{"id":2697,"date":"2019-02-05T15:29:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T23:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/?p=2697"},"modified":"2024-01-09T15:33:50","modified_gmt":"2024-01-09T23:33:50","slug":"maggies-world-068-covers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/maggies-world-068-covers\/","title":{"rendered":"Maggie\u2019s World 068: Covers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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MAGGIE’S WORLD BY MAGGIE THOMPSON<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie\u2019s World 068: Covers<\/h1>\n\n\n
Maggie Thompson<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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In\u00a0Maggie\u2019s World<\/em>\u00a0#29 in 2015,<\/a>\u00a0I griped about \u201can increasing emphasis on covers over contents\u201d among collectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s time to revisit that 2015 post. I wrote, \u201cAn entire essay could be (and has been, I\u2019m sure) devoted to the challenges of creating a comic book cover. The issue has to be easy to differentiate from the preceding issue while maintaining enough of a consistent trade dress to let the casual shopper notice it immediately. And so on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, yes. \u201cAnd so on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about<\/em> covers?<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Since it\u2019s the first thing people see when they look at a comics rack, a cover is designed to sell the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some covers represent the contents in a general way with a freestanding image. Some are more specific, illustrating interior story elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sometimes, the real world can inspire cover ideas. Walt Kelly said that his cover for\u00a0Walt Disney\u2019s Comics and Stories<\/em>\u00a0#113 (February 1950) came from finding the water frozen in his Connecticut home. \u00a9 2019 Disney Enterprises, Inc. And surely, the cover of\u00a0Superman\u2019s Girl Friend, Lois Lane<\/em>\u00a0#63 (February 1966) was a response to what was in the minds of countless comics readers. \u00a9 2019 DC Comics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Their impact and design elements make them among the top price-getters when it comes to collecting original art. For example, Heritage Auctions information says that Barry Windsor-Smith\u2019s original art for a story page for Marvel\u2019s historic Conan<\/em> #1 sold in 2016 for $11,950. But his (yes, stunning) cover for #4 sold in 2013 for $87,235. Never mind that cover art is likely to have added material that can degrade more than the image on a simple inked page. (I have a terrific never-used cover\u2014terrific except that it has a number of little images that were rubber-cemented onto the art: images that are now falling off the art. And I can\u2019t figure out how best to repair it with some sort of acid-free adhesive. But I digress.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When people post an image with reference to a specific issue, chances are that it\u2019s the cover image they\u2019ll show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because, I\u2019m thinking, the cover art was created to be captivating: stunning even at a distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cover collecting<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

An entire focus of comics collectors has been on covers\u2014to the point at which such covers used to be noted in \u201cfor sale\u201d ads: Atom-bomb cover! Good Girl Art cover! Bondage cover! (I detect a theme in itself.) Probably my favorite \u201cfor sale\u201d ad was from Smilin\u2019 Ed Comics, designed by Raoul Vezina. It ran in Buyer\u2019s Guide for Comic Fandom<\/em> and was a full page of \u201cGood Dog Comics\u201d for sale. (Pluto on a leash was a \u201cDog Bondage\u201d cover.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I finally gave up the right to sneer at such goings-on when I realized that I had to buy all<\/em> the Walmart special DVD versions that featured variant Deadpool packaging. Sigh \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some covers catch the buyer\u2019s attention without words.\u00a0Vault of Horror<\/em>\u00a0#32 (August 1953) \u00a9 2019 William M. Gaines, Agent, Inc. Some covers wordily introduce an entire cast and its challenge.\u00a0The Fantastic Four<\/em>\u00a0#1 (November 1961) \u00a9 2019 Marvel Characters, Inc.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Captivating images<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Some of the most successful covers are the ones focused on the design that has the greatest impact. Consider DC\u2019s Action Comics<\/em> #1. Or Fawcett\u2019s Captain Marvel Jr.<\/em> #1. They are classic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are situational teases. Consider Timely\u2019s Marvel Comics<\/em> #1. Or E.C.\u2019s Weird Science-Fantasy<\/em> #29.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also covers designed to function as stand-alone gag cartoons. Consider most of the covers of Dell\u2019s Marge\u2019s Little Lulu<\/em>. Or Marvel\u2019s Sergio Aragon\u00e9s Groo the Wanderer<\/em>. Or DC\u2019s Sugar and Spike<\/em>. Or E.C.\u2019s Mad<\/em>. Or \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dressing up<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

