I've been comparing the style of older comics covers to today's, and I think that the biggest mistake being made with modern-day covers isn't only that they show mostly poses and pin-ups. (Even though I think we're all agreed there's way too much of that!) Even if they do have an action scene, they generally show the hero dominating the bad guys. And what drew me in as a kid was seeing the hero in jeopardy, on the verge of losing it all. Ditko did this incredibly well, and today's cover artists should really take a closer look at his example. Nine times out of ten, his heroes were losing!
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This message has been edited by DarrenDew on Jul 31, 2004 11:06 PM
You made a very interesting observation. Looking over those covers I would only quibble that the heroes weren't exactly losing, but were certainly in a desperate situation. Ditko was aware that the hero in jepordy made for an exciting cover, one that would draw the reader in. Ditko took the point of intensity and featured it on the cover. Another favorite of mine, one of my earliest Ditko memories as a kid, was the cover to ASM 13; Kraven the Hunter (those with a scanner feel free to post!) That image of Spidey trapped in a net, with Kraven approaching, grabbed me as a kid, and still holds up as an intense and dramatic cover image.
Ditko covers aren't mentioned that much, but he produced some excellent work, both here and on so many of the horror stories throughout the years.
