June Answers From the Vault part 1

Welcome back to another edition of Answers From the Vault, the semi-regular feature where you ask the questions and we pump your brain full of knowledge until it cries out for mercy. This time around we received such a bounty of questions that we're going to split the answers into two batches. That's going to take up a lot of grey matter, so if you need to subject your mind to gamma radiation in order to absorb these answers, now is your last chance.

Ready? Okay, here we go.


What's the best use of weather in a superhero comic that doesn't involve characters with weather-wielding powers? -- Mark

Thanks for the question, Mark. Boy, that's a really tough one. As you note in your extended version of this question, weather is usually used solely for noir/horror effect (in books like Batman, Daredevil and Tomb of Dracula) or for plot points that involve weather being controlled by people like Thor or Storm and/or by villains intent on destroying Earth through giant tidal waves or whatever. Weather just for the sake of having some variety is extremely rare, which makes you wonder just how sunny the DC and Marvel universes are. Maybe that's why those realities have so many superheroes.

But to answer your question, there are a few nice uses of weather that stand out to me. Mike Grell's Green Arrow was set in Seattle, one of the few DC books to take place in a real city, and he frequently used rain, fog and in the winter months, snow, to give the series a real sense of both place and time that few other superhero books have had. Similarly, on a much smaller scale, one memorable scene for me takes place in Avengers #197, where some boys heave snowballs at Captain America while he is having a heart to heart chat in the garden behind Avengers Mansion; it's a great little throw-away sequence that somehow ended up being more memorable than perhaps all the stories that surrounded it, in large part due to the use of weather.

Still, for my money, there can be only one choice -- Avengers #257. Now, everyone knows I am a huge Avengers fan, and this two part battle against Terminus is the first Avengers story I ever read, so there's certainly some nostalgia involved. But the end of this story still sticks with me: after terminus destroys the weather regulation system that allowed the Savage Land to exist, the Antarctic weather comes raging in, destroying the tropical paradise. In a raging blizzard, the Avengers battle Terminus until all sides are overcome by the elements. Only Hercules is able to stand up to the storm; he destroys Terminus's armor, revealing the immobile alien stuck inside it, and then leaves the beast to freeze to death in the ever growing drifts of snow that cover and finally bury him in a grave of his own making. A great ending to a powerful story. And speaking of Avengers, you had a follow-up question:


And is Avengers 185 the only issue of the run where it's raining on the cover?

Nope, though you're right hat there aren't a lot. But besides the classic Avengers #185, there's an equally awesome if not as famous cover that features rain: Avengers #41. Usually I'm not a huge fan of Buscema's very early covers, as I think his early inking and the printing process at the time often end up muddying the finished product, but that's not an issue for a dark and moody cover like this one. Top work from a master in the making.




Why aren't comics fun anymore? -- Jim

Thanks for the thoughtful question, Jim. For me, there's a pretty basic reason: most comics aren't meant to be fun. And the reason for that, in my opinion, is a residual effect of fans becoming creators back in 70's and 80's.

Sure, there were plenty of fans-turned-writers/editors that still had a lot of fun with their comics, particularly those who both recognized and embraced the more absurd elements of the superhero genre. And some of these stalwarts can still be found today, doing what is now widely called "nostalgia" work, like Kurt Busiek and Mark Waid, for instance. What these guys are nostalgic for, though, isn't a specific time period or status quo, it's a mindset -- the mindset that comics are fun and that anything can happen in them.

But this isn't really the norm anymore, and the reason lies with the more "serious" fans-turned-creators -- the second generation of creators who, determined to prove that superhero comics could be a serious genre that should be taken seriously, decided to deconstruct the fun. Take it apart, prove how ridiculous it all is, dissect the genre like a pre-med student doing a thesis. In other words, take an essentially illogical genre and try to impose logic upon it. The result: grim, gritty, more realistic stories that certainly have been taken more seriously.

But have they been enjoyed as much? Are they fun? Or have have works like Watchmen led to second rate copycat works that just depress and turn off potential readers by draining all the wonder out of the genre? And just look at what DC is trying to do these days and you'll see how the current generation is still missing the mark: they're trying to combine grim and gritty with nostalgia by bringing back all the silver age heroes, but they've missed the boat on just what people are actually nostalgic for.

