1968 - the year Marvel sold out??

[southerncross]

Quick question because this is well before my collecting years.

 

In 1968 Marvel started publishing covers with iconic pictures in the background in black and white. Strange Tales, Submariner, Daredevil and so on. I have gotten several of those covers over the years, but does anyone know where I can find a list of them to see if I have them all? As well as the history behind that decision?

 

 

 

Can you give a specific issue with an example?

 

Are you talking photo covers?

One I know off hand is Sub-mariner 7

 

[SECollector]

 

Can you give a specific issue with an example?

 

Are you talking photo covers?

 

I think this is what the post refers to:

 

 

I never thought that this was a 1968 thing... The above is one of my favourite covers ever by the way and I really like the contrast between the B&W background and the vivid coloured action scene.

[Unca Ben]

The ASM 63 background is a drawing.

I believe the OP does mean photographed covers; a collage of sorts.

FF 33 was the first, Jack continued to play around with collages on his interior pages in his FF run.

Then yeah, in 68' Steranko fooled with a cover collage on SHIELD and Colan and Buscema on DD and Subby, although the latter two may have been done in production.

 

Those are the only four I can think of in the Marvel silver age.

 

edit: oops! fergot about Strange tales 161. So five in total (?) , unless you are including B&W background drawings.

[markseifert]

So would having more titles to cover.

 

Stan Lee being stretched thinner would have changed how stories were told and outside influences coming in from other writers would change Marvel forever.

 

I don't know if selling out is the right time. Everything was changing. Even the social landscape outside of comics was changing.

 

Yeah, this stuff alone is going to account for some noteworthy changes line-wide.

 

But let's get real here. Marvel #1 launches that year were:

Capt Marvel

Iron Man

Nick Fury

Submariner

Silver Surfer

 

DC #1's were:

Bat Lash

Beware the Creeper

Brother Power

DC Special

Secret Six

 

Fun stuff from DC, but that's a strong showing for the rising newer-era guard at Marvel. (Thomas, Steranko, Goodwin, Buschema, etc). Add in the Ultron/Vision stuff happening in Avengers that year, some really good Doctor Strange stuff, etc, and you'd be hard pressed to call this some sort of dilution.

 

Changing times for sure, but...

[VintageComics]

The ASM 63 background is a drawing.

I believe the OP does mean photographed covers; a collage of sorts.

FF 33 was the first, Jack continued to play around with collages on his interior pages in his FF run.

Then yeah, in 68' Steranko fooled with a cover collage on SHIELD and Colan and Buscema on DD and Subby, although the latter two may have been done in production.

 

Those are the only four I can think of in the Marvel silver age.

 

edit: oops! fergot about Strange tales 161. So five in total (?) , unless you are including B&W background drawings.

 

ASM #63 might be a lightbox copy of a photo....maybe, but I'm not sure.

 

But yeah, the rest of the photo covers were not solely post 1968+. Someone just happened to get the idea (or the technology became possible circa around FF #33) and then it was used afterward for various issues.

[vaillant]

I found The Demon and Kamandi more interesting than his 4th World stuff when I was a kid. Mr. Miracle had a GA hero vibe I dug, but the rest of it felt overblown and bordered on parody.

The Demon and Kamandi are better accomplished, it clearly shows, but the fascination of the Fourth World books lies in their experimental nature.

I can’t see where you see parody anyway, they were all extremely serious, especially the New Gods. Maybe you were referring to Mr. Miracle, then I see it, it’s deliberate. Its relative light-heartedness was meant to counterbalance the tale of Orion.

 

It was that verbose overwrought seriousness that actually made them seem like a parody of Lee/Kirby era Marvel.

To your eyes, maybe. :shrug: They did not even feel even remotely like a parody to me. Except when they were meant to be a parody (i.e. when Stan Lee and Roy Thomas are caricaturized, for example). But The New Gods alone is deadly serious. If not for Lightray you’d feel oppressed by Orion's anguish. Not to mention all the parade of wonderful characters, from the Forager to Terrible Turpin.

[fastballspecial]

Quick question because this is well before my collecting years.

 

In 1968 Marvel started publishing covers with iconic pictures in the background in black and white. Strange Tales, Submariner, Daredevil and so on. I have gotten several of those covers over the years, but does anyone know where I can find a list of them to see if I have them all? As well as the history behind that decision?

 

 

 

Can you give a specific issue with an example?

 

Are you talking photo covers?

 

Yes they were photo covers. I just didn't know if they every gave them any sort of classification. Is there a list anywhere I can use. I have several I just don't know if I have them.

 

Couple of Examples

Sub-mariner 7

Daredevil 45

 

[vaillant]

Not tied to a particular period, IMO.

Fantastic Four #33 is an earlier example (and this surely was due to Kirby’s fascination with this collage technique – with DC Comics you have later examples of Kirby doing this on New Gods #1 and #3.).

 

As far as Marvel goes Spider-Woman #32 can be (at least partially) seen as a late example. Marvel Team-Up #128 is another.

Excluding full photo covers I don’t think there are many more. "The Marvel Fumetti Book" is a nice example of a mixed rendering.

[Comicopolis]

Thanks for posting that link Andy - the website looks to have lots of interesting reading on it.

[goldust40]

Thanks for posting that link Andy - the website looks to have lots of interesting reading on it.

 

Definitely one of the more thought-provoking comic sites out there...