Posted By Dan Greenfield on Apr 12, 2026 | 5 comments

BRONZE AGE BONANZA: Three covers by the King! Plus, Buckler! Aparo! MORE!

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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.

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Jack Kirby puts up a trio, Rich Buckler gets bold, and Jawsmania continues!

Dig the TOP 13 COVERS OF APRIL 1976 — RANKED:

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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.

Ernie Chan

(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.)

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12. Secret Romance #39, Charlton. Um. Hmm. She’s, uh, really into that call, isn’t she?

Art Cappello

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11. Skull the Slayer #6, Marvel. This month’s Jawsmania entry.

John Buscema pencils, Mike Esposito inks

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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.

Jim Aparo

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9. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! #62, Gold Key. When in doubt, pick a batshit George Wilson cover.

George Wilson

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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.

Earl Norem

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7. The Invaders #7, Marvel. You can never go wrong with a Baron Blood appearance. This is his first.

Jack Kirby pencils, Frank Giacoia inks, with some tweaks by John Romita

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6. Tarzan Family #64, DC. Joe Kubert giving a master class on how to illustrate a Giant cover touting multiple stories. That main image is really striking, despite its truncated size, and the background details aren’t just an added bonus, they enhance the whole package, giving everything cohesion and a sense of style. Really well done.

Joe Kubert

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5. Captain America #199, Marvel. See entry No. 4.

Kirby and Giacoia

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4. Tarzan #251, DC. See entry No. 3.

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez

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3. Spidey Super Stories #17, Marvel. Spidey Super Stories gave us its share of memorable covers, and this cleanly drawn Bicentennial-themed team-up between Spider-Man and Captain America by John Romita is a good example.

John Romita

I couldn’t help but notice how, coincidentally, two other covers this month boasted a similar construction, even if the particulars are quite different. Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez’s Tarzan cover is also framed by two “characters” coming at the reader, while Jack Kirby’s Captain America upends the same concept – literally – by blowing up Cap and the Falcon real good.

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2. Astonishing Tales #36, Marvel. Superb cover by Rich Buckler. Clearly influenced by Jim Steranko, it’s bold in its own right and sends the series out with a bang. (Though an Issue #37 had been planned.) Masterful coloring job by whoever did it. I wish I knew. I wouldn’t be surprised if this makes the year’s TOP 13 list as a Wild Card entry.

Rich Buckler

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1. The Eternals #1, Marvel. I kind of find it easy to take this Jack Kirby cover for granted because it’s so Kirby. But it, pardon the pun, rocks. Taking full advantage of the mid-1970s fascination with ancient space aliens – thank you, Erich von Daniken – the King gives us a stone god of striking, unsettling, awe.

Kirby and Giacoia

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MORE

— The TOP 13 COVERS of MARCH 1976 — RANKED. Click here.

— BRONZE AGE BONANZA: The 1976 INDEX. Click here.

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Comics sources: Mike’s Amazing World of Comics and the Grand Comics Database.