The list continues! In alphabetical order as before, not by any kind of ranking or preference. Check out Part 1 in case you missed it!
Bone One Volume Edition
This cover just so sweetly and succinctly not only encapsulates the title character, but also the innocence and tone of the humor comic better than any other. I chose this one because it reminds me most of the Walt Kelly “Pogo” influence Smith loves, combined with the epic “Lord of the Rings” fantasy vibe he tried to infuse it with, and the coloring is great. I’m also fond of the pure humor of the cover of #12, which shows Phoney Bone shcheming to get a chicken and a hen on a date to produce more eggs. A great series.
Captain America # 109
Ripping through the headlines, you will feel the POWAH of Cap here, depicted at his larger-than-life best by Jack Kirby here. One wonders if he’d be ripping through a tweet today instead of an old-time newspaper, but still. I really like how the headline states “The Origin of Captain America” as well, rather than some dopey made-up tangential, or an attempt to use the logo.
Captain America Annual # 8
Claws meet shield to fiery effect in this classic Mike Zeck cover. Not much to add that hasn’t already been said about this cover, but you know something cool is inside after the promise of this cover, that being the first titanic meeting between these two icons. The visual representation of the conflict, and the question of if adamantium claws can cut through a vibranium shield; which is stronger?
Classic X-Men # 1
You know how I said some covers work on a design level separate from the art? Well, this one is a pure showcase for the power of the art. GOOD GOD! Even if you aren’t normally a fan of Art Adams, the insane detail and linework can keep you staring at it for hours, and the economy and precise spacing of all the X-Men together without making it “crowded” elevates it to masterpiece level. Hands down one of the best X-Men covers of all time, perhaps overlooked because it houses a reprint inside.
Concrete # 9
There are many great Concrete covers, often emphasizing the title character interacting with nature rather than performing some action scene, but this one is a standout. It totally reflects his calm, contemplative nature, as well as the nature of the comic and storytelling itself, and the colors are just fantastic. An underrated gem by Paul Chadwick.
Daredevil # 227
Much like the Batman 404 cover, Mazz is a master of form and placement, knowing just where to place his characters and where to leave space for the best effect. The right color is chosen and the corner box makes the image somehow seem even more unsettling than without it, hinting that the comforts of the average comic are not to be found within. Kingpin has DD in his crosshairs, and the bold “Apocalypse” lets you know major trouble is going down. The shit’s about to hit the fan for Matt, and the cover lets you know that explicitly without ever saying it in the first chapter of DD’s greatest saga, “Born Again.” Also check out the cover for # 230, where Ben Urich is depicted sitting meekly at his desk in the shadow of his shame and the Born Again title.
Daredevil vol. 2 # 1
Sometimes a cover doesn’t have to be quite logical for it to catch your eye and get you to buy the comic. This is one such cover that not only demands to be seen, it is so utterly kickass it sears itself into your memory. Perhaps the defining image of Daredevil and all of modern Marvel, this comic forced the company into the modern age with daring rendering, fantastic computer coloring, and a title logo and corner box that are some of the best choices of all time. Stunning!
Daredevil vol. 2 # 50
On the complete other end of the spectrum, you can have a cover like this, which is so stripped down from the detail of Quesada’s #1, but actually totally works as a bookend. The image is brilliant, and it’s one of those metaphors that conveys theme and double meaning once you read the story. Daredevil is seated like Lincoln, representing how he takes the role of the Kingpin for himself at the end of the story inside; and he is also taking a well-earned rest, for the end of both this story arc and 50 long issues, like a visual palate cleanser for the reader in the spirit of Japanese art. Take a seat Horn-Head, you deserve it!
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear # 1
I actually prefer the really classy version of this on the Daredevil Omnibus Companion cover, but since it’s just essentially reprinting the same image in red, I had to give the original its due. John Romita Jr. comes up with a heartbreaking image, that of young Matt cradling his poor dead father after he refuses to throw the fight that ends up getting him killed. If you don’t know anything about Daredevil, it invites you to buy the comic with its gritty visceral nature, but if you do know about him, it’s easy to understand what this moment means. The “Year One” of DD tales.
DC Holiday Special 2009
Sometimes a cover can convey such pure joy that it elevates the image into something great. It doesn’t matter how well something can be drawn if it’s “ugly;” this cover, however, reminds all of us of the simple innocence and happiness comics should hold. Even the most hardened holiday hater will want to snuggle up with this Frank Quitely cover showing Superman as Santa, acting totally in character by giving back to the world. The snow effect is great. Plus, check out Quitely’s super sexy renditions of both Nightwing and Dr. Light (the chick, not the one who raped Sue Dibney in Identity Crisis)! A classic that should be more acclaimed.
Detective Comics # 704
I never see this cover on any all-time great lists, and I think it’s one of the definitive Batman images of all time. The perspective is perfect, the scowl on point, the stripped down silhouette telling you all you need to know. The scattered newspapers even convey Batman’s pulp/detective roots. The only thing working against it is the goofy “Part 1 of 1,” but even that gives a nice splash of yellow to break it up. The Dark Knight Detective at his best.
