Mary Marvel #5 (Sep 46)
Art by Jack Binder
This beautiful cover by Jack Binder (brother of Marvel Family stories writer Otto Binder) was later used as a “color by numbers” page in a large reprint volume in the 1970s.
Power of Shazam! #1 (Mar 95)
Art by Jerry Ordway
Jerry Ordway reimagined Captain Marvel for the post-”Crisis on Infinite Earths” DC Universe with many nods to the Marvel Family’s Golden Age adventures. Even the cover of the first issue features elements of Captain Marvel’s origin in Whiz Comics #2 (Feb 40).
Master Comics #32: For many comic art fans, few works are finer than a Mac Raboy Captain Marvel Jr.
— Heritage Comic Auctions
Comics Signature Sale catalog, Aug. 13, 2005
DEATH AND DYING
The death of a character, no matter how major or minor, is always a loss to that character’s fans. On the other hand, issues that promise a death sometimes see a boost in sales (even though seasoned fans are often skeptical). Superman really dies this time? For sure? Well …
Uncanny X-Men #142 (Feb 81)
Art by Terry Austin
Wow! This must mean the end of the popular title! Right? I said, “Right?” Yeah, despite the cover’s hyperbole, everyone didn’t die, not even in the possible future in which the Sentinels ruled. Cool cover, though — no?
Giant-Size Avengers #3 (Feb 75)
Art by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia
The Vision’s warning clearly challenged readers to pick up the issue to see which character (or characters) would shuffle off their mortal coil (or coils). (Don’t worry. They got better.) What the heck? Why not buy it?
Superman #156 (Oct 62)
Art by Curt Swan and George Klein
Oh, that pesky Virus X. It would return to plague The Man of Steel later in the ’60s. Would readers remember that it had laid Superman low? And it had been (gasp!) real!
Action Comics #399 (Apr 71)
Art by Neal Adams
“What I tell you three times is true!” Yikes! Better hope not, Man of Steel! And what the heck were Doom-Bells? Better buy that issue to find out!
Marvel Graphic Novel #1: The Death of Captain Marvel (1982)
Art by Jim Starlin
Jim Starlin wrapped up the cosmic adventures of Marvel’s Captain Marvel with the hero laid low. The powerful story featured a powerful cover, evoking Michelangelo’s Pieta.
Flash #186 (Mar 69)
Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito
Now, this sort of cover is just plain yucky — but DC has featured it from time to time. After all, what spells d-e-a-t-h more clearly than a skeletal figure in a hero’s costume? Hot dog! Who wouldn’t want to buy a comic book with a decayed hero on the cover?
Not dead-dead. COMICS-dead.
— Glen Weldon
@ghweldon Twitter (Jan 25 11)
CHEESY CHEESECAKE
“Sex sells.” Many comics publishers endorsed the concept and hoped to demonstrate its truth from the Golden Age to today. Many costumes were tight and/or revealing. Moreover, while free Sears catalogs did contain underwear displays, for a dime more, comic books provided the bonus of adventure and plot. Wowza, right? (Is this a good time to mention that our next edition of CBG Presents will be Dangerous Curves?)
Phantom Lady #17 (Apr 48)
Art by Matt Baker
Discuss “comics cheesecake” with any longtime fan, and chances are that this Matt Baker image will be mentioned. It was also one of the examples cited in Fredric Wertham’s Seduction of the Innocent, which complained that such material should not be permitted in comic books.
All-Top Comics #10 (Mar 48)
Art by Jack Kamen
Despite the title, the characters are all wearing bottoms, as well (even if both tops and bottoms are skimpy). It may be hot in the jungle, but were these outfits really practical?
Startling Comics #49 (Jan 48)
Art by Alex Schomburg
Alex Schomburg may be best known for his busy covers for Timely, but he could also produce exciting covers without so many elements.
Slave Girl Comics #1 (Feb 49)
Art by Howard Larsen
Avon pulled no punches with the title and cover art for this one. In the course of its comics publishing, it experimented with a variety of genres, managing success with few. This series, for example, lasted only two issues.
The Spirit #22 (Aug 50)
Art by Will Eisner
Will Eisner combined elements of sex and danger on this memorable, albeit final, cover of Quality’s Spirit series.
Red Sonja #1 (Nov 76)
Art by Frank Thorne
After her introduction in Conan the Barbarian #24 (Mar 73) with Barry Windsor-Smith dressing her in a chain-mail tunic and red shorts, it was up to artist Frank Thorne to provide Sonja’s definitive look. It may appear to many to be an impractical outfit for adventuring, but it launched dozens of chain-mail bikinis at convention cosplay.
The Spirit #22: This Will Eisner cover is so powerful, the title character need not even appear!
— Jack Abramowitz
CBG #1664, April 2010
SWING WITH SPIDER-MAN
For more than half a century, Peter Parker has been wall-crawling and web-slinging his way across the Marvel Universe. Many Marvel heroes have had their ups and downs. But Peter Parker may be the champ of life-changing turmoil in the Marvel Universe. (And that’s even if you discount the perpetually life-threatening crises of his Aunt May.)
