Comic Coverage

Cover to Cover: From Russia With Love (Part One)

The Commies of Comics!

First, a little context from Serious Voice-Over Guy:

"Following their uneasy World War II alliance against Nazi Germany, the United States and the Soviet Union began a decades-long struggle termed “The Cold War”, a political, industrial, technological and military rivalry that stopped just short of a full-scale (or “hot”) war.  At its core, the Cold War was driven by the radically incompatible philosophies of Soviet communism and the democratic capitalism championed by the United States.  The Soviets sought to aggressively expand their empire into new parts of the world, while the United States used its power to contain and frustrate their ambitions…made all the more difficult when Communists gained control of China in 1949.  Through it all, the ever-present threat of nuclear war (or “mutually assured destruction) kept the two superpowers locked in a virtual stalemate."

At this point, serious students of history may be wondering, “Yeah, but what did this mean for comic books?”

Well, I’m no Serious Voice-Over Guy, but here’s my take on it.

Nostalgic for the sales figures of the World War II years, American comic book publishers of the early 1950’s initially treated the Cold War as a “sequel” of sorts to their pot-banging propaganda comics of the previous decade.  Like the wickedly caricatured Axis forces of WW II comics (particularly Japanese), some of the earliest Communist villains were either clownish cultural stereotypes or sub-human monsters.

A great example of this early approach is the cover of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby’s Fighting American #3 (1954), as the buffoonish duo Poison Ivan and Hotsky Trotsky are easily foiled by Fighting American and Speedboy.

Cover to Cover: From Russia With Love (part two)

The Commies of Comics!

Our Story Thus Far:

The players:  The United States and The Soviet Union. 

The conflict: A fundamental clash of ideologies and the overarching threat of Mutually Assured Destruction.

The result:  Nearly forty years of international tension.

The side effect: A gold mine of comic book villainy.


Which brings us to Part Two of the Cold War of Comics (click here for Part One).

As the late 1960’s rolled around, second-generation comic creator Roy Thomas introduced a note of ambiguity to the Cold War’s stark morality in Avengers #43 (1967).  While still ostensibly a “villain”, the Red Guardian was positioned as the Soviet answer to Captain America and, as such, fought with a sense of honor not seen in previous agents of the U.S.S.R.

Cover to Cover: Déjà vu All Over Again

A Crisis of Infinite Homage Covers!

Comic book covers based upon famous images, from other comics or elsewhere, are commonly referred to as “homage covers”.  As the term implies, homage covers pay tribute to revered “touchstones” of comic book, pop cultural or even “real world” historical imagery.  They also provide a sense of fun and community, as seasoned fans recognize the visual as the hat-tip, the nod, the gentle satire or the arcane “in-joke” knowledge it was intended to be.

One of the most prevalent homage cover themes is sometimes referred to as the Pieta Cover, a reference to Michelangelo’s famed Pieta sculpture. Depicting the body of Jesus Christ in the arms of his mother Mary, the Pieta conveys a sense of quiet grief and profound helplessness in the face of death. 

Which begs the question: “What better image to exploit and slap onto dozens of superhero comic books?”

Of course, the most famous of the Pieta homage covers was Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (1985), depicting a grief-stricken Superman cradling the dead body of his cousin Supergirl as a throng of helpless superheroes looks on.

Crisis #7, in turn, inspired dozens more homage covers, though many more Pieta Covers came before it.  Without further ado (or commentary), I present the Pieta Cover Gallery.  Click on the link below and enjoy....

Cover to Cover: The Wide World of Sports (Covers)

Examining the Surreal Intersection of Sports and Superheroes

At first glance, comic book and sports fans don’t seem to have much in common.  However, a closer look reveals some surprising parallels between the two camps, chief among them their mutual admiration of grown men wearing colorful uniforms with cool logos.

Now, with a new baseball season under way, I think it’s worth taking a look at those rare occasions when the parallel worlds of comic books and professional sports actually did overlap.  So pour yourself a cold one, settle back in your Lazy Boy, grab the remote and

“LET’S GET READY TO RUMMMMBALLLLLL!”

(cue your favorite blaring stadium anthem)

Cover to Cover: “To the Bat-Garage, Robin!”

The Lesser-Known Vehicles of Batman!

Like a teenager anxious to ditch his first junker for a tricked-out sports car, the Batman of 1939 quickly traded in the nondescript red sedan of his first few adventures for a “specially built high-powered auto” in Detective Comics #30 (1939).  A few years later, the “high-powered auto” would give way to the The Batmobile in Batman #5 (1941), though it would take another two years for the legendary roadster to make its cover debut in Batman #20.

 

As everyone knows, a Bat-Plane and Batboat soon followed.

 

However, even with land, air and sea covered, some adventures called for even more specialized modes of transportation…which spawned a dizzying array of Bat-vehicles many of you have never heard of.

