Magic Carpet Covers

When I got to thinking about Magic Carpet covers, I was shocked by the sheer number of them. Superman alone has been involved in a handful. I guess people have always been interested in the idea of a small prayer rug flying through the air, and this is reflect in the world of comic book covers. Here are a few good examples from a wide range of genres:

I'll start with Action Comics #102, because it's a title that is first in our hearts (as well as first alphabetically). I'm also a sucker for the Golden Age Mr. Mxyztplk. The cover actually touches on a couple of concepts from One Thousand And One Nights: the magic carpet and the genie in a bottle. Many of my favourite Superman covers come from the stretch of Action Comics #100 through #125 - further evidence that Wayne Boring is anything but.

I'll admit that I don't know much about Felix the Cat as a character. I've had next to no exposure to him except for those ubiquitous wall clocks. What's he all about anyway? Is he lazy like Garfield, scheming like Sylvester or randy like Fritz? I do, however, really dig this cover to Felix the Cat #8 from his Dell series (like many cats, he moved around a lot). At first, I couldn't suspend my disbelief regarding the vacuum's lack of power source. Once I realized that we were in a world of biped felines and flying carpets, I realized that a cordless vacuum wasn't really all that crazy.

Have you ever noticed how many ACG covers I end up using for this sort of topic. For a small company with only a handful of titles, they really seemed to hit most of the major cover themes (I can't believe I forget that Herbie cover for my initial Dr. Strangelove entry!). In my mind, Ogden Whitney remains the most under appreciated cover artist. He is responsible for so many gems that no one has ever seen. This cover to Unknown Worlds #3 is just fantastic. It is so simple, and yet the detail and texture in the carpet and the man's face just blow me away.

Finally, I can't resist using this one. Like the Superman cover featuring the Supermobile, the cover to Whiz Comics #88 begs the question of why the BRC need assistance in the flying department? Also, can't he just relax and sit down like Hassan above? I love these mixed media covers from Fawcett, and I thought that it was really cool that DC kept it up when they brought the Marvel Family back in the 70s. As an aside, this one also features the Chrysler Building, which gives me a very good idea . . .

So what's your favourite Magic Carpet Cover?