A 13 COVERS BIRTHDAY SALUTE to the acclaimed artist, who turns 79…
If Michael W. Kaluta drew it, chances are there’s some element of horror, the occult, or pulp. He was long a go-to cover artist on DC titles like House of Mystery, The Shadow, and Madame Xanadu, not to mention his spooky, ethereal interiors and creator-owned work. Even when he veered into superheroes, it was usually Batman, who fit right into that oeuvre.
But Kaluta — who was born Aug. 25, 1947 — has also done a whole bunch of mainstream hero covers you might have forgotten. Aquaman? Nightwing? Wonder Woman? Yep, yep, and yep.
Sure, some were one-offs, and many still were tinged with the things that go bump in the night, but for this year’s 13 COVERS birthday salute, we’ve decided to spotlight Kaluta’s (somewhat) lighter side.
All covers were pencilled and inked by Kaluta, except the first one, which was inked by Al Milgrom.
Dig it.
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MORE
— MORRISON MONDAYS: THE DOLL LADY — When MICHAEL W. KALUTA Drew a Story I Wrote. Click here.
— MICHAEL WILLIAM KALUTA: An Artist in Nobody’s Shadow. Click here.
August 25, 2026
I own a few of these. Very talented. Happy birthday!
August 25, 2026
I met Mike Kaluta once and did an Oz drawing for me and signed it. Of course, I complimented him. That was many years ago.
August 25, 2026
The reflection of the shooters in Wonder Woman’s bracelets, very nice.
August 25, 2026
I can’t help but delight in what I see as a kinship between that Action Weekly cover and Bernie Wrightson’s Swamp Thing # 7 cover.