BRONZE AGE BONANZA: The 1970 INDEX
Your clearinghouse for the first full year of the Bronze Age…
BRONZE AGE BONANZA: A Warren kind of month, plus Adams, Kirby, Perez and 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. — You got sharks, the Bicentennial, and a lot of anniversaries! Dig the TOP 13 COVERS OF MAY 1976 — RANKED: — 13. Ka-Zar #17, Marvel. This month’s requisite Jawsmania cover. — 12. Archie’s Pals ‘n’ Gals #107, Archie. You remember it as well as I do. This is exactly how high-school girls dressed in 1976. Exactly. I just don’t know who’s carrying the weed apple — Betty or Veronica. — 11. Creepy #81, Warren. The most demented Spy vs. Spy strip ever. — 10. Iron Fist #6, Marvel. I dig all the crazy, intersecting lines and angles by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia, and I love the Yu-Ti’s bemused hand gesture over his hood. But the real star is the unnamed colorist who brought just about the whole spectrum with them. — 9. Emergency! #2, Charlton. Eye-catching painted cover by Joe Staton. Again with the color! The Randolph Mantooth corner logo should be on a T-shirt. — 8. House of Mystery #244, DC. Horror covers were a dime a dozen, so to find one that is actually bona fide terrifying is really special. I’m a big fan of Luis Dominguez anyway, but this really taps into that ’70s cult-panic zeitgeist. Superb colors by the late Tatjana Wood, whose starkly red demon plays off the ghostly acolytes so well. Dynamite. — 7. Ragman #1, DC. Ragman was such an odd idea. Nice, unorthodox panel cover by Joe Kubert. I’m betting this was also Wood colors. Oh, and “tatterdemalion” literally means “ragged or disreputable in appearance.” — 6. Green Lantern #90, DC. The triumphant return of Green Lantern/Green Arrow! Mike Grell is second only to Neal Adams as far as GL/GA goes, even if Hal Jordan’s pose is on the wooden side here. It’s a very popular cover but it’s that detail that takes points off for me. — 5. The X-Men #100, Marvel. One of the seminal X-covers of the Bronze Age and, like GL/GA above, I’m sure a number of you would top the list with it. But heroes running at each other on a cover...
BRONZE AGE BONANZA: Three covers by the King! Plus, Buckler! Aparo! 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. — Jack Kirby puts up a trio, Rich Buckler gets bold, and Jawsmania continues! Dig the TOP 13 COVERS OF APRIL 1976 — RANKED: — 13. Batman Family #6, DC. Not the best Batman Family cover but I’ve already pretty much said that every issue will make this list on sheer sentimental principle. That it’s the first appearance of the Joker’s Daughter – the best baddie of the entire series – only enhances my case. (Side note: In my imagination, Hudson University and New Carthage were stand-ins for small cities in upstate New York, with ancient names like Rome and Troy. Ithaca is home to the Ivy League’s Cornell University, as well as the respected Ithaca College. But Bob Rozakis, the series’ most influential creative force, effectively made Hudson U. a DC Comics analogue to the writer/editor’s Long Island alma mater, Hofstra University – which features the “Unispan” illustrated by Ernie Chan on the cover.) — 12. Secret Romance #39, Charlton. Um. Hmm. She’s, uh, really into that call, isn’t she? — 11. Skull the Slayer #6, Marvel. This month’s Jawsmania entry. — 10. Adventure Comics #446, DC. With the July cover dates upon us, comics went all in on the Bicentennial, which dominated the pop-culture landscape in so many ways, and for so much of the year. The great irony of this Jim Aparo cover, though, is that the King of Atlantis is among the least likely of the Justice Leaguers to be such an American flag waver. — 9. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! #62, Gold Key. When in doubt, pick a batshit George Wilson cover. — 8. Planet of the Apes #21, Marvel. I’ve seen Conquest of the Planet of the Apes many, many times, but I don’t recall any scene involving an overheated gorilla and a buxom blonde. Earl Norem must have had Kongmania on the mind. Or something. — 7. The Invaders #7, Marvel. You can never go wrong with a Baron Blood appearance. This is his first. — 6. Tarzan Family #64, DC. Joe Kubert giving a master class on how to...
Your clearinghouse for the first full year of the Bronze Age…