In honor of their 70th year, Marvel Comics did an online vote for their fans to pick their favorite covers. (The vote was not completely open, as the choices were pre-selected.) Anyway, this was the cover that won:
This is Incredible Hulk #40 from 1988, drawn by Todd McFarlane (of Spawn fame). I like the concept of the cover, but it is probably only in my top 50 covers. Marvel's top 70 list was heavy on X-Men covers and Spider-Man. This is to be expected, but they did leave out a lot of minor characters who have had some fantastic covers in the past. Anyway, I thought I'd post some of my favorite covers.
I'm a kung fu nut, so of course I include this cover. I actually own about three copics of this particular comic because I love the cover so much. I like Iron Fist's determined look and the background of the Tai Chi symbol (which, incidentally, is upside down). Strangely, this issue is #5 of the mini-series. I would have made this the cover to issue number one because it says: "BAM! IRON FIST!" (
a la Emeril).
This issue of Namor #16 is from 1991. First of all, I like the red background which bespeaks "heat" and "anger." If you know anything about Namor, you know that he is arrogant, grouchy, and abrasive... so him getting smacked by anyone is quite an affront for him. Here we have Iron Fist (so cool...) punching Namor. Another thing to notice are the chicks standing around looking all surprised and shocked at the scene. Very cool cover.
Even though this cover is for Immortal Iron Fist, its not on this list for that reason. I just think this cover is one of the coolest ever. I love the simple (not messy) look of it in the three colors. I think it looks like some TV serial from the 60's... a spy-romance thriller or something. And the little captions add to this effect. Please note: there are no costumed-battles raging on this one! This pseudo-vintage looking cover has got to be one of the best.
Iron Man #15 (vol. 4). In the same vein as above, I love the retro-feel to this cover. This is like Iron Man meets James Bond or something. This is so cool. I also love the circular aspects of the art that blend well with the more linear. (The gun on the left with the bullseye on the right. The NYC skyline and the circuit board on the bottom.) This one bespeaks intrigue and action.
Invincible Iron Man #11. This cover is super cool. I love the background of the rainy/cloudy sky. The sun behind the clouds makes the fight seem 3D. War Machine (Rhodey) and Iron Man battling it out in the sky. How awesome is that? Can there be better covers? Seriously, I'm asking. Can there be?
Speaking of two friends, this G.I. Joe cover #46 from 1986 has always been one of my favorites. I love the yellow-orange background. And these are two of my favorite characters of all time... Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes. Here they are looking like they are doing some room-clearing stuff, but as brothers, not as enemies. This is just so eye-catching!
Looking at Storm Shadow made me think of this Punisher cover #9 from 1988. This is a simple cover - no muss, no fuss - but the juxtaposition of Punisher looking aft with the ninja's intense eyes looking forward make this cover awesome. And the sword's brightness on the dark background really draws your eyes around the cover. This one rocks.
On the Marvel 70 Cover list, several covers were included that were probably picked for their "sex appeal," if that's what you want to call it. Specifically, Agent X #11, 2003, X-Men #204, 2007, and Astonishing X-Men #6, 2004. I selected two that fit that category, as well. The first is Wolverine #62 which pictures Wolvie and Mystique. You gotta love the way Mystique has this crawly-shifty look to her and yet manages to pull of an once of seductiveness. Wolvie on the other hand looks frustrated and angry. A really neat cover.
This is the second cover in my "sexy cover" category. X-Force # 9 is just so cool. Both characters are in black on a brick "bill-covered" wall background. And look at Wolverine's hand placement - the upper hand's claws are actually through her collar, but his fingers are inside. Check out her right hand, though, over Wolvie's head - holding the firearm. Heh. So much better than that Astonishing X-Men cover that I am sick of looking at.
This is Ghost Rider #32. And this cover is the creepiest cover ever. This is just so freakin' creepy that it will give you something to shiver about late at night. Its a depiction of Jason Aaron's story where "angels" from hell and heaven are in a battle. The art here is fantastic and really brings out the spectral feeling of the story. Spooky!
Captain America #444, 1995. This cover is eerie and symbolic. If you are making a list of best covers, you have to include some of Cap's because he is like a walking-talking symbol. So here we have his shield, with a bit of smoke coming off of it, in front of a governmental building. Cap's not actually in the shot, but the sight is definitely memorable. The eerie part of this is the connection with the events of Captain America #25 in the next volume. Here's the cover for that:
Notice here that Cap is on stairs and is without the famous symbolic shield.
Conan the Cimmerian #10 is the third part of a six part story arc. The entire "Black Colossus" storyarc is worth reading - it starts in issue #8. Conan leaves his "home" once again and heads out trailing armies at war. He becomes a merc. My summation makes the storyarc seem simple and boring, but the issues have great dialogue and art. 
Detective Comics #678 from September 1994 is probably one of the more noir books of the rather noir Batman books by DC Comics. In fact, if I was making a list of most-noir things, this one would be on there. Its also one of my favorite Batman books. The trouble is that it was slapped in the middle of the Zero Hour DC event which really.... was a big zero, anyway. Zero Hour is a perplexing array of science-fiction events that the superheroes of the DC universe are rapidly spun through. And it was basically all rearranged for Identity Crisis, Infinite Crisis, and Final Crisis. (DC is always in crisis.........) What do you need to know about Zero Hour in order to enjoy this Detective Comic? 
This issue was probably the worst of the recent lot. It pretty much sucked completely and I feel only sold because it had Wolverine as its title.
The storyline for this was was a bit weird. The premise of Wolverine being an animal to be hunted by old fashioned "hunters" has a lot of potential, but this issue wasn't really all that good. Again, lots of blood and guts.
Although better than the aforementioned, this one still leaves a lot to be desired because after reading it, it is entirely forgettable. Again, emphasis on killing.
Basically, like the cover shows, Wolverine finds himself in a "chop shop." Its like everyone's worst nightmare. But thanks to his healing powers, he rips apart the operation like the badass that he is. Probably the best one-shot of Wolverine in quite awhile.
Writers and artists seem to think that Wolverine is a great subject for Christmas-y stories because he is the ultimate bitter grouch. Nevertheless, he still has that sense of morality that does the "right thing" (even if its not the right way). This story was pretty good, but predictable. 
In this one we see Hammerhead nicely introducing Spidey to his fist. Its the kind of art that makes you actually say "Ow!" and definitely encourages you to read the issue.
Here is Spider-Man punching Hammerhead in the next issue. I like the black and white with blends of red in the mix. Its a nice shot.
The cover is split from the early Bucky costume from during and just after WWII with Bucky holding a rifle. The other half shows the new Captain America costume - not showing any firearm. The background behind the title is split between Japan's flag and the USA flag.
This cover maintains the same split cover idea, except the left side is Bucky wearing his Winter Soldier uniform. Again, the non-Captain side is holding the firearm. This time the background is split between the Soviet flag and the USA flag.
In this shot, we see a unified Captain America and no firearm. The flag in the back is not quite the USA flag, but it could stand for it. Bucky is not, however, the main feature of the cover, but rather, the shield of Captain America is.
Bravenet Blog 
Blog Community
Get a Free Blog
Manage your Blog
bravenet.com