BRONZE AGE BONANZA: A big month for the King! PLUS: Byrne! Kane! Kubert! 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 takes everyone to school with three this month, plus standouts by Howard Chaykin, John Byrne, Gil Kane and more.
Dig the TOP 13 COVERS OF JUNE 1976 — RANKED:
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13. Daredevil #137, Marvel. This month’s requisite Jawsmania cover. Good lord, what a stretch.
John Buscema pencils, possible Jim Mooney inks
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12. Everything’s Archie #50, Archie. Finally, an objectifying swimsuit cover featuring the guys!
Pencils unknown, possible Stan Goldberg inks
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11. Beetle Bailey #118, Charlton. That time Beetle taught Sarge all about huffing.
Possibly a Mort Walker ghost
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10. Secret Romance #40, Charlton. There is no question in my mind that Art Cappello and the tricksters at Charlton shaded the dude’s left leg to make it look like his pecker was standing at attention. I cannot be persuaded otherwise.
Art Cappello
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9. The Joker #9, DC. Ah, the end of the line for this misbegotten-yet-really fun series. Nice, solid cover with two of Batman’s biggest baddies, but this is more a sentimental pick than anything. I could just have easily selected this or this.
Ernie Chan
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8. Blitzkrieg #5, DC. The end of the line for another misbegotten series. I know the point was to show how cruel the Nazis were and how their victims suffered, but your typical mainstream reader just wasn’t going to go in for a comic about sadism. Nevertheless, Joe Kubert’s covers were outstanding (of course). The Comics Code didn’t have a problem with this, though, huh?
Joe Kubert
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7. The Invaders #8, Marvel. Union Jack was introduced the issue before — he was created by writer Roy Thomas and interiors artist Frank Robbins — but this is his first cover appearance and it’s bold Kirby all the way. I’ve always dug this costume, too.
Jack Kirby pencils, Frank Giacoia inks
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6. The Tomb of Dracula #48, Marvel. Gene Colan and Tom Palmer were doing their best covers at this point in the classic series. This image is your basic vampire trope but these two pros still managed to make it next level.
Gene Colan pencils, Tom Palmer inks
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5. Captain America #201, Marvel. Kirby goes from poster-style with The Invaders #8 to moody and surrealistic with Cap #201. The Falcon looks especially great here, with his wings spread dramatically. The King’s Captain America streak continues too — the series has made BRONZE AGE BONANZA every month this year.
Kirby and Giacoia
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4. Kid Colt Outlaw #210, Marvel. Fantastic composition by Gil Kane. It starts with the Dutch angle but the sense of movement and drama is further enhanced by Kid’s body language, the horse’s head turn and spooked face, the ricocheting bullets, and the oddly complimentary color scheme. The lack of background details only put in focus Kane’s skills as a draftsman, one of the best ever.
Gil Kane
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3. Star*Reach #5. Mike Friedrich’s independent comic was doing things nobody else was in the ’70s. Howard Chaykin cuts loose on this wraparound.
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2. Jungle Action #23, Marvel. One of the most iconic images of the Black Panther ever, courtesy of rising star John Byrne, inked by Dan Adkins. It’s so good that I bet it suckered a lot of readers into buying the issue — which was a reprint. No wonder it still shows up on T-shirts.
John Byrne pencils, dan Adkins inks
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1. Marvel Treasury Special Featuring Captain America’s Bicentennial Battles #1, Marvel. Yeah, that actually is the book’s full, official title. Anyway, I kept going back and forth between this and Jungle Action but ultimately gave it to the King because this is a pitch-perfect cover for the Bicentennial, which was SUCH a big deal, much more so than what we’re seeing for the 250th. It was a major cultural moment and Kirby — with a little help from his friends Frank Giacoia, Marie Severin and John Romita — rose to the occasion, because of course he did.
Kirby and Giacoia, with assists from Marie Severin and John Romita
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MORE
— The TOP 13 COVERS of MAY 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.
June 14, 2026
Someone needs to get the rights to reprint the entire Star*Reach in one omnibus (Along with Imagine and Pudge the Girl Blimp).
June 14, 2026
I recall getting Daredevil #137 in one of those “plastic bags of three” that were sold at supermarkets at the time. It was a good issue and a well done conclusion to the DD vs. the Jester storyline. It was fun seeing some Mego action figures in the toy store that the Night People were ransacking in Captain America #201.