Weird Western Tales #53 (1979)

Weird Western Tales was one of several titles DC offered in the 1970s as an alternative to the more standard spandex-clad hero fare. War, romance, mystery, and horror were other popular genres. Weird Western Tales is famous for its showcasing of Jonah Hex. However, the title also featured the Native American hero Scalphunter, seen here arm-wrestling President Abraham Lincoln in what was, presumably, a fair contest to decide reservation boundaries and limitations of manifest destiny. The artistry of Dick Ayers delivers a cover featuring the sinewy determination of the story's Old West hero.

Swamp Thing #1 (1972)

Swamp Thing, created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, presents a mixture of the macabre and marvelous in the character of scientist Alec Holland who finds himself transformed into the titular muck-encrusted hero in this first issue from 1972. Centered in the swamps of Louisiana, the bayou hero would undergo major transformations at the hands of successive artists like Gerry Conway and Alan Moore. Nevertheless, it is Bernie Wrightson's orignal concept art shown here which summarizes the fusion of humanity and nature that would be the series's longstanding draw.

Kamandi #1 (1972)

Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth is another example of the timeless art and creativity of Jack Kirby. This series, produced during Kirby's time with DC comics, presents an alternate timeline of Earth where humanity is an endangered species and animals have mutated and evolved to become the dominant, warring rulers of the planet. On this cover for issue 1, the clear lines and classic Kirby characterization are evident, accented by the inks and letters of Mike Royer.

Justice League International, depending on your taste, may be considered the lowest point in the Justice League canon or a hilarious alternative to the usual self-referential continuity. As evidence, consider issue twenty-two of the series. As part of the late 1980s DC "Invasion" crossover, we find the Justice League's diminutive butler Oberon defending the headquarters alone against a miniaturized alien invasion force. Employing weapons both conventional and not (for instance a fork and microwave), the steadfast dwarf repels the first strike of an extraterrestrial occupying force single-handedly. The pencils of Kevin Maguire and the inks of Joe Rubinstein portray the tongue-in-cheek violence of the story that, along with a general goofy portrayal of spandex-clad heroes, defines the series.

The Mighty Thor #126 (1966)

Iconic characters spring from the minds of iconic creators. Such is the case of The Mighty Thor, brainchild of comics legend Jack Kirby. As the cover of issue #126 aptly demonstrates Kirby's classic style translates particularly well to the revitalization of mythology to the modern age. Demigod trappings abound and otherworldly sinews strain as the Asgardian prince pits his Norse strength against the ancient Greek might of Hercules. Vince Colletta's inks bring the toil of combat to vivid life, as the titans cause the Earth to tremble in their battle for the affections of Jane Foster.

Atom and Hawkman #40 (1968)

DC Comics has a long tradition of pairing heroes to boost sales of flagging titles or capitalize on popular trends: Superman & Batman, Green Arrow & Green Lantern, even Hawk & Dove. One famous, albeit short-lived pairing, was the seven issue run of Atom and Hawkman of the late 1960s. Elevating two B-list heroes to a level of popularity normally unachievable for either outside of their involvement in the Justice League of America. The enduring quality of the team-up owes much of its memorability to the unforgettable pencils and inks provided by Joe Kubert, as evidinced by this forced perspective cover. Hawkman looms larger than life, almost belittling the raging storm elements, cradling the crumpled forms of Atom and, for scale, a wounded bird.

Doctor Strange #14 (1976)

Continuing a storyline begun in Tomb of Dracula #44 from the same year, readers find the Master of the Mystic Arts, Doctor Strange confronting the Lord of the Vampires, Dracula. The cover by Gene Colan and Tom Palmer draws a casual glance closer immediately, as the vampire gloats disdainfully over the seemingly vanquished sorcerer (mockingly referring to Stephen Strange as a "magician"), all the while unaware that the battle is far from over as the good Doctor's astral form prepares to renew the conflict. The fluid lines and exaggerated facial expressions convey completely the free-wheeling Marvel mayhem of the mid-1970s, when mysticism and pop culture combined to revitalize staid storylines in the comics industry.

Star Wars Tales #6 (2000)

At the turn of the century, George Lucas consigned his beloved Star Wars universe to an abyssmal black hole of deconstructed continuity and overly digitized silliness with the release of the dishearteningly irrelevant prequel episodes.  Fans of the boundless imagination and strong narrative of the original film trilogy found hope, however, with the line of Star Wars comics published by Dark Horse Comics.  One such comic doing justice to the epic mythos that enthralled millions is issue six of Star Wars Tales.  This quarterly publication showcased adventures and backstories expanding faithfully upon the touchstones of the galaxy far, far away.  In this particular issue, readers are treated to a hauntingly moody encounter between Darth Vader and C-3PO that salvages actual drama from the improbable origins of the droid from Episode 1.  The issue's cover (by artist Kilian Plunkett) showcases this meeting with an "alas poor Yorick" moment between the Sith Lord and the golden droid.  

