The Best Worst of 90's Cover Gimmicks Week, Day #5

There has been a wide variety of cover gimmicks over the years, but here's one that I don't know if I've ever seen used again...the removable translucent cover!

The Adventures Of Superman #500

I can't decide if they left this alone in deference to the historic significance of this issue? Or if it's just a rather lackluster gimmick.

I'm guessing the latter, as once you remove the translucent cover and put it back into place it sort of loses it's appeal. Yeah, those are air bubbles and aren't supposed to be part of the ethereal effect of Superman hovering between life and death.

Artwork by Jerry Ordway

The Adventures Of Superman #500
June 1993
Copyright (c) DC Comics

The Best Worst of 90's Cover Gimmicks Week, Day #4

Our next cover gimmick is actually one that I still have a lot of time for, the chromium cover!

Superman (Vol. 2) #82

From a visual standpoint, they hold up nicely and really make the colors pop. If any gimmick has to make a comeback, we could do a helluva lot worse than this one.

It's gotta be better than polybags, eh Johnny Storm?

Pencils by Dan Jurgens
Inks by Brett Breeding

Superman (Vol. 2) #82
October 1993
Copyright (c) DC Comics

The Best Worst of 90's Cover Gimmicks Week, Day #3

Cruising right along, today's entry in our week long celebration of 90's excess is a rather whimsical one.

Superman Red Superman Blue #1

It's kind of a clever play on the two different colored Supermen (one blue and one red) by having the cover be three dimensional with the classic red and blue triple images.

With that being said, it seems a bit of a wasted opportunity that the only thing in 3-D for this book is the cover. It's a 50+ page jam book, which would seem to lend itself quite naturally to this type of gimmick.

Although in hindsight, I suppose it shows a very commendable amount of restraint for the time period.

Pencils by Dan Jurgens
Inks by Brett Breeding
3-D Separations by Ray Zone

Superman Red Superman Blue
February 1998
Copyright (c) DC Comics

The Best Worst of 90's Cover Gimmicks Week, Day #2

Day two of our celebration of the best worst that the 90's were able to throw at us continues with a cover that is probably the most generically 90's of the bunch.

Action Comics #695

It's got silver foil and a raised cover!

One of those gimmicks alone would've been good enough in the heyday of 1994, but with two of 'em...look out!

But you know what makes this one worthy of celebration? It's the fact that it was entirely unwarranted. The biggest thing that happens this issue is that it introduces us to Cauldron. You remember him, don't you? The villain so important he went on to have two whole other appearances in the intervening 17 years.

That, my friend, was what the 90's were all about.

(Not to mention gratuitous Lobo appearances)

Sketch by Ed Hannigan
Pencils by Jackson Guice
Inks by Jackson Guice
Colors by Susanne Bourdages

Action Comics #695
January 1994
Copyright (c) DC Comics

The Best Worst of 90's Cover Gimmicks Week, Day #1

All right, I've held off long enough and tried to spare you all the pain that those of us collecting comics in the 90's had to live through week by week. Whereas we had a whole decade of nonsense to put up with, I'm only going to hold this blog hostage for a week as we go through some of the most infamous cover gimmicks that found their way into the Superman titles.

That's right, it's time for our very first theme week here at Superman 101, so strap yourselves in and let's get started.

To kick things off, we might as well begin with the grand-daddy of 'em all. The Superman book that if you only have one in your collection and you're over the age of thirty, it's probably this one.

The Death of Superman (and conversely the birth of the speculator market).

Superman #75

Now that's actually not the cover, but the black polybag that held all of the extras in place. You don't think I'd be stupid enough to actually open it, do you?

If you did, however, you'd find items like a memorial poster, a black armband, a Daily Planet obituary, commemorative stamps, and a trading card! And for what was probably novelties sake, they did throw in an actual comic book.

All it's missing is a pog and something that glows in the dark and it'd be like the 90's went on a bender and threw up in the black polybag.

(And I did open up this copy, as that only increased the value of my other four unopened copies! That is how it works, right?)

Superman (Vol. 2) #75
January 1993
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Bill Sienkiewicz Pin-Up

Superman #400 is truly one of the stellar issues for any Superman fan's collection, as it features a bunch of pin-ups by a veritable who's who of the industries finest in the mid-80's. Take a look at some of these names...Brian Bolland, Jack Davis, Steve Ditko, Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Jerry Robinson, Berni Wrightson! And that's not even all of 'em.

I'm sure I'll get around to posting most of them sooner or later, but this one really jumped out at me.


That is one fine piece of work by Bill Sienkiewicz.

Artwork by Bill Sienkiewicz

Superman #400
October 1984
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Superman Hulks Out

Faster than a speeding bullet!

More powerful than a locomotive!

Able to appropriate catchphrases in a single bound!

Script by Len Wein
Pencils by Irv Novick
Inks by Pablo Marcos
Colors by Gene D'Angelo
Letters by Milt Snappin

Superman Special #3
Amazo Means Mayhem!
1985
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Steve Epting on Superman

Steve Epting has spent most of his career over at Marvel, but he did dabble with the Man of Steel for a half-dozen issues or so at the tail end of the nineties. I was a huge fan of his work from The Avengers, so I was partial to his pencils when he came onboard and there's something very "Superman-esque" about his rendition. Enjoy.


Classic stuff.

Script by Dan Jurgens
Pencils by Steve Epting
Inks by Joe Rubinstein
Colors by Glenn Whitmore
Letters by John Costanza

Superman (Vol. 2) #150
Earth's Final Hour
November 1999
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Is this still current continuity?

I'm only guessing here, but you gotta figure this is no longer canon.

Thank god for back issues!

Script by Edmond Hamilton
Pencils by Wayne Boring
Inks by Stan Kaye

Superman #106
Superman's First Exploit
July 1956
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Famous' Firsts - John Byrne

It's the first day of the month, and around here that means we celebrate new beginnings with a look at Famous Firsts in the world of Superman.

Today's first?

It's the first published work of John Byrne featuring Superman, from the pages of Superman #400! This is two years before he would go on to reboot the entire franchise with Man of Steel #1.

Artwork by John Byrne

Superman #400
October 1984
Copyright (c) DC Comics