You'll notice that they didn't mention the changes to their covers! How strange is that, doc? Gone was the (Ditko-designed) corner box, replaced by the banner/strip that would proudly proclaim each publication of the Marvel Comics Group from August 1971 through July 1983! Yep, without fanfare, Marvel rolled out the trade dress that would define their mags' look for a dozen years. Who designed it? Ol' Groove's done some digging, but come up with nada. I'm pretty sure that I've read that publisher Martin Goodman decided the new trade dress was necessary--Marvel was about to pass DC in sales, and he wanted Marvel to look modern and slick. I've also read that Stan dug the design...but nothing on who actually created it. Anyone "in the know" care to enlighten us?
Regardless of which Bullpen genius came up with it, here's how it looked when it made its debut on most (not all, hmmmm...) of the Marvel mags cover-dated November 1971. Check 'em out!
It would be a couple more months before all the mags ran the new banner-masthead, with the reprint mags and annuals being the last hold-outs.
You'll notice, too, that most of the mags had the cover art boxed into one area with a catchy blurb emblazoned beneath it. That look didn't grab Marveldom assembled, so it was gone in less than a year.
Another cool aspect of the tenth anniversary trade dress was the figure in the upper-left corner. That was the coolest aspect of the older corner boxes, so we were especially pleased to see that stay around. The spotlight behind the figure was soon added, but eventually replaced by a box in the late 70s, combining both the old and new designs.
DC tried their own banner-style logo in the mid-70s. Young Groove dug it, but it was short-lived...
We spend a lot of time looking at the characters and creators who defined the Groovy Age. For Marvel, though, nothing topped the banner-logo for instant recognition! (Oooooooh, I just realized what a bad pun that was!) Pax, baby!
