• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Best symbolism in a WWII cover
3 3

Started by kent allard,

112 posts in this topic

kent allard

kent allard

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On 8/21/2024 at 8:40 AM, Limited66 said:

This my favorite Supes of the period and the lightly outlined tanks and artillery in the background seem symbolic to me of American mobilization after Pearl Harbor the month before 

Superman14.thumb.jpg.2cad0ebc0696d8ae7a67eb5edf2143de.jpg

Wow!  I never noticed the tanks in the background till you pointed it out.

This is certainly an iconic cover.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kent allard

kent allard

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

OK, I just want to comment on @BLUECHIPCOLLECTIBLES's great contributions and how I see them fitting into my intended criteria.

The AAF #2 is an abstract whimsical idea that captures how we think about Japan.  It transcends just a dramatic situation that shows patriotic feelings, and makes a statement.  I love it, but I don't know if I would consider it iconic, because I'm not sure how strongly it resonates with people.  Unlike the CM Jr #9 which immediately invokes a strong feeling of patriotic strength and resolve.  Just excellent!

The Sensation #13 is cute, can be considered symbolic and iconic, but is not that original.  Doesn't work that well for me.  The CM Jr #13 is a variant, but much stronger in my opinion.  I can see this being on someone's top ten.  The Sensation?   I would be surprised.

The Headline?  Another strong contender.  Simple; direct; powerful imagery. (thumbsu

The Blue Circle?  Cute.  Not so memorable to me.  I would struggle to consider it iconic.

That brings me to the Mystic.  Checks the symbolic box with the unleashing of demons on a hapless victim.  I can see it being iconic too, but I just have a hard time putting up there next to the CM Jr #9 or even #13.  Why?  To me, an iconic cover should immediately convey a gut-level message, and the symbolism aspect makes it not just dramatic, but a conceptual statement.  The CMs accomplish that.  For the Mystic I need to think too much to get what the message of the artist is.  Is this just a neat dramatic cover to sell copy?  Or is the cover the medium by which a bigger issue is being addressed, and also sells copy?  By that criteria, I believe Captain America #46 deserves a place at the table.  It is dramatic/horrific for sure, but I believe Schomburg was trying to make a very powerful statement about Nazism, not just sell copy.

Anyway, this has been a long explication to try to tighten the submissions to the best of the best.  I was hoping to avoid just another neat WWII cover thread, of which there are already many.

Back to you guys (and gals, wherever you may be)

 

 

Edited by kent allard
typos
Link to comment
Share on other sites
kent allard

kent allard

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On 8/21/2024 at 12:15 PM, Komic Kazi International said:

"The Skye Ott Legacy Collection is Proud to Present."
o Globo Juvenil #34
Superman #17
Hitler & Hirohito Cover
1st Fortress of Solitude
Published by o Globo, Brazil 1943

275126638_2165848166906396_4394807239482242141_n.jpg

This #17 and #26 both qualify in my mind.

image.jpeg.39897b991434dcb47e4f072cfd50ea68.jpeg

What I find interesting is the coloring/inking.  Clearly the same image, but check out the package.  In the original, the crotch area is subdued because of the dark hatching.  In the Brazilian one, there is a suggestive bulge.  Was this in the original, but covered by the inking which they dialed back on so it became noticeable?  Or, were there actual changes made to the image?  Notice the position of Hirohito's right foot in the two images.  Also, Hitler's medal has moved from outside the cape, between Hitler's legs, to inside the cape.  The missing action lines under Hitler's cap is trivial to explain away.

Is this a well-executed recreation?  A cut /paste job?  Any ideas?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kent allard

kent allard

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Okay, clearly redrawn.

Original: image.png.bf747559191cad05cc2e4e0d4cb7c15e.png        Brazilian:  image.png.0269808cdc1ec25e62f0e06f61311a1c.png

Check out the hatching on the abdomen over the buckle, the spacing of the loops on the belt, the upper serif on the S in the emblem, in fact the entire emblem (S is spread out wider in the Brazilian).

I'm convinced it's a recreation.  Phew!  DC's moral compass still points true.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Joseph Ragno

Joseph Ragno

Posted
Posted
On 8/21/2024 at 11:29 AM, sfcityduck said:

That's got to be very hard to find in high grade!  