Justice League of America #21 (1963)

In this early adventure of the Justice League of America, readers are treated to a true gathering of champions with the first ever team-up between the JLA and the Justice Society of America.  When villians from both Earth-1, the mainstream Earth of DC continuity, and Earth-2, the alternate reality where the Golden Age heroes of the DC universe remained for years, combine forces and commit crimes across both universes, it is only the combined power of the premiere super teams of two universes that is capable of preserving justice and order.  This classic cover depicts the Justice League trapped in their headquarters and calling out across the dimensions to the Justice Society for assistance.  Penciler Mike Sekowsky, inker Murphy Anderson, and letterer Ira Schnapp bring together this seance-inspired, historic teaming of legends.  Notice especially the Martian Manhunter of the 1960s, which more resembles Lex Luthor with a digestive disorder than the Martian that fans of the Modern Era know so well.  

Alpha Flight #2 (1983)

Created as part of Wolverine's origin story in 1979's X-Men #120, John Byrne's Alpha Flight, one of comicdom's few Canadian super teams, received its own series in 1983.  The majority of the team's roster had distinctly Canadian traits or backstories, such as the Inuit influences behind the characters of Shaman and Snowbird.  The series had a fairly successful run for eleven years and has been the subject of more than one revival attempt, the most recent in 2007.  Byrne himself stayed with the series for the first twenty-eight issues serving as creator, writer, and artist during that tenure.  As part of that body of work, we have the cover of issue #2, showcasing the artist's deft handling of expression and multiple characters.  Note especially the contrast between the optimistic concern of the hirsute Puck and the brooding malignance of his troubled comrade, Marrina.

Tales to Astonish #13 (1960)

One among many of the iconic covers of Jack Kirby, Tales to Astonish #13 gives us Groot, the Monster from Planet X.  Memorable more for humor than horror, this classic image was birthed during the Mighty Marvel monster craze of the 1950s and 1960s.  Like only he could, Kirby conveyed an imposing menace with crisp lines and a forced perspective of a once proud metropolis crushed under the weight of Groot's massive, branching root system.  In an admittedly silly story, it is the timeless art of Jack Kirby that conveys all the mustered menace of an alien composed of wood.

Crime Suspenstories #22 (1954)

Published from 1950-1955 by E.C. Comics, Crime Suspenstories, though not as infamous as E.C.'s better known Tales From the Crypt, is still one of the most controversial comics titles of all time.  Along with other adult-themed titles of the 1950s, Crime Suspenstories was targeted for censorship by Comics Code Authority following Dr. Frederick Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent, which alledged that comics as a whole contributed to juvenile delinquency and the sexual perversion of minors.  Following a series of Senate subcommittee hearings, E.C. comics was forced out of business as the subject matter its core audience demanded could not be published in such a matter as to earn the Comics Code Authority seal of approval.  This cover by artist Johnny Craig represents a focal point of that controversial time.  

Batman #15 (Vol. 1, 1943)

Though a constant in the D.C. Universe for more than fifty years, Batman, perhaps more than any other comics character, has existed in a constant state of change.  The character's origin story, one of the most well-known in pop culture, has not even proven immune to re-imagining with this fall's Batman R.I.P. storyline.  That being said, some may cry foul and error at the cover image above depicting Batman happily manning a machine gun while Robin feeds ammo dutifully, as any young ward would.  Interestingly enough, Batman began his comics life using a gun.  In his early adventures in Detective Comics and the first several dozen issues of the Batman series, the Dark Knight frequently used guns of various sorts, even having a vehicle-mounted machine gun attached to an early model Bat-Plane.  So, it should not be surprising that with the American war effort against the Axis powers in full swing in 1943 that the Bat would frequently be shown, at least in cover art, as fighting in the same style as the US soldiers on the front line and encouraging those on the home front to buy war bonds.  In this case, it is the classic lines of cover artist Jack Burnley that portrays the Dynamic Duo happily doing their part for the war effort, capably shilling for war bonds and fighting the forces of facism at the same time. 

Tomb of Dracula #10 (1973)

"His Name Is...Blade!"

Before Blade became a box office sensation courtesy of Wesley Snipes, the vampire hunter made his debut in this 1973 issue of the milestone Tomb of Dracula horror comic.  Replete with 70s fashion and hairstyle, Blade made his first appearance sporting a bandoleer of sharpened wooden knives and a motivation for hunting the king of vampires entirely distinct and separate from the Harker/Van Helsing core group of characters.  As the character would grow and evolve over the decades, Blade would be brought into the more mainstream comic titles.  Yet, in 1973, it was this cover, artfully constructed by Gil Kane, that would introduce the world to the alternative vampire slayer:  black, independent, from the streets, and uniquely American, berating Dracula with 1970s slang while trying to end the vampire's reign of terror in the Marvel Universe.

Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (1986)

"Final Crisis"

DC Comics' seminal event of the 1980s, "Crisis on Infinite Earths" spanned the entire canonical history of the DC Universe, from the beginning of time to the very near end of all and combined the myriad dimensions, characters, and timelines crafted through DC history into one seamless whole.  At least that was the plan, though the resulting continuity would be revisted several times in the next twenty years.  Nevertheless, the original Crisis storyline was truly epic in scope, a comics milestone, and, most importantly, tremendously entertaining.  The finale of this mini-series was issue #12, chronicling the climactic battle between the nihlistic Anti-Monitor and virtually all the DC Universe's heroes and villains.  Bringing to illustrated life Marv Wolfman's paradigm shift, George Perez, Jerry Ordway, and Tom Ziuko create iconic images, beginning with this memorable cover work.  Befitting the scope of the final chapter of this saga (the issue includes the first appearance of Wally West as the Flash and the deaths of Kole and Earth-2's Robin and Huntress, along with many more superbeings and thousands upon thousands of normal human beings), the cover conveys the enormity of the battle to be fought while showcasing a host of characters, some of which would never be seen again.

Doom Patrol #89 (1964)

"The Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Menace"

Bruno Premiani illustrates the cover of this memorable Doom Patrol adventure, chronicling the first appearance of the Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man.  For those unfamiliar with this unique super-villain, please take another look at Premiani's cover art.  AVM is capable of transforming all or portions of his body into elements of animals, vegetables, or minerals.  In this issue alone we see the villain take the form of a paramecium, tarantula, sulphur giant, dandelion, and a horde of gnats.  The group of super-powered adventurers known as the original Doom Patrol were not willing heroes.  In fact, each member payed a terrible price for their individual powers:  Cliff Steele (Robot Man), a race car driver whose body was damaged beyond healing had his brain encased in a super-powered armored form, his existence continuing but his outward humanity lost forever; Larry Trainor (Negative Man), a test pilot whose exposure to suborbital atmospheric radiation destroyed his human frame as well, leaving him a being composed of lethal radioactive waves that could only be contained safely by the specially treated bandages he must always wear to live among other people without endangering them; and Rita Farr (Elasti-Girl) a beautiful actress who accidentally inhaled weird subterranean vapors while filming on location in Africa and found her body growing and shrinking uncontrollably, causing her to be an exile from the Hollywood community even after learning how to control her powers.  These three would be brought together by Niles Caulder (The Chief), a brilliant professor confined to a wheelchair, who convinced the group to use their powers for the greater good.  If you notice some similarity between the makeup of this group of misfits and Marvel's X-Men, you're not alone.  Though the Doom Patrol made their appearance three months before Marvel's mutants in 1963, there has long been a debate as to which publishing house originally had the idea of a group of supranormal outcasts defending a world that would never accept them.  Obviously, Marvel's X-Men would become the more critically acclaimed and profitable title.  However, it is worth remembering that before the X-Men faced Magento, and even before the Legion of Super-Heroes regularly embarked on adventures in the far-off future, a group of non-mutant, self-proclaimed "freaks" were already expanding the dysfunctional anti-hero family model.

Shazam! #1 (1973)

Originally published by Fawcett Comics from 1939-1953, Captain Marvel (affectionately known to his enemies and fans alike as the "big red cheese") was acquired as a licensed intellectual propery by DC Comics in 1972.  Interestingly, it was due to a copyright infringement lawsuit, claiming that Captain Marvel was a blatant and illegal infringement of the Superman character, that contributed to the end of the original run of Fawcett's premiere hero.  The first issue of this revival introduced the Fawcett universe as having been in suspended animation for 20 years before finally breaking free.  This explaination, already hackneyed and laughable in the early 1970s, was eventually edited out of continuity as the characters of Captain Marvel, the wizard Shazam, the Marvel family, and their rogues gallery progressed from an alternate universe entirely, to part of DC's multiverse, and then finally to a wholly owned franchise of DC Comics and inclusion within its complex paradigm.  In retrospect, this premiere issue (complete with a tacit endorsement from an ever-smug Superman) begins the Captain's long path back to respectability and relevance with art by C.C. Beck, Nick Cardy, and Murphy Anderson.

New Mutants #19 (1984)

"Siege"

Combining elements of Native American mythology, paranormal psychology, and extra-dimensional sorcery, New Mutants #19 delivered all the over-the-top action and unbridled imagination that made the early run of the New Mutants such a compelling buy.  Bill Sienkiewicz's cover masterfully depicts the young mutant heroes fighting a desperate battle against the Demon Bear of Dani Moonstar's nightmares.  The imposing visage of the bear, almost obscuring the moon and seemingly impervious to harm and the elements, only heightens the impact of the issue number inset illustrating the critically injured Moonstar, her life hanging in the balance of the battle her friends wage on her behalf.  

Web of Spiderman #32 (1987)

Part 4 of "Kraven's Last Hunt"

One of the most instantly recognizable Spidey covers of the 1980s.  The "Kraven's Last Hunt" storyline began shortly after the death of Ned Leeds and the marriage of Peter and Mary Jane.  The arc traced Kraven's victory over Spider-Man and Kraven's donning the Spider costume in an effort to exorcise his frustration and psychosis induced by countless defeats from the webslinger.  While the storyline saw the eventual death of Kraven, the compelling drama and tension of the series (as reflected in the cover and pencils of Mike Zeck) has made this storyline required reading for true Spidey fans and one of Marvel's finest of all time.