Simply the Best: Startling Secrets and Ruling the World!

I'm the last guy you'll see casually throwing around the phrase "old school covers". The vaguely derogatory term seems to imply that some kind of profound historical shift occurred in the way comic book covers should be perceived and discussed.  It's as if to say comic book covers of decades past could still be considered "good"....but good with an asterisk.  "Good" in a condescending, less sophisticated kind of way that doesn't quite measure up to today's Olympian "new school" standards. 

That said, I do recognize that comics of twenty-plus years ago had a flair and a style all their own. Best of all, covers of that era (roughly the 1960's through the late 80's) grabbed your interest by telling a story! An extremely brief and melodramatic story, but a story nonetheless. Contrast this style with today's obsession with "stock pose" covers that don't tell you much about the story inside or do much to hook your interest.  Sure, the art is usually top-notch...but like a movie poster or the cover of a novel, not much more than a one-note image.  Nice to look at, sure...but can they compel someone to buy them with the force of, say, Fantastic Four #199 (1978)?

(click on the cover for a larger view)

This one's got it all:

Character-defining word balloons: The best word balloons of this era would give you a quick-yet-defining snapshot of the speaker. In this case, we know in an instant that Dr. Doom (A) desperately wanted to rule the world (B) was willing to kill his son to get there and (C) was therefore a really bad guy!

Dramatic "acting": Like a professional actor, a comic book illustrator should be able to capture and convey intense emotions, especially when you're trying to grab a potential buyer's attention with a cover design. In this case, the snarling determination of Victor Von Doom II is the emotional core around which the entire cover revolves. Do yourself a favor and click on the image for a super-sized look at Doom Jr.'s face. Those sunken eyes and gritted teeth always rivet my attention. Add to that my enthusiasm for characters with amalgamated powers (like Doom Jr.'s F.F. abilities), and that 35¢ was as good as spent back in 1978.

I miss the days of covers trumpeting "startling secrets" in a deliberately melodramatic, non-ironic way. And villains who wanted to rule the world. And questions that didn't always end with question marks.

Layouts that amplify the cover's narrative: In this issue's story, Victor Von Doom II was actually a specially engineered clone of Dr. Doom who ultimately turns against his creator to defend the Fantastic Four. This change of heart is wonderfully foreshadowed on the cover by Doom Jr.'s very protective presence, made even more dramatic by his dynamic, twisting stance and the camera angle.

Also, note how the angled energy blasts from Dr. Doom's hands lead the eye directly to the word balloon exchange and, more important, the helpless members of the Fantastic Four Doom Jr. is obviously defending.

Joe: As great as Keith Pollard's layout was, I give most of the credit for this cover's success to Joe Sinnott, whose sublime inking evokes this era of crisp, clear storytelling more than any other visual cue.

Comments

[Zetaman]

Hey, I had a copy of this one!
I know what you mean. It is difficult for me not to look inside a comic to figure out what I am buying. I have to do that thing where you grab a stack and walk around the comic store pretending to be shopping, but really you're looking inside to see what the story is about.
Drawing the Marvel way must of been thrown out the door.

[Z Ryan]

Sometimes I worry that I'm overly modernist, and sometimes I revel in it. But sometimes I see a cover like this and I go: Wow.

Was this all the making of Eisner and Kirby?

[Brian Disco Snell]

"...comic book covers of decades past could still be considered "good"....but good with an asterix."

Oh, so they could be considered good with an ancient Gaulish warrior with super-strength and a great moustache??

I nitpick because I love...

[Mark Engblom]

Whoops! Thanks for the spell-check, Snell!

Not that I don't appreciate a good ancient Gaulish warrior with super-strength and a great mustache.

[Wes C]

I totally agree with the sentiment.

I miss the old style covers that actually told a story, although I don't really miss the overly wordy types that much.

The generic pose cover is frustrating to me.
How do you know what's going on inside the comic?

Covers like FF # 48 & 49 and esp one #66 (one of my all time favorites) pull you in and compel you to read the story. There's not too much text on them, but you instantly get an idea of what the story inside is about.

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=19911&zoom=4

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=19982&zoom=4

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=21283&zoom=4

[Chris Tolworthy]

Amen and amen! A truly great cover to one of the greatest FF stories ever.

Coincidentally, over on comicboards.com/fantasticfour/ we were just discussing this very arc. It was the last time that Reed Richards was portrayed as truly Mr Fantastic, and not Mr weedy-and-unpopular. Oh how we miss the real Reed Richards.

[Brian Disco Snell]

I think the problem really became bad with the early Vertigo covers, on Swamp Thing and Sandman and Doom Patrol. Great looking covers...but you could never tell by looking at one whether or not you'd already read the damn story!!

[Hube]

Good cover; OK interior art. I admit I was kinda bummed that Pérez or [John] Buscema didn't get art chores for this climax (including #200). Pollard never cut it for me.

[Wes C]

Pollard seemed ok to me, not great, but passable.

To me, by this point all of the art on the FF looked the same no matter who did the pencils.

I really do like Sinnott's inking overall, but it did have a tendency to really overpower the pencils. In a way that was nice, it gave it a sense of stability, on the other hand, it also gave it a sense of blandness.

But man o' man does his inking look great in the black and white Essentials collections.

[Allen]

There are some good covers still being produced today. Mark Waid over on his blog analyzes one on The Spirit, getting into exactly what is so good about it here.

[Just looking]

Wow! I just stumbled upon your website and there is just so much great stuff here. I really enjoy your analysis of covers (the good and the bad). Can't wait to check out the rest of the site. Love the original cartoons as well. They're awesome. Keep up the good work!

[Mark Engblom]

Thanks! There's plenty of material for you to sift through, so have fun...and come back soon!

[werehawk]

I liked the covers. Sad that you aren't doing it anymore. You have some of my favorites in there, but my favorite covers of all time are Peter Parker, Spider-man #37

http://www.comics.org/issue/33940/cover/4/

And Power Pack 16

http://www.comics.org/issue/40667/cover/4/

with Brave and Bold 28 getting honorable mention.