The Best Marvel Covers of 1982

1982—a totally radical year for Marvel comic covers. As a kid back then, I discovered this awesome truth: you actually could judge a comic by its cover. No joke – about 90% of the time, a killer cover meant an equally killer story inside.

That year marked my transformation from casual reader to genuine collector. Before ’82, I mostly read comics gifted to me or picked up by my dad on his way home from work. But once I started getting my own allowance? Game changer! I’d hop on my bike and hit four or five corner stores in a single day, meticulously scanning those magical spinner racks for treasures.

G.I. Joe #1

Penciller: Herb Trimpe
Inker: Bob McLeod
Colorist: Glynis Wein

This cover has EVERYTHING! Cool characters, a massive tank blasting shells right off the page, dynamic action, bullets flying everywhere, mini explosions, and fantastic captions. That corner box logo featuring Duke shouting skyward while firing his automatic rifle without even aiming… pure awesomeness! This wasn’t just a comic, it was an event happening right there on the spinner rack.

Fantastic Four #243

Penciller: John Byrne
Inker: John Byrne
Colorist: Glynis Wein (also credited as Glynis Oliver)

John Byrne absolutely KILLED IT on this one. The FF battling Galactus with Doctor Strange, Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man all joining the assault. These heroes look like irritating gnats compared to the cosmic giant, which perfectly captures the overwhelming power difference. Byrne was crushing the cover game in ’82.

Uncanny X-Men #160

Penciller: Brent Anderson
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Colorist: Glynis Wein (also credited as Glynis Oliver)

Possibly one of my all-time favorite X-Men covers. Brent Anderson delivers this incredible scene showing the team battling Belasco, the demon from limbo. His giant red hand tries to squash our heroes while Storm fires lightning, Nightcrawler teleports across the X-Men logo, Kitty phases through the demonic mitt, and Wolverine points his claws at Belasco in what looks like the mutant equivalent of flipping him off! Poor Colossus seems to have taken the brunt of the impact. First time I saw this, I had zero idea who this giant red demon was, but damn, did I want to find out.

Uncanny X-Men #159

Penciller: Bill Sienkiewicz
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Colorist: Glynis Oliver (also credited as Glynis Wein)

The previous issue featured the legendary Bill Sienkiewicz showing the X-Men menaced by a vampiric Storm. This is the famous Dracula crossover issue, but you wouldn’t know that from just looking at the cover! It just shows our heroes in serious trouble, threatened by vampires from both front and behind. The shadowy figure ready to ambush them creates this perfect horror movie vibe. Sienkiewicz, man… the guy could do no wrong.

Fantastic Four #247

Penciller: John Byrne
Inker: John Byrne
Colorist: Glynis Wein (also credited as Glynis Oliver)

Another Byrne masterpiece. This classic story shows Dr. Doom reclaiming Latveria, with a giant Doom towering over a town while tiny FF members look helpless below. When I first spotted this, I nearly lost my mind! Doom had been absent from comics for a while, and seeing him return under Byrne’s pencils? Pure magic! This was before Secret Wars turned me into a total Doom fanatic, but I’d always dug him from those 70s FF reprints.

Marvel Two-in-One #91

Penciller: Ron Wilson
Inker: Chic Stone
Colorist: George Roussos

This cover caused MAJOR confusion back in the day. It showed The Thing chained against a wall with someone wearing Batman-like headgear casting a shadow over him. The Thing’s dialogue bubble saying “Oh no, not you. It can’t be you!” made many of us think it was somehow Batman crossing over. Of course, it wasn’t the Dark Knight but actually the Sphinx, who sports similar headgear in Marvel. Talk about a brilliant tease.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #231

Penciler: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Jim Mooney
Colorist: Bob Sharen

John Romita Jr. knocked this one out of the park before developing his current style (which, between us, I’m not crazy about… sorry, JRJr fans). The cover makes Cobra look like a serious threat to Spidey, though the interior story shows our webhead taking him down without breaking a sweat. Classic bait-and-switch, but what a gorgeous cover.

THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN MARVEL (Graphic Novel)

Penciler: Jim Starlin
Inker: Jim Starlin
Colorist: Steve Oliff

Jim Starlin created something truly powerful here. Captain Marvel in death’s embrace with a backdrop of shocked Marvel heroes he’d encountered throughout his career. The cover recreates a famous statue many readers would recognize. This wasn’t just a cover, it was an emotional gut-punch in visual form.

DAZZLER #15

Penciler and Inker: Bill Sienkiewicz
Colorist: Don Warfield

Another Sienkiewicz stunner. Dazzler and Spider-Woman trapped in a flooding room, with Spider-Woman trying to punch through the ceiling while Dazzler uses her light powers to do…well, presumably to provide some lighting? Sure, you might wonder how effective light powers would be in a situation, but who cares when the image is this striking? Sienkiewicz at his finest.

GHOST RIDER #71

Penciler: Bob Budiansky
Inker: Dave Simons
Colorist: George Roussos

“Evil are the Eyes of Adam Henderson!” proclaims this cover as Ghost Rider approaches a giant statue resembling Lincoln (actually the town’s founder, if I remember correctly). The demonically possessed Henderson uses some kind of ray to topple the statue onto our flaming-skulled hero. I first spotted this in a Marvel house ad and KNEW I had to have it. Found it weeks later on a spinner rack and nearly did a backflip.

