The cover above by the late great Gil Kane is a favorite. The covers for Strange Adventures are by and large excellent moments of whimsy. The images are often so bizarre and strange that you just ache to read the story. You know that almost certainly the tale cannot live up to the exotic picture, but hope always springs nonetheless.
What got my attention on this one though was that it got two cover treatments. The one above by Kane is classic Silver Age, the handsome image conveys the essence of a story in a glance. The man is startled not necessarily afraid. The man's face is filled with confusion and curiosity not dread, a sign perhaps of a different time and attitude about the unknowns of space.
But take a look at this cover by Mike Kaluta for a later issue of Strange Adventures featuring a reprint of the exact same story. In this one, an image squashed into a corner admittedly, the key feeling is one of menace. These aren't weak little aliens disembarking on a mission of exploration, these seem to be space soldiers deploying along the nightstand to establish a foothold. The face of the abruptly awakened man also shows fear and shock as opposed to curious interest. This guy is afraid.
It's doubtless too much to say, but I still think the Kaluta cover reflects a less naive time, only a few years later with the magic of space having been replaced and the frontier having been changed into merely another territory filled with opportunities and threats. There seems to be a loss of romance here between these two covers, as well rendered as both are.
The same story, but two very different ways of packaging it for sure.
Rip Off
No comments:
Post a Comment