WIZARD'S 100 Greatest Covers

[BradleyX2]

 

 

 

100 Best Covers #62: Batman: The Killing Joke (1988)

 

 

 

 

"The image is instantly arresting whether you know the character or not," says KILLING JOKE writer Alan Moore, of Brian Bolland's cover. "The direction of the Joker's gaze almost feels like the character is addressing the audience. It feels like he's taking a snapshot of you through the cover of the comic."

[BradleyX2]

 

 

100 Best Covers #61: Deadman #1 (1985)

 

 

 

 

Life's a bi+ch, but being dead ain't no picnic either. The disturbing imagery of this Neal Adams cover creeps us out. On display is Boston Brand's torment and anguish as his soul is literally ripped from its mortal shell moments after an assassin pops several caps into the circus daredevil. This cover adorned a reprint of Deadman's 1960s adventures. It's a cover Adams says he's always wanted to do - and 18 years later he did just that.

[BradleyX2]

 

 

 

100 Best Covers #60: What If? #43 (1984)

 

 

 

 

Take comics' greatest medieval barbarian and give him something you'd never expect: a gun. It's CONAN with a GUN stranded in the 20th century! WHAT IF? stories are meant to make you stop and go "What the-?" and this cover accomplishes just that with this striking painting by Bill Sienkiewicz (who racked up four covers on this list).

[Bonds25]

Now we're talking - those are all some sweet covers!

[BradleyX2]

 

 

 

100 Best Covers #59: Superman #14 (1940)

 

 

 

 

The American bald eagle. The red, white and blue shield. And Superman... how much more patriotic can you get? This Joe Shuster classic is a much-imitated Superman pose - in fact, DC recently used it for a post-9/11 poster. "What's more American than Superman?" asks PLANETARY artist John Cassaday. "This cover is what the character's all about."

[BradleyX2]

 

 

 

100 Best Covers #58: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #101 (1984)

 

 

 

 

Artfully using Spider-Man's new black costume, artist John Byrne cast Spidey swinging down through the pitch-black Manhattan skyline. Lit only by the spider-symbol and the individual windows, the cover's approach revealed Spider-Man not as a friendly neighborhood hero but as a creature of the night.

[BradleyX2]

 

 

100 Best Covers #57: Wolverine #1 (1983)

 

 

 

 

Would you dare mess with this guy? Frank Miller's cover to the most popular X-Man's first mini-series nails why we've loved the crazy Canuck for almost 30 years: He's hardcore. "It really shows that bad- attitude that Wolverine's become famous for," says SOJOURN artist Greg Land.

[BradleyX2]

 

 

 

100 Best Covers #56: Uncle Sam #1 (1997)

 

 

 

 

The theme of American indifference unfurls spot-on -- Uncle Sam, the living spirit of America, being trampled by pedestrians. "The country's spirit was so down that we had apathy about what was wrong with our social culture," says cover artist Alex Ross. "So if you take the icon of what America's spirit is supposed to be, he should be the bum we turned him into."

[BradleyX2]

 

 

 

100 Best Covers #55: Superman #422 (1986)

 

 

 

 

The image jars you almost as much as a burning American flag. The Superman costume, one of the most recognizable images on the planet, but worn by a satanic monstrosity. Served cold in stark black-and-white by artist Brian Bolland, but punctuated with scorching crimson eyes, the cover seems taboo, therefore a comic you have to learn more about.

[Jgel]

This has turned into my fav. thread ever. Just keep them covered. After we get the #1, we should add covers that did not make the list that should have....

[BradleyX2]

 

 

 

100 Best Covers #54: Web of Spider-Man #32 (1987)

 

 

 

 

Another Mike Zeck classic that expresses a primal fear: being buried alive. This cover hit the spooky notes of the "Kraven's Last Hunt" saga perfectly. "That was a very powerful cover," says John Romita Sr. "I think it was done cleverly, not too ghoulish. It's a fine line you have to walk."

[BradleyX2]

This has turned into my fav. thread ever. Just keep them covered. After we get the #1, we should add covers that did not make the list that should have....

 

 

[BradleyX2]

 

 

100 Best Covers #53: Captain Marvel Jr. #4 (1943)

 

 

(Thanks to NotMHChuck for finding this scan)

 

 

Mac Raboy has works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art - and in comics. This stunning Fawcett Comics cover corrals Raboy's powerful essence. "Raboy was the king of covers in the '40s," says painter Alex Ross. "He had a flair for realistic figure drawing and phenomenal design. He was the Norman Rockwell of comics."

[DoubleCovaBrotha]

Here you go, not a big scan, but you can get some idea of what is going on:

 

[BradleyX2]

 

 

 

100 Best Covers #52: Action Comics #662 (1991)

 

 

 

 

Fifty-three years in the making! "Originally, we had an utterly generic Silver Banshee-with-trapped-Supes cover," explains then-Superman editor Mike Carlin, who designed it with artist Kerry Gammill. "But as I was learning the POWER that real-world interest could have - like when Superman proposed to Lois a couple months previous to this - we hastily redid the concept!"

[jbud73]

 

100 Best Covers #84: Silver Surfer #4 (1968)

 

 

 

 

Wouldn't you hate to get in the way of this brawl? The late John Buscema had a knack for figure drawing and this cover has the single-best Thor pose *ever* - he looks like he could shatter Saturn! "In high school, I had an artist friend do a blown-up copy of this cover on my bedroom ceiling," remembers SUPERMAN writer Jeph Loeb. "Now THAT was cool."

 

Even though the fact that this cover is #84 which makes you wonder about criteria and who voted , as its a top #50 around here AT LEAST. What issue of Wizard is this going on in? Or does it run through a few issues, which I'm sure is the case.

[Aces]

 

100 Best Covers #84: Silver Surfer #4 (1968)

 

You started with 84 and not 100?

What were 100-85?

 

Great thread btw!

I would have found it before now but it's in the Modern forum and not Comics General!

[BradleyX2]

What issue of Wizard is this going on in? Or does it run through a few issues, which I'm sure is the case.

 

 

This list is from WIZARD # 127 (the April 2002 issue).

[BradleyX2]

You started with 84 and not 100?

What were 100-85?

 

 

I posted 100 - 85 in this thread here:

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=496599&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

 

 

I realized that it would be better to give it it's own thread, and asked Arch to change the title of the original post. He couldn't do that, but he moved as many as could into their own thread. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

Great thread btw!

I would have found it before now but it's in the Modern forum and not Comics General!

 

 

Thanks! I'm actually having a lot of fun doing this!

[BradleyX2]

 

 

 

100 Best Covers #51: Batman #404 (1986)

 

 

 

 

David Mazzacchelli's wrenching cover chills you simply because it looks like an image torn from the front page of any newspaper. "If you had never read a comic in your life, the winner might be this BATMAN cover," says Greg Horn (ELEKTRA). "You have to pick that up and see what's inside."