In this Retroactive edition I’ll take you on a visual comic cover tour of the past covering all the covers for a particular franchise with each entry covering an entire year of all the major related titles. At the end of each edition of Retroactive I’ll select my overall favourite cover for that year for each franchise. Last time on Retroactive we covered TMNT 1985 and Hellboy & the B.P.R.D. 1995/1996. If you need a refresher, just click HERE. Below you’ll find the two franchises that I’m currently covering. Click on that specific logo to be instantly taken directly to that franchise. The last section is reserved for my Top Picks from each year. Click the logo or travel to the third page to view them.
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1986
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Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. 1997
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The Speech Bubble 
I completely agree with both the covers you chose, so I can only make some special mentions.
The silver medal goes to TMNT # 8.
First of all, it has a fairy tale atmosphere I absolutely adore.
Secondly, even in this case we get a very rich image: it is so full of characters and eye – pleasing details that, each time I take a look at it, I find something that had passed me by until then.
Thirdly, it raises a lot of questions. How did the Turtles get there? Which is their mission? How will they come back home?
The other silver medal goes to Hellboy: Almost Colossus # 1. I love the layers on this cover: first we have Hellboy holding a big gun, then we go back further and we see a villain swathed in shadows, and then we go back even further and see a religious wall painting. We got a lot of rich covers in this Retroactive edition, and Hellboy: Almost Colossus # 1 definitely is one of the brightest gems.
“The silver medal goes to TMNT # 8.”
It is also a special cover in that it features a crossover with another comic character in the form of Cerberus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebus_the_Aardvark). For me, my silver medal goes to Paul Bowler’s #1 pick Donatello. I love how the sketches have come to life and broken the fourth wall.
“The other silver medal goes to Hellboy: Almost Colossus # 1.”
And this was my #2 overall cover as well for the very reasons you listed. It very nearly captured my first place title.
Thanks for sharing your selections and providing your analysis. 🙂
Thank you as well for your replies! : )
Love the Donatello Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle #1 (1986), how it looks like the sketches have come to life right out of the pages of the book, brilliant!. Hellboy Almost Colossus #2 is one of my fave Hellboy stories, love this cover, classic moment!
Yes. Donnie’s fourth wall breaking cover is awesome. In the actual issue he “meets an artist (based on comics legend Jack Kirby) who has discovered a way to bring his drawings to life.” Very cool indeed.
Thanks for providing you choices. It is much appreciated.
Oh wow, didn’t know that, brilliant how that theme of breaking the 4th wall is carried over into the issues story as well 😀