POLL: TOP CLASSIC COVERS OF THE BRONZE AGE?

[ComicBookGuy]

This poll is in response to BronzeJohnny's cool thread, Top Classic Covers of the Bronze Age. Pics of most all of the following comic covers are posted there, so go back and look at it to see the covers. If anyone posted a pic or mentioned a cover, I put it in the poll (I don't want to discriminate against those without scanners). We've had a month to discuss candidates for best Bronze covers, so now, let's try to reach a consensus, as BronzeJohnny suggested in his thread. What ARE the best covers? Vote below. You may vote for FIVE. There are some tough choices. Have fun!

Joe

 

PS - Steve posted a picture of an All-Star Western. If anyone knows the number of that issue, please let me know and I will edit the number in. Jokersrevenge, you mentioned some Silver Surfer / Elric bronze covers. I am not familiar with them, so I didn't include those. If you can tell me the issues, I will try to edit them in.

[bronze johnny]

Great idea!

 

I think we can finally get a consensus as to what the greatest covers of the Bronze Age are.

 

What great Bronze Age Covers they are indeed!

 

BronzeJohnny

[ComicBookGuy]

Great idea!

 

I think we can finally get a consensus as to what the greatest covers of the Bronze Age are.

 

What great Bronze Age Covers they are indeed!

 

BronzeJohnny

 

I'm just riffing off you. It took about an hour to do this, but I think it will be fun to see the results as I am a huge Bronze fan.

 

Inevitably, someone will say, "Wait, what about...?" So we can have a final poll later on with any additions added. One example might be House of Mystery 236. I'm surprised nobody mentioned that.

 

Joe

[ComicBookGuy]

An interesting end to the first day of the poll:

Batman 227 in first place with Amazing Spider-man 122 trailing closely.

Keep the votes coming!

[sterlingcomics]

You can probably guess what I voted for...how predictable

[Rob]

You can probably guess what I voted for...how predictable

 

Me too.

[Tango 'n Cash]

Weird poll, since there doesn't seem to be any limits. Vote for them all if you want.

[drbanner]

Weird poll, since there doesn't seem to be any limits. Vote for them all if you want.

 

And why is the bar-graph for Spidey 122 (with only 8 votes) so much larger than that for Bats 227 (with 11 votes)?

[ComicBookGuy]

Weird poll, since there doesn't seem to be any limits. Vote for them all if you want.

 

 

I wish I knew what was going on here. I can't go back to vote since I have done it already. If this is the case, and I have no reason to doubt you, I guess we will have to rely on the honor system of five votes each. Too bad, cause I spent a good while making this poll up, was psyched about it, and thought I did it right.

 

 

In the end, though, it should still bring about some interesting results among the 72 covers. We can take the top ten, add some more covers people thought were left out (cough! * HOM 236 * cough!), and run a final round to determine the final word on the greatest bronze cover/s ever.

 

Joe

[ComicBookGuy]

Everybody who's voting, feel free to voice your comments on your choices. I think people would love to hear your picks and / or rationales behind them. This will help to "bump" the thread to keep it current and promote interest. It would be cool over time to get a few hundred different votes on this to get a real consensus rather than just letting it drift on down the list of Bronze topics.

 

To kick off this discussion, I will say my picks:

 

1) Action #419 - I think this cover absolutely captures the spirit of Superman, the first and still the greatest superhero, by the greatest comic artist of all time: Neal Adams. Purely my opinion, but that cover...(at the risk of sounding like JediKnight here)...^&%$ING ROCKS! The combination of the great drawing. perspective, and the Kirby-esque photo background to me makes this absolutely the finest comic cover I have ever seen -- of any era. I also like this cover cause Superman is happy. He's just enjoying BEING Superman. He's not involved in some camp escapade or some battle or some scene where Lois is jealous in some whole new way. He is just being Superman. Very unique for a superhero cover when you think about it. It's cool if you disagree with me, but if you just take a look at this cover and you enjoy it, then I've done my good deed for the day.

 

 

 

2) DC 100 PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR 4 - Wow! Wrightson at his best! Totally cryptic, eerie, and pure evil. God only knows what that thing is and what he's done to the person he's standing on. Try finding this comic in high grade too. Jeez! Took decades, but it was worth every second of the search. Scariest cover I've ever seen by what you can see...and especially by what you can't see!

