2016 Advent Calendar --- day 23

Another collection of classic comic book covers.  This time I chose covers of comic collections.

My favorite superhero story, with the most beautiful superhero art of any comic, by David Mazzucchelli.  And this cover just epitomized the simple beauty of his linework. 

THE classic X-Men story, with a cover from Bill Sienkiewicz.  Come on.

A painted George Perez cover. I love the design of this cover, as well as Perez's sharp linework. Great

Dave McKean's covers for Sandman are breathtaking.  And each of the collections has its own distinct feel.  I went with "The Wake" because I love the metaphorical image the centers it all.  

Scott Morse is one of my all-time favorite comic creators.  Soulwind is his magnum opus.  As with Watchmen, I really loved the design of the covers for the five books of Soulwind--simple but elegant.

2016 Advent Calendar --- day 16

Another Friday, with another fistful of comic book covers for this Advent Calendar.

An all-time favorite comic series, from my childhood of the 80s, with an iconic Luke McDonnell image of Deadshot, who became a huge hit thanks to Suicide Squad.  

One of the comic series that announced to the world that "comics weren't just for kids, anymore."  The simplicity of this cover is what makes it so amazing. Art by Miller, color by Varley.

Walt Simonson on Thor.  'nuff said.

Don Lomax's Vietnam Journal is a touchstone comic book series, for me.  I've written about it recently.  Search on Vietnam Journal, then seek out the collected editions for these. Amazing.

Not just an iconic image, but an iconic cover design (the title goes up the side?!?).  I spent a year analyzing Moore & Gibbons's Watchmen.  If you've read it, you might give that a try.  If not, this needs to be the next thing on your to-read list.  A defining work from two legends.

2016 Advent Calendar --- day 9

It's another Fistful Friday, with another selection of favorite and/or iconic comic book covers from my collection.  Enjoy.

The series that got me started collecting comics, and the story that revealed some of the origin of my favorite character, Snake-Eyes.  Love, love, love this comic!

Peter David.  Todd McFarlane. Hulk.  Wolverine.  One of my top 5 superhero comics.  

The greatest long-form comic series of all time?  Possibly.  Los Bros Hernandez have created a fully-realized world in L&R, with characters who grow old and evolve. Brilliant!

For a long time, my favorite long-form comic series.  The story of the Dream Lord, from Neil Gaiman and his talented cohort of artists, is amazing.  And the covers, by Dave McKean, are just flat-out gorgeous and elevate the entire thing to a whole new level.  

Love the book, and the cover design by Owen, with that "marbled" background.

2016 Advent Calendar --- day 2

Anyone who has read this blog knows I'm a huge fan of comic books.  As part of this Advent Calendar, and inspired by the In the Mouth of Dorkness podcast, I want to share 5 (A Fistful Of...) comic book covers that are either iconic, in general, or special to me, personally.  So, here's the first collection.  Enjoy.

Charles Vess doing "black costume" Spider-Man...come on.

This cover, by Mike Zeck, is so iconic.  Got me to pick up this issue and I stayed with the book for a few years.  

My favorite superhero artist, George Pérez, drawing my favorite superhero, in what many would define as the Flash's finest moment.  This was the book---when I read the description of its contents in the Mile High catalog [Flash dies?!?]---that introduced me to Pérez.  I never looked back.  

The first comic book I remember, specifically, buying because of the cover art.  John Byrne was "The Man" in the 80s, my golden age of comics, and this was the book that reintroduced the Flash.  I had no idea who Darkseid was, but this image was so compelling, I had to find out what was going on.

Bill Sienkiewicz.  'Nuff said.