Emo Boy # 1
What am I smoking, you say? Emo Boy?? While it’s pretty simplistic and I don’t remember even reading the story inside, this cover works on so many levels I had to include it. First, design-wise it’s great, giving all you’d want on a first issue cover with the open sky conveying possibilities, weirdly by being antithetical to “emoness.” Second, it tells you everything you need to know: it’s an indie comic, about a scrawny emo kid, and it’s going to be ironic or tongue-in-cheek in tone. Finally, it’s downright funny in and of itself, which very few covers can manage; it’s called Emo Boy, but rather than go in a dark/cynical direction, the emo embraces a wide open field because he feels EVERYTHING! With all that going for it, I truly believe it’s an outstanding cover.
Flash vol 2 # 118
One of the best Flash covers of all time, if not THE best, because it’s the only time I can recall a cover conveying his, you know, SPEED. Other covers just show the lightning and race lines around him, which works as a static image caught in time, but doesn’t really scream “fastness.” Almost the opposite in fact. This cover, blurring the people in the background, shows the Flash moving ahead of them, always ten seconds ahead, but at a remove. The one solid blue background cover really sells it as well, contrasting with his red and yellow. I’m not sure why he’s “back from the future,” but who cares?
Giant Size X-Men # 1
What a classic, and with good reason. The new X-Men, bursting through the image of the old team, out of the ’60s and into the swinging ’70s. My only nitpick is that Cyclops appears twice, wearing the exact same uniform; while he absolutely helps the image, for the idea, it would’ve made more sense for it to be a brand new team in terms of sheer iconography. Worst swipe: John Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men version of this cover on Wizard #159, which I won’t bother to show, and has his version of the team bursting through an image of THIS team, completely ignoring all the iterations that have come since. Come on, man! Have the Astonishing crew burst through an image of Morrison’s New X-Men!
Green Arrow # 101
Many hate this issue- the one where Ollie Queen bites the big one courtesy of an exploding airplane that Superman just lets explode- but I just love the cover. I think it works on a pure graphic level, and as a payoff to the cliffhanger of the prior issue, where Ollie is trapped on the exploding plane with no way out; the cover immediately tells you the outcome you never hoped to see, but which indeed comes to pass inside. There would’ve been many ways to ruin this cover, such as a “Marvel” method that would no doubt tease the outcome by writing in large letters, “WILL GREEN ARROW SURVIVE?” But the stark plainness and restraint of this cover are classy, to my eye. I also like the white background and very large green logo. And notice how the remains of the plane falls in the pattern of a crossbow! It’s just outstanding.
Green Lantern vol 3 # 49
In the midst of the OTHER hated DC 1990’s storyline, in which Hal Jordan goes insane with grief and kills the Green Lantern Corps, this creepy cover is a standout. Say what you will about the story itself- I happen to dig it- but this cover is just plain cool, no matter how you slice it. It’s been swiped and homaged many times, most notably with Geoff Johns recreating the image in real life with a bunch of those freebie plastic DC giveaway rings. Now that’s nightmare fuel for you! Ol’ GL was breaking bad with this cover, along with our collective hearts. The image of one Green lantern with twenty rings and an evil grin tells you all you need to know.
Incredible Hulk # 102
What a tremendous cover by Marie Severin. Ostensibly the “first” issue of Hulk’s run after his six-issue mini series, the Jade Giant is brought into his own title in style with the transforming Doctor Banner in the foreground giving way to an enormous Hulk. I would’ve started it off with issue 101 a month earlier just for the sake of not confusing the readers, but still, it looks and feels like a “big premiere issue” you’d want to have! Makes no sense, but looks cool!
Incredible Hulk # 340
Ay Carumba! There are many famous cover images that old school comics aficionados (ie, OG nerds) from a bygone era will trot out at every turn as “iconic,” such as the same tired image of Spider-Man with the guy under his armpit, anything by Old Koot Kirby, etc. But for a slightly younger generation of fan, this image is one of the most famous, copied, and recognizable in all of comics, provided you’re looking after 1980. This Toddy MacFarlane image is not his all-time best, is not anatomically accurate, and does not make a great deal of sense perspective-wise. But it’s just so cool, NO kid who grew up with comics didn’t covet this based on the image alone. The Canucklehead and the Grey Hulk, rematched at last.
Incredible Hulk # 345
Another McFarlane classic, this was also memorably used as the cover for the trade paperback Ground Zero, perhaps to even better effect without the stuffy Marvel trade dress cluttering it. You can feel the power of the Hulk pushing through his own title to maximum effect here, and it takes it to a level very few artists can manage. I think it’s always cool when the actual title is manipulated in some way, but what sells this one, I think, is that the Hulk couldn’t care less about his own logo, and smashes it out of the way to come at the reader, with the itty-bitty ‘Incredible’ lying as rubble at his feet.
That’s it for this time. Come back for Part 3, in just a few short days! There might even be a new article in between, if you’re good!