Comic Cover Comparison: Four Plus Namor Equals Three!

Today's covers and credits provided by Bully Says Comics Should Be Fun


Alright boys and girls! Today we've got a Thanksgiving Weekend Triple Feature for you that'll bigger than the Macy's Parade!

Fantastic Four Annual #1 (1963), art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers

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Fantastic Four King-Size Special #8 (December 1970), art by John Romita and John Verpoorten

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Fantastic Four Special Edition #1 (May 1984), art by John Byrne 

Annual #1 :

This cover is alright. The eye moves from the text box to Namor's silly-looking crown helmet, which guides us to the FF trapped in a hamster ball. All the elements are established clean and simple. Its a good composition, but it feels rather inert in the end.

King Size Special #8: 

"King" is an appropriately titled step up. Space is used to a greater advantage to show the scale of Namor's conquest. This adds a new level of risk to the situation since its not just the FF in danger anymore. The text, while bigger is fewer and gets straight to the point. Namor is victorious, his armies marching through the city and humiliating our heroes by parading them around in these sci-fi shackles.

The problem I have with this cover is the prison they're in. Its shown at an odd angle and kinda looks like a mayonnaise jar rather than a restraining cell. Also, the FF's heads hide Namor's feet, making me think the artist is lazy and didn't want to draw them. Third, the text box; "The Longest Sub Mariner FF Super Epic Ever Published". While thats exciting, just seems a bit indulgent especially since that line blocks the establishing shot of the invading army!!!

Special Edition #1: 

Of all the covers here, this is the most unique. The first two deal with a defeated FF. The action has already happened, and there's a desire to know how it happened. How are they going to escape captivity and save the city? Here Namor's forces are attacking NOW and the odds are overwhelming. Theres anticipation and the promise of action, especially with everyone striking a power pose. Expect for Sue, who merely gasps at the sight of the invasion, knowing that her boobies make her incapable of being useful in a fight. After all its not as if she could use one of her invisible forcefields to the slow down the invasion, or at the very least bring down those cruise missiles! The whole "What Can a Woman Do?" attitude of Sue Storm on this cover really loses points for me.

And the Winner is...

Despite my mad love of Kirby and Byrne, King Sized Special, is my pick for best of the bunch. It shows us the scale and scope of the story and well as suspense. It wets our appetites and builds anticipation to know what has happened in the story leading up to the cover, and what will happen after.