Avengers Annual #10: Worst to Best Cover Ever by Michael Golden

Among the hyperbolic winners in our comic group's informal chat sessions: best comic with the worst cover. As opposed to many issues of Rom: Space night that had great covers and regrettable interiors, or plenty of other issues with solid interesting Cockrum covers and, again, generic interiors.

#1 on the list, always, was Avengers Annual #10, the utter tour de force from Michael Golden and Armando Gil, a comic where, literally, every page was a stunner and a new lesson in how to do Marvel comics. Introducing Maddy Pryor and Rogue, it turned into a lynch pin of understanding the New X-men as well. Amazing. And it was saddled with this cover. 

Don't get me wrong, I love Al Milgrom. As I've said, he was one of the two biggest influences on my inking and it is to my current regret that i've not met him in person to thank him. But this was not his best work. It honestly looks like something knocked out at the last minute in the office when another cover didn't work and the deadline was, well, passed most likely.So I've honestly no idea where this piece came from, other than it might be a commission by a fan for Golden to do what would have been his take on the cover. The style says to me that its fairly recent, but your could try to convince me otherwise. Either way, its beautiful, and i'm psyched that someone went to the trouble to get the correct trade dress for the art. Enjoy the comic that might have been.

In Review Of: the 1973 ACBA Sketchbook

The semi-legendary Academy of Comic Book Brts (ACBA) 1973 portfolio is an interesting period piece from a time when, yet again, the freelancers of the comic book world were trying to organize for better pay, return of artwork, reprint royalties, some, ANY respect from their employers. Sales from the sketchbook would generate over $3000, money that would be used to fund the Bill Everett Fund for creators suffering financial hardship.





I had bought this, and the 1975 sketchbook without knowing what the money was going to, only that I thought it was an interesting artifact from its time. I probably purchased this in the early 1980's when had had the chance to see the career arc of some of the artists represented in the portfolio.







Unlike the black and white stapled 1975 sketchbook, this one was printed in loose sheet of semi gloss paper suitable for framing if one was so inclinded to do that to a Neal Adams or early Jim Starlin piece. Not sure how many are still out there in a completed form, I thought that I'd scan a number of the pieces for those who don't have this particular artwork in their collection.

Four today, more soon!