1974: The best COVERS of the Bronze Age!

[theflyingfrogunderdog]

Back in 1973, i was fortunate enough, at the very young age of 4, to have parents who bought me comics, which eventually accumulated into a "boatload" of comics that i had during my childhood. The first comics i remember having, were Amazing Adventures #21, Monsters on The Prowl #27, and Defenders #10 featuring Hulk vs. Thor...i was hooked!!

1974 was the year i got a lot of new comics...had 'em in my closet during my childhood. Lots of great reading! Those were the days! I had the Marvel horror and Monster reprints...comics like Vault of Evil #11 and 12 with those great looking horror covers...Monsters on the Prowl #29 was also a very memorable cover (my favorite monster cover and story). Loved the stories..."A Monster At My Window"...and "A Monster Among Us"...classics!! And how about Man-Thing #6 with that great Ploog cover! (I also had the Book and Record Set that reprinted that story, as well as the Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and Monster of Frankenstein Book & Record Sets). And how about Tomb of Dracula #23 with Dracula hovering over the mansion...Amazing Adventures #26 and #27...Creatures on the Loose #29...Unknown Worlds #8 (Sinbad).

And all the Marvel superhero comics...i remember i had like 4 or 5 stacks about 1-2 feet high in my closet, by the late 70's. Favorites included Amazing Spider-Man #134...Avengers #129 and #130...Captain Marvel #35...Daredevil #112...Defenders #14 and #16...Giant-Size Fantastic Four #3...Marvel Team-Up #26 and #27...Thor #227. And the Marvel reprints...Marvel Spectacular #8 and #9...Marvel Tales #52 (classic Kingin cover reprint...with a word balloon added. I have a cover proof of that issue hanging on my wall)...Marvel Triple-Action #21...Marvel Super-Heroes #47 (classic Starlin cover)...such great covers!

And who can forget the Marvel Treasury Editions?! I had some of those too...Spectacular Spider-Man (#1), Fabulous Fantasic Four (#2)...Rampaging Hulk (#5 1975)...Superman vs. Spider-Man (1976)...

Had a few obscure comics, too...Twilight Zone #60 with a UFO cover (Whitman version).

And DC horror! Unexpected #158...100 Page Giant...with the hand coming out of the attic! Ghosts #32...Witching Hour #46 and #52...Swamp Thing #10...and #11 with the classic Luis Dominguez cover!

I didn't have much on the DC side...my parents bought me mostly Marvel superhero comics, but i did have a few DC superhero comics...and those 1974 covers were great too...Superman #280! and Action Comics #435! Ironically, those were the only two Superman comics i had during the mid 1970's, and both have Superman acting less than super on the covers. LOL

What a great time to be kid! I suppose some of you are envying me now. Is it any surprise, that i'm still visiting a local comic shop today? I haven't really collected since 1987 and don't buy many comics today, but i'm still checking out the new comics. Who can forget the squeaky sound of the spinner rack at 7-Eleven? Back when comics were sold at convenience stores, drug stores and supermarkets, along with Mad, Cracked and Crazy magazines. The 70's was the best time to be a kid, i think. There was the best variety of comics...superhero...reprints...horror...monsters. ..sci-fi...it was all there in 1974. And the covers were awesome...i mean groovy! Please excuse me, i had another nostalgia fest...still having them at age 43. Post your favorite covers from the year 1974, here! (or whatever year is your favorite).

[pinkfloydsound17]

Comics from about '68-75 are the reason I collect. The artwork was phenomenal and I only wish I was born then but sadly, I was 15 years late on that. Thankfully, I can still go about collecting. Below is my fav from my favourite superhero, Spidey. I really cannot think of a better Spidey cover from that era/year personally.

[MDG]

I don't want to be a curmudgeon, but this is probably my least favorite era for covers--for mainstream superhero books, anyway--and I took a trip over to http://mikesamazingworld.com/timemac...ha&site=marvel just to make sure (DC, too).

Some nice war, mystery, and romance covers, but superhero covers really start to look like packaging, with none of the personality or style of the Silver age. DC had too many multi-panel covers. What's worse, is Marvel seemed to make more and more books, from Ka-Zar to Fear look like superhero books. Everything looks like packaging

Which may be why quirkier things like OMAC really stand out.

[berk]

I don't want to be a curmudgeon, but this is probably my least favorite era for covers--for mainstream superhero books, anyway--and I took a trip over to http://mikesamazingworld.com/timemac...ha&site=marvel just to make sure (DC, too).

Some nice war, mystery, and romance covers, but superhero covers really start to look like packaging, with none of the personality or style of the Silver age. DC had too many multi-panel covers. What's worse, is Marvel seemed to make more and more books, from Ka-Zar to Fear look like superhero books. Everything looks like packaging

Which may be why quirkier things like OMAC really stand out.

I don't know if it's my least favourite era for covers - today's often pointless, generic, unrelated-to-the-story covers are no great shakes - but the early-mid 70s covers were generally a step down from those of the late 60s, IMO: cluttered, too many word balloons, ... compare your average Gil Kane cover of the early 70s to the great work he did in the late 60s and you'd almost wonder if it's the same guy.

There were significant exceptions, though: Frank Brunner, Bernie Wrightson, and Barry Windsor-Smith spring to mind as examples of artists who did great covers in this era. Paul Gulacy, too. I'm sure there were others that I'm forgetting at the moment

[berk]

double post

[Jezebel Bond]

My favourite era of comics would be the 25c-40c cover price which falls smack in the 70s...so those covers do rank highly for me as well.

Although I must admit modern day covers are highly attractive too.

[pakehafulla]

I like that the art had started to be a bit more detailed. Compare the cover above to Swans work from the 60's (as a VERY broad comparison) to see what I mean. I think it was probably the impact of Neal Adams, especially at DC, and maybe Steranko and Buscema at Marvel that drove the transition from the more cartoony feel of much of the early silver age books, to a more realistic look(this being purely my poor, uneducated, humble opinion...staring myopically back thru the mists of time...without access to thousands of images from books by the thoroughly deserving, but sadly forgotten by yours truly).
As someone who discovered comics in the 70's, this era is what I hold dearest. If I ever get the space to start collecting properly again, it will be all late 60's through the entire 70's that I would target.

Back on subject a bit more, I really love those Marvel covers from the mid 70's, where the art is in a box on the cover, ummm...like this if I can figure out how to add a pic...looking really retarded if I cant...

[Phil Maurice]

Well, I had always loved this cover, but procrastinated in buying a copy until four years ago. In 9.2, it taught me a lesson about putting things off.

[MonteMike72]

My favorite time for comic book reading was from 1975-1985.
Most of my favorite issues came out during that 10 year run.
My favorite cover from that time has to be issue #160 of the Avengers.

[hondobrode]

1974...

[Parch]

I like the Gold Key covers from the 70's. You can see the amount of time and effort it took to make those "painted" artstyle covers.

[hondobrode]

They were painted but always seemed kind of wooden to me. Very few of their covers really grabbed me or compelled me to pay the extra and buy them.

[Ood Omega]

Marvel had tons of good macabre books and there were so many good covers. Hmm some of my favorites...

Beware #6. The cover date is January so I assume it came out in late 73 but still.


Giant Size Chillers Featuring Curse of Dracula #1 Cover Art by John Romita Sr.


Giant Size Dracula #2 Cover Art by Pablo Marcos

[hondobrode]

[hondobrode]