If you are going to catch a reader’s attention, the comic book cover is the best place to do it. Over the decades, some really great covers have appeared on the stands at local comic shops around the world. Some have definitely been better than others, and some have become so iconic that they will never leave our collective consciousness.
Stephen Schleicher
Stephen Schleicher began his career writing for the Digital Media Online community of sites, including Digital Producer and Creative Mac covering all aspects of the digital content creation industry. He then moved on to consumer technology, and began the Coolness Roundup podcast. A writing fool, Stephen has freelanced for Sci-Fi Channel's Technology Blog, and Gizmodo. Still longing for the good ol' days, Stephen launched Major Spoilers in July 2006, because he is a glutton for punishment. You can follow him on Twitter @MajorSpoilers and tell him your darkest secrets...
11 Comments
I voted for the Crisis cover. It’s way cool and it tells a story. And I remember that when it came out. I was actually shocked and surprised.
-JoeM
The Dark Knight cover is simple, stream-lined, eye-catching, and dramatic. It’s a modern masterpiece of original composition that doesn’t need to rely upon copying past tropes, like a Pieta, for its inspiration.
Oh, and the Crisis cover is not even an original composition for a comic book cover of its era. The main pose is virtually identical to the cover of X-men 136, for the death of Phoenix five years earlier. And a quick google search has shown me that even this one is likely drawing on an older comic cover, like maybe Lois Lane 128.
I think the ur example is Batman #156, ‘Robin Dies At Dawn’, from waaaay back in ’63.
Exactly. Not particularly an original. And apparently, Perez claimed to have been referencing Thor 127, so he knew it, too.
CoIE #7 has so much emotion in its cover. It draws you in.
I know that Dark Knight Returns is one of the earlier cases of dark, gritty Batman, but looking at these from a modern day perspective where that’s all we’ve been getting for the last several years I have to vote for the more colourful and emotional Crisis cover here (and Dark Knight is the only one of these two that I’ve actually read so I feel that’s saying something)
The DKR cover has a mysterious allure to it. The other cover is great, but there is something to the DKR cover’s simplicity that works for me. All the imitations since just don’t come close. And I say this as someone who isn’t a huge Batman fan.
Tough choice for me, but as much as I’d like to lean into the Batman hate, that TDK cover is a masterpiece of graphic design, and I can’t not vote for it.
I can’t believe this is even close! The DKR cover is (one of, if not the) most iconic cover in comic book history. I don’t think that CoIE cover is even the best of the CoIE covers! It’s too busy and poorly inked and colored (even for its era).
I Vote Crisis.
I am such a sucker for George Perez Art.
Nobody mashes a bunch of characters together like this man.