Edited to ad: Very impressive only your 9.4 and one 9.2 above 8.5! 

Like George Washington, I cannot tell a lie... it's not mine, only a pic  :cheers:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jimbo_7071

jimbo_7071

Posted
Posted
On 8/22/2024 at 1:16 AM, kent allard said:

Okay, clearly redrawn.

Original: image.png.bf747559191cad05cc2e4e0d4cb7c15e.png        Brazilian:  image.png.0269808cdc1ec25e62f0e06f61311a1c.png

Check out the hatching on the abdomen over the buckle, the spacing of the loops on the belt, the upper serif on the S in the emblem, in fact the entire emblem (S is spread out wider in the Brazilian).

I'm convinced it's a recreation.  Phew!  DC's moral compass still points true.

My only question is, do you often pay such close attention to costimed heroes' bulges? :roflmao:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kent allard

kent allard

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On 8/22/2024 at 3:01 PM, bounty_coder said:

Most pure brutality in a WWII COVER…

IMG_2258.thumb.jpeg.45d2b80747120e45c8533ac28ca3f9a0.jpeg

 

Love the Make em say Uncle quote  iconic Uncle Sam making Rambo look like a chump

IMG_2259.thumb.jpeg.cb596192b4de841a492ecd4645812f55.jpeg
 

 

Iconic bomb riding addressed to Adolf  

IMG_2260.thumb.jpeg.b9e09ac0a1ab4ae0394a983bf41e7c98.jpeg

I'll buy the #30 as being iconic and even symbolic, the others less so.

 

Clearly, it inspired others ...

image.jpeg.54fe5a0533a4ca3aa667389bb515c041.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bounty_coder

bounty_coder

Posted
Posted
On 8/22/2024 at 3:11 PM, kent allard said:

I'll buy the #30 as being iconic and even symbolic, the others less so.

 

Clearly, it inspired others ...

image.jpeg.54fe5a0533a4ca3aa667389bb515c041.jpeg

Nothing more Iconic and Symbolizing than the Human Torch igniting 🔥 a Japanese soldier burning through sinew and flesh to the bone 🦴 as the U.S. had the Japanese on their heels in 1943…

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kent allard

kent allard

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On 8/22/2024 at 3:40 PM, Tri-Color Brian said:

OK, lets see if I can conform to your vision...or be severely chastised for not "getting it"...and I'm pretty sure I'm not including covers that have already been shown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ouch!  Am I coming off like that?  It was not my intent.

I'm just trying to avoid this being a thread of 'neat' covers.  I'll make one last attempt on refining my hopes for the contributions - then shut up and leave it to every one to decide where it goes.

Please don't take my comments as criticism.  I mean it only as refinement of definition

Action #39  -- dynamic action, but minimal symbolism

Minute Man #2 -- Nice!  Doesn't rely on an action scene to convey the message.  Statue of Liberty; Larger-than-life hero as a symbol of our might and resolve, ready to defend the city in the background.

Spy Smasher #5 -- Eh!  Hitting a Nazi and a Jap; Mount Rushmore in the background - I get it, but not iconic to me.

Superman #18 -- I like this one.  Clean composition that sends a message.  Light on the symbolism (riding a bomb is pretty direct), but definitely iconic.

Superman #24 -- Hits both targets.  Symbolizing Superman as the defender of liberty.  Nice clean composition makes it immediately iconic.

Superman #26 -- Ditto.  Grasping Nazi propaganda by the scruff of its neck, and providing the message of liberty to Germany.  Again, a masterpiece of clean composition that sends a powerful, easy to grasp message (Burnley was master of this kind of thing)

MM #48 -- Nah!  I see this as just an action cover with little symbolic content.  Alright, I see the two flags.  Not in the same league as the Supermans to my eye.

Pioneer #4 -- Another action cover with very light symbolism.  Inscription on a bomb doesn't cut it for me.

 

To reiterate: I don't own the thread and do not wish to be disrespectful of any of the contributions.  I am just providing (in often long-winded ways) my perspectives on how well the covers fit the criteria I originally had in mind for the thread.  I don't want police the thread, I want to debate the merits with passionate and knowledgeable collectors.

It might be nice to tally votes for the covers so we can get an objective idea of which ones are the standouts.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
3 3
Go to topic listing