Auction Name: 2026 April 4 Comic Cover Art Showcase Auction

Lot Number: 81005

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/40355*81005

Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke Superman: The Man of Steel #5 Cover Original Art (DC, 1991). This cover is a pitch-perfect homage to vintage movie serial posters, right down to the bold, pulpy title treatment reading "Curse of the Atomic Skull". A surviving margin note from Jon Bogdanove to inker Dennis Janke details the intended finish, offering a rare peek at the craft behind this serial-inspired design.
The spectacle is instantly gripping: Superman strains in the Atomic Skull's chokehold while a reel of film coils around them, framing the action like scenes from a cliffhanger matinee. Within that reel, a panel of the Skull applying the same hold on Rocketman appears again and again, with stats (not included) used to fill the blank frames. It's a smart visual trick that mirrors the way the story unfolds: one page shows scenes from an Atomic Skull movie serial, the next shows Superman's real fight with the villain, each echoing the other in a special sideways issue. The gimmick works because Atomic Skull is portrayed as mentally locked into an old movie-serial persona, parroting vintage dialogue and replaying film scenes as if he's trapped inside them. He even mistakes Superman for the serial hero Rocketman, turning their battle into a delirious mix of cinema fantasy and real-world destruction as the fight crashes through a theater and into a full-on showdown.
Ink and grease pencil over graphite on DC Bristol board with an image area of 10.5" x 15.5". Minor smudging, whiteout corrections, production notes, marginal editorial notes, marginal tape residue and spot stain, and corner/handling wear. Signed and dated by the artists in the center left image area. In Excellent condition.


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