BRONZE AGE BONANZA: A very strong month! Romita! Aparo! Starlin! 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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I love months where you can credibly argue for any one of several covers to be the best. This is one of those.
Ready those debates, folks, and dig the TOP 13 COVERS OF NOVEMBER 1974 — RANKED:
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13. Archie Giant Series Magazine #230, Archie. Ah, a floating head cover. Best part is that Reggie looks like he’s about to fall into the fire — LIKE THE PITS OF HELL WHERE HE BELONGS.
Possible Stan Goldberg pencils. Jon D’Agostino inks.
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12. Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-34, DC. Just a sweet cover by Nick Cardy.
Nick Cardy
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11. Rima, the Jungle Girl #6, DC. I just can’t take my eyes off those two, adorable kittens.
Joe Kubert
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10. E-Man #7, Charlton. What the hell, Joe? Again?
Joe Staton
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9. The Grim Ghost #1, Atlas. Hey, Atlas in the house! This was the short-lived company’s first month on the stands and The Grim Ghost boasted the best cover. No wonder he’s got a new Mego figure.
Ernie Colon
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8. Ghost Rider #10, Marvel. Great sense of movement on this one, with the action focused in the center and a brilliant backdrop gradation of bright red, orange and yellow enhanced by those “power lines.” A Marvel hallmark, as you’ll see in a second. First appearance of that new and improved Ghost Rider corner image, too.
Ron Wilson pencils, Joe Sinnott inks
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7. Giant-Size Man-Thing #3, Marvel. Doesn’t it look like Dr. Strange’s ring thingy is bringing Man-Thing into the end of The Avengers: Endgame? And how cool would that have been?
Gil Kane pencils, Klaus Janson inks (with John Romita alterations)
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6. Detective Comics #445. Just your standard, great Jim Aparo Batman cover.
Jim Aparo
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5. Fightin’ Marines #121, Charlton. Damn, what a powerful painted cover by Pat Boyette. That low-flying plane! I kept looking to see if this was a reprinted cover because it doesn’t ring 1974, but no, it was new. (At least as far as I can tell.)
Pat Boyette
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4. Strange Tales #178, Marvel. Probably Jim Starlin’s best-known Warlock cover, right? And it was the start of his epic run. So, I wouldn’t fight you too hard if you wanted to move this higher.
Jim Starlin
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3. Ghostly Tales #113, Charlton. Sometimes, however, you just have to go with something completely out there bananas. What a fascinating company Charlton was, putting out covers like this and Fightin’ Marines #121 at the same time.
Tom Sutton
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2. Marvel Treasury Edition #3, Marvel. As I was saying about that Marvel hallmark. Glorious cover by John Romita and another where I wouldn’t fight you too hard if you wanted to put this at No. 1.
Romita
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1. The Amazing Spider-Man #141, Marvel. But when you’ve got Jazzy John putting Spidey up against five members of his rogues’ gallery — even if that’s an ersatz Mysterio and the others are illusions — you’re not going to get me to pick anything else for the top slot this month. And again with the color scheme!
Romita
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MORE
— The TOP 13 COVERS of OCTOBER 1974 — RANKED. Click here.
— BRONZE AGE BONANZA: The 1974 INDEX. Click here.
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Comics sources: Mike’s Amazing World of Comics and the Grand Comics Database.
November 17, 2024
I thought “those two adorable kittens” was an inappropriate euphemism until I scrolled down.
November 17, 2024
I plead guilty here too . . .
November 17, 2024
Charlton Comics of the 70s, especially the horror series, sometimes had an independent comics vibe. Perhaps because they employed some new talents.
November 17, 2024
John Romita, wow! I was kind of hoping for a Romita-centric omni from Marvel putting all his Spider-Man material into one place.
November 17, 2024
The Giant Size Man-Thing cover…
Weird that Man-Thing’s point of departure is a city roof top!
Also, that damsel in distress is Jennifer Kale, who has been re-imagined and is played by Sasheer Zamata in the Agatha All Along series.
November 17, 2024
I love the long legged Batman Aparo drew. He gave Batman a distinct body style.
I’ve said it before – since I heard that Aparo was rumored to be circling a Spider-Man story (or Marvel approached him, I don’t know the specifics) I’ve long thought what a cool thing that would have been to have seen. Aparo’s take on Spidey.
November 18, 2024
Thanks for including the Rima cover. For Christmas, I got that particular issue in one of those “old comics collections” that were in the Christmas catalog. I absolutely fell in love with Nestor Redondo’s artwork. Once the internet and eBay came along, I started collecting as many issues with his art as I could find.
November 19, 2024
I remember seeing the “Christmas With the Superheroes” everywhere (and in used stores years later!) And what really impresses me now about the Rima cover is her protective attitude. Yes, she’s hot but my eyes are also drawn to the innocent kittens.
November 19, 2024
Oh, did I not mention E-Man? I Looooove E-Man.
December 1, 2024
Yes, that’s a great Romita Spider-Man cover.