 

 

3) DC 100 PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR 6 - Adam's drawing of the JLA and JSA on this wraparound cover is like the Sistine Chapel of comics to me. I didn't even read DC's as a kid, but with each passing year of my fandom, these Adams and Wrightson covers grow in their supreme beauty and magnitude when compared to similar artists of their era. I know...

 

 

4) Superman VS Muhammad Ali - This cover revolutionized and brought to a whole new level what a comic cover could consist of. All the celebrities, etc. And a great comic to boot. This is my third Adams pick. The guy is amazing, and if you knew me, you will know that I am a Marvel zombie, complete runs of everything, but as much as I love Marvel bronze, these DC's are on a whole different level.

 

5) Swamp Thing 9 - One of the greatest series of all time, and every single cover is a classic, but if I were to pick one of those classic first ten, the archetypal generic ST rising from the swamp on #9 is a work of breathtaking art. Absolutely amazing!

 

These are just MY opinions, so before you flame me with disagreements, just tell us your top five and why.

 

By the way, Batman 227 is looking good! I would probably put that or GL 76 next. And Avengers #110 may be my favorite Marvel Bronze cover. These comics are all AWESOME!!!

 

If anyone has scans of some covers that don't have scans yet, please post them.

 

Joe

[october]

I picked...

 

1. Batman 277 (no suprise here). Adams homage to Detective 31 is a real masterpiece and is his all-time best cover in my opinion (DC Special 6 is a close second). It it the perfect mix of superhero and horror and is a truly iconic gothic image. It always reminds me of The Hound of the Baskervilles with Hugo chasing his young maiden across the moors.

 

2. House of Mystery 195. This is one of my favorite Wrightson covers. I gave it the edge over HOS 92 and 106 simply because it is a little more unique in composition and subject matter. Many, if not most of, DCs BA horror covers feature a common motif, the damsel/child in distress. Any cover that departs from this stands out a little from the rest in my mind. The image of the bat just pops out of the cover and the thought of that thing on your head is legitimately creepy.

 

3. Sinister House of Secret Love 3. I love this cover. Along with Wonder Woman 199 and 200 I feel that this is Jeff Jones' best effort. I voted for this one over the other two simply because I don't think this piece gets nearly enough recognition and is unfairly overshadowed by the WW issues. Again, it features a great blend of horror and love in true gothic style. I also like the layout, the oval pictureframe lending a older, antique feel to the art.

 

4. Amazing Spider-Man 122. This will always be the difinitive image of Spider-Man for me. The second part of a truly landmark story line, the image of Spidey holding his dead love and preparing to take the life of the one who killed her is undeniably iconic. When I think of Spider-Man, this is the image that comes to mind, even over other classic covers like AF 15 and ASM 50.

 

5. Green Lantern 76. Another that needs no explanation. Although not one of my favorite Adams covers, the art is very compelling. I like the use of green (for obvious reasons) and the perspective is also eye-catching. Adam's ability to create dynamic, energetic art could not be demonstrated better than here. Obviously this comic has significance beyond its cover. As one of the issues to kick off the bronze age, as well as the being the first issue of a classic Adams/O'Neil arc, its place in the top 5 is well deserved.

[bronze johnny]

I have to say that the covers you picked are incredible. I find it interesting that none of them are major Bronze Age keys. When I was choosing , I looked at several factors:

 

The "pure art" of the cover (pure art can include the drawing, colors, action sequence, etc.);

 

The character on the cover and;

 

The historical significance of the comic (first appearance, etc.).

 

I also tried to be objective in not choosing the books that I liked most (eg. there are some books like Tolstoy's War and Peace which I never liked but it is nevertheless one of the greatest books ever written)

 

When looking at the "pure art" of the cover, there is no doubt that the covers you chose are the some of the best ever. But are we looking at the most beatiful covers or the greatest covers?

 

What I Chose and Why:

 

I included Hulk 181 since it is the first time Wolverine (who I am not crazy about) on the cover fighting the Hulk. Wolverine is the most important character to come out of the Bronze Age and will probably go down as one of the top comic book characters to come out of the 20th Century. Hulk 181 is the Amazing Fantasy of the Bronze Age.

 

I did pick Superman 233 because of the power Adams' Superman displays on the cover. It is in my opinion the quintessential Superman Cover.

 

The House of Secrets 92 is not only Wrighton's masterpiece but also DC's greatest contribution to the Bronze Age. The fact that this cover has been copied so many times in one way or another is one of the other reason for my choosing this book.

