:: The Silver State Chronicles ::

Jim Steranko Draws The Quintessential Captain America

Well, I had some fun yesterday with the newest superhero on the scene, Barack America!  So I got to thinking a bit and realized I haven’t written an entry in the Greatest Comic Covers series since May 13, 2008!

Since the next entry in that series would be the milestone 25th entry, I decided to get on it posthaste!

It’s common knowledge that I am a big Silver Age Marvel fan.  In fact, I consider that era in comics to be the Rolls Royce of comics - it’s doubtful we will ever see that kind of creativity and synergy in comics ever again.  Under the sure hand of Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Jack Kirby, the Marvel Universe was born and comics would never be the same.

That being said, quite a bit of new talent hit the scene in that era.  One of the most notable is the legendary Jim Steranko.  His run on Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD was groundbreaking, but he also contributed quite a bit to the legend of Captain America, too.  That brings us to the classic cover of Captain America #111, Tomorrow You Live, Tonight I Die!”

In the issue, Captain America survives a Hydra assassination attempt and then gets to work training Rick Jones for his role as the new Bucky. Rick is unfortunately kidnapped by Hydra and used to bait Captain America into a trap, but Rick escapes in time to witness the apparent demise of Captain America at the hands of Hydra agents!

They just don’t make them like this anymore.  Enjoy!

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This just blows my mind

The Man of Steel is firmly established as Earth’s greatest superhero. The Last Son of Krypton has faced many challenges in his 70 year career, and each time he has persevered and triumphed.

Which makes the cover of Superman # 261 all the more puzzling. This 1973 comic presents such a striking and startling image that I had to add it to our collection of Greatest Comic Covers.

WOW! I never thought I would ever see such a scene! And I think that’s Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen in the lower right, equally astonished!

Needless to say, this cover makes my mind race at about 200 MPH! After a quick drink and cigarette, my wits are usually restored. The baddie is none other than the forgettable Star Sapphire, and she seems to take a perverse delight in getting The Man of Steel to worship her boots. And heaven help us, it doesn’t appear that ol’ Superman is entirely against the concept!

I must confess that Star Sapphire does have lovely long legs and very nice boots! Mother of Mercy!

In any event, I have no doubt that this cover warped the sensibilities of tens of thousands of youth back in the early 1970s. I know that’s how it worked out for me.

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Amazing Armor, It’s Iron Man

Back in the early 1960s, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and others were blazing new trails in comic history as they were ushering in what would be known as The Marvel Age of Comics. Their creativity and output was at a peak, and numerous classic characters broke onto the scene, changing comic books forever!

At the time, Marvel published several weird tales/fantasy/science fiction comics. Among those titles was Tales of Suspense, an anthology series comprised of short stories usually dealing with a monster or other supernatural theme. Well, with great characters like The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man forming the cornerstone of the Marvel Universe, the wizards at Marvel decided to create a new hero for Tales of Suspense - The Invincible Iron Man!

So since Iron Man will enjoy a major movie release in just a few weeks on May 2nd, I decided to feature Tales of Suspense #39 in the Greatest Comic Covers series. That’s the origin and 1st appearance of Iron Man!

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The Early Days of the Dark Knight

Fans of The Batman know that he hit the scene in Detective Comics #27, published in 1938, just a short while after Superman made his first appearance (and changed comic book history) in Action Comics #1.

Writer/Artist Bob Kane is given credit for creating The Batman, though much of the more enduring Batman mythos was either created (or co-created, depends who you believe) by Bill Finger, a largely unheralded figure in comics history for many decades.

Well, when Kane was handling his duties on Batman in the earliest issues of Detective Comics, the results were crude and uneven. The art was sub-par, even for its era. The stories were dull and uninteresting. Batman himself was a different character than most are familiar with today - he packed a gun, for example, and wasn’t shy about using it.

Indeed, I have maintained for years that if the Bill Finger contributions had not been made, Batman would have faded into the past and largely forgotten, like most of the Golden Age comic book characters.

But in any event, Bob Kane did deliver one of the greatest comic book covers of all time with his cover for Detective Comics #31, which is a lot more stylish than the much more popular cover of Detective Comics # 27.

This comic features the first appearance of a character called The Monk, a vampire who wore a red gown and hood, and caused all sorts of trouble for The Batman. Indeed, The Monk story was The Batman’s first extended adventure, as the storyline lasted more than one comic. At the end of their battles, The Batman shot The Monk with a silver bullet, ending the vampire’s existence.

The Monk remained unseen for several decades, only returning to action in 1982 in Detective Comics # 515.

