NP_Gresham Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 ST #110 - don't know if it qualifies as ugly but it's lacking a key ingredient I know this is sacrilegious but I've always been underwhelmed by Ditko covers. They always lacked an 'oomph' of some sort. He was a great storyteller though. I used to feel this way as well. But I think Ditko is an acquired taste, much like the musical genius of Jimi Hendrix, it is hard to grasp on the the first go round. The covers of ASM #23 and #24 really sold me to his brilliance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickL Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Thread for key issues, that we would all love to own, but think the cover is awful. Post the picture if you got them. I don't have the book but this has always impressed me as the ugliest key cover of them all. I deeply apologize but I stand by my assertion that this is the ugliest key of them all. The torch doesn't even have a real shape - just an orange blob. This is weird because he is much more defined in the interior art and in successive issues (even #2). And trying to figure out exactly what was going on occupied me for some time when I first saw this cover decades ago. Was it underwater? Was it out of the water? Were those white plumes of smoke or underwater lines? Was that flame looking white just below Torch's foot supposed to be white or, since it looks like flame, was it supposed to be colored orange to imply the very wood floor (deck?) was on fire? And who on earth dressed Horton???. I used to think that it was a demonic ghost coming through a mirror or something. It was decades before I clicked that it's the Human Torch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Readymade Breakup Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 I'm surprised no one has mentioned World's Finest 3, Scarecrow's first appearance...Probably the worst of all the first appearance covers. If you're unfamiliar, Batman and Robin are engaged in a friendly game of baseball with Superman as the umpire. Anythig would have been less lame than that...Batman and Robin going figure skating or even catching butterflies in a meadow would have been better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VintageComics Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 ST #110 - don't know if it qualifies as ugly but it's lacking a key ingredient I know this is sacrilegious but I've always been underwhelmed by Ditko covers. They always lacked an 'oomph' of some sort. He was a great storyteller though. I used to feel this way as well. But I think Ditko is an acquired taste, much like the musical genius of Jimi Hendrix, it is hard to grasp on the the first go round. The covers of ASM #23 and #24 really sold me to his brilliance. I think I 'get' Ditko. It's also a demographic thing IMO. I'll admit that I like #3 and #23 and probably #23 the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FineCollector Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Oh, it is stupid too: Incredible Hulk 271 1st 4 pages I'm not offended by this. I don't view it as a key, mind you, but that's pretty much par for the 80's in my opinion. I'm certain the ugliest key that everyone wants right now is Green Lantern #10, first Vandal Savage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micmack Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Nuff said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian48 Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 I love Gil Kane, but I always thought this was a lousy cover for a Barry Smith drawn story and also for Red Sonja's first appearance. Issue #22, when this story was supposed to have gone to press, would have been much better if they made the deadline and actually published the story on time (even with no Red Sonja). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian48 Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Maybe not a bad cover, but it's a definitely peeve of mine, I don't like covers with huge disembodied heads dominating the real estate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally's Comics Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Good choice. The interior is just as ugly! I think it's more stupid than ugly. Oh, it is stupid too: Incredible Hulk 271 1st 4 pages I wonder what Rocket has in that pipe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drotto Posted December 16, 2015 Author Share Posted December 16, 2015 Maybe not a bad cover, but it's a definitely peeve of mine, I don't like covers with huge disembodied heads dominating the real estate. I have always seen floating head covers of any size as lazy bad art. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally's Comics Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Maybe not a bad cover, but it's a definitely peeve of mine, I don't like covers with huge disembodied heads dominating the real estate. Man you must've hated Gil Kanes worm then... He was the floating head master! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drotto Posted December 16, 2015 Author Share Posted December 16, 2015 Nuff said Plus the bike ad really destroys the cover. It has always bothered me about the cover to X-Men 137 also. While the cover to 137 is solid, the ad makes me cry a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inhuman Fiend Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 For me its always been Hulk 181. I was never a big fan of Al Milgrom anyway, but I think his rendition of wolverine looks silly. Milgrom was awful and his obviously rushed covers made me cringe...BUT...Herb Trimpe was the artist on Hulk 181 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chadwick Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 ST #110 - don't know if it qualifies as ugly but it's lacking a key ingredient I know this is sacrilegious but I've always been underwhelmed by Ditko covers. They always lacked an 'oomph' of some sort. He was a great storyteller though. I am a very big fan of Ditko the artist and storyteller. He should be studied by all comic book artists. But I too have felt that covers were not his strong point. Great anatomy and perspective but he didn't seem to have much interest in rendering backgrounds. I only have a beat up childhood copy but this issue might a notable exception to his indifference to background. p.s. It might have been interesting if Ditko had done a Doctor Strange cover to #110. I love 24 compared to this drek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VintageComics Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Plus the bike ad really destroys the cover. It has always bothered me about the cover to X-Men 137 also. While the cover to 137 is solid, the ad makes me cry a little. Funny, my childhood was punctuated by those ads and I see them as memorable. We lived in Canada so when Marvel started advertising Toys R Us I was shocked to learn that there was a chain of stores that were devoted solely to toys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VintageComics Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 I love 24 compared to this drek I could be wrong but that cover looks to have a lot of Kirby in it. Is there any Ditko in it at all? Amazingly enough, Kirby seemed to be able to draw anything well except for Spidey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davenport Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Maybe not a bad cover, but it's a definitely peeve of mine, I don't like covers with huge disembodied heads dominating the real estate. Plus the goofy 'my azz on a mast ' Batman face. So no 'Mast2Bat Cover' jokes, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrocHntr Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 If you don't like ads on the cover, you could probably nominate most all Charltons from the early '60's. As much as I love this book, it could've been much more attractive without the big Disney ad taking up 1/4 of the cover: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Surfer Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Tec #38 makes me yak. Batman went from this cool, dark and edgy character to boners and sharing a bed with the boy wonder, good grief. Seriously I think those the bulk of that DC artistic crew must have been a real bunch of weirdos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Surfer Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Nothing wrong with this, I actually like it? Same goes with the Hulk #1, simple but very cool. Keys_Collector 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
