Thor #183, Marvel Comics, December 1970. Artist: John Buscema.
Hump day folks. We’ve posted 182 days before this post and we have 182 to go after this post. Probably a good time for as little reflection and review.
I’m noticing an obvious thinning out of choices but for the most part each day has been able to give us a handful of strong contenders. I’m also noticing less consensus in the comments and this may be the result of less obvious choices being available to us.
I’ve stopped looking ahead and it’s making each post more exciting as I hope to stumble across some overlooked gems.
Thor’s have always been tough sells out of my bins but Thor #183 is always one of the first to thanks to the great Doc Doom cover.
Captain America #183 looks way better when the yellows are high gloss, I’ve had copies where the yellows are thinned out and faded and I’ve had copies with bright high gloss yellows, the difference is striking.
Gene Colan is at it again with a fantastic cover to Doctor Strange #183.
JOWA has to go to Superboy #183, what kid would buy this cover? Someone was silly enough to suggest Spider-Man #183 for today’s JOWA, rookie.
I too wanted to pick House of Mystery #183 but I didn’t know what the heck was going on, confusing cover.
A great comic book cover matching each day of the year, 1 through 365. Please chime in with your favourite corresponding cover, from any era.
I wouldn’t say the pick is bad, but I can’t say it is much above average – in particular I don’t care for the composition and the colors. Doom’s skirt looks like it is part of the window and so I have the impression that the upper half of his body is floating in midair.
I also wouldn’t argue for the standing around Captain America. As usual Kane knows how to lay out figures, but it just doesn’t deliver enough shock value for me.
I’ll pick Avengers for #184. I love Wonder Woman (1987) but it’s more of a poster – there’s probably a story here if you read the interior, but you can’t get it from the cover. ASM and Captain America are solid, JLA is a cool cover but again really just a poster.
I will give a special mention to Batman. I won’t argue for great but certainly different. Kind of like a fake tabloid newspaper cover.
Famous Funnies takes the JOWA – inexplicable and creepy – I wouldn’t have wanted to meet whoever came up with the concept.
There was a lot to like on Day 183 and I think Walt made the right choices for the podium as each of the covers included are outstanding. The Colan cover on Dr. Strange is another fantastic image, and somehow, as a reader, I always took it personally when Captain America was beaten, and this cover hammers you with an image of a defeated Cap. And what comic cover isn’t made better by Dr. Doom, and Thor 183 certainly benefits from Doom’s attack on Thor.
But call it nostalgia, or favoritism for issues I fondly remember as a kid, but I liked several 183 covers:
– Uncanny X-Men #183 – great full scale fight scene between 2 of Marvel’s mightiest, that is worthy of the story inside which ranks as one of my favorite X-Men issues of all-time.
– Avengers #183 – Crusher Creel vs. the Avengers. Crusher seemed to be the meanest villain in Marvel (not evil and wanting to rule the world like Doom, or the Red Skull – just mean), and I always loved that he had no costume, but embraced his meanness and just continued to wear his prison uniform, and his weapon of choice was the prisoner’s ball and chain.
– Batman #183 – Somehow it works. The laid back Batman has the campiness to match the show, especially for those of us enjoyed the 66 series through afternoon reruns during the summer.
– Wolverine #183 – The incongruity of a top hat, spats and tails Wolverine makes for a cool cover.
– Daredevil #183 – Not great art, but a powerful cover. The same could be said about Daredevil #182 as well.
– Conan #183 – Always a pleasure to have Buscema creating vivid cover scenes for Conan.
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And I think the Superboy #183 cover is somehow the direct result of what ever it was that was happening on the cover of Jimmy Olsen #98, which if I recall correctly was the impetus for the JOWA – so hands down Superboy 183 takes the JOWA.
I love all three if these covers Walt! I am surprised I don’t t have that Thor in my collection… it fits well with the Astonishing Tales book that was out around the same period! Both the Cap and the Doctor Strange are nice contenders as well. I still have a fondness for that Action Comics cover but these are better! I checked out the House if Mystery and agree its very interesting but confusing! And the JOWA… I would STILL be embarrassed to have that Superboy in my collection!
guys, you are looking at comics from adult eyes and 2019 sensibilities.
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Superboy 183 is a classic cover. ERB was still among the best read books of the era and it also started fandom in the North American universe.
March 1972 Superboy 183 was on the stands. An ode to , and preview to, Kuberts Superb Tarzan 207 published only a month later. . What a classic time. What fun. Any ERB fan got it.
And kids loved it.
Derrick, I liked the Buscema Conan cover as well, I think those were hurried covers though judging from the level of detail, would have loved to see big John given a few more days on that cover. Gerald, I think that one might be a badge of honor to Superboy collectors – “see the crap I have to live with to complete this god forsaken run !”
Walt, I think you are right about the hurried nature of the Conan covers as many covers during this run lacked any finished background.