Pretty forgettable stuff, truthfully, but one of my favorite comic book covers of all time! Enjoy!

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Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

Leave it to the Dark Knight Detective to have to tangle with a British musical group that’s almost identical to The Beatles!

Seems like some kind of murder mystery based on the rumor/innuendo that Paul McCartney had died way back in day, and was replaced in the group by a lookalike.

Enjoy!

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The World’s Mightiest Mortal

My dad grew up during the Great Depression, and while kids in his generation were generally poor, that’s not to say they didn’t have great imaginations and managed to have fun! Whether it was old time radio, the pulps, or movie serials, escapist fun helped distract kids of all ages from the problems that faced our great nation!

One of the great past times of that era was comic books. Indeed, the period from the late 1930s through the 1940s is affectionately considered the Golden Age of Comics. And in many ways, gold was spun with the adventures of Superman, Batman, The Green Lantern, Captain America, The Human Torch, The Sub Mariner, and more!

To be fair, much of the comic output of this era isn’t very good. While the characters were larger than life, and planted seeds that would grow into full bloom decades later, the stories were simple and the art was often crude. Genuine wit was scarce.

There was one notable exception.

CC Beck’s Captain Marvel is my personal favorite Golden Age comic character. Everything about the character and his different comic titles holds up well even in the 21st Century. The art is crisp, the characters and situations are smart and funny, and the whole approach was memorable.

Make Mine Captain Marvel!

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The Greatest Evil Worm Of All Time

A short while back, I was on a giant evil worm kick, featuring the covers of The Thing # 15 and Spellbound # 3 in this series of Greatest Comic Covers. Well, there’s no way I could not give equal time to the greatest comic book worm of all time, Captain Marvel’s nemesis Mr. Mind!

Though not a giant worm, Mr. Mind is an average sized worm of giant intellect! He confounded Captain Marvel on many occasions, most notably leading the original Monster Society of Evil in their war against the Big Red Cheese and his Marvel Family!

So enjoy this great cover, Captain Marvel Adventures # 29! Here’s to you, Mr. Mind!

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Truth, Justice, & The American Way

Back in a time before angst and self loathing became the dominant cultural theme, Superman was a shining icon for patriotism. He didn’t take a backseat during World War 2, fighting Nazis and Japanese whenever he could!

This leads us to one of the great, classic comic book covers of the 1940s - Superman # 14, dated January-February 1942. The Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbor and the USA shifted from a peacetime to wartime economy.

The nation was mobilizing, and the Man of Steel was along for the ride!

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Man of Steel & Man of Mirth

Yes, way back in 1968 Marvel Comics was setting new standards in comic books - dynamic characters, innovative stories, and fantastic art. Indeed, in many ways 1968 was the peak of the Marvel Age of Comics!

Yet down the street, DC was still stuck somewhere in the early 1950s. Standalone stories, stale characters, dull situations, and absurd contrivances. DC seemed pleased to appeal to 8 year olds and not look beyond that narrow vision. I can;t say it wasn’t successful - I believe DC had the edge in sales into the 1970s. The crew in charge just figured if it wasn’t broken, there was no need to fix it.

That brings us to this classic comic book cover - The Adventures of Jerry Lewis # 105! This classic comic features the long-awaited team up between Superman and ol’ Jerry!!!

Evidently, Roger C Carmel decided to wear some tight purple pants and a strange green shirt and hold up poor Jerry with a Tommy Gun! And somehow, he has surmised that Superman’s secret identity is indeed movie funnyman Jerry Lewis.

Lets just say Marvel’s bad guys were a lot more on the ball!

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Does Whatever A Spider Can

Marvel Comics was building a creative, dynamic universe in the early 60s, with innovations on many fronts. One of the most popular titles of that era was, of course, The Amazing Spider-Man. Under the talented hand of Steve Ditko and the creative force of Stan Lee, Spider-Man captured fans’ imagination and crafted an unusual super hero for that era.

But some changes were in the works. After just over a three year run, the art duties of Spider-Man would be transferred to the talented John Romita, Sr. Under his art direction, Spider-Man would truly come into his own and that particular vision of the hero remained the dominant image for decades.

The switch was to coincide with a big turning point in Spider-Man’s life. The Amazing Spider-Man #39 would be Romita’s first issue, and it would also culminate a story line involving The Green Goblin, Spider-Man’s arch foe. The cover tells it all - The Goblin is seemingly victorious, and has evidently discovered Spider-Man’s secret identity!

This is pretty heavy stuff for the mid 1960s! In any event, it’s one of the greatest comic stories of all time, and easily one of the greatest comic book covers of all time! Enjoy!

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