All of it goes back to the mid-70's, when the fans chafing at the lack of respect comics -- and by extension, they themselves -- had been getting became creators and set out trying to prove the merit of the genre. Well, now they have some of that respect. It just cost everything they loved about comics to begin with.



What happened to that Nagel-print that hung on Peter Parker's wall?

I have to admit I don't know the answer to this, but I have a pretty good guess -- I assume that like everyone else's Nagel prints, it's at a flea market somewhere with a $1 tag taped to it.


Next: A whole batch of questions from a former member of the Marvel Bullpen. I answer them all! That's how this thing works, homeslice.

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The Real Top 70 Marvel Covers: The Top Ten

This is it, true believers! After a week of wallowing in the greatest comic art known to man, we've finally reached the end of our countdown of the top 70 covers in Marvel history. No doubt you've been chewing nails all week, wondering if that beloved Defenders cover is going to be in the top ten, or if Al Milgrom will take number one honors. Well, wonder no more!

As always, I recommend clicking on the covers to enlarge them so you can really drink in the grandeur. And for a shortcut, here's the Real Top 70 Marvel Cover Master List.


10) Avengers #57

Ahhhh. John Buscema returns to blow us out of the water with the classic cover to Avengers #57. The first appearance of Vision, this cover is pretty much made by the monotone red coloring. The brooding figure of the Vision reaching ominously out of the crimson smoke as the Avengers fall back in shock is an indelible image of Silver Age Marvel and is also one of my favorite covers.












9) X-Men #58

Hey, look, guys. It's Neal Adams! It's true that Adams did much more work for DC than he did for Marvel, but you might have been wondering where his classic covers have been as we counted down the list. Have no fear, they're right where they should be: in the top ten. Adams really outdoes himself with the use of color and design here; the concentric circles from Havok's costume merging to allow you to see through him to the X-Men on the other side is an amazing effect, heightened by the choice of colors for Havok. Another instance of a character's first appearance being accompanied by a brilliant cover.








8) Incredible Hulk #377

The third cover on today's list is also the third one to feature bold experimentation with color. I'll admit that it took me a long time to warm to this effort from Dale Keown, but I have to give it up. The black and white Hulk, cast almost (but not quite) entirely in silhouette against the neon green background creates such a vibrant look that it just about strobes right off the page (or screen) and straight into your brain. Combined with the (perhaps questionable) use of the pink logo, the cover packs a massive visceral wallop, perfect for the defining issue of Peter David's long Hulk run.








7) Journey Into Mystery #89

It's interesting to note how many of these covers are first issues or first appearances. Some of this is because those issues have gained fame over the years due to the popularity of the characters or series involved, but another factor is that those issues were about the only ones that featured pin-up style images instead of action shots from inside the comic. Thus they lend themselves to becoming more iconic or memorable. One interesting departure from this, then, is Journey Into Mystery #89. In just the seventh issue of Thor's series, Jack Kirby goes back to the pin-up look to create one of the most indelible cover in Marvel history. It's just a gorgeous piece of art and it's interesting to speculate why they decided to go with this design rather than the type of action shots that the series had otherwise been using. Whatever the reason, though, this image of Thor became the one that stuck in the mind of contemporary fans; in some ways, it was the image that made Thor become Thor, and it appeared on T-shirts and posters for years afterwords.




6) Captain America Comics #1

The cover of Captain America Comics #1, from Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, is famous for a number of reasons, many historical. For instance, it's well known that this cover showing Cap punching out Hitler appeared on the newsstands almost a full year before America went to war with Germany, which resulted in quite a bit of controversy for the publisher. But those sorts of details aside, it also deserves a top ten appearance for a much simpler reason: it's a beautiful comic book cover. The design, with the logo in front of the red white and blue stars and stripes, is crisp, and the layout of the action is well conceived also. But it's the terrifically rendered figure of Captain America himself that really makes this cover. I'd be happy to find art like this in one of today's Marvels; for a comic that came out nearly 70 years ago, it's astounding. Not to mention that the overwhelming, instant popularity of the character that flowed from this first issue essentially provided the backbone of Timely for years to come. One of the greatest comic book covers, regardless of publisher, of all time.




