This entry covers my selections for top Avengers covers - in this case, from issue 300 to 399. What needs reiteration is the fact that these are my personal choices. As I mentioned before, there may not be any science involved is said selection, plus... it may come as a surprise to others as to why I may have chosen one cover and not another. The answer is simple... visual appeal coupled with taste (mainly mine, of course). I have it at the back of my mind to consider that had I passed a comic shop and saw these covers for the first time, they would possibly elicit a 'wow!' from me.
In purchasing a comic - though the cover isn't the 'be all and end all' of the selection criteria to make an issue an instant classic, it's what initially draws the reader/passer by's attention... and in said attention gotten, a difference in whether the comic would sell - or not.
Previous countdowns can be found in earlier entries. Here's a quick list/link:
Top 10 - issues 1 to 99
One to Ninety nine
Top 10 - issues 100 to 199
One Hundred to One Hundred ninety nine
Top 10 - issues 200 to 299
Two Hundred to Two Hundred ninety nine
Now that I'm done with the introduction, it's off to the countdown.
Number 10 - Issue 391:
Nothing says buy me than a cover with a hero being stabbed, shot, or literally killed in all other imaginable aspects - and this issue's cover is no exception. As seen in the image, we have a Starjammer about to kill (or badly maim) Carol Danvers in her current persona of Polaris, while the Avengers look helplessly from a distance.
This type of cover theme is a recurring one in the history of Avengers - and I'm betting, other titles as well. The first one that comes to mind is Janet and the big Boa Constrictor wrapping itself around her in the Avengers wedding of Wasp and Yellow Jacket. The fact that I can almost still vividly remember the issue cover is a testament to its shock value - and therefore, the memory imprint.
That said, even if we can say that this theme, due to it's repetitive nature of being used, has lost it's shock value - it still can grip the reader's attention enough to warrant a peek, if not an outright sell.
Number 9 - Issue 345:
Another classic cover theme I've seen more than once is the hero going berserk at the cost of hurting his team mates... add the fact that this hero is a classic member - albeit one not currently active in the line-up, thus also warranting a 'guest spot' and you get an even juicier pull.
Now consider for a moment that this hero we are talking about is actually Thor - arguably the strongest Avenger ever, holding an unconscious Hercules, who may be the closest match to Thor on account of their both being demi-Gods - while Crystal, arguably another powerful Avenger lies unconscious at the foreground, and you come up with a very very noticeable issue cover. In fact, I'd even argue against myself as to why I just made this number nine.
The cover caption just adds to the stoking as it brazenly announces 'A God Gone Mad!' with the last word given more emphasis by a larger font and a blood red hue.
Number 8 - Issue 339:
An Avengers Space epic... or so at least the cover promises by making the backdrop of the scene look unworldly. Add to the fact the enlarged visage of the Collector... a known Elder of the Universe, and you can get most readers' attention.
Slight limitation being that the Elder seems to be sporting a new look - or at least, one unfamiliar to known readers... much less a passing fancy reader. It is only by the caption's announcement that we are made aware that this is the Collector - and maybe that itself can be a pull, as we now wonder... huh? what happened to him to look like that... or is this his real look, and if so, why reveal it now?
Consider as well that this current team boasts of Quasar (in his ridiculous outfit), the ghost looking Vision, Herc, Cap and the Widow, and you think okay... these guys are serious, as they literally stand in the Collector's hand, giving more emphasis to the cover blurb's announcement, while another team stands on the other (felt hand) of the Collector, poised to fight the Avengers. Definitely a must look into - and if the prerequisite of that is to buy the issue... well, there you go. Cover's mission accomplished.
Number 7 - Issue 318:
Nebula triumphant is another sample of a cosmic cover gathering one's attention. You have the villain in a larger than life pose - which may hint at her gaining powers that warrant the need of the Avengers to foil her plan. Having some seeming energy surrounding her, and her expression of seemingly feeling happy or euphoric with this new found power just puts more emphasis to the criticality of this situation.
Having the big three - namely IM, Cap and Thor, in the story (as the cover suggests) also puts plus points into the 'must read' department. Of course the clincher here is the guest star - which might pull in fans of this hero to likewise pick up the issue and boost sales... I'm talking about Spider-man, though honestly, he almost disappears in the background - poor background color choices, I guess. But hey... once he's spotted, other fans might definitely want to read this to find out what he's doing in an Avengers story.
Number 6 - Issue 345:
I'm starting to see a pattern here... I mean, another cover with space as a background, thus hinting at a space adventure. I guess these patterns are just obvious to what I want the Avengers to be involved in. After all, Earth's Mightiest Heroes they may be... but it wont' hurt to have them flex their influence in a larger space arena once in a while. That said, what makes this one more unique to warrant a higher placing than the previous two issues shown?
How about Avengers out in the vacuum of space (as the cover hints), attacking the Shi'ar - yup... the same Shi'ar made popular in the X-men. The blurb also announces the fact that this is part of Operation Galactic Storm - part five, in fact... which should make anyone who's seen this before ans was not aware of the story arc go and ask their friendly comic retailer to see where parts One to Four happened. Talk about cross-over madness.
