Surely all fans of the Claremont/Byrne X-Men run remember this panel from the very last page of Uncanny X-Men #132 (1980)!

After being dumped in the sewers, Wolverine vowed to open up a can of whup-ass on the Hellfire Club, which he did in the next issue.  It was an exciting image, with the shadows of the sewer grate above shining down on Wolvy's costume.

John Byrne re-interpreted this moment for an illustration that appeared in his X-Men portfolio in 1993.  This version features a lot more muck and sewer gunk that surrounds Wolverine--a truly awful place to be!

Here's the pen & ink version of this illustration.  I imagine that some art collectors have commissioned similar pieces?  If so, please share them in the comments below.  Nuff Said!

Here's a cover scan that I've searched for years and finally found it!  Frank Miller's 1981 cover to Amazing Heroes #4, featuring Daredevil.

I always admired this one for the composition.  There's something about DD rotating on that clothesline, suspended in mid-air between two buildings in the city that seemed thrilling.  The composition is simple but seems to capture the character perfectly.

You know how some songs get stuck in your head because you heard that when you read a comic.  The one I associate with this cover is Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen.  Nuff Said!

Hey True Believers, check out this other nifty gem from the Giant-Size Marvel Vault:

Frank Miller cover to Daredevil Marvel Comics Index

Here are few pieces to drive you Marvelously Crazy this fine April Fools Day…

This cover to Crazy #1 (1972) by Marie Severin features Forbush-Man summing up the spirit of the early 1970s anti-war protests:  Support peace, you super-baddies, or we’ll clobber ya! 

Forbush-Man: a character I thought would have taken off more!  He looks to be making a comeback in next week’s parody special (of Captain America), Who Won’t Wear the Shield? 

What happens when Nick Fury goes scuba diving on vacation?  As Bruce Timm sees it, he just can’t stop taking all of his gear along with him, much to Val’s chagrin.  Perhaps Hydra was about to strike?  It’s a fine homage to Steranko’s covers and penchant for pockets and gear.

It really cracks me up that Fury is smoking a cigar inside that helmet!

This outstanding illustration by Michael Golden appeared on the back cover of the British reprint, Star-Lord Megazine.  Nuff Said!

More Giant-Sized Star-Lord art and articles:

Claremont, Byrne & Austin’s Classic Take on Star-Lord

Berni Wrightson Star-Lord pinup

Jim Starlin Star-Lord Painting from Marvel Preview 14

Star-Lord’s Black and White Origin in Marvel Preview #4

Here's a nice illustration of Thor by Mike Deodato.  Back in 1995, Deodato and Warren Ellis worked on an interesting 4-issue Thor story titled WorldEngine.  I always thought Deodato had a great take on this character, perhaps he will get the chance again soon.  Nuff Said!

Michael Golden provided three terrific covers for Kull the Conqueror in 1984-85.  My favorite cover is the one above, with the Executioner in the black and white background, providing a terrific contrast to Kull in the foreground.  Golden knocks himself out drawing all the jewelry and details on Kull's cape, waist, and feet.

The cover to issue #5 is probably the least impressive, but still visually exciting. 

Marvel Barbarian Revelation #1: I just noticed the Roman aqueduct in the background.  Conan is set way before Roman times and Kull is set way before Conan.  Man, those Atlanteans weren't so barbaric after all.

Now this cover to issue #6  explodes with both action and color.  The background demon figures are all in green, allowing the three main characters to pop out.  I love the expression on that babe's face as she realized her predicament.

Marvel Barbarian Revelation #2: King Kull really had much better fashion sense that Conan, didn't he?  Nuff Said!

More Giant-Size Marvel Barbarians:

Michael Golden's Covers for Savage Sword of Conan Make Barbarians Quite Fashionable

I like to feature Marvel artwork, characters, or stories that are either offbeat or hard to find.  I searched through over 100 Savage Sword of Conan covers looking for stuff, and noticed that most of them have the same elements:

1. Conan with a huge sword fighting a demon.
2. A bikini clad babe in the foreground looking at Conan in horror.  If Conan wins, he gets the babe.  Spoiler alert: Conan always wins.
3. If the editors really needed a sales boost, they put two bikini clad babes on the cover.  Or Red Sonja.

Most of the covers could have been done for the pulp magazines in the 30s, and feature these elements against a bland background.

Enter Michael Golden.

The above 1988 cover to Savage Sword #150 is a perfect example of how he uses all those elements but does so in a stylish way.  You've got Conan with a sword and a babe standing next to him, but the way they are adorned and colored makes them visually appealing.

I gotta wonder about that red-haired chick in green, though.  Wouldn't it be hard to sit down with a dagger in the middle of your underwear?

The Savage Sword #117 cover features Conan in a Frazetta-like pose, but Golden details every little bit of the headdress, armor, and horse that he can.  Conan's helmet and the horse's head-gear are particularly impressive.

Notice that the babe is hiding shyly behind Conan's back.  Doesn't that make her more tantalizing that just spreading her out in front like a Maxim magazine cover?

Savage Sword #124 eschews the babe for a classic shot of Conan leaping in mid-air to attack an army of stooges.  Don't they know those spears will just bounce off Conan's steely hide?

The Dragon-relief on the wall behind Conan is the most interesting thing about the cover, symbolizing what Conan is doing in the foreground.

Savage Sword #101 features a sea-venturing Conan encountering an angry sea-god.  It's kind of a risky move, as you don't see Conan's face, and the threat of the sea-creature's tentacles is very subtle.  Still, this cover is a cut above most of the Savage Sword dreck.  Nuff Said!

More Giant-Sized Marvel Conan:

Neal Adams' Savage Tales Starring Conan, Ka-Zar, and Zabu, Too!

Savage Tales #2: Conan, Red Nails, all for seventy-five cents!

Barry Smith's King-Size Conan Annual Cover

It's going to be a monstrous week for me.  The only thing that can make it better is a week of Michael Golden covers...starting off with my favorite hell-raiser, Ghost Rider!

This 1991 cover appeared in the Doctor Strange Ghost Rider special.  The interior story wasn't that great, but the cover alone justified the buck fifty.  I love how Golden draws that hellcycle climbing up that mystic bridge.

Surprisingly, Doctor Strange is very small, even though he's the co-star.  I am sure the editors wanted Ghost Rider to be the focal point, since his popularity was much greater.  The version above was the Danny Ketch Ghost Rider.

Golden did draw the Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider 10 years earlier in this cover to Defenders 96.  Blaze's hellcycle is literally ablaze in flame, which Golden details in utter delight.  Doctor Strange and Daimon Hellstrom appear in the background.

Which Ghost Rider do you prefer?  Ketch's bike is cooler, but Blaze's uniform, an ode to Evel Knivel, simply can't be beat.  Nuff Said!