BRONZE AGE BONANZA: Take a bite out of these by Grell! Romita! Newton! And 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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You’ll detect a theme when you get there.
Dig the TOP 13 COVERS OF NOVEMBER 1975 — RANKED:
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13. Adam-12 #10, Gold Key. Not the first time I’ve pointed this out, but Gold Key’s Adam-12 covers were way more interesting than the show itself.
Jack Sparling
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12. Power Man #29, Marvel. Not the first time anyone’s pointed this out, but everybody laughs at Mr. Fish. Bonus points for the sidearm.
Ron Wilson pencils. Tom Palmer inks
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11. Marvel Chillers #3, Marvel. Because I think Kerry Callen would quit the site if I didn’t include this.
Howard Chaykin pencils, Bernie Wrightson inks
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10. The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19, Marvel. Not as, ahem, striking as John Byrne’s famed cover from 1976, but still a really swell job by Bob Larkin.
Bob Larkin
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9. Superman #296, DC. A Superman trope but the simplicity of this design makes this a particularly memorable take.
Bob Oksner
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8. Planet of the Apes #16, Marvel. Ken Barr does an outstanding job reminding us that even though the world blew up at the end of Beneath, Escape was far, far more tragic.
Ken Barr
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7. The Witching Hour #62, DC. Oldest gag in the horror-comic bag of tricks: Innocent couple (or kids, or whoever) are about to turn the corner only to find something awful waiting for them. Except that Luis Dominguez elevates this one BECAUSE GOOD LORD, WHAT THE HELL, MAN??
Luis Dominguez
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6. Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-43, DC. Coming soon as a Facsimile Edition to a comics shop near you.
Curt Swan pencils, Oksner inks
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5. Marvel Treasury Edition #8, Marvel. Giving the edge to this Christmas treasury because Nick Fury is wearing the dumbest outfit of his life and he’s about to burn the tree down as soon as he turns to the right, with that big cigar sticking out of his maw.
John Romita
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4. Ghost Rider #16, Marvel. Jawsmania was hitting comics in the fall because of the lead time it took from when the movie became an absolute blockbuster in the summer. Marvel goes right for it with “In the Gripping Tradition of JAWS!”
Ed Hannigan and Dave Cockrum pencils, Cockrum inks
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3. Action Comics #456, DC. But DC was not to be outdone. They took no chances whatsoever and just aped the instant-classic movie poster.
Mike Grell
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2. Mad #180, EC. Oh, forget it. Mad and Mort Kunstler had them both beat. I gotta tell you, all kidding aside, I struggled with putting these three at 4-3-2 instead of 3-2-1, and the reason is that this cover isn’t just an on-the-spot satire, it’s one of the most memorable Mad covers of the decade, at least. You really could make a strong argument for this in the top slot. Except…
Mort Kunstler
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1. The Phantom #69, Charlton. …I couldn’t resist going with the dark horse. Don Newton’s painted Phantom cover is picture-perfect pulp, with a warm color scheme and uncomplicated construction that makes you stare. It’s really quite beautiful. And Newton wasn’t a prolific cover artist, so I wanted to take this opportunity to tip the brush to an artist who, if he hadn’t died so young, would probably be considered an all-time great. (Maybe Mad #180 will make the TOP 13 COVERS OF 1975 list as a wild card. That’s coming soon enough.)
Don Newton
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MORE
— The TOP 13 COVERS of OCTOBER 1975 — RANKED. Click here.
— BRONZE AGE BONANZA: The 1975 INDEX. Click here.
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Comics sources: Mike’s Amazing World of Comics and the Grand Comics Database.
November 16, 2025
In my opinion, the early seventies was the true golden age of comic book art. Romita’s art in particular stands up as being just as good,or even superior to most of today’s comic art, especially since he did not have the luxury of computers and modern technology that todays artists utilize.
November 16, 2025
What wonderful choices! Yes, I remember most of them and the Christmas covers are delightful; Cain on the Sleigh cracks me up every time! I never got into the Phantom but I agree with your pick of it for the top slot. The cover is perfect with Newton’s choices for line, color, composition and where to put that sword! Thank you again for this feature!
November 16, 2025
Apologies to the late Mr Newton but those Jaws covers needed to be 3-2-1. Superman and Mad are two of the most memorable covers in either title’s 70s run.
November 16, 2025
Please feel free to feature Don Newton as much as you like and to put him at the top of as many lists as you can. That Phantom cover you chose is great, but the cover to Issue 74 is even better and quite iconic. Hopefully, you get around to showing us the top covers of January 1977.
November 16, 2025
Oh, believe me. This feature isn’t going anywhere. You just have to wait until January 2027 for that one!
November 16, 2025
Even though I never got my hands on them as a kid, I recall the in-house ads for both Marvel and DC’s Xmas treasuries. They evoke some Yuletide nostalgia for that era!
November 16, 2025
I know Don Newton only did a handful of Phantom covers, but I’d love to see a birthday salute with some of his great interior pages as well.
November 16, 2025
Huh. First time in a long, long time, far as I recall, Gil Kane wasn’t on a Top 13 covers of the month list at least once.
That Marvel Chillers cover cracks me up. Pencils by my longtime pal, the frequently brilliant Howard Chaykin, with inks by Berni Wrightson, whose pen could turn anything to gold, & it somehow still manages to be a pretty terrible cover… I think that one’s getting by mainly on credentials…
November 17, 2025
Nah, it’s getting by mainly because of this: https://13thdimension.com/classic-covers-re-imagined-tigras-first-solo-comic-50-years-later/
Kerry loves Tigra!
November 17, 2025
But, boy, you might be right about Kane. I wonder if I’ve ever left him off before!
November 17, 2025
Don’t have time to do the math but, I suspect this was around the time he was trying to launch a newspaper strip. Maybe? Or, just a vacation even.