Give thanks for great comics art… — Welcome to BRONZE AGE BONANZA — our monthly series that looks at the greatest covers of the Bronze Age — exactly 50 years later. For more info on this feature, click here. — We’re getting close to the end of the year! December is still to come — and then THE TOP 13 COVERS OF 1971 — RANKED. In the meantime, we’ve got a groovy selection for you here — featuring Adams, Kane, John Severin, Nick Cardy and other top artists. Dig the TOP 13 COVERS OF NOVEMBER 1971 — RANKED: — 13. Wendy Witch World #43, Harvey. Because it’s my wife Wendy’s birthday this week! Happy birthday, Wendy! — 12. Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp #4, Gold Key. We will include Lancelot Link at every opportunity. — 11. Archie Giant Series #192, Archie. Every month back then, there were about 14,000 Archie titles. This one jumped out at me just because it’s so sweet and kind. “Love-In” indeed. — 10. Western Gunfighters #8, Marvel. It’s a new John Severin cover for a reprint book and I dig the way it comes together: the shared black-and-gold banner, the bright red background, Severin’s first-rate draftsmanship and, perhaps best of all, the floating portraits on the left. Floating portraits are second only to floating heads in the arena of awesome. — 9. Dark Shadows #12, Gold Key. I can’t make heads or tails about what this cover signifies but it doesn’t matter because George Wilson is The Man. — 8. Batman, #238, DC. DC was still trying to figure out its Super Spectacular packaging. Later, the 100-pagers generally stuck with story collections related to the main character or title. Here, you get two Batman stories — and tales starring the Legion, the Doom Patrol, Plastic Man, Aquaman, the Atom and even Sargon the Sorcerer. All of which makes very little sense. But nice job by Adams and Giordano on this motley crew wraparound. — 7. Love and Romance #3, Charlton. First, Audrey, my idea of a wild time is also making fudge and reading a good history book, so don’t go changing. Besides, it’s not going to end well for Cindy, who evidently is walking off with Charles Manson. — 6. House of Mystery #198, DC. Do you know who never gets enough credit as...
BRONZE AGE BONANZA: ADAMS! KIRBY! KUBERT! KANE! MORE! — Welcome to BRONZE AGE BONANZA — our monthly series that looks at the greatest covers of the Bronze Age — exactly 50 years later. For more info on this feature, click here. — As we’ve seen in other months, Neal Adams dominates here — especially with two of the best covers in comics history. But we also have Gil Kane, Jack Kirby, Joe Kubert and MORE! Dig the TOP 13 COVERS OF OCTOBER 1971 — RANKED: — 13. Amazing Adventures #10, Marvel. The House of Ideas didn’t have the best month, but I dig this because Gil Kane’s Black Bolt looks pretty badass and that monster thing is I just don’t know what. What’s up with Magneto, though? — 12. Archie Giant Series #190, Archie. In Riverdale, Christmas comes before Halloween. Really, it’s a thing! But that’s not why this cover made the list. It’s because… wait for it… FLOATING HEADS! — 11. Tales of Voodoo #18 (aka Vol. 5 #1), Eerie. Now THIS is how you do Halloween. So. Much. Brain! — 10. Girls’ Love Stories #164, DC. Two things: 1) Holy crap! That’s the Three’s Company apartment! 2) Janet’s zombie eyes! — 9. From Beyond the Unknown #14, DC. Until now, I have lived my entire life without seeing the normally somber Joe Kubert do a family of apes — knitting, smoking a pipe, reading the paper and keeping little human pets. My life is now that much richer. — 8. Superman #245, DC. A favorite Swanderson cover — with bonus points for being a wraparound. There’s very little action on the cover, but so what? It looks so damn good. — 7. Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #144, DC. Far-out!! The King inked by Neal Adams. Their styles are practically polar opposites but somehow it all works. Supes across the top really pulls it together. (And I like that both this and Superman #245 are all about the Man of Steel’s wingspan. — 6. World’s Finest #208, DC. Ah, the days when World’s Finest was briefly a Superman team-up book. It’s an arresting illustration by Adams — focus on Superman’s straining face and shoulders — that is also completely, fantastically absurd. It’s the kind of image that you can only find in comics — which is a big,...
BRONZE AGE BONANZA: ADAMS! KIRBY! KUBERT! KANE! MORE!
BRONZE AGE BONANZA: Boy, that Neal Adams could crank ’em out…
BRONZE AGE BONANZA: What a month to hit the spinner rack — classic after classic…