悠悠乐英语 DK视觉系列精美插图系列丛书 2021-08-04

DK 全球视觉系列 DC Comics Cover Art DC漫画封面艺术350 of the greatest covers in dc’s history

It all started with a cowboy. The cowboy’s name was Jack Woods, and he was a man of few words who rode a horse and vanquished troublesome bandits.
这一切都是从一个牛仔开始的。这个牛仔的名字叫杰克·伍兹，他是一个沉默寡言的人，他骑着马，打败了麻烦的强盗。
But that’s not what made him special. Jack had the distinct honour of appearing on the front cover of the first comic book published by National Allied Publications – a company that would become known as DC Comics.
但这并不是他与众不同的原因。杰克有幸出现在国家联合出版公司出版的第一本漫画书的封面上，这家公司后来被称为DC漫画公司。
That comic book was New Fun #1, and it came out in 1935. Comic books were still a new medium in 1935, and every comic book publisher was hoping to launch a character that would catch on. Sadly, Jack’s reign as a cover star was short-lived.
那本漫画书很有趣，它于1935年问世。1935年，漫画书仍然是一种新的媒介，每个漫画出版商都希望推出一个能流行的角色。不幸的是，杰克作为封面明星的统治是短暂的。
He would make only two more cover appearances before he was shifted to interior pages and eventually forgotten.
他只在封面上再露面两次，就被转到了内刊，最终被遗忘了。
It wasn’t until 1938 that the first superstar of comic books arrived on the scene. His name was Superman, and he made his debut on the cover of Action Comics #1 swinging an automobile in the air, much to the astonishment of the lesser-powered mortals running away from him. Seen today, the “action” on Superman’s first cover is somewhat tame, but kids (and probably some adults) loved it, and the first issue of Action Comics was a big success. It took a while for Superman’s publishers to realize just how important the character was to the success of Action Comics.
直到1938年，第一位漫画巨星才出现。他的名字叫超人，他首次登上动作漫画的封面，在空中挥舞着一辆汽车，这让那些动力不足的凡人都大吃一惊。从今天看来，超人第一期封面上的“动作”有些平淡，但孩子们（可能还有一些成年人）喜欢它，第一期动作漫画获得了巨大成功。《超人》的出版商花了一段时间才意识到这个角色对动作漫画的成功有多么重要。
In fact, Superman didn’t even appear on the cover of the next five issues. Readers noticed when he appeared on the cover of issue number seven, though, and Action Comics sales soared to half a million copies each month.