Amazing Spider-Man #33 (Feb 66)
Art by Steve Ditko
Ask almost any longtime Spider-Man fan to cite his or her favorite cover or story, and the answer will be, “The Final Chapter,” in which Peter Parker realized once and for all the great responsibility he’d been handed. Steve Ditko’s cover clearly conveys the heroic struggle.
Amazing Spider-Man #39 (Aug 66)
Art by John Romita
The Green Goblin had been a thorn in Spider-Man’s side for a few years. The cover made it clear that the issue’s revelations would take that conflict to a new level.
Amazing Spider-Man #50 (Jul 67)
Art by John Romita
Many fans think an interior splash page of Peter Parker walking away from a trash can containing his Spider-Man suit was the issue’s cover. Clearly, it wasn’t the case — but the true cover demonstrated the same development in a different way.
Amazing Spider-Man #252 (May 84)
Art by Ron Frenz and Klaus Janson
No, Peter Parker wasn’t replaced, but he updated his costume after nearly a quarter of a century. (Psst! This is also an homage cover, a tribute to Spidey’s very first cover image.)
Spider-Man #1 (Aug 90)
Art by Todd McFarlane
The first issue of what is referred to by many as “adjectiveless” Spider-Man had a multitude of variants with both polybagged and non-polybagged editions.
Amazing Spider-Man #641 (Oct 10)
Art by Paolo Rivera
Artist Paolo Rivera’s use of negative space emphasized the closeness of Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship. What’s important is neither words nor icons: It is two tormented, caring people alone in the world.
Amazing Spider-Man #39: John Romita couldn’t have drawn a more compelling image for his first Spidey issue.
— Craig “Mr. Silver Age” Shutt
CBG #1603, April 2005
MARVEL ZOMBIES
The term was coined as a term to describe fans of Marvel Comics who mindlessly bought every comic book published by Marvel, no matter what. But “Marvel Zombies” takes on a whole new meaning, when you look at its horror output from the early 1950s (when it was known as Atlas).
Menace #5 (Jul 53)
Art by Bill Everett
What’s buried in this issue? Maddening menace for sure! Ik! And did this particular zombie come from the sewer? Double ik! (By the way, the Comics Code referred to in that star (a) did not l
ast long and (b) was not the Comics Code from later in the decade. No zombies in that Comics Code. None.
Crazy #4 (Mar 54)
Art by Joe Maneely
Even Marvel’s humor magazines had a zombie tie-in. (And this must have been aimed at older readers. For those not familiar with mixed drinks, a zombie is a combination of fruit juices, rum, and brandy.)
Menace #9 (Jan 54)
Art by Gene Colan
Decades before Robert Kirkman turned The Walking Dead into a successful ongoing series (and more than a decade before George Romero’s walking dead classic), Marvel used that zombie descriptor.
Marvel Tales #114 (May 53)
Art by Bill Everett
Is it a variation on the radio play (and later movie and TV episode) “Sorry, Wrong Number”? In any case, phone systems clearly worked differently in the 1950s. But, hey, potential purchasers got a free story just by looking at the cover. ’Nuff said!
Uncanny Tales #16 (Jan 56)
Art by Sol Brodsky
Remember what we said about the Comics Code on page 34? This was one of Marvel’s last zombie covers for almost 20 years; the later-1950s version forbade the use of vampires, werewolves, and, yes, zombies.
Marvel Zombies #5 (Jun 06)
Art by Arthur Suydam
But, after the beginning of the millennium, Marvel embraced its zombies, both the shambling kind and the fanboy kind, and saluted them with this first in a series of mini-series devoted to the walking dead. Arthur Suydam’s horrific versions of earlier Marvel covers were the icing on the cake and captivated buyers in comics shops.
— Ward Batty and Charlie Williams
Trufan Adventures, CBG #603, June 7, 1985
BRONZE AGE BLASTS
Following the introduction of super-heroes in The Golden Age and their reintroduction in The Silver Age, the next era of comics, which started in the early 1970s and ran to the mid-1980s, was The Bronze Age. The challenge for cover designers was to attract a new generation of readers.
Superman #233 (Jan 71)
Art by Neal Adams
At this point in his career, Superman could move planets by listening hard. OK, that’s an exaggeration, but his power levels were off the charts. Turning all the kryptonite on Earth to iron may have appeared to make Superman even more powerful (as shown with this Neal Adams cover), but the experiment that caused the change also temporarily weakened him. Obviously, any Superman fan had to grab the issue!
Conan the Barbarian #1 (Oct 70)
Art by Barry Windsor-Smith and John Verpoorten
Barry Smith’s version of Robert E. Howard’s barbarian may have been powerful looking, but do you think his helm is a bit goofy? In any case, the issue captivated enough fans who usually limited collecting to costumed heroes — so the cover worked!
