10 WORST Comic Book Gimmick Covers of All-Time!

[@jthomascruz4890]

I am surprised with how many of the books you presented on this list I actually hadn't seen before. I am also surprised you didn't mention the pop up cover for Force Works #1 which I think should be in the conversation for worst cover ever. Thanks for the video.

[@mikem3543]

I’ve got a couple of these. I’m a sucker for those gimmick covers. Love finding them in dollar boxes.

[@mistermister2572]

Very awesome follow up, thank you!!!

[@MPScrimshaw]

I think the punisher one is a window he's shooting through and shattering

[@robphoenix1182]

Think it's supposed to be a mirror.

[@Mymloch]

Still disagree on the Spidey hologram covers... the X-men ones from the 90's (and most others I see) where they tried to have art AND a hologram on the cover.... yeah, I get that. They were cluttered and messy. But the 30th Anniversary SM cover holograms were larger than card size, and centered on the cover, with just colored background and webbing on the rest. I thought it worked well. And I liked seeing how they made them in an article in Marvel Age #114. But to each their own, I reckon. :)

[@garyduggan897]

agreed. They're iconic. And the best holograms I remember seeing. Still got them all from when they came out. Crazy to think it's now 30 years since the 30th anniversary which seemed like such a significant anniversary to me at the time!

[@A100-ND]

I liked the 30th Anniv. hologram covers a lot. Not ugly at all.

[@charliedogg7683]

Eclipso #1was hated, not just disliked but hated, by retailers because comics sitting on top of the plastic "jewel" would be dented. Lots from Continuity here: do we mock them for so many bad cover ideas or praise them for ingenuity and innovative concepts that unfortunately failed in the execution? Hmmm, the jury's still out on this one.....

[@dradatzke]

ASM 262, so bad...

[@robertmalinowski6804]

James, by bringing light to these 90s comics, you will single hand idly increase the market on them! ;)

[@macorourke2222]

Great video Brother. Get better soon 😎👍♥️📚✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️💯💯💯💯💯✨️

[@TheDukeofMadness]

The most annoying/disappointing thing about Cry of the Huntress being lumbered with bad covers was that it contains the first appearance of Ariana Dzerchenko, Tim Drake's first, civilian, girlfriend.

[@MintHunterComics]

Yes it does! I love her and him! Nice to hear a man of culture!! Haha

[@dalemoyers8881]

Great video!!! Love me some 90’s gimmick covers. I’m not familiar with a lot of these on the list but that might be a good thing…Lol. 😎

[@monsterphile]

Yes, it was cheaply done, but I liked the Eclipso cover, because the jewel was relevant to the character. I did not like the covers that had a hologram that was just glued on, like those Robin and X-Men family comics. The whole polybag thing was always a nightmare, as well.

[@LawnDartsRAwesome]

Looks like it would be hard to store with other books. Would dent the backs or cover!

[@monsterphile]

I boarded it specially. @@LawnDartsRAwesome

[@jonaswirtanen115]

I just bought a copy of action comics 695 this past weekend lmao

[@sixarms]

I have seen the Eclipse cover, and also thought the jewel looked kind of cheesey. That Punisher cover does look weird. Resurrection Man the first issue from volume one from 1997 has a small circle in the eye of the skeleton that shows a smaller skeleton head that is reflective that looks not that good.

[@xavierloera1938]

Man i have the ASM 400 🤦🏻‍♂️ but its graded at a 9.4 and signed by Stan Lee so that’s pretty much the only good thing about it 😂

[@JorgeMartinez-kz5ez]

There was also a version with the tomb stone was white.

[@ihaveafewissues1788]

I’m a hard core Spiderman fan and collector. I actually had NO idea there was an image embossed on that ASM 400! 🤣 F@#k. I thought the newsstand just had the added image. Oh well, that’s embarrassing!

[@Criner05]

I remember about four years ago DC had a gimmick for (at least) their facsimiles. It was the regular facsimile with the regular cover, but on top of the cover was a metal plate with the cover printed on the metal. I saw some at Neal Adams' booth at NYCC in 2019. I never got one because they were too asinine. It ruins reading the comic. And if you put it in a bag and board, you better hope it doesn't tear through the bag.

[@BladeRunner90]

Good video 😮 I just got Blood strike #1

[@jamesgutierrez6462]

How about the spiderman issue polybagged with dirt... or Euademon. The end of the Story is toll in trading cards

[@monkeyg0d]

I actually like the Eclipso stuff from around that time, he's fun when he's an actual Lord of Chaos. That said yeah the bedazzled cover is goofy. I have a stack of them from a collection I picked up. Also, ALL those Continuity covers are really cluttered and bad just overall, which is unfortunate.

[@Markus465]

Throwing some hate on Continuity Comics! LOL A lot of those gimmick covers WERE bad ideas. Not as bad as the Eclipso jewel, though.

[@buraddorun3043]

I haven't seen them yet because they were apparently delayed, but how about those JL VS Godzilla VS Kong roar covers? I don't know whether they'll be top or bottom 10 worthy, but surely they'll be something.

[@davezombie9056]

Those near full page holo foil covers are my least favorite, they always look too busy. Or at least the one's I've seen from the 90's I'm think that one FF cover, I think Wildcats and X-Men had a few I thought were bad too.

[@midnightmodding4658]

Was it Shadowhawk that had a perforated edge on a cover? So that you had to ruin the cover to see the image hidden behind the fold. Try and get that graded.

[@drewb9620]

Lol eclipso so good!

[@Raffi.Sabghir8]

When James mentioned Holofoil Card Cover near the end of the video, he referring to a cover like X Force #25 from 1993, right? Because I actually have a copy of that. I also have a similar comic in the form of Web Of Spider-Man #125 with a Holodisk on it. I do have a few other covers that I'll mention as a reply.

[@Raffi.Sabghir8]

I'm not sure if they'd be considered gimmicky or not, but I also have The Spectacular Spider-Man #229 (it has plastic cover pages), Detective Comics Batman #682 (embossed cover), Avengers 360 Alternate Visions (chrome/foil and embossed), Supreme #1 Vol 2 (most of the "i" for image is foil, and Supreme is embossed and foil). Uncanny X Men 300 in the Holo-Grafix-Foil, and Ghost Rider 2099 #1 1994 with foil. And X Men #1 from 1991 with the Gatefold cover.

[@Whalewraith]

That eclipse cover liked like it had a piece of bubble gum was stuck on it.

[@jamesking4987]

All the Avengers 30th Anniversary Foil Embossed Covers... Yuck.

[@leveragecomics5067]

Hate that Jem cover with all my heat, worst ever in a long box!!

[@SkullyTheHypnoSkull]

I like the cover you hate in your thumbnail. Hunting for mint comics is lame though, so people like you look at comics different than collectors that dont try to profit off comics.

[@stephens4175]

I think of the Ferrit #1, the whole book is cut to fit the character on the front image, but it looks so hideous, always find them for 50 cents.

[@vaporsaver]

60 seconds to see a magic eye image?? It takes a second, you just kinda cross your eyes. Man those were big at that time.

[@TheLafester]

If you pry off the plastic jewel on the eclipso so it lays flat is it now incomplete? Asking for a friend.

[@stevenschaller1672]

Just find a newsstand copy they didnt have the gem!👍

[@TheLafester]

It was meant to be a joke

[@stevenschaller1672]

@@TheLafester i know but i was just alerting you to the fact that gemless ones exist!!👍

[@jamesmoss3424]

Crazyman #1 gimmick art cover does not make sense at all.

[@A100-ND]

I miss the efforts publishers used to at least attempt to give buyers something extra, in the form of a cover gimmick. Now you'll pay $3.99 or more for an ordinary 36-page comic with nothing special about it, sometimes $4.99.

[@MintHunterComics]

True! very true

[@johnnydropkicks]

If you stare at the cover of Ms. Mystic #1 long enough, you will see that it is a picture of a schooner. 1:01 I wonder if anyone will get that joke. 😀

[@robphoenix1182]

For those that don't get it. Watch Mallrats.

[@johnnydropkicks]

@@robphoenix1182 Thank you.

[@samuelcatoe1927]

Yeah?

[@Criner05]

It's not a schooner, it's a sailboat.

[@johnnydropkicks]

@@Criner05 “A schooner IS a sailboat, stupid head!” 😄

[@ProfessorEchoMedia]

That Aunt May tombstone cover could have been used on a box of MR. BUBBLE bubble bath powder. 🫧 Feel better, Hunter!

[@drewgeraci8434]

Force Works #1 by Marvel has THE worst cover gimmick. Check it out sometime. Thanks for the video.

[@BrokeBoyComics]

I’ve never heard of most of these comic books, and I can see why lol

[@T-RexSuplex1]

Ectokid #1 was kinda bad imo 😅

[@MintHunterComics]

Yo that is so true

[@astrozombie3913]

I see a sailboat.

[@robphoenix1182]

Mallrats!

[@Criner05]

You saw it, too? Damn it!

[@peterquinn7878]

Never liked John Romita jr’s covers from his run on Uncanny X-Men. They’re absolutely fugly, and the inside art was even worse…🤬

[@yupitsbrian6346]

Like every one of the action figure covers. Just lazy and boring

[@אילוןאמיתי]

Dark Phoenix Jean Grey classic cover is disgusting

[@marklotinga]

And the Fantastic Four cover is in the thumbnail because?

[@MintHunterComics]

Cuz it’s trash

[@marklotinga]

@@MintHunterComics And yet it did not feature in the video.