Flash #175, DC Comics, December 1967, Artist: Carmine Infantino and Al Plastino.
It simply has to be another Flash. Flash #175 is the strongest of the batch, jet black background, two principle characters in a heated race, a striking image easily spotted two rooms away.
I’m a big John Buscema fan and it’s nice to see some great work from the man on the cover of Conan #175.
And for Mr. Plant I thought I’d add in this lovely Christmas cover on Four Color #175.
I liked House of Mystery but felt too much of the cover was taken up by those huge still and dark gargoyles. Hey more skulls on Unexpected #175 and some giant hands on Witchblade #175!
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.
Wonderful picks Walt…I like them all for the same reasons.
the Santa Claus funnies covers are always top notch, or is that just childhood nostalgia? Who do I yearn for a hot cup of Hot Chocolate?
JOWA to myself 🙂
Thanks, Walter. Christmas in June! That is a lovely painted cover by Morris Gollub. Understated but classic.
And for me, it immediately calls to mind Walt Kelly’s 1940s covers for Dell. I have to tell you that just last week I was in Portland, Oregon, doing a show, and I brought home a mess of upgrades from an old friend who was selling his (beloved) Kelly collection. He eas literally reading them again as I packed them.
Kelly’s work on the covers of early Our Gangs, Fairy Tale Parade and Animal Comics are gems. And his work inside those as well. He also worked on as Camp Comics, Raggedy Ann & Andy, all those Mother Goose Christmas and Easter specials…just amazing. And mostly still bargains in nice shape.
Hey, and the Flash you picked is fun. Funny to see Al Plastino, who drew Superman in the 1940s, inking this in 1967. Well, not as late as I thought, just 20 years. The Buscema Conan is a goodie too, hope to see more of his work here.
Hermes has announced an archive collection of Buscema and Toth’s Roy Rogers comics, which is quite good (yeah, I collect that too). I grew up watching Roy on TV, but I only enjoy the issues by Buscema or Toth. The rest are just lame. But the interesting point is that advance orders for this archive are very strong—to me, a testament to Buscema even more than Toth, who did only a few issues. We all know western comics, for the most part, are some of the least desired comics these days.
There was a lot to like on Day 175, but think Walt made a strong choice. Initially, I was leaning slightly toward a really fantastic Unexpected #175. But Flash #175 was a strong contender as Infantino nailed the concept of speed for both Supes and Flash, and I particularly like the outer space setting with the deep black background that Walt noted. I am really surprised to see Flash produce a cover winner for consecutive days, but thought yesterday’s choice of Flash #174 was also an outstanding cover so kudos for both selections.
Thanks for including the Buscema floating skull cover for Conan #175, as Conan covers seem to be making a comeback from a protracted dry spell.
Other likes included:
– Wonder Woman #175 – The Jim Lee Joker cover was an eye catcher.
– Fantastic Four #175 – I have always liked the larger than life Galactus vs. High Evolutionary battle cover.
– Thor #175 – Great color and setting as Loki wins.
– Superboy #175 – Of the innumerable attempts to draw a withered Superman, this one gets my vote as the best.
– X-Men #175
I am also a big fan of Christmas covers, but have focused my collecting efforts on the DC Golden Age Christmas covers in Batman #(27, #33, #45), Action Comics ( #93, #105, & #117), Adventure #113, and Sensation #38.
Some great choices here but I can’t agree with the Flash cover. Superman looks too much like Jay Leno or someone but not himself……..even at super speed. In any case, I love that Conan cover and things such as Santa Clause Funnies get way to little love despite being so well done and holding up so well even now. Just as well. It means I might get to pick up a few at reasonable prices.
I saw that Jay Leno look myself but was afraid to mention it! One thing that always bugged me about the Superman/Flash race is why Superman is always shown making a friend look bad when we know he is not like that! The Conan cover is really a great and one I had not seen before (having stopped collecting it after Smith left). I am also a sucker for those Christmas covers as well… and they’re hard to get!
Man you guys are easy. Thumbs down on all as “great”. Sorry but somebody has to have standards around here. I don’t have time to review Derrick’s other mentions so maybe there is something out there, but can’t agree with the three above. Ditto on Jay-el. I’m sure J.B. wouldn’t point at that Conan as anything more than a “this title is still being published?” toss off, and – a Little Golden Book as a “great comic book cover”??? If McDonald’s is the only place to eat in town, that doesn’t make it “great”. Compare these to what we had in the grand ol’ days of double digits and tell me that these measure up.