5) Giant Size X-Men #1

Gil Kane makes another appearance on the list, this time assisted by Dave Cockrum, who designed most of the new X-Men who appear for the first time on this cover. The basic premise -- the characters smashing through the cover itself -- is a simple but powerful statement, as they are also smashing through the image of the original, old X-Men, who gape in astonishment. It's a signal that the somewhat staid old X-Men (which, after all, had been cancelled once already and were at the time strictly a reprint title) was gone and a new, more exciting X-Men was replacing it. This is one of the most copied, homaged and referenced covers in Marvel history.







4) Captain America #111

It just wouldn't feel like a real countdown if today's selections didn't include a cover from Jim Steranko, and what better choice than perhaps his most famous cover, Captain America #111. I've said before that Cap lends himself to iconic images, and perhaps no Captain America cover is as famous or iconic as this one. You can see the pop art influences in the bottom half of the work -- the same kind of montage feel as he used on SHIELD #4, for example -- but here it is stripped down, with the flat white background helping to emphasize the figure of Captain America himself as he dominate the rest of the cover. It pushes the boundaries without going over the edge (as some of his more experimental covers could be accused of doing) and as a result has become one of the best loved covers of all time.





3) Tomb of Dracula #1

This may be my favorite comic book cover of all time. It's just a beautiful, moody, atmospheric drawing that perfectly captures the essence of Dracula and set up the series for a long and successful run. Accentuating the image is the pitch perfect, blood red frame and the gorgeous logo, which I think is one of the best comic logos ever designed. So, who drew this great cover? Even though he did a lot of mood pieces during his tenure at DC, I was surprised to learn that this was done by none other than Neal Adams. Usually you can tell a Neal Adams figure from a mile away, but other than maybe a little bit in the face, this doesn't bear his characteristic stylizations, and the piece actually benefits as a result. A comic so beautiful, I bought a copy just for the cover.






2) Silver Surfer #4

Of all the omissions on the official Marvel list, none is as egregious as the failure to include Silver Surfer #4. We've seen over the course of our list how artist John Buscema was playing with this basic design -- heroes facing each other on a black background. Here it's tweaked a bit; the background isn't flat black, it's got just a hint of detail, enough to provide the setting for the readers. But it's really the dynamic nature of the figures, caught in that split second before the violence begins, that really makes this piece. This cover is frequently singled out by today's pros as one of the best and most influential covers of all time, so it's no surprise that the issue itself has become extremely desirable and expensive for that very reason. Of all the covers on the list, this one may be the most "Marvel" of all of them.





1) Amazing Fantasy #15

So here it is, our number one Marvel cover of all time. And whle I don't think there's much doubt about this one, it's interesting that at one point there was a lot of doubt over what the cover of Spider-man's first appearance should look like. In fact, this is actually the second completed cover for this issue, as Spider-man co-creator Steve Ditko turned in a different version that was rejected by Stan Lee. While the original was more in keeping with the essence of the character -- it's less of a heroic figure we're looking up at and more a skinny, awkward figure swinging by at our own level, one of us -- the new cover by Jack Kirby was one designed to sell the character and move copies of the comic. And that it most definitely did. It's hard to say how popular Spider-man would have become if Stan had stuck with the original cover, but one thing is certain: this cover is not only powerful and inspiring, it's also the most famous cover in Marvel history, showcasing their most popular character as drawn by the greatest artist comics has ever produced. That all adds up to one thing: number one on our list.


Tomorrow: Well, that's it folks, the Top 70 list is complete and... wait a minute. Where the hell is Journey Into Mystery #83? What kind of rip job is this?! Tomorrow I'll explain why Thor's first appearance is missing from this list and you, my legion of dedicated readers, can chime in with your votes. Which covers should have made the list? Which ones should never have been on it to begin with? We'll cover it all... tomorrow! See you then.

