So we made it! Some readers may bemoan the amount of covers featuring the Phoenix story line on this list, but Byrne did an incredible job with this artwork, despite the intrusive banner plastered along the top of the page. The central image of Scott and Jean fighting for their lives together is particularly poignant given the fate of the Phoenix in this issue and dressing Jean in her original Marvel Girl costume is a beautiful touch.
9. Avengers #4 (Jack Kirby)
Few comic covers have been homaged as much as this classic Avengers cover, which was recently parodied in the Secret Invasion arc, with Skrulls in place of the original Avengers. As the first appearance of Captain America in the Silver Age, this cover is part of a landmark issue from early on in the Avengers run, but it's also just a brilliant piece of artwork. The illustration of each hero is incredibly dynamic and it feels like the Avengers are literally leaping out of the comic towards the reader.
8. Iron Man #128 (Bob Layton)
Since the beginning of the Silver Age, Marvel has always excelled at portraying super heroes as real people, endowing them with very human flaws which readers can relate to. Alcoholism is a a dangerous illness which the writers of Iron Man handled delicately when Tony Stark began to rely on drink to get by. No caption should even be necessary for this cover, which clearly shows Stark in a dark place as he contemplates his haggard reflection by an overturned glass. On a fun trivia note, the bottom of the liquor bottle says "Coming Soon Jerry Bingham...", referencing the artist who would replace John Romita Jr as the regular artist for Iron Man in a few issues time.
7. Avengers #57 (John Buscema)
Like many of the other covers on this list, the artwork for Avengers #57 has been replicated time and time again by other artists, but why does this particular issue deserve to be placed so high? Like the cover for Amazing Spider-Man #50, the use of the red color scheme is extremely powerful and as introductions go, this must be one of the coolest debuts ever featured on a comic cover. As the Avengers all fall around his feet, the Vision stands tall with a kick ass pose and an ominous tag line, "Behold The Vision!"
6. Secret Wars #10 (Mike Zeck)
Alongside Magneto, Dr Doom is easily one of the most iconic villains of the Marvel Universe and has taken central stage in a number of pivotal story lines over the years. Towards the end of the Secret Wars limited series, Victor Von Doom attains unlimited power and faces off against the Beyonder, a god-like being. This cover doesn't even begin to show the toll that this confrontation takes on Doom, but it's an extremely powerful image nonetheless and how often does a super villain receive their own solo cover? That's how awesome Doom is.
David is a primary school teacher who tries his best to turn every math lesson into a discussion on the latest Pixar film. Passions include superheroes, zombies and Studio Ghibli. In between going to the cinema, moving to South Korea and eating his body weight in KFC, David writes for a number of movie sites, http://becarefulyourhand.blogspot.co.uk/
