Dark Horse Presents #127, Dark Horse Comics, December 1977 – Artist: Dan Brereton.
What a great cover and I missed it on my 1st comb through. I actually had Kid Colt Outlaw #127 as my pick until Chris Meli showed me the dark light. That’s the 2nd time Chris has changed my mind, good eye.
Avengers #127 has that classic Avengers coming atchya scene. X-Force #127 is a cool cover and so is Fighting Marines #127.
A great comic book cover matching each day of the year, 1 through 365. Please chime in with your favourite corresponding cover, from any era.
Glad to be of service. I lingered on each of your other picks so my comments on those:
Kid Colt – I looked at it again because of the Undervalued Spotlight relationship, but I will only go with “good”, it is a bit too simple for me.
Avengers – This reminds me of my Romeo and Juliet story, of how the first time I read it it seemed hackneyed. Then I realized I had run into retreads of it so many times, and that it was the original. Looking at the dates, it looks like Kane swiped this Avengers for GSXM #1, so it could be a minor key given the connection to that monster. However I’m guessing that Avengers is a swipe of another earlier Kane cover. Can someone identify the ur-Kane “comin’ atchya” cover?
X-Force – I was this close to picking that one. The problem is my story criterion. Something is going on here, but I can’t tell from just looking at the cover – you have to have been reading the book.
Fighting Marines – I am chalking this up to your Charlton painted romance bias, it looks like this could have been by one of the same artists – I find it too blurry/muted.
#128 back to being pretty disappointing. I am going with Red Ryder with fingers crossed that the cover is original and not an outright steal from the cover of a paperback or something (it seems to me that reprint covers are cheating for this exercise). My runner up is Star Spangled War Stories – the dinosaurs vs. army is very old hat by this issue number, but this is one of the best covers. I don’t know if I would pick Tomahawk if I didn’t know what Adams can do, but since I do know, I can’t. Heart Throbs is great art, really tells a story, and I think we would all benefit if Miss Goody Two-Shoes would get with the program. Secret Hearts also has compelling art and tells a great story by making the reader surmise what it is.
Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane as a stand-alone cover has a lot going for it, but in context it is downright tiresome. I was going to complain more, but after a quick review it seems like this is only the second time that Superman “killed” Lois in this title.
I didn’t come up with any JOWA for this issue number, but I did like My Romantic Adventures’ “Musclemen Have No Souls!”
Dan Brereton lives nearby and in fact we just did order fulfillment for his latest Kickstarter book, Night Owls. I liked it so much our next catalog cover will be taken from it. Good choice!
In case he’s not tuned in to your project here, I am forwarding this to him. I am sure he’ll be very pleased. Dan actually trained as a painter in conjunction with doing comics, at California College of the Arts and Academy of Arts College, in San Franciso. He brings a rare a painterly approach to his comics work. He even does his quick sketches and drawings in colored pencil, rarely, if ever, in b&w.
Thanks for this – happens to be one of my favorite images too! Based on my eldest , Lindsay, who was the inspiration for Halloween Girl ( and coined the name at age 5!)
I looked around and agree this was the best pick. Issue 125 was pretty darned good as well. No other 127 came that close although I do like Detective Comics 127.
a lovely lovely cover. Great choice
Thanks for Chiming in Dan, my co-host on Comic Culture Chris Owen has some nice things to say about Dan.
Years ago Chris would frequent the cons and hit up a whole bunch of artists for commissions. Once Chris said he went to pick up a finished commission piece by Dan and as Dan was handing it to Chris Dan decided it wasn’t good enough and did a completely new commission for Chris free of charge.
Another time at another show Chris asked Dan for a commission and when Chris went to pick it up Dan was just finishing the coloring at which point Dan said something like “hey Chris help me finish this” and had Chris add some color in a few places, what a fantastic memory for Chris, taking home the only piece of comic art he “helped” draw!
Great stuff Dan.