COVER STORY: Avengers #200
Marvel Comics; 75¢
What makes the best comic book covers? It’s a great topic for debate. For us as individuals there is no wrong answer, of course. It’s purely subjective. But with a little thought, it is frequently possible to explain what it is about a particular image that grabs you. The best ones are the ones that make you stop and check out something you weren’t previously going to purchase – and in some cases, you even end up picking up a title you’ve never even heard of before.
George Pérez has long been thought of as a master of the crowd shot for his ability to cram a cover full of characters and action and still have it look great. Nowhere except Crisis on Infinite Earths and the JLA/Avengers crossover has that skill served him better than on his stints on the original and Heroes Return eras of The Avengers.
Not only did he repeatedly demonstrate his strengths in terms of crowd shots, but he also made several characters his own. Were The Beast and Wonder Man ever better than when he drew them?
As comic book fans, many of us seem predisposed to awarding extra attention to anniversary issues. In this instance, that attention was amply rewarded.
For The Avengers #200, a real landmark issue for Marvel when it was released in 1980, Pérez got to once again handle not only The Beast and Wonder Man, but also Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Scarlet Witch, The Vision, The Wasp, Yellowjacket and Jocasta. As one can readily see, they’re in various poses around a stone-ish “200” for the anniversary.
Inked by Terry Austin (Dan Green inked the interior), Pérez’s line work on the cover is strong, fluid, and distinctly his own. The characters individually are all uniquely themselves – Iron Man exudes power, Thor is ready to strike, and the Beast looks like he’s having fun – and yet they all fit together in superb fashion.
It’s far from the artist’s most amazing or detailed work, but there’s still a compelling sense of crackling energy and engagement about it.
And it never hurts when there’s a great issue inside to back up a good cover outside.
– J.C. Vaughn
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COVER STORY: Avengers #200
Marvel Comics; 75¢
What makes the best comic book covers? It’s a great topic for debate. For us as individuals there is no wrong answer, of course. It’s purely subjective. But with a little thought, it is frequently possible to explain what it is about a particular image that grabs you. The best ones are the ones that make you stop and check out something you weren’t previously going to purchase – and in some cases, you even end up picking up a title you’ve never even heard of before.
George Pérez has long been thought of as a master of the crowd shot for his ability to cram a cover full of characters and action and still have it look great. Nowhere except Crisis on Infinite Earths and the JLA/Avengers crossover has that skill served him better than on his stints on the original and Heroes Return eras of The Avengers.
Not only did he repeatedly demonstrate his strengths in terms of crowd shots, but he also made several characters his own. Were The Beast and Wonder Man ever better than when he drew them?
As comic book fans, many of us seem predisposed to awarding extra attention to anniversary issues. In this instance, that attention was amply rewarded.
For The Avengers #200, a real landmark issue for Marvel when it was released in 1980, Pérez got to once again handle not only The Beast and Wonder Man, but also Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Scarlet Witch, The Vision, The Wasp, Yellowjacket and Jocasta. As one can readily see, they’re in various poses around a stone-ish “200” for the anniversary.
Inked by Terry Austin (Dan Green inked the interior), Pérez’s line work on the cover is strong, fluid, and distinctly his own. The characters individually are all uniquely themselves – Iron Man exudes power, Thor is ready to strike, and the Beast looks like he’s having fun – and yet they all fit together in superb fashion.
It’s far from the artist’s most amazing or detailed work, but there’s still a compelling sense of crackling energy and engagement about it.
And it never hurts when there’s a great issue inside to back up a good cover outside.
– J.C. Vaughn