 

A famous Bronze Age book + The Greatest Mutant Team in Peril at the hands of Count Nefaria+ Great Composition & Colors = X-Men 94

 

My last choice was the toughest because I had to eliminate all the other great covers.I came down to 2 books: Conan #'s 1 & 24. When you look at Barry Windsor Smith's art throughout Conan 1-24, it is as if you are on the road to perfection. While Conan #24 is what I believe to have the best cover artwork Smith has ever done, I chose Conan #1 because it not only had an amazing cover, but also a historic one; the first appearance of Conan on the cover in the middle of a remarkable action sequence. There was no better way to bring Conan to ComicBookDom.

 

Kudos to the Bronze Age & All Bronze Age Collectors!!!!

 

BronzeJohnny

 

 

[ComicBookGuy]

October Fire, I love the covers you chose! A great rationale for each one too. My tastes are VERY similar to your own, obviously, consisting of a strong Adams / Wrightson fare. I think Jones is right up there too, and it's a shame his output during his peak years was not greater.

The longer I am involved in comics, the more these artists separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

Thanks for sharing and taking the time to post the pics. I hope others follow your lead.

Joe

[ComicBookGuy]

 

BronzeJohnny, thanks also for your insightful rationales and discussion. The comics you mention are all classics I own and cherish. Your question as to what makes a cover great is interesting. I guess I chose what I thought were the best covers based on your first criterion: the art. I did not consider the character on the cover nor did I consider the historical significance. The story inside the book I would think is something separate from the cover and I didn't really factor that into my decision at all, cause then it seems were looking at a list of bronze age keys. Nobody would dispute the importance of, say, Hulk 181, and I love that comic, but... But the cover of that comic, in my opinion, is not a highlight of the Bronze Age. Herb Trimpe is an okay artist, to me, at best. One of my top picks, DCSS6, is just a reprint book for the most part. But the cover is what impresses me. It's well worth the price of the comic. I hope that clarifies, at least, my choices.

On another note, Batman 227 still seems to be leading the pack after several days here. I don't think it's a key of any sort except that it has a great cover, so I would tend to think that of the three criteria you presented, art seems to be the most important one. Very interesting so far! I hope people keep voting.

Joe

[october]

October Fire, I love the covers you chose! A great rationale for each one too. My tastes are VERY similar to your own, obviously, consisting of a strong Adams / Wrightson fare. I think Jones is right up there too, and it's a shame his output during his peak years was not greater.

The longer I am involved in comics, the more these artists separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

Thanks for sharing and taking the time to post the pics. I hope others follow your lead.

Joe

 

Thanks. We do have similar tastes, and Super Spectacular #4 would make it into my top 10 no problem. That is a [#@$%!!!] to find in high grade since not only does it have all the problems associated with black covers, it also has the pesky squarebound spine issues. I got my decent looking VG+ copy off of eBay for like $7 and I was happy to even find that. Picking Swamp Thing 9 was interesting, issues 1-10 are a must have run. I like #4 best myself. Wrightson and Adams have at least 10 covers each that I consider real classics...choosing one or two is almost arbitraty. Joe Kubert has a bunch of great covers too. I love his early Weird War stuff.

[Currin Comics]

The three Ploog covers for me(WBN1 and 15, MoF1), ASM 122, and HoS 92. I personally would have had SS 4 over SS 3-give me the Rainbow Bridge over Mephisto's mug any day.

[Justin Case]

I dont suppose any of the forum memebers has or knows who has 1 of the 2 Batman #227's in CGCNM+9.6, and more to the point what would the market value be.

[EC Star&Bar]

In recent years, a lot of fans have mentioned the cover of JLA # 138 as a favorite (Adam Strange by Adams, Jan. 1977). Certainly it's an eye-catcher; opinions?

[Silver Surfer]

Great idea!

 

I think we can finally get a consensus as to what the greatest covers of the Bronze Age are.

 

What great Bronze Age Covers they are indeed!

 

BronzeJohnny

 

I think we need to expand the list before we can do that. There are a number of issues that are not on the list? Silver Surfer #3 vol 1 is SA no?

[october]

Great idea!

 

I think we can finally get a consensus as to what the greatest covers of the Bronze Age are.

 

What great Bronze Age Covers they are indeed!

 

BronzeJohnny

 

I think we need to expand the list before we can do that. There are a number of issues that are not on the list? Silver Surfer #3 vol 1 is SA no?

 

Yeah, Silver Surfer 3 and 4 are from 1968 if I remember correctly...maybe 1969.