A Cover a Day

[Steve W]

Ok, how about this for an idea.  We take it in turns to post a favourite (British spelling) comic cover every day.  This went really well on the comic fan website that I used to frequent.  What we tried to do was find a theme or subject and follow that, until we all got bored with that theme.  I'd like to propose a theme of letters of the alphabet. So, for the remainder of October (only 5 days) and all of November, we post comic cover pictures associated with the letter "A".  Then in December, we post covers pertaining to the letter "B".  The association to the letter can be as tenuous as you want it to be. For example I could post a cover from "Adventure Comics" or "Amazing Spider Man".  However Spider Man covers can also be posted when we're on the letter "S".  Adventure Comic covers could also be posted when we're on the letter "L" if they depict the Legion of Super Heroes.  So, no real hard, fast rules - in fact the cleverer the interpretation of the letter, the better, as far as I'm concerned.

And it's not written in stone that we have to post a cover every day. There may be some days when no cover gets posted. There's nothing wrong with this, it just demonstrates that we all have lives to lead.

If everyone's in agreement I'd like to kick this off with one of my favourite Action Comic covers, from January 1967. Curt Swan really excelled himself here.

[Steve W]

So, halfway through the month, and this one is the elephant in the room - I've been waiting all month for someone to post this cover. The cover is a typical 4th wall breaking cover - Supes asks us a question that we've all been asking ourselves ever since we first understood how he protected his secret identity. How does that work?  Why does no-one see through this very flimsy disguise? The problem is - the story does not answer the question - in any way - and that was really annoying for me when I first picked this up back in '68. 

[Jeff of Earth-J]

At least this cover came with a disclaimer...

[Steve W]

If in doubt, return to Olsen. Jimmy, I think that the answer to your question is "Yes, only you can see him as everyone else is walking past as if they can't!"

[Peter Wrexham]

It's possible that all the passers-by can see Superman, but just aren't very interested.  In cities with a resident super-hero, the citizens can get very blasé about odd sights...

[JD DeLuzio]

Peter Wrexham said:

It's possible that all the passers-by can see Superman, but just aren't very interested.  In cities with a resident super-hero, the citizens can get very blasé about odd sights...

Well, that may be true in sophisticated Central City. But in Metropolis, people apparently get excited because they think they see a bird or a plane.

[Philip Portelli]

Speaking of breaking the Fourth Wall, did the kids in Gotham City really have a "Batman" TV show to watch or Batman comics to read? Did he get royalties? What about Robin? Or the villains? Did they need the Joker's approval of Cesar Romero to include him, for instance? And who did they say was Batman's secret identity?

[Richard Willis]

I just looked at the synopsis. He looks like sidewalk to them. Amazingly, no one trips over him.

Peter Wrexham said:

It's possible that all the passers-by can see Superman, but just aren't very interested.  In cities with a resident super-hero, the citizens can get very blasé about odd sights...

[Richard Willis]

This "Meet the Beatles" story had me writing a letter to complain about the ridiculous Torch/Thing stories. It was printed in Strange Tales #134. The reply to my letter was something to the effect of something new is coming, which turned out to be Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

[Richard Willis]

Somebody with a lot of time could modify this cover to show still-existing magazines instead of comics and have the vendor say "Comic books? We haven't sold those in years!"

Philip Portelli said:

[JD DeLuzio]

A siren! Holy Good Thinking, Robin! Just in case the crowd doesn't see him coming.

Also, it appears Robin has gained a bit of size here, as well.

[Dave Palmer]

Not only does Generalissimo Brainstorm have to contend with Pirana interfering with his nefarious plans, but waiting in the wings, Kellogg’s lawyers and a cease and desist order.

[Peter Wrexham]

It's difficult to decide who's the bigger jerk on this cover.  Is it the practical joker who thinks that it's funny to dump a bathtub of water over his target (and everyone else in the vicinity).  Or is it the super-hero who tries to avoid the water by smashing a hole in the wall (and sends bricks flying at everyone else in the vicinity).

They're both behaving pretty badly, but I'd say that Superman is marginally worse, as he could have hurt someone badly with that behaviour.  Why didn't he use his X-ray vision to check for the trap first?  Or even just come in through the door, and use his super-speed to catch the tub before it could spill?

I'm over-thinking this, aren't I?