Here are a couple of very curious covers from Belgium. On both we see the world's finest team of Superman and Batman in what seem peculiar poses. In the first cover they appear for the all world to be singing as if they were in some Broadway spectacle of some sort. In the second image they sort of look like they are both coming down from the gas after visiting the dentist; they seem a bit too gleeful for no apparent reason. Maybe they're doing the Watusi, or is it the "Bat-tusi"?
On the original DC covers we get the full context of the figures. Here in this cover by Neal Adams, we learn Batman and Superman are under threat and are singing for their lives, not for mere nickles on the "Great White Way".
And on this classic cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, we see the great duo are merely exorting their arch enemies to off one another.
As strange and potentially out of character as both these covers are, without the context they are merely confusing.
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I knew exactly where the second image was from because I used it for a banner. :)
ReplyDeleteI well remember that banner. It's a fun strong image to play with.
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Ah, the days when a cover could entice me to buy a comic book!
ReplyDeleteNo kidding. The modern comic book world is so limited and isolated that the notion of getting sales with a striking cover seems quaint. I liked the recent attempt to do something different with Hawkeye's book, but it didn't get me to buy it.
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I'm so out of touch I didn't know Hawkeye had finally graduated to his own title. 'Bout time...he's got more personality and likeability than any half-dozen other Avengers! Plus his hotheadedness and leap before you look style should make it a breeze to get him involved in any type of story.
DeleteBack on topic: when I scour the bargain bins, intriguing covers can compel me to buy comics even when I have (or think I have) zero interest in the title characters. Can't tell you how many Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen comics I have as a result! Comics companies seem to have given up on casual readers, focusing solely on zombies who will buy anything they put out, preferably multiple copies with "variant" covers. Price point makes casual readers nearly impossible anyway. Why would I pay $4 for a new comic that tells 1/6 of a story when I can buy 6 comics in the bargain bins telling 4-6 complete stories, and usually with much better artwork?
Good stuff, Rip. You always find the coolest variants for comic art!
ReplyDeleteDoug
Thanks. It's out there, and with the internet machine at our fingertips, we can enjoy it all.
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I'm starting to collect these awesome Adams covers..
ReplyDeleteGreat thing about Silver DC Adams covers like WF and Superboy, you can grab 'em in VF+ for pennies.
I grew up in the heyday of these awesome Adams covers. They are compelling. Carmine Infantino designed some of them it seems, but it's the rendering of Adams which makes them pop.
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