Hi everyone. I’m starting an ongoing thread of everyone’s favorite magazine covers and would love to hear from you.While Sports Illustrated and SLAM covers would be great, I’m also looking for more niche and obscure picks and it doesn’t have to be sports! Email me your favorite(s) with a brief description. I’ll update the thread below over the next few months with some of your picks.
Since I talked to Alan Sepinwall about Marvel comic book coverson a recent newsletter post, Michel Fiffe—creator of “Copra,” a series that got me back into reading comics—submitted the cover of Thor #337 above. “Thematically, this cover by Walter Simonson doesn't politely signal a change in the status quo, it annihilates it,” he wrote in an email. Fiffe points to the shattered logo, the costume and character change as huge components of the cover and also marvels at the stylistic approach of the illustration. “I mean, look at the inking on those boots,” he continued, “or that cape, or that left arm! It’s an iconic cover for a reason.”
Gianni Brusciare from @DunkCompsent in this awesome Oct/Nov 96 cover from a French publication named Mondial Basket and said: A decade ago, I started collecting basketball magazines in order to scan images within and share these images on various social media platforms. Having initially focused on the North American publications I was familiar with, I began to seek out major European magazines in the hunt for rarer content. They did not disappoint. Euro basketball magazines such as Mondial Basket and 5 Majeur contained high quality basketball images that I had never seen before, whether online or in print.
“I had a subscription to Thrasher for roughly 5 years from 1998 to 2003 or so, throughout high school and then into college. My subscription had run out by the time this Neckface cover came out in 2005, and I happened to see it at Wal-Mart of all places. (Does Wal-Mart still carry Thrasher??) I love it first and foremost because it was my introduction to Neckface, who I'm a big fan of still. And it's also just such a unique, standout cover. I soon after bought the original T-shirt of the cover from Thrasher, and I still have the issue!” — Zach Schlemmer a.k.a. @fatshawnkemp
From Ashtyn Butuso of Flagrant magazine: No Place Like Home is an incredibly gorgeous magazine and between their ineffably emotive photography and their boundary-pushing design, they leave a big impression on their readers. That particular photo conveys so many varied emotions, and really gives you a feel for what it’s like to be a sports fan.
From long-time Sports Illustrated writer Alexander Wolff (Editor’s note: Alex has written a lot of great books you should check out including The In Your Face Basketball Book): This is the cover of an issue of the short-lived magazine Jock New York, which briefly drafted in the slipstream on the incredible success of New York’s pro sports team during 1969 and 1970 (Jets, Mets and Knicks all winning titles in a short span). I love its stark simplicity (no text billing!), and the way it plays off the iconic Iwo Jima image. The publisher made available a poster reprint of it, and as a 12-year-old I hung it proudly on the wall of my room. It reminds me too of the golden age of magazines, when to be art director of Esquire was to hold the sweetest job in the world.
I came across this zine cover on Instagram the other day. According to @coverjunkie, Rubbish FAMzine is a family zine created by a single family in Singapore. This particular issue comes with a (working) Casio watch, which holds the zine together.
This one is from Esau Howard, who said: I chose this XXL cover that featured Jay Z, Kanye, Foxy Brown and LeBron because as an adolescent my version of superheroes were rappers and athletes. This was especially true in 2005, and this cover and issue in general was just so memorable to me at that time. Just the imagery reminds me just how cool of a time this was. (Editor’s note: I actually wrote a whole ESPN the Undefeated feature about this cover a few years ago! You can read it here.)
From Cecil Yeung: Here's one of my favorites, mostly because of how well it stands up as a snapshot of the era: And1 mixtapes, AI at his peak, and of course, looking back at the second round series with the Raptors.
Damn, my guy Paul Vido just decided to flex on me and emailed me this photo above. I will say The New Yorker has a lot of amazing covers, including this 2016 cover of Prince.
Photo via SLAM
“A while back I threw away all my SLAM issues. I was in the after college grind and just didn’t have much time to watch basketball. I didn’t think I’d need them ever again. Man, do I regret it! Fortunately, I did keep all the posters. Looking back I have all these memories of reading them cover to cover and it sucks to not have any anymore. This LeBron cover was so on point though! It was only the beginning.” — Jose Alvarez
From Benjamin Trattner, who wrote in and said: Here is one cover I definitely remember. Collecting baseball cards you needed the Beckett price guide! This was a favorite poster of mine and it showing up here was very cool.
