Conan #274, Marvel Comics, November 1993, Artist: Colin MacNeil.
What the heck?! Courage, that’s what it took to submit this cover to the editor. Hats off to Colin MacNeil for his cover to Conan #274, it gave me a Crazy Quilt flashback.
I found day 274 to be a bit wanting but I did see a few covers worth noting. Ernie Chan’s cover to Batman #274 has all the ingredients of a great comic cover, jet black background, nice battle scene, good looking girl and the word ‘Batman’ spread out along the top. Execution isn’t the best but I still like it.
Is Fantastic Four #274 the greatest Thing cover ever? I put it ahead of Fantastic Four #51.
Iron Man #274. Any cover with Fin Fang Foom on it is a good cover!
Pep Comics #274, ahh, now I know why my buddy Andy signed up for the Home Ec class back in grade 8, Andy was the man.
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.
As the Conan Marvel run nears its end, I thought the final issue #275 may present a possibility for cover of the day honors. But I am shocked to see Conan #274 as the choice. Of the MANY great Conan covers this was not one I would have ever imagined taking the honor. What is even more shocking is that Chris Meli was able to predict this would be the pick of the day – How?
The Fantastic Four #275 cover is – well – fantastic. Probably would have been my pick for today, but, in response to Walt’s question, I do not think it is the greatest Thing cover. I rank Marvel Feature #11 as the best Thing cover ever, followed by FF #112. FF #51 is classic with a great cover for that story, but the Thing is at his best when “It’s Clobberin’ Time”.
Yeah I called it. Given your proclivities I’m surprised we haven’t see a parade of holo-foils and lenticular gimmicks during this exercise.
I almost mentioned the Batman – it is a true meat-and-potatoes good comic cover, but like you say, not really great.
I actually love that Fin Fang Foom but the rest of it is kind of a mess. You really have to study it to find The Mandarin in there.
Yes Pep ha ha but hardly great.
It seems like the publishers woke up a bit at #275 and delivered higher quality choices than we’ve been seeing lately. I think I can make Walt happy with my pick of Detective. For him it has nice almost vibrating pattern. For me it’s the crazy concept, the composition, the colors. Yes Batman is standing around, but otherwise there’s plenty of action, and yes it is one of the hated Moldoff series, but it is very cool and makes you want to read the story.
I think ASM is the runner-up – even though it also is far from the best art, the composition is great, with a burst-through effect, and the action is perfectly executed.
It’s hard not to like a Hughes Betty and Veronica. Captain America has no story but it’s a good poster. FF is beautifully drawn and fun. I really dig Flash’s way of showing a whole bunch of heroes and villains but “not really”. Four Color will probably get a mention – it doesn’t thrill me but it has beautiful colors and is yet another high quality funny animal cover in the run.
Uncanny X-Men gets a mention as an anniversary poster, but that’s about it – a standing around cover that could have been better.
I didn’t see an obvious JOWA but Adventure get a perplexing award. First of all, Bruce Wayne never said “golly”, so maybe that is the clue to the problem. “We’ll both know each other’s secret identities” – huh what? They already know them, so of course in the future they’ll know them. I don’t really want to read this story but I assume they sample some red kryptonite-infused mushrooms at the end and lose all memory.
Its actually not a bad grouping of covers… we have had worse recently. The Conan has a lot if merit as its very unusual and actually reminds me of sone of the late forties early fifties Weird Tales covers. The Thing cover is good… greatest is debatable but its a contender. The Batman is ok, and so is Fin Fang Foom… but not only did it take awhile as Chris mentioned, to see Mandarin… but didn’t know it was actually him ( thought it was Doctor Droom or Druid or whatever they call him). I like the Pep… no air brush effects like seen recently, plus Betty wins… she was ALWAYS my favorite!
Conan is more a riff on 1930’s artist Gustav Klimt’s art deco pattern graphic paintings, unusual inspiration for a barbarian comic.
Forgot to mention earlier – but I second Chris’s nomination of Adventure Comics #274 for a JOWA. We have all seen a lot of monsters on comic covers, but never has one been seen on see-saw until Adventure 274. Jimmy Olsen would be proud of this one.
Good one Tim, I felt that Klimt but I didn’t place it. Conan would have summarily decapitated Klimt with his Arcanite Reaper.
I saw Meli’s prediction after I picked the book, he’s in my head!!!
I also googled Klimt, I can see the obvious inspiration.
I saw some Klimt there too… but Walt didn’t show us a gold foil variant so I wasn’t as convinced
Thanks guys. Foils would have worked on this, and violence, art deco violence! Conan looks a lot meek.
I know I am aways meek in front of a blue skinned woman….