Avengers #200, Marvel Comics, October 1980. Artist: George Perez.
Here we are at another milestone, Day 200! This project has been so eye-opening, making me look at all covers way more closely than I did in the past. DC Comics has ruled the run-up to Day #200, let’s see what the next few weeks bring.
I had trouble picking a winner on artistic merit alone so I chickened out and put my favourites in order of Anniversary Issue celebrations – hey, you ever notice how Action #200 and Detective #200 have no celebrations while Superman #200 and Batman #200 do? Anyways, back to my list based on celebration levels.
George Perez celebrates hard on Avengers #200, Spawn as a title celebrated the hardest with 10 different cover options and my favourite of the bunch is the Greg Capullo one.
Covered 365 favourites Neal Adams and John Buscema make sure they don’t miss the party with great efforts on Batman #200 and Thor #200 respectively.
I thought we should include some good non-celebratory covers and I liked Raphie boy Heimdahl’s Four Color #200 and Jeff Jones’ Wonder Woman #200.
Other strong #200s were Superman #200 (1987 series) and I’ve always liked Amazing Spider-Man #200.
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.
Congrats on making it to 200! I know it’s been a lot of work (plus some fun I’m sure!) but it’s become a bright start to my day. Great idea executed well. Doing the Lord’s work, Walter (as Kevin Smith would say)
Of course my rankings are different but no serious complaints. My comments on Avengers are: As I said yesterday, that horrible banner is a real downer for me, although maybe for some it is now a nostalgic period marker, like the DC “Giant 5000 Prize Contest!” banners from 1956. (However Toys R Us is being exhumed as we speak.) It is a standing around cover, which you could say is okay for an anniversary, but how about something more dynamic along the lines of Hulk Annual #1? Otherwise a great poster, but let’s say George Perez _and Terry Austin_. A key reason I was buying Avengers in those days was those Austin inks. Both Byrne’s and Perez’s work was in my opinion greatly enhanced by Austin, and his contribution to this cover is easily recognizable.
I don’t think ASM or Thor really belong in this company. On the other hand I overlooked Superman (1987) because it doesn’t look like much as a thumbnail, but on enlargement I agree that it is a contender.
For #201 I’m going to tell you my pick, and then what I should pick. My pick is World’s Finest. This is the ur-book for me. I might have had some other superhero comics before this one, but this is the one that is burned in my memory. I will remember this cover after I forget my children – I hate to write that but I believe it is true. This cover made me a Dr. Fate fan for life (even though it isn’t actually Dr. Fate!). I have had countless dreams about finding versions of this book hidden away in various alcoves of my house.
It is a great cover, and it beats all but Thor. Thor is what I should pick. Aside from all of the other great points, the breakout from the picture frame is extraordinary. If I can find fault with this cover it is Thor’s face – if Wonder Woman looked too distressed in #199, Thor doesn’t look distressed enough in this one. Aside from my emotions, I can also hide behind my preference for Adams/Giordano relative to Buscema, but I think this is one of Buscema’s best.
Hold the presses! It is of course one of Buscema’s best because it is by Kane! Kane is never going to dethrone Adams in my eyes, but this year he has moved up to be a worthy challenger. I am Kane crazy! (This probably explains the issue with Thor’s face – Buscema would have drawn a characteristic almost-drooling grimace.)
#201 was a good number. ASM is solid but maybe a “ringer” for Walt to pick given his suggestibility. Avengers is a justifiable standing around cover, again with the Austin inks. I like Daredevil because it’s hard for me to not like Byrne covers. Flash is a strong cover but there is the unfortunate suggestion that the strength of the basketball jersey, rather than regret, is the reason for Flash’s grimace. If you give me Four Color I will attack, we are not doing Little Golden Books here. House of Mystery is a semi-classic. Kid Colt is a Kane that I like in so many ways, but the Kane faces knock it down. As modern covers go, I like X-Factor.
We have an easy JOWA in Strange Adventures. I think the Mod Gorilla Boss stole his suit from one of the Girls’ Love Stories sugar daddies.
Love the variety of covers shown above, and thought today’s selection may have been as tough a decision as Walt faced in while.
I was rooting for Batman #200, but knew there were a lot of contenders. I then looked at the Spawn covers after reading Chris’s comments yesterday, and the Leifield and Capullo covers blew me away. And the breaking chains cover of Superman #200 was winner as well.
Also wanted to join John in offering congratulations and many thanks to Walt for developing this column and executing it so well since inception
I don’t normally look ahead, but Chris’s comments about World’s Finest #201 peaked my interest, and I thought it was fantastic. But I have to put Hulk #201 in for nomination – a Romita cover featuring the HULK v. Conan, along with a monster and a damsel deserves some consideration.
Derrick, I am not a big fan of Hulk #201 anyway, but I have to cite yet another Marvel steal from DC, this one on the issue #201 front. Just as “Dr. Fate” in WF #201 turns out to not be Dr. Fate, that is not Conan, but “Kronak the Barbarian”. When I looked at it I was pretty sure it was Kronak, he and I go way back.
Thanks for the kind words. This has truly become a collaborative project, I would have ran out of steam long ago were it not for all the reactions to the covers.