Swamp Thing #1 (Nov 72)
art by Bernie Wrightson
First introduced in a short story in House of Secrets #92 (Jul 71) by Len Wein (who referred to that story as “that swamp thing I’m working on”) and Bernie Wrightson, DC’s muck monster was both terrifying and soulful.
Marvel Spotlight #5 (Aug 72)
Art by Mike Ploog
A Comics Code revision allowed the return of such horror themes as vampires, werewolves, and zombies. Marvel could grab a character name from an earlier era and apply it to a skull-headed guy on a motorcycle. Buy it now!
Incredible Hulk #181 (Nov 74)
Art by Herb Trimpe
OK, there’s no way Wolverine on the cover was the sure-fire sales magnet at the time. It was his first full appearance, after all. But hey: Sales of the issue with this cover must have led to confidence in what was to come.
Giant-Size X-Men #1 (Sum 75)
Art by Gil Kane and Dave Cockrum
After nearly half a decade as a reprint title, Marvel’s X-Men returned to new adventures with this special issue. And whether it was the cover or the contents, readers quickly caught on that they’d better be grabbing an exciting series. Which is pretty much what the cover says, isn’t it?
Incredible Hulk #181: It’s like a ’67 Corvette Stingray racing toward a ’66 Pontiac GTO — a collision course of two icons that will have resonance throughout the collective consciousness of generations of fans and creators for years to come.
— Mark Paniccia
CBG #1639, March 2008
HEY, THAT LOOKS LIKE-
Likenesses of presidents and other celebrities have appeared in comics and on their covers almost from the beginning. Why? For one thing, such guest-stars are sure to grab the buyer’s attention, even if that buyer hasn’t been buying the series. (These are single appearances. We eliminated licensed series featuring such ongoing characters as Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, and Pat Boone.)
Action Comics #127 (Dec 48)
Art by Al Plastino
Ralph Edwards put Superman through antics for a good cause and made for an intriguing cover. (Why was Superman in an apron, anyway?) The Man of Steel couldn’t have appeared on Edwards’ later program This is Your Life, since he would have seen through the set-up.
Patches #5 (Nov 46)
Art by L.B. Cole
This series featured a different celebrity guest each issue. Danny Kaye’s radio show was in the midst of its run at the time and his latest film, The Kid from Brooklyn, had just been released, making him an ideal cover candidate.
Marvel Team-Up #74 (Oct 78)
Art by Dave Cockrum and Marie Severin
Saturday Night Live was a hit and its characters household names to the demographic comics-buying audience. A team-up with Spider-Man was sure to sell.
Avengers #239 (Jan 84)
Art by Al Milgrom and Joe Sinnott
Did Letterman’s Top 10 list for this issue come from the Avengers Mansion home office? And what wackiness had the assistant editor come up with?
Amazing Spider-Man #583 (Mar 09)
Art by Phil Jimenez
President Obama’s cover appearance pushed this issue to multiple printings and five variant covers. Collect them all!
All New Collectors’ Edition #C-56 (1978)
Art by Neal Adams
How could you have a Greatest Covers book without an appearance by “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali? Artist Neal Adams not only captured the champion in his prime, but also rendered dozens of celebrities on both the front and back cover of this oversized one-shot. A key to identifying them was provided inside. (If you find Waldo, you’re one up on us.)
All New Collectors’ Edition #C-56: I proclaimed to Neal Adams that I would like to recreate this image with all the relevant likenesses and background details, but legally, it would never be allowed.
— Alex Ross
CBG #1621, October 2006
GANGWAY!
Woo hoo! Here he comes! Here they come! They won’t let brick walls or a circus hoop stand in their way — so they sure won’t let the paper stock on the issue’s cover keep them from leaping right out at you! Wow, they are eager! And tough! (And, yes, Giant-Size X-Men #1 could be included in this group, but remember we just used it on Page 37.)
Detective Comics #38 (Apr 40)
Art by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson
Robin burst onto the scene as one of the first costumed-hero sidekicks. And he immediately took on the vital role of giving the hero someone to talk to besides himself. Hi, there!
Daredevil Comics #32 (Sep 45)
Art by Charles Biro
Boomerangs at the ready, Daredevil and his gang of kid sidekicks blazed their way through a headline of their latest adventure. Could you wait to see what’s inside? (Don’t stop to over-analyze that newspaper: “Crimebusters have busy day”? Goodness.)
Flash Comics #26 (Feb 42)
Art by E.E. Hibbard
Is The Flash running on clouds — or is that the dust of his swift passage? It’s clear who’s starring in the issue, in any case (and Flash Comics was an anthology title, so it wasn’t necessarily a given).
Captain America
#109 (Jan 69)
Art by Jack Kirby and Syd Shores
With his re-introduction to the Marvel Universe, it was time to revisit Cap’s origin — and fans love origin stories, whether or not a newspaper would have featured it on a front page in Marvel’s New York City.
Fantastic Four #274 (Jan 85)
Art by John Byrne
At last! And, unlike so many of his fellow super-heroes, Ben Grimm crashed through something tougher than paper.
The Greatest Comic Book Covers of All Time Page 3