This issue promises an all out action sequence, plus it really begs the question why the Avengers are obviously mad at a race so far away? Why such powerhouses like Thor, Sersi, Vision and Quasar? My mind goes on thinking this could be another 'Kree Skrull' war type story, and I'd better hop in before I miss out on all the action.
And just like that, part one gets done. Watch out for part two - which obviously will present the top 5 issues of this batch, real soon.
In purchasing a comic - though the cover isn't the 'be all and end all' of the selection criteria to make an issue an instant classic, it's what initially draws the reader/passer by's attention... and in said attention gotten, a difference in whether the comic would sell - or not.
Previous countdowns can be found in earlier entries. Here's a quick list/link:
Top 10 - issues 1 to 99
One to Ninety nine
Top 10 - issues 100 to 199
One Hundred to One Hundred ninety nine
Top 10 - issues 200 to 299
Two Hundred to Two Hundred ninety nine
Now that I'm done with the introduction, it's off to the countdown.
Number 10 - Issue 391:Nothing says buy me than a cover with a hero being stabbed, shot, or literally killed in all other imaginable aspects - and this issue's cover is no exception. As seen in the image, we have a Starjammer about to kill (or badly maim) Carol Danvers in her current persona of Polaris, while the Avengers look helplessly from a distance.
This type of cover theme is a recurring one in the history of Avengers - and I'm betting, other titles as well. The first one that comes to mind is Janet and the big Boa Constrictor wrapping itself around her in the Avengers wedding of Wasp and Yellow Jacket. The fact that I can almost still vividly remember the issue cover is a testament to its shock value - and therefore, the memory imprint.
That said, even if we can say that this theme, due to it's repetitive nature of being used, has lost it's shock value - it still can grip the reader's attention enough to warrant a peek, if not an outright sell.
Another classic cover theme I've seen more than once is the hero going berserk at the cost of hurting his team mates... add the fact that this hero is a classic member - albeit one not currently active in the line-up, thus also warranting a 'guest spot' and you get an even juicier pull.
Now consider for a moment that this hero we are talking about is actually Thor - arguably the strongest Avenger ever, holding an unconscious Hercules, who may be the closest match to Thor on account of their both being demi-Gods - while Crystal, arguably another powerful Avenger lies unconscious at the foreground, and you come up with a very very noticeable issue cover. In fact, I'd even argue against myself as to why I just made this number nine.
The cover caption just adds to the stoking as it brazenly announces 'A God Gone Mad!' with the last word given more emphasis by a larger font and a blood red hue.
An Avengers Space epic... or so at least the cover promises by making the backdrop of the scene look unworldly. Add to the fact the enlarged visage of the Collector... a known Elder of the Universe, and you can get most readers' attention.
Slight limitation being that the Elder seems to be sporting a new look - or at least, one unfamiliar to known readers... much less a passing fancy reader. It is only by the caption's announcement that we are made aware that this is the Collector - and maybe that itself can be a pull, as we now wonder... huh? what happened to him to look like that... or is this his real look, and if so, why reveal it now?
Consider as well that this current team boasts of Quasar (in his ridiculous outfit), the ghost looking Vision, Herc, Cap and the Widow, and you think okay... these guys are serious, as they literally stand in the Collector's hand, giving more emphasis to the cover blurb's announcement, while another team stands on the other (felt hand) of the Collector, poised to fight the Avengers. Definitely a must look into - and if the prerequisite of that is to buy the issue... well, there you go. Cover's mission accomplished.
Number 7 - Issue 318:
Nebula triumphant is another sample of a cosmic cover gathering one's attention. You have the villain in a larger than life pose - which may hint at her gaining powers that warrant the need of the Avengers to foil her plan. Having some seeming energy surrounding her, and her expression of seemingly feeling happy or euphoric with this new found power just puts more emphasis to the criticality of this situation.
Having the big three - namely IM, Cap and Thor, in the story (as the cover suggests) also puts plus points into the 'must read' department. Of course the clincher here is the guest star - which might pull in fans of this hero to likewise pick up the issue and boost sales... I'm talking about Spider-man, though honestly, he almost disappears in the background - poor background color choices, I guess. But hey... once he's spotted, other fans might definitely want to read this to find out what he's doing in an Avengers story.
Number 6 - Issue 345:
I'm starting to see a pattern here... I mean, another cover with space as a background, thus hinting at a space adventure. I guess these patterns are just obvious to what I want the Avengers to be involved in. After all, Earth's Mightiest Heroes they may be... but it wont' hurt to have them flex their influence in a larger space arena once in a while. That said, what makes this one more unique to warrant a higher placing than the previous two issues shown?
How about Avengers out in the vacuum of space (as the cover hints), attacking the Shi'ar - yup... the same Shi'ar made popular in the X-men. The blurb also announces the fact that this is part of Operation Galactic Storm - part five, in fact... which should make anyone who's seen this before ans was not aware of the story arc go and ask their friendly comic retailer to see where parts One to Four happened. Talk about cross-over madness.
This issue promises an all out action sequence, plus it really begs the question why the Avengers are obviously mad at a race so far away? Why such powerhouses like Thor, Sersi, Vision and Quasar? My mind goes on thinking this could be another 'Kree Skrull' war type story, and I'd better hop in before I miss out on all the action.
And just like that, part one gets done. Watch out for part two - which obviously will present the top 5 issues of this batch, real soon.
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