Statues are normally erected to honour an important person, and to inspire each and every person passing by. Sometimes, however, gravity takes over and they become deadly. Let's take a look at some covers with toppling statues.
In the Apeverse, the Lawgiver is a type of deity who has laid our the basic teachings for Ape society. His writings also point to him being somewhat of a humaphobe. Apes have erected statues of the Lawgiver everywhere. That probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but at least one of them (the one featured here on the cover to Adventures of the Planet of the Apes #10 turned out to be bit top heavy. The cover is signed Paty Anderson and Klaus Janson. Am I right in thinking that this penciller went on to become Paty Cockrum?
I've said it before, and I'll certainly say it again: the Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog has a cover to fit almost every theme. The cover to Rex #10 is a real beauty - a perfect example of the stunning covers being produced at DC during the 1950s. Danny does not seem to understand that toppling statues are bad for your health, so Rex takes matters into his own hands... er teeth. Beautifully coloured and inked (Sachs?), this Gil Kane cover really grabs the reader's attention. 
Even though he played a big role in my childhood, I don't think about Ghost Rider much these days. These theme, however, did stir up my memories about the cover to Ghost Rider #71, which would have been published during the peak of my Ghost Rider reading. If memory serves, this story takes places in Illinois, and the statue is holding a stovepipe hat, so I assume that's Lincoln (haven't read this in 25+ years). To my eyes, however, it actually look a bit more like Jefferson Davis. How ironic.
Ok, so the statue on the cover to Superman #305 isn't exactly toppling, but I'll allow it because it is such a kooky story. Supes has his hands full with the Toyman (and later Bizarro) as the Toyman has developed a giant mechanical version of himself. For one reason or another, Superman decides to grab the statue from outside Metropolis' Superman museum to use as a baseball bat against the Toyman robot. It seems a bit unnecessary, as I am not sure why Supes can't just throw the robot into outer space. Is it just me, or has the 'pose' of the Superman statue outside the museum changed over the years? I'm sure that someone really into Superman continuity can answer that one.
3 comments:
Scott:
What a bizarre and amusing topic for a post. I can't think of any toppling stature covers off the top of my head, but I recently bought Captain America #222 — featuring the Lincoln statue from the Lincoln Memorial leaping up to pound on Cap. Good stuff, that.
Cheers,
Andrew
ComicsBronzeAge.com
Thanks Andrew - glad you liked it.
If you search through my older posts, you'll find an entry for Lincoln Covers. I included that Cap cover, as it is a great one!
The layout for the Ghost Rider and Planet of the Apes covers are almost identical - falling statue with right arm across chest and "victim" moving underneath - the ape on a horse and Ghost Rider on something with more horsepower.
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