Mary Jane has always been one of the sexiest women in Marvel comics and Tim Sale's unique style captures her allure better than any other artist. This cover may be slightly provocative, but it's by no means crude or unsavory. The Eisner award winning artist has produced a number of iconic images in his work for both Marvel and DC, but he really hit the jackpot with this one.
54. Sensational She-Hulk #1 (John Byrne)
After suffering as a second-tier hero for years, She-Hulk gained a new lease of life when John Byrne relaunched her solo series. In an unusual move for Marvel, the rules were thrown out the window as She-Hulk began to break the fourth wall, smashing through panels and regularly arguing with Byrne about her treatment in each story. This cover to the first solo issue perfectly captures the irreverent tone of the series and was only the first of many She-Hulk covers that directly addressed the reader in some way.
53. Secret Wars #8 (Mike Zeck)
It's always a gamble to change an iconic superhero costume and often, the results are disastrous. However, Spider-Man's black symbiote outfit is one of the few instances which actually proved successful and despite the horrendous tagline at the bottom of the cover, this artwork is iconic for showcasing Spidey's new threads for the first time. The pose has been emulated in numerous covers since and what makes it more striking is the epic battle happening behind Spider-Man as he checks out his new attire.
52. Thor #337 (Walt Simonson)
This cover heralded a new creative high for Thor, marking the beginning of Walter SImonson's run on the series as both writer and artist. Replacing Thor with a horse headed alien for a first cover would be risky for anyone, but Simonson pulls it off with an incredibly striking image that literally smashes through the title and any preconceptions fans had of the Thunder god up to that point. Also, Beta Ray Bill is just awesome.
51. Amazing Spider-Man #122 (John Romita)
The death of Gwen Stacy is one of the definitive Spider-Man stories and has reached a wider audience this year with the movie Amazing Spider-Man 2. This issue deals with the immediate aftermath of her demise and the image of Peter holding Gwen's lifeless body is an iconic moment that will forever be remembered by the fans. The grief and pain in Spiderman's words also make this a rare moment where speech bubbles actually enhance a comic book cover rather than detract from the art.
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/
