Posted by Dan Greenfield on Jan 18, 2026
The TOP 13 COVERS of JANUARY 1976 — RANKED
BRONZE AGE BONANZA: A comics landmark puts a stamp on the start of the feature’s seventh year! ADAMS! KUBERT! GIORDANO! 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. — It’s a new year for BRONZE AGE BONANZA! Our seventh! Let’s get right to it: Dig the TOP 13 COVERS OF JANUARY 1976 — RANKED: — 13. Detective Comics #458, DC. This isn’t actually my favorite Batman cover this month. This one is. But I absolutely cannot ignore the debut of the silliest Detective Comics logo ever, with that gigantic head that doesn’t look like the Masked Manhunter as much as it does an Easter Island statue. To add insult to injury, the glorious, original Detective Comics logo sits right above it. (Professor Paul Levitz believes Ernie Chan — who did the cover — probably did the Bat-head. If you know differently, say so in the comments.) — 12. Superboy #216, DC. One of the best-known Legion covers of the ’70s, pretty much because everyone agrees that Tyroc was a poorly conceived, stereotypical mess of a character. Even Mike Grell, who drew this cover, wasn’t a fan. — 11. Captain America #196, Marvel. Cap is a little too awkward looking and the truncated image size doesn’t help, but big props to the King for giving us a Rollerball riff. (“Jonathan! Jonathan! Jonathan!” Or, better yet, “Steve! Steve! Steve!”) — 10. Ghostly Haunts #49, Charlton. Tom Sutton did some scaryass covers for Charlton in the ’70s. This just might be the scaryassest. — 9. Spidey Super Stories #16, Marvel. The Jawsmania cover of the month — and one of the best, even if it is a note-for-note parody. — 8. Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes, Warner Books/Crown Publishers. This and No. 7 (below) share a lot of the same design DNA but from different angles. As a DC and Neal Adams devotee, my heart picks this one but I think the other one works just a little bit better. — 7. The Avengers #146, Marvel. This and No. 8 (above) share a lot of the same design DNA but from different angles. As a DC and Neal Adams devotee, my heart picks that one but I...
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