image to the left to check out Romita's initial sketch for the cover. Still cool, of course, but obviously a bit too "Doom-centered" to show off the other evildoers effectively. For more interesting "behind the scenes" stuff from Romita's spectacular career, be sure to add John Romita, And All That Jazz! to your Christmas list. I can't recommend it high enough.

Comments

[Joe Lewallen]

That JR Sr. book looks sweet. I just ordered a copy. Great artist. I remember reading Origins and Son of Origins back in the 70s. My Jr High library had a copy of Son that I checked out about 8 million times. I never even heard of the Superhero Woman book. Although I'm not sure how interested I would have been in the book when it came out. I remember at 10, girls=icky. My opinion of Super-heroines and women of the non super powered variety have changed in the last 3 decades.

[Pat Curley]

Part of me can't help but wonder what the heck a C-lister like the Abomination is doing on that cover with the top villains from Marvel's stable.

[Joe Lewallen]

I think the Abomination is there 'cause he's the designated Hulk villain. The Hulk really doesn't have a go-to bad guy. Who is the Hulk's Dr. Doom, his Joker, his Lex Luthor? The most memorable Hulk fights are with other heroes like The Thing, Thor and Wolverine.

[Mark Engblom]

" My Jr High library had a copy of Son that I checked out about 8 million times."

I recall seeing the first "Origins" book at my pal's house (not getting my own until years later), and I also checked out "Son of Origins" many, many times from my local library. I'm not sure where I saw the "Superhero Women" book (possibly the library as well), but I had a similar "girls = yuck" outlook at that age...which ALSO changed a few years later (funny how that works).

"Part of me can't help but wonder what the heck a C-lister like the Abomination is doing on that cover with the top villains from Marvel's stable."

C-lister? Sure, the Abomination isn't up there with Doom and the Green Goblin, but he's definitely the first guy I think of when I think "Hulk villain". I've always loved his "monsterish" look, especially as drawn here by Romita (Gil Kane's original take on him looked pretty bizarre by comparison). Maybe it's because his "ears" and scaley hide reminded me of the giant movie monster "Gorgo"..but whatever the case, I love the character...and fully support his inclusion in the book.

[Pat Curley]

I always thought of the Leader as the Hulk's main antagonist, although of course he's not much of a slugfest kinda guy. And I admit, I don't know much about the Hulk after about 1972 or so.

[WesC]

The thing I find most telling is the lack of Magneto (does he appear inside?).

Ahh the mid seventies, a time before the
X-Men dominated the entire Marvel line.

I remember checking out the superheroine book when I was about 12. The only story I remember from it is FF#31.

[Comic Coverage]

"The thing I find most telling is the lack of Magneto (does he appear inside?)."

No, he doesn't...and your observation about the mid-70's X-Men is right on the money. It's hard to comprehend now, but there was a time when the X-Men were on the ropes as a comic book concept...although the New X-Men had made their debut only about a year earlier. It would be several years before Magneto reassumed top-notch bad guy status...but yeah, his absence from that cover is telling.

[Brian]

LOVE these books, and have similar memories of many trips to the library to find them (must've been something about growing up in the seventies, before I'd ever heard of something called a comics shop, or the notion of back issues). Unfortunately, they were often checked out, which meant the trips sometimes ended in disappointment. I also remember a similar volume from DC (don't know the title) about the origins of Batman, Superman, etc., which seemed even more mysterious and exotic because the older art style of the 30s and 40s made those tales (appealingly) alien to a six-year old in 1979.

And that Romita book is fantastic.

[Al Bigley]

I also loved and love those covers. John has that rare quality to straddle the line between commercial cartoony and realism...Simply wonderful.

I grew up loving ANY painted comics work, from John, Bob Larkin, Earl Norem, Ken Barr...

It was sorta a way to view characters normally seen in 2-D in a 3-D way, before an endless parade of high-end statues and busts, and movies and real actors in costumes....

Al Bigley

[Al Bigley]

I also loved and love those covers. John has that rare quality to straddle the line between commercial cartoony and realism...Simply wonderful.

I grew up loving ANY painted comics work, from John, Bob Larkin, Earl Norem, Ken Barr...

It was sorta a way to view characters normally seen in 2-D in a 3-D way, before an endless parade of high-end statues and busts, and movies and real actors in costumes....

Al Bigley