Editor’s note: Man. I’m trying to think of the all-time cool athletes growing up, like guys who seemed like urban legends and real-life video game characters. Bo Jackson is definitely on that list. I’d add Ken Griffey Jr. and Deion Sanders too. Shaq. I’m missing a few. Anyways, you can buy this magazine for $3.95 in mint condition! Ben also recommended a very cool Instagram account called @coverjunkie.
Photo via SLAM
“I’m a 22 year Raptors Season seat holder and have had a long emotional roller coaster. This was Peak Raps - still riding high after the Larry O’B, the GROAT and the champs and issued mid March 2020 just before the world unraveled.” — Joe Rafuse
Editor’s note: Adam if you’re reading this we need this on a t-shirt in the SLAM Goods store!
Photo via SLAM
“It hit so hard at the time and was like a coming of age for Vince, The Raps, and Toronto as a whole. As a kid in Toronto, many of us felt that this was the moment that put us on the map. It was official … It was on a SLAM cover.” — Dean Shoukas
From my man Kai, an Instagram must-follow especially for Raptors fans: ESPN the Magazine’s “NEXT” issue featuring Vince Carter is one of the “coldest” covers of all time, pun intended! For me this was when Vince put us on the map, with a double front cover of him in the new Raptors uniform and a fold out cover of him in cool winter gear (Canadian vibes perhaps?). A year prior the Canadian company in charge of importing genuine NBA merchandise had to call for an airlift of more Vince Carter jerseys into the country from Mexico just to keep up with demand. The foreshadowing for what was to become is why this is one of my favourite magazine issues of all time. Vince’s performance at the 2000 Slam Dunk contest put us on the map, but this cover was the official introduction.
“Always loved SLAM, but when I saw this cover, it was my hipster moment. Yeah, you’re a fan of basketball, but do you know what’s up next? Seeing guys before they hit the league on the covers of magazine will always be cool, and the fact that these two weren’t in high school or in the NCAA made it all the more unique.” — Stephen Jayne
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Hi everyone. I’m starting an ongoing thread of everyone’s favorite magazine covers and would love to hear from you. While Sports Illustrated and SLAM covers would be great, I’m also looking for more niche and obscure picks and it doesn’t have to be sports! Email me your favorite(s) with a brief description. I’ll update the thread below over the next few months with some of your picks.
Since I talked to Alan Sepinwall about Marvel comic book covers on a recent newsletter post, Michel Fiffe—creator of “Copra,” a series that got me back into reading comics—submitted the cover of Thor #337 above. “Thematically, this cover by Walter Simonson doesn't politely signal a change in the status quo, it annihilates it,” he wrote in an email. Fiffe points to the shattered logo, the costume and character change as huge components of the cover and also marvels at the stylistic approach of the illustration. “I mean, look at the inking on those boots,” he continued, “or that cape, or that left arm! It’s an iconic cover for a reason.”
Gianni Brusciare from @DunkComp sent in this awesome Oct/Nov 96 cover from a French publication named Mondial Basket and said: A decade ago, I started collecting basketball magazines in order to scan images within and share these images on various social media platforms. Having initially focused on the North American publications I was familiar with, I began to seek out major European magazines in the hunt for rarer content. They did not disappoint. Euro basketball magazines such as Mondial Basket and 5 Majeur contained high quality basketball images that I had never seen before, whether online or in print.
“I had a subscription to Thrasher for roughly 5 years from 1998 to 2003 or so, throughout high school and then into college. My subscription had run out by the time this Neckface cover came out in 2005, and I happened to see it at Wal-Mart of all places. (Does Wal-Mart still carry Thrasher??) I love it first and foremost because it was my introduction to Neckface, who I'm a big fan of still. And it's also just such a unique, standout cover. I soon after bought the original T-shirt of the cover from Thrasher, and I still have the issue!” — Zach Schlemmer a.k.a. @fatshawnkemp
From Ashtyn Butuso of Flagrant magazine: No Place Like Home is an incredibly gorgeous magazine and between their ineffably emotive photography and their boundary-pushing design, they leave a big impression on their readers. That particular photo conveys so many varied emotions, and really gives you a feel for what it’s like to be a sports fan.