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The Real Top 70 Marvel Covers: #50-41

So, you want to know what's number one in the hood, G? Well, first you have to find out what's #50-41 in the hood, which in this case refers to the entire history of Marvel Comics. We're on a quest to determine the real top 70 covers for Marvel, so keep reading and get your awesome shoes on, 'cause it's time to dance. Metaphorically. And for a shortcut, here's the Real Top 70 Marvel Cover Master List.

Oh, and click on the images to make them big and stuff. Let's go!


50) X-Men #190

It's always interesting when artists experiment with cover design, particularly when they incorporate the logo into the image. X-Men #190, which comes in at number 50 on our list, is an excellent example of what can be done when editorial unleashes the artist and allows this kind of experimentation (and we'll be seeing more funky logo work later in the countdown). Drawn by Chris Bachalo, this cover is also just a cool use of Iceman, which is a very rare thing indeed.










49) Captain America #332

Another day, another classic cover from Mike Zeck. This time it's from his great run on Captain America, which produced a number of striking and memorable covers. None of them, however, topped this classic, which began the 19 issue epic by Mark Gruenwald exploring why replacing Steve Rogers with a new Captain America is just a bad plan since the man makes the costume. Given recent events in Cap, this story is more timely than ever; the cover, however, has never gone out of style. P.S. -- Special props for the crying Abraham Lincoln portrait in the corner box.









48) Iron Man #128

In the history of Iron Man, which is close to a half decade at this point, no image is as famous among comic fans or as identified with the character as this cover from Bob Layton. It's just a great change of pace cover -- no action, no fighting, barely even a costume. Indeed, it's really a cover about Tony Stark rather than Iron Man. This image (and the storyline that followed) has become so ingrained in the minds of comic readers that you almost can't think about Iron Man without thinking about this cover. That's not necessarily always a good thing, but it certainly speaks to the power of this image.








47) Marvels #4

The second of our covers from Alex Ross and Marvels brings us another classic comic cover motif -- characters reflected in someone's eyeball. It also is a striking rendition of a classic storyline; in a way, the image is enhanced by the reader's knowledge of what it represents. That sinister grin on Green Goblin's face is a twist of the knife because you know what's going to end up happening to his captive, Gwen Stacy. Ross plays nicely on the reader's familiarity with the subject matter in this classic cover.










46) Thor #337

Speaking of covers that incorporate the logo into the image, here's Thor #337. Perhaps no cover has so successfully used the logo as this introduction of Beta Ray Bill and Walt Simonson to the book. Simonson viscerally shows how he is smashing the book's somewhat stagnant stereotypes by bringing in a shocking new version of Thor and by literally blasting the old logo and corner box to pieces. One look at this cover pretty much tells you everything you need to know about what is inside and what is to come in this title: the old is gone and in its place, anything can happen.









45) New Avengers #1

This cover from David Finch is notable not only because it appears on my list even though my dislike of New Avengers is pretty well known, but also because it's one of the most recent covers I chose. Part of this is because it's simply too soon to tell in most cases just what covers are going to end up being memorable; and part of it has to do with the design philosophy currently in place at Marvel. While pin-up style covers are often memorable and usually attractive, I think Marvel is kind of overusing this these days to the point where many of the covers are almost indistinguishable from each other. For instance, try randomly rearranging the covers for the entire current Thor series and see if you can tell which cover goes to which story. I bet you can't really tell (other than the Iron Man appearance). This inherently limits the iconic potential of the covers. They may all be beautiful, but is one beautiful cover more memorable than the next? New Avengers #1 managed to avoid this -- and also managed to become iconic despite the fact that there were several variant editions as well, another factor in reducing the iconic potential and basic memorability of today's covers (after all, if there are five versions for each issue, how can any one image becomes synonymous with the story?). For those reasons, and for being the top image identified with the industry's best selling title for the past half a decade, New Avengers #1 gets the nod. Plus, it honestly is a cool cover.



44) Daredevil #182

This is probably one of my more controversial decisions on the list (though there's one later that may be a bit more debatable). It's certainly true that the preceding issue, Daredevil #181, is a more famous cover (it's the yellow one with Elektra and Bullseye jumping at each other). However, in terms of the actual image itself, I've always found this cover to be the more powerful cover. #181 is the tease -- what will happen? But #182 is the heartbreak that follows -- it's the real power of the story. Elektra's death is only important because of how it affects Daredevil, after all, and that is perfectly and beautifully spelled out right here. Art, of course, by Frank Miller.








