Gil Kane Cover of the Month: Captain America #215

Ok, so it has been way more than a month but I'm trying to get back on track. Gil Kane did a ton of covers for Marvel in the 70s, but this one easily cracks my top 10. I absolutely adore the design and colour scheme. The decision to leave the background figures in grey was pure genius. I also really love the choice of characters (the inclusion of some Invaders certain time stamps it. I find it amusing that there are two versions of Nick Fury and even Cap appears in his own background (or it is that crazy 50s Cap?). I do wish, however, that Kane had been able to work Batroc and a Sleeper robot into the picture. This is great stuff, nearing iconic levels. It would have made an amazing poster. Still would.

Memoirs of a Bronze Age Baby: Grimm's Ghost Stories #50

I would have been about 6 and a half years old when this comic book hit spinner racks. Coincidentally, that's also exactly the same age as my own son now. Of course, he's Harry Potter 24 hours a day and has only a fraction of the interest in funnybooks that I did as a kid. That's fine, as I don't want to push it. I assume that once he sees that mountain of boxes in our basement, he'll find a way to spend rainy afternoons. I'm not sure this type of ghost story book would be up his alley, but my 4-year old daughter would love it, as she's much more into witches and ghosts. I'm 99% sure I got this book in a 3-pack bag, and I still have two of the three books (I believe the other two were a Turok and a Mighty Mouse) from back then. I always enjoyed these books, and still do to this day. In fact, I think I have a soft spot for artists like Frank Bolle because they played such a subtle, yet important role in my childhood. I hope my kids have a similar experience.