Covered 365: Day 300

Amazing Spider-Man #300, Marvel Comics, May 1988. Artist: Todd McFarlane.

Day 300!! Took a while but we’re at the last landmark issue of this exercise. There have been soft days for sure but surprisingly fewer than I expected. Let’s hope that continues as we see this thing through.

Thankfully there were lots of good issue #300 celebrations to choose from. I went with what is now a classic. Todd McFarlane to Amazing Spider-Man #300 is iconic, it’s like a billion-dollar logo that is instantly recognizable or a $billion dollar jingle that you can’t get out of your head.

Mike Zeck says screw the celebration banner, it will get in the way of what people really want, an epic battle between two age-old adversaries and that’s exactly what Mike gives us on the cover to Captain America #300.

Swinging back to celebration mode Geoff Darrow gives us something to cheer about with his great wrap-around cover to Wolverine #300.

You think Darrow’s cover was busy? Have a look at Mike Hawthorne’s insane wrap around cover to Deadpool #300!!

I really like Gabriele Dell’Otto’s virgin cover to Peter Parker #300.

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.

Walter Durajlija
Walter Durajlija

Walter Durajlija is an Overstreet Advisor and Shuster Award winner. He owns Big B Comics in Hamilton Ontario.

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Gerald Eddy
Gerald Eddy
5 years ago

Fine…ASM as todays winner… but I hope we are not going to see is follow up iterations of essentially the same picture in the near future. Cap looks flat…perhaps better coloring or a bit of shadowing would make them seem less like cutouts. Where’s Waldo Wolverine… really… a great cover?? And where’s not Deadpool…not in my collection thats where not!

Bud Plant
5 years ago

McFarlane’ #300 cover is iconic, no doubt. And maybe it sold the issue. So I agree with your choice.

But…I like your shout out to Dell’Otto’s virgin cover. THAT is the one that makes me want to look inside. Great action, cool-looking nasty villain.

The Wolverine cover? Can’t figure out what’s going on, and don’t really care after a quick study. Though I generally like Darrow’s work.

Sometimes these artists forget the old rule, the cover needs to grab your attention quickly…I think the rule was in three seconds. Or else your eyes will move on to others on the racks. Keep it simple, right guys?

David H
David H
5 years ago

There were always three sure things – Superman 233, Batman 251, and Spidey 300. Now that you have those iconic covers out of the way, it’s anybody’s chance to win till the end of the year

Chris Meli
5 years ago

As expected and I can’t fault it. I will fault Captain America, I don’t think that one’s very good. The Carnage cover is just not comic booky enough for me, it is closer to those Bisleys that were showing up recently. Also I think your attribution of the Deadpool is wrong, I think you are mixing up the normal cover artist with the variant artist (Koblish).

As predicted (sorry to say), #301 is a big step down. I’ll pick FF as a good piece of art and a fairly unusual and arresting composition, and no runners up. ASM is very good but as Gerald says, this is just a swipe. Ugh.

Otherwise there are some covers worth a comment. Action: exactly how many “trials of Superman” covers were there? Why was this thought to be a better draw than a good punch-out with a villain? Batman: no guns! Detective: Robin says “Th-this looks like the end of Batman’s career!” – How about his life?!

The JOWA goes to Adventure – somehow Superboy, who can singlehandedly build a doppelganger robot on his own, set up this dummy, and the super-genius Luthor is fooled.

Klaus
Klaus
5 years ago

I say Superman 317’s Neil Adams and the green K-infected Superman has that day locked up. There were rumblings back then that Superman covers were getting weak and sappy, so Adams showed everyone with a truly powerful and emotion-filled cover.

Walt, keep Day 317 for this issue.