Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Sneak a Peek Covers Pt. 1

You know that feeling, when you buy a new comic and you cannot wait to get home to read it. Well, sometimes characters on the front cover feel the same way and they try to sneak a peek. Here's the a look at some great Sneak a Peek Covers .

Let's start with one of the most famous Sneek a Peek Covers, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #1. I like the use of this cover gimmick to launch a series (we'll see it again), as we get the sense that we are starting a new journey. And what a journey it was - this series just kept going and going. You'll note that there is no 'interior' artwork. This will change as the Sneak a Peek Cover evolves. This book highlights the chief problem with trying to put together a Sneak a Peek Cover collection: most of them are insanely pricey Golden Age books.

Next up is the other contender for most famous Sneak a Peek Cover; Superboy #1. The Sneak a Peek concept is absolutely perfect for the narrative on the cover. This is one of the more iconic DC covers from the 1940s, and I always think that breaking down that pesky 4th wall is fun. I not often that a debut issue does not feature the lead character (but this one does in a way I guess). Wayne Boring's cover is beautifully constructed, but the only real nitpick I have is that it looks like part of the Superboy story is on the interior cover. What is this, a Fox book?

Just one more for today (I'll be back tomorrow or next day with a few more). C.C. Beck's cover to Whiz Comics #38 from 1942 is notable for two reasons. First, it's the earliest version I could find that features some of the interior narrative on the cover (although I can't say for sure whether that's actually part of the story). Second, if you look real close, you will discover that this comic features a very rare cover appearance by Steamboat. I've always found it odd that comic book companies were supposedly comfortable using characters like Steamboat, and yet they very rarely put them on the cover. Stayed tuned for the next installment featuring some great covers including one by Jack Cole.

2 comments:

Matthew Johnson said...

Is it my imagination, or does the Captain Marvel story feature Cap as the front end of a pantomime horse? (Better than the back end, I guess...)

Scott M said...

Nope - you're not crazy. Not exactly 'grim and gritty'.