43) Fantastic Four #1

Okay, so you may be wondering why the cover that launched the Marvel Universe is ranked this low. Its historical importance cannot be denied or overstated, its true, and artist Jack Kirby does a fine job of both introducing the characters and providing a visual bridge for readers from the monster books Atlas had been putting out to this new superhero aesthetic. In other words, it's a solid, effective cover. However, it's not a great cover by any stretch (no pun intended); the greatness is in the history, not in the art. Because of this it should be included, but I can't really put it any higher, because there are other books that are both important and feature better art and design. Still a classic, though.







42) Captain America #113

This is one of my all-time favorite covers. Drawn by Jim Steranko during his all too brief but still legendary stint on Captain America, this cover has one of the most perfectly realized moods in cover history. From the monument to the grieving form of Rick Jones prostrate on the ground to the skulking figures of the Hydra squad closing in on him, every detail is perfect, especially the creep moon shining dully above. The green background chosen for the night sky is pitch perfect, which you can pretty much say about every aspect of this cover. A masterpiece.









41) Avengers Annual #2

One of the resources I consulted when figuring out my rankings was Wizard. Don't laugh too hard. Even though Wizard is usually worthless, they do occasionally have a good idea, and probably the best of these is their ongoing feature where they ask contemporary artists to list and discuss their ten favorite covers of all time. Some covers just come up over and over again (most of them are on this list) and one of the most often cited covers is this classic from John Buscema. Here Buscema is again expermienting with the heroes fighting each other on a black background, but this time he's got two entire teams facing off. There may be more famous team vs. team covers, like X-Men #100 or Avengers #141, but none quite have the same level of dynamism as this great example from the legedary Buscema.






Tomorrow: The Silver Age takes over, with a batch of classic images sure to drive you mad with the power of art. Get in your way back machine, because Merry Marvel is on the March!

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The Real Top 70 Marvel Covers: #60-51

We're counting down the real top 70 Marvel covers of all time as scientifically determined by yours truly. Of course, it's Marvel science, not real science, so there may be some unstable molecules involved in my thought process. Yesterday we counted down #70-61 and saw some great covers by legendary artists such as Jack Kirby, Jim Steranko and John Byrne. If that doesn't whet your appetite for today's smorgasbord of visual delights, I don't know what will; and don't forget, most of these you can click on to enlarge in order to drink in the goodness. And for a shortcut, here's the Real Top 70 Marvel Cover Master List.

On with the show!


60) Thor #126

Yesterday we brought you the cover of Thor #127; today it's #126 making an appearance on the chart. This mega throwdown between Thor and Hercules, but Jack "King" Kirby himself, was a great way to kick off Thor's new title -- this was the first issue after they dropped the Journey Into Mystery name and dedicated the book permanently to Thor. That helped clean up the design by removing the unnecessary textual clutter at the top; Kirby dynamism did the rest. This was part of a classic run on Thor that went on for several issues as Thor met and fought the Olympian pantheon and it brought out some of Kirby's best work. For another great cover that just barely missed our list, I recommend checking out the grandeur that is Thor #130.






59) Conan #24

This was the final issue of Barry Windsor-Smith's classic run on Conan, and what a way to go out. Voted by readers at the time as one of the top five covers of the year, this beautiful cover has only gotten better with age (and if you're wondering what cover beat it out in the vote, don't worry; that cover is on the list as well). Smith's excellent line work and tremendous attention to detail is balanced by the striking use of color here, making this one of the most visually appealing of his many great Conan covers.










58) Fantastic Four #112

Well, it's the Thing vs. the Hulk and as the cover says, that's about "'NUFF SAID". I will add, however, that the all-black background really makes this cover, but it doesn't necessarily make this cover unique; Thing had previously shown up on an almost identical cover a couple years earlier over on Sub-mariner #8. To be honest, I think the Sub-mariner cover is slightly more dynamic, as I like the angle and poses better. However, this cover has Hulk instead of Namor and that pretty much makes the difference for most fans. a striking and well remembered cover to be sure, rendered nicely by John Buscema. Interestingly, Buscema also did the cover for Sub-mariner #8 and would revisit this basic design idea -- heroes fighting each other on a black background -- several other times to even better effect, as we will see later in this countdown.