Until now, that is.

Cover to Cover: Webhead's Wild Kingdom

Spider-Man's Animal-Themed Adversaries!

As the old proverb says, “you can know a man by his friends”, but I believe a man can also be defined by who his enemies are.  In the case of comic book superheroes, a compelling collection of villains (or “rogues’ gallery”) can only enhance an already solid character.  Having a memorable rogues’ gallery certainly isn’t essential to ensure superhero immortality, but it sure doesn’t hurt.  The best rogues’ galleries can be defined along simple criteria, such as Batman’s collection of dark lunatics, or the Flash’s gimmicky felons….but when it comes to an overarching theme, Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery wins the prize.

Looking back over the past four decades of Spidey comics, it’s hard not to notice the huge number of animal-themed villains he’s encountered. Considering his powers and heroic identity are also based on a member of the animal kingdom, I guess it makes sense that so many of Spider-Man’s villains followed suit…..immediately, I might add. 

Right out of the gate, the inaugural issue of The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (1963) introduced the threat of the Chameleon, a master of disguise named for the color-changing reptile.

Cover to Cover: That's GOTTA Hurt!

Bruises, Burns & Beat-Downs from the Pain Hall of Fame.

In the knock-down, drag-out world of comic book combat, superheroes routinely experience boatloads of pain and physical punishment. So much so, veteran readers (such as myself) seldom bat an eye when confronted by the sheer amount of punching, kicking, gouging, smashing, and pummeling experienced (and dished out) by superheroes.  Like a Looney Tunes anvil to the head or a Three Stooges slap fest, it’s just part of the gig.

However, every now and then, a comic book cover comes along that depicts injuries so intense or disturbing, even the most jaded, battle-hardened reader will wince in sympathetic pain.

Kicking things off is the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #133 (1974), featuring a nice, comfy third degree burn to the neck…courtesy of the Molten Man. Mmmm…smells like bacon!

Cover to Cover: Extreme Makeovers!

Superhero Fashion Disasters.

As part of their never-ending battle to sustain reader interest (and sales figures), comic book publishers often resort to their standard bag of tricks to give their titles a jolt.  Some of these stunts include retelling a superhero’s origin, the “shocking” return of an old enemy, killing off a supporting cast member, or that old standby…a new costume!

It goes without saying that many “costume upgrades” were very successful, as an invigorating new look replaced a poorly designed or boring original costume.  Here are some "before and after" shots of successful costume upgrades:

However, not every costume upgrade has worked out for the better.  In fact, many of them are so astonishingly bad, pop culturally tone-deaf and unintentionally silly, I just had to go all “Joan Rivers” on a few of them.

Cover to Cover: Déjà vu All Over Again (FF #1)

The Homage Cover Chronicles (part 2)

Comic book covers based upon famous images, from other comics or elsewhere, are commonly referred to as “homage covers”.  As the term implies, homage covers pay tribute to revered “touchstones” of comic book, pop cultural or even “real world” historical imagery.  They also provide a sense of fun and community, as seasoned fans recognize the visual as the hat-tip, the nod, the gentle satire or the arcane “in-joke” knowledge it was intended to be.

This time around, I thought I'd take a look at the homage covers of The Fantastic Four #1, no less than the “Big Bang” of the Marvel Universe. 

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby back in 1961, The Fantastic Four introduced a new kind of dynamic to the superhero genre, one in which characters occasionally made mistakes, argued with each other or, in the case of The Thing, were grotesque, reluctantly heroic monsters.  Even the cover hinted at the new level of emotion, cocksure bravado and pessimistic griping that quickly became hallmarks of the emerging Marvel style.

The first tribute to this cover appeared, appropriately enough, in Fantastic Four #126 (1972), an issue devoted to a retelling of the F.F.’s origin.  Note that this version features all of them in costume battling the Mole Man's creature.

Cover to Cover: You Say You Want a Revolution

Superheroes Catch the Spirit of '76

More than two centuries gone, their names are still familiar: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, James Madison and many others…all patriotic heroes of the great American Revolution.

However, there have been other patriots whose names you’ve never seen in a history book or on a Washington D.C. monument, but were just as dedicated in their fight for liberty and sweet freedom.  These, of course, were the proud ranks of costumed superheroes that either lived in, visited, or were mystically connected to the dawning years of the United States of America!

Of the heroes who called the late 1700’s their home, one of the most prominent was DC’s frontier adventurer Tom Hawk.  “Tomahawk”, as he became known, lead a fighting force nicknamed “The Rangers”, composed of volunteers from all over the nascent United States.  They spent the Revolutionary War years fighting British forces….that is, when they weren’t busy with dinosaur-riding cavemen, giant tree creatures, or alien Indian chiefs.