In 2015, I referred to \u201ctrade dress.\u201d It identifies an entire line of entertainment. One of the champs in the 1950s was E.C., which provided a clear publisher logo and connection to readers. The logo was so clear that the publisher provided an \u201cE.C.\u201d pin to members of its E.C. Fan Addict \u201cclub.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hey, remember DC\u2019s \u201cGo-Go Checks\u201d? They were intended to convey general \u201chip\u201dness in 1966 and 1967, and it was hard to miss them, no matter how a local newsstand shelved its comics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, of course, variants<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Back In The Day, they were used to test buyer reactions in specific markets (and kept as much of a secret as possible). Marvel\u2019s Star Wars<\/em> #1 (July 1977) tested a 35-cent price in addition to its standard 30-cent release. That added nickel was an investment that paid off for those who paid it. (At auction, the 35-center can bring $20,000 and more; the 30-center usually goes for $25 or less.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Variant attention really kicked off with the marketing of the two John Byrne covers for DC\u2019s The Man of Steel<\/em> #1 (October 1986).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, variants came to the rescue when DC found itself with a problem. The direct market (through which comics shops ordered their stock) depended on shops\u2019 orders in advance of publication. Shop owners had to predict customer interest and then order copies that couldn\u2019t be returned for credit in the way that newsstand sellers could. And a new DC Batman title received such high advance non-returnable orders that comics shop sell-through wasn\u2019t likely to support them. What to do? Hey, how about different colors on the same cover? So it came about that Legends of the Dark Knight<\/em> #1 (November 1989) was given a blue cover. And a pink cover. And an orange cover. And a yellow cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And completists had to have one of each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A tip of the Thompson topper, though, must go to DC\u2019s Justice League of America<\/em> #1 (April 2013), with the JLA raising a flag on the cover. Or, rather, a different flag for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and other venues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t forget the fancy gimmicks<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Hologram. Fifth ink. Die-cutting. Blank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the prize should go to the 2013 Marvel Deadpool<\/em> series, issue #27 (June 2014)\u2014or, as the cover itself announced, \u201cThe most important<\/em> Issue #27 in the History of Comics!<\/em>\u201d What was noteworthy? Again\u2014as trumpeted on the cover\u2014it was the Guinness World Records Record Holder for the most comics characters on the cover of a single issue: 224 (not counting the dozen real people\u2014creators and editors\u2014also pictured).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the way \u2026<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s an annual Eisner Award for the best comic book cover artist of work published in the preceding year. Looking at the last decade, these went to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • 2009 James Jean, Fables <\/em>(Vertigo\/DC); The Umbrella Academy <\/em>(Dark Horse)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2010 J.H. Williams III, Detective Comics<\/em> (DC)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2011 Mike Mignola, Hellboy, Baltimore: The Plague Ships<\/em> (Dark Horse)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2012 Francesco Francavilla, Black Panther <\/em>(Marvel); Lone Ranger, Lone Ranger\/Zorro, Dark Shadows, Warlord of Mars <\/em>(Dynamite); Archie Meets Kiss <\/em>(Archie)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2013 David Aja, Hawkeye <\/em>(Marvel)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2014 David Aja, Hawkeye <\/em>(Marvel)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2015 Darwyn Cooke, \u201cDarwyn Cooke Month\u201d variant covers (DC)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2016 David Aja, Hawkeye, Karnak, Scarlet Witch <\/em>(Marvel)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2017 Fiona Staples, Saga<\/em> (Image)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2018 Sana Takeda, Monstress<\/em> (Image)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Next time you\u2019re picking up your comics from the shop, take a look at all the images on the racks. Do any covers tempt you to add issues to your planned purchases? Just a thought \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Maggie’s World by Maggie Thompson appears the first Tuesday of every month here on<\/em> Toucan!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Written by<\/p>\n\n\n

    Maggie Thompson<\/div>\n\n\n

    Published<\/p>\n\n\n