57) Iron Man #76

Ari Granov brings us this iconic image from 2004. Of all the covers on this list, Iron Man #76 is probably the least well known among comic fans in terms of the actual cover. It's particularly interesting, then, to note that this image is probably also the most well known and famous of all the images on this list among non-comics fans. That, of course, is due to the fact that the ubiquitous poster for the blockbuster hit film Iron Man was a exact recreation of this cover, only photographed. As it happens, though, the original cover is pretty awesome in its own right.









56) Alpha Flight #12

John Byrne shows up for what is certainly not his first or last cover on our list. It is, however, the only one that features Alpha Flight. Here, Byrne uses the classic comic motif of a character appearing inside a gun sight and stretches it as far as it can go. Add to that the blinding neon background and you have a cover that is both memorable and instantly recognizable for a legion of comics fans -- and that's without even mentioning the famous story inside the comic. Yes, believe it or not, Alpha Flight was once actually cool.










55) X-Men #136

Speaking of John Byrne and recurring cover motifs, here's another pieta image, this time featuring Cyclops and Dark Phoenix. This storyline is so well known that it can be a bit difficult to separate the importance of the story from the importance of the image. Several other covers from this era came close to making the list as well (and some will in fact show up later). I don't want this to be the Top 70 John Byrne X-Men covers, but you do really have to hand it to Byrne and inker Terry Austin, because they were on a serious roll.









54) Marvels #3

Alex Ross and Kurt Busiek blew the doors off Marvel with this series and of all the images and covers they produced, this is by far my personal favorite. As it happens, that sentiment is shared by... well, just about everyone. Not only is this a great image that sums up the entire X-Men milieu, it may be the coolest appearance of Angel ever. Just a great, great cover. I also want to add that the design of this comic -- with the acetate overlay so you can see the image with and without the logo -- is fantastic. I prefer it with the logo, but having the option is nice and looks slick to boot.









53) Avengers #223

Remember that one time when I said that everyone seemed to love Marvels #3? Well, truth be told, some people do like other covers on Marvels better. However, this issue of Avengers is a case where there really is a vast and silent majority of people who just love the cover. Done up but good by Ed Hannigan and Kalus Janson, this image may be the best known cover for either Hawkeye or Ant-Man, which is pretty good considering it fronts what is essentially a fill-in issue (but a really, really cool one). Of all the covers in Marvel history that did not make it onto their official list, though, there were probably more comments across the internet asking about the absence of Avengers #223 than any other cover, which I think came as a surprise to everyone. This is one of those covers where you love it, but you assume it's just you so you never really talk about it. Well, it's not just you -- this cover really is an all-time classic.



52) Marvel Mystery Comics #44

Arguably the most legendary cover artist of the Golden Age, Alex Schomburg was particularly known for his intensely busy and detailed war covers, featuring the Human Torch and the other Marvel characters going into battle against legions of enemies. While any of these might be worthy for inclusion on a top cover list, it's the cover of #44 that really stands out and is possibly his best known image. This is thanks to one thing: the Super Plane. It's just the kind of awesome idea a kid reading comics would go ape over, and evidence tells us that this was one of the most memorable images of the series for readers at the time. Not only is the Super Plane cool, though, it also gives Schomburg a single, central design feature to focus on, which is what really makes this cover stand out from his other great (but busy) works.




51) Captain America Annual #8

Mike Zeck strike again with this great shot of Wolverine fighting Captain America. These guys look like they mean business, and the stream of sparks trailing from Wolverine's claws is just a great detail. I'm not sure Zeck could draw a bad Captain America cover and this is no different; these guys really look like they mean business. Just a cool cover.












Tomorrow: Numbers #50-41 hit like an eyeball hammer! Alex Ross! Walt Simonson! Frank Miller! See you then.

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