Monday, January 7, 2008

Greatest Cover in the History of Comics!

First, if you haven't seen the Batman movie from 1966, go rent it or something. If not, you will apparently hate yourself:


I'm not sure if that situation still applies forty years later, but why take chances? Wow, no pressure there. Your self-opinion hinges on you seeing this movie! They don't give me incentives like that to watch stuff these days. Maybe if they threatened me with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, I would watch Spawn. No, I can't promise that.

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I love it when people post their favorite and least-favorite comic covers, but how many times can you look at Crisis on Infinite Earths number 7? This is one of my fave-raves, House of Mystery number 163:


Is it so awesome because of the word "SOCKAMAGEE" in big block printing? Well, yes, but most of the Dial H for Hero issues of HOM have that.

It's because of this:


Now, that's the kind of "wow, I just crapped my pants" look you'd expect when staring down the business end of insects with stingers the size of whale harpoons. Too often, your standard hero is about to bite the big one, and he looks more annoyed about it than anything else, like this was taking time away from his daily Guitar Hero session. Not Robby Reed. He knows that even losers like Captain Boomerang and the Rocket Racer have successfully committed murder in comics, so he's not relaxing for one second.

It's also awesome because of this frantic caption box that looks hilarious out-of-context:


Yes, this is a totally innocent use of the word "sticky." If there were such a thing as a totally innocent use of the word "sticky." Which there isn't. Sockamagee!

10 comments:

FoldedSoup said...

Stickymagee!!

De said...

I watched Spawn and got Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Take that for what it's worth.

Unknown said...

And some people shorten the word Hentai to just H giving new meaning to the H-Dial.

A sticky mess indeed.

Did Carmine Infantino do that cover? Kinda looks like his work.

Jeremy Rizza said...

I'm getting more of a Bob Oskner vibe from that art. It's... breezier.

The remarks about the hero looking "scared shitless" puts me in mind of the cover for the original "Captain Carrot" #1 (or preview insert, maybe). It featured Superman, clamped down to a table and menaced by Starro with a drill. In an ad, Superman looked like he was about to crap himself. In the published cover, his head had been redrawn to show a sort of grim defiance. YAWN.

SallyP said...

That's a fabulous cover! It's a GUY strapped down, with long wavy hair, and exposed breasts, being menaced by long pointy things!

Sorry, sorry, that was just my inner feminist coming out.

Sockamagee!

Anonymous said...

ok this is really weird. Last night I was playing Guild Wars, an online game. In a player vs player match I fought someone named Sockamagee!

Then I find your post in my feedreader this morning. Weird....

On a side note, I'll have your interview questions ready today but I need your email addy. Hit me up at chrisc447 at yahoo dot com and I'll send them to you :)

Dan said...

Definitely an Infantino cover (check out the hands and feet, especially Dr. Mad Scientist's hand). Not sure about the inker, maybe Frank Giacoia. Do they still make Baron Bug's Fly Paper? I could use a large roll like that to try and keep a couple of my nephews from running wild.

Adam Barnett said...

blockade boy - I remember noting that difference in Superman's expression from the Captain Carrot house ads vs. the actual cover of the issue... it annoyed me then, and it annoys me now. It also annoys me that I bought 6 copies of it for investment purposes. Hey - it was a first issue and that meant it had to increase in value, right?

Unknown said...

The Grand Comics Database lists Infantino & Joe Giella as the cover artists.

Anonymous said...

I was going to make a joke about the Riddler not being mentioned in the Batman movie ad, but then I noticed something more deserving of ridicule: "Glomp!"

Either it mean something different in 1966, or I can see how Dr. Wertham got the wrong idea...