] type='image/vnd.microsoft.icon'/>

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Aquaman Cover to Cover, Part 7: Adventure Comics #443 by Jim Aparo - 1976

sgThis was a tough choice--not because of the cover itself--I mean, it's Jim Aparo--but because there were so many good choices for this final installment of Cover to Cover week.

But Jim Aparo did Aquaman so well that I would've felt weird about not picking at least one his covers, so I went with this one, one of my favorites--the layout is superb, Aquaman is in a very iconic, heroic pose, yet there's stuff there referring to the story inside, as well.

It's a testament to Aparo's skill as a draftsman that even with all the volumnious cover copy, this piece doesn't feel crowded at all. In fact, with the cloudless blue sky, it feels open and expansive. Heck, you can almost smell the ocean air!


And so that ends our week-long Aquaman: Cover to Cover gallery. The most fun part at looking over all these covers (aside from just admiring the beautiful work) was the realization that there were probably at least another dozen more covers that are just as good as the ones I did pick. And everyone seemed so enthused at this idea that I could do another whole week of 'em, no problem.

And just to help DC out some more, I prepared a cover of what Aquaman: Cover to Cover might just look like...


sg
(final art pending)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey man, I thoroughly enjoyed this, feel free to do more of these at any time! As for teh cover to cover to cover....cover? That looks pretty cool, but where did the picture to the far left, middle row come from?

Anonymous said...

Rob-

OH yeah!

Aparo was just so great:

...classic SPECTRE...
...wonderful BRAVE & BOLD...
...terrific BATMAN...
and in his early years at Charlton
...a timeless PHANTOM!

- And even now, he doesn't really get the top-shelf cred he should!

Thanks for the cool stuff.
-Craig

Dixon said...

BentonGrey: That particular portrait appeared on the cover to Aquaman (v.5) #25. It's a wonderful painting by Glenn Orbik depicting a more mature and contemplative King Arthur.

I agree, Aquaman: Cover to Cover week was tons of fun! These were all great choices, Rob. Let's do it again someday.

Anonymous said...

What a week! Thanks for all the awesome artwork. And I recognize all of the Cover To Cover pics except two in the lower rows that look like Ramona Fradon and...Murphy Anderson? (from the JLA maybe?)

Siskoid said...

Russell: I can't be sure which ones you mean (the first two, right?), but I can confirm the second one is from the first issue of JLofA I ever bought: #217, cover by George Perez (note Elongated Man in the background).

rob! said...

glad you guys liked it so much! it was mucho fun for me to go through 'em all and pick my favorites.

as for the Cover to Cover cover, its:
row 1:Adams, Kaluta, Adams, Aparo
row 2:Grell, Patton, Bolland, Adams
row 3:Orbik, Cardy, Staton, Davis
row 4:Hamilton, Gleason, Purcell, Aparo
row 5:Sekowsky, Perez, Cardy, Cardy