MOON KNIGHT #29

Penciler and Inker: Bill Sienkiewicz
Colorist: Maybe Steve Oliff?

Sienkiewicz strikes again with this absolute masterpiece. A terrifying werewolf creature with its blood dripping onto Moon Knight’s crescent dart? Yes, please. The stark black background makes the red logo, silver dart, and yellow monster eyes pop like crazy. Instant purchase when I spotted this beauty.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #136

Penciler: John Buscema
Inker: Danny Bulanadi & Mel Candido
Colorist: George Roussos (Possiby)

John Buscema delivers Conan battling the evil river goddess Dratha and her tentacles beneath the water’s surface. The goddess is trying to kill a toddler Conan was transporting along the river, and the twist to this whole debacle left me reeling. Buscema never did a cover that I didn’t like.

DAREDEVIL #187

Penciler: Frank Miller
Inker and Colorist: Klaus Janson

Frank Miller’s stark white cover showing only Daredevil in red, on his knees, clutching his head in pain and begging “Stop it, please stop it!” This issue highlights DD’s super-hearing working against him, creating an incredible visual metaphor of sensory overload. Miller was absolutely crushing it back then with both interiors and covers. His current style… well, let’s just say I miss the old Frank.

Wolverine #1 (Limited Series)

Penciller: Frank Miller
Inker: Josef Rubinstein
Colorist: Glynis Wein

Speaking of Miller, his cover for Wolverine’s first solo series is legendary. Wolverine in his brown costume (my personal favorite Wolvie look) with claws ejected, using his left hand to beckon you forward with that “come and get it” attitude. This limited series starts in Canada with Logan killing a bear before heading to Japan. Absolutely iconic.

THE MIGHTY THOR #317

Penciler and Inker: Keith Pollard
Colorist: George Rousso (maybe)

Thor latching onto a rocket blasting into space, with his hammer separated from him inside the rocket (meaning he’ll turn back into Donald Blake any second), while the Man-Beast holds a female astronaut hostage. The cover captures incredible speed and the G-forces battering Thor. This issue features an amazing battle between Thor and the Man-Beast, one of his old foes from the High Evolutionary/Mount Wundergore days created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee back in the mid-60s. The Man-Beast was originally Thor’s enemy before becoming Adam Warlock’s nemesis. Keith Pollard’s inks really make this cover sing.

Marvel Fanfare #30

Penciller: Brent Anderson
Inker: Al Williamson
Colorist: Steve Oliff

Brent Anderson delivers this surreal, dreamlike cover showing Moon Knight in a dancing pose with a striking lady. The ethereal effect perfectly suits a character like Moon Knight, creating this weird, otherworldly vibe that jumps right off the rack. Simply stunning.

Contest of Champions #1

Penciller: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Bob Layton
Colorist: Andy Yanchus?

This John Romita Jr. cover gives us that classic George Perez vibe with a host of Marvel characters assembled and looking toward some unseen threat (seemingly looking right at US). When I first grabbed this issue, I spent hours trying to identify all the characters. Quasar? That Sultan guy? Even Dazzler at the forefront was a mystery to me initially. I thought she was some kind of butterfly lady or Black Widow ripoff based on her mask. Early JRJr at his finest.

Master of Kung Fu #114

Penciller and Inker: Gene Day
Colorist: Christie Scheele

Gene Day delivers my favorite single issue cover of ALL TIME. This “Fantasy of the Autumn Moon” story written by Doug Moench is absolutely required reading. The cover shows a Sai-fan assassin from Fu Manchu menacing a beautiful lady clutching a dragon statue, with Shang-Chi superimposed as a cloud-like image, seemingly helpless to intervene. Set on a moonlit night with dark clouds across the sky, this cover practically glows with atmosphere.

Master of Kung Fu #117

Penciller and Inker: Gene Day
Colorist: Christie Scheele

Another Gene Day masterpiece. This shows Shang-Chi battling Fu Manchu’s bio-horrors in the catacombs following Fu’s resurrection. Water drips from the ceiling amid intricate, statuesque art that populated the sewers and dungeons of Shang-Chi’s comics. One look at this cover and you KNOW our hero’s in for a rough time against these monstrosities.

Ghost Rider #70

Penciller: Bob Budiansky
Inker: Dave Simons
Colorist: Bob Sharen

My absolute favorite Ghost Rider issue AND cover. Bob Budiansky (inked by Dan Simons) delivers this Todd Browning-inspired scene with Ghost Rider surrounded by physically unusual performers who’ve been recruited as a fighting troupe by a rich collector. They almost look like DC’s Arcane Un-Men! While Ghost Rider makes short work of them in the actual story, this cover remains utterly unforgettable. This was the first Ghost Rider I bought with my own money, so it’ll always hold a special place in my collection.

Wrapping Up

So there you have it, folks! The absolute BEST Marvel covers from 1982, at least according to this longtime fan who was there, rifling through those spinner racks when they first appeared. Sure, I picked up more Marvel comics that year, but these covers stand head and shoulders above the rest.

What about you? What were YOUR favorite covers from ’82? Drop a comment below and let’s geek out together about this golden age of cover art.

Keep it cool, weirdos, and I’ll catch you soon for a deep dive into DC’s 1982 cover extravaganza.