Comic Book Resources

3 people that should have their own top 10 covers.

brian bollan
adam hughes
and the almighty simon bisley

Tony Harris would be a good one, too.

My favorite is Ultimate Spiderman's Spidey-chomp cover.

My least favorite is the Amazing Spiderman from the "Media Blizzard" bit...something about the cover looks off. I first I thought he was on his back but then it he's not.

Amazing Spider-Man 373 is my favorite, and Bagley even used this design theme on another one of his covers for Ultimate Spider-Man #74.

http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/images/ultimate_spiderman/074.jpg

What a difference pre- and post-MEDIA BLIZZARD.

For pure quality of art, I'm with Patrick's suggestion for the (unposted) USM 74, which displays a world of growth from ASM 373, even if the latter was the original.

But what's up with NEW WARRIORS 17? If you didn't tell me it was Bags, I wouldn't have known it. Looks like SOMEONE aping Perez and Byrne, in the same delicious Peanut-Butter Cover, but it doesn't look like Bags to me. Interesting.

I absolutely love Daredevil #283, it has fantastic art by Mark in that issue.

I like AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #413 the best. How on earth did he channel both Will Eisner and Art Adams in the same piece?!?

Favoritie of these is Amazing Spider-Man #352. I still remeber when I first saw that one on the stands.
Not shown here but his Mighty Avengers covers have all been great.

I'd love to see a John Romita Jr. Cover Gallery.
Or a theme like: All 1st issues of a characters titles. Spider-Man (Amazing #1, Spectacular #1, Web of #1, Annuals, Relaunches, etc.) or Superman or Batman.

A theme is a great idea, David.

My least favorite is the Amazing Spiderman from the “Media Blizzard” bit…something about the cover looks off. I first I thought he was on his back but then it he’s not.

Remember, this was the Ben Reilly Spider-Man, so the design was different. If you look, you can see his backside is facing up.

Oh, come *on*. Spider-Carnage?

Media Blizzard cover = NOT on his back.
His butt is face-up in that Ben Reilly Spider-outfit.

Of THESE, I'll vote for:

1st: Ultimate (with Morbius) cover
2nd: Amazing 413 (where do I find a boxing-glove Gumby?)
3rd: Amazing 373 (nice sense of balance)

I'm sure he's done better covers than these however.
I'm not a HUGE Bagley fan, but I've seen him turn in some nice work now and again.

That said, he IS one hell of a SOLID artist.
Day in day out year after year.

~P~
P-TOR

Bagley is my least favorite artist in Marvel history.. just below Al Milgrom.

I don't like Bagley either. His work is an odd mish-mash of the realistic and the cartoony that just doesn't work for me. I particularly hate his "ultimate" version of Spider-Man. A stick man with a bubblehead.

I have Amazing 352. It's Bagley's first issue as regular penciller. It's in horrible condition, but I hold onto it because of the "significance"

Bryan

I had no idea that was Bagley on Daredevil #283. That was the first issue of DD I ever bought. I remember picking it up at a Rite Aid in Maryland on a family trip. I recall it being sort of a filler issue. Cap sold me on it.

Bryan -
Amazing Spider-Man 352 was Bagley's second issue of his run. The first was 351 with the Tri-Sentinel on the cover. Erik Larsen ended his run on issue 350. But I am sure you have 351 as well.

I'd add New Warriors #11- yes, it has Wolverine (who's in the comic for maybe 3 pages), but 13 year-old me took one look at the cover and HAD to buy it.

"Two Against the Tri Sentinel!"

Now THAT brings back some memories!

Wooo! Spider-carnage!

Ha ha! You made my day Mr Cronin!

I don't think the cover of New Warriors #10 is better than any of the above suggestions, but when I was a teenager, that picture of the White Queen surrounded by defeated Warriors stopped me in my tracks and got me to buy the comic, so I'll always be fond of it.

(The key phrases in that sentence are "I was a teenager" and "White Queen.")

James Jean.
Phil Noto.

Humberto Ramos, if only for the excuse of showing ten Impulse covers.

Graham Nolan top ten pls

Some good suggestions for other artists here — like Romita Jr. and Harris, and especially Bisley! (Wow, I'd forgotten about him!) — though how would you narrow it down and pick from Bolland's covers?! You're sure to hear calls for James Jean and JG Jones too. And don't forget JH Williams III.

BUT ... can we get some older artists in here? And not just the most obvious picks (Kirby, Eisner). I vote for Carmine Infantino! Jim Aparo! And how 'bout Ramona Fradon and Gil Kane? And then (though not exactly from the same era) there's Mike Grell.

yawn

Honestly, none of these covers really grab me. But then, I've never cared for Bagley's work that much.

Bagley draws some pretty compelling action, but his faces are consistently horrible - particularly his females.

Amazing #352 was one of my first comics. What a weird little story.

I was hoping that issue of New Warriors was going to be in there. Bagley's Thing always looked like he put a little extra into it. I have a feeling that's part of the reason he appeared in the last issue of Mighty Avengers, but the whole arc has seemed a lot like Bendis saying goodbye to his artistic partner of the last better part of a decade.

Geez.

No wonder I completely skipped the '90s.

And the early '00s.

(And the entirety of the '80s, too, but that's another matter altogether.)

So this guy is considered, like, a superstar or something? A couple of these -- that Carnage monstrosity & the Thunderbolts mess -- are downright appalling. The others are mostly, y'know, competent-to-not-bad. That's it.

Utterly amazing.

Suggestions:

Nick Cardy
Steve Rude
Michael Golden

that picture of the White Queen surrounded by defeated Warriors stopped me in my tracks

Of course, as soon as you said that, I instantly had the image of the cover pop into my head. I remember it very clearly, if only because Bagly gave Emma Frost some very big, um, assets.

The Morbius cover is my choice from the ten.
My fav Bagley cover is probably USM 44(?) I think. Spidey's hanging around the big X. It's simple, eye-catching and relevent to the issue without giving anything about the story inside.

J.H. Williams III and Frank Quitely are two of my favorite cover (and interior) artists currently.

I also like the idea of cover themes. I would like to see the ten best Steranko inspired covers.

It's good to see even Bagely got sucked into the 90s hangup of drawing huge guns.

Good lord, I hate seeing comicbook characters chewing bubblegum. It always looks weird. Rob Liefeld was ig on that bullshit. Sometimes I wanted Boom Boom to be real just so I could punch her in the face.

Note: I do not condone violence against non-fictional women.

Well, I like that Eisner-esque one, but that's all.

Howzabout some Aragones covers?

Am I the only one that thinks the Ben Riley/Spider Girl costume was awesome?