From long-time Sports Illustrated writer Alexander Wolff (Editor’s note: Alex has written a lot of great books you should check out including The In Your Face Basketball Book): This is the cover of an issue of the short-lived magazine Jock New York, which briefly drafted in the slipstream on the incredible success of New York’s pro sports team during 1969 and 1970 (Jets, Mets and Knicks all winning titles in a short span). I love its stark simplicity (no text billing!), and the way it plays off the iconic Iwo Jima image. The publisher made available a poster reprint of it, and as a 12-year-old I hung it proudly on the wall of my room. It reminds me too of the golden age of magazines, when to be art director of Esquire was to hold the sweetest job in the world.
I came across this zine cover on Instagram the other day. According to @coverjunkie, Rubbish FAMzine is a family zine created by a single family in Singapore. This particular issue comes with a (working) Casio watch, which holds the zine together.
This one is from Esau Howard, who said: I chose this XXL cover that featured Jay Z, Kanye, Foxy Brown and LeBron because as an adolescent my version of superheroes were rappers and athletes. This was especially true in 2005, and this cover and issue in general was just so memorable to me at that time. Just the imagery reminds me just how cool of a time this was. (Editor’s note: I actually wrote a whole ESPN the Undefeated feature about this cover a few years ago! You can read it here.)
From Cecil Yeung: Here's one of my favorites, mostly because of how well it stands up as a snapshot of the era: And1 mixtapes, AI at his peak, and of course, looking back at the second round series with the Raptors.
Damn, my guy Paul Vido just decided to flex on me and emailed me this photo above. I will say The New Yorker has a lot of amazing covers, including this 2016 cover of Prince.
“A while back I threw away all my SLAM issues. I was in the after college grind and just didn’t have much time to watch basketball. I didn’t think I’d need them ever again. Man, do I regret it! Fortunately, I did keep all the posters. Looking back I have all these memories of reading them cover to cover and it sucks to not have any anymore. This LeBron cover was so on point though! It was only the beginning.” — Jose Alvarez
From Benjamin Trattner, who wrote in and said: Here is one cover I definitely remember. Collecting baseball cards you needed the Beckett price guide! This was a favorite poster of mine and it showing up here was very cool.
Editor’s note: Man. I’m trying to think of the all-time cool athletes growing up, like guys who seemed like urban legends and real-life video game characters. Bo Jackson is definitely on that list. I’d add Ken Griffey Jr. and Deion Sanders too. Shaq. I’m missing a few. Anyways, you can buy this magazine for $3.95 in mint condition! Ben also recommended a very cool Instagram account called @coverjunkie.
“I’m a 22 year Raptors Season seat holder and have had a long emotional roller coaster. This was Peak Raps - still riding high after the Larry O’B, the GROAT and the champs and issued mid March 2020 just before the world unraveled.” — Joe Rafuse
Editor’s note: Adam if you’re reading this we need this on a t-shirt in the SLAM Goods store!
“It hit so hard at the time and was like a coming of age for Vince, The Raps, and Toronto as a whole. As a kid in Toronto, many of us felt that this was the moment that put us on the map. It was official … It was on a SLAM cover.” — Dean Shoukas
From my man Kai, an Instagram must-follow especially for Raptors fans: ESPN the Magazine’s “NEXT” issue featuring Vince Carter is one of the “coldest” covers of all time, pun intended! For me this was when Vince put us on the map, with a double front cover of him in the new Raptors uniform and a fold out cover of him in cool winter gear (Canadian vibes perhaps?). A year prior the Canadian company in charge of importing genuine NBA merchandise had to call for an airlift of more Vince Carter jerseys into the country from Mexico just to keep up with demand. The foreshadowing for what was to become is why this is one of my favourite magazine issues of all time. Vince’s performance at the 2000 Slam Dunk contest put us on the map, but this cover was the official introduction.
“Always loved SLAM, but when I saw this cover, it was my hipster moment. Yeah, you’re a fan of basketball, but do you know what’s up next? Seeing guys before they hit the league on the covers of magazine will always be cool, and the fact that these two weren’t in high school or in the NCAA made it all the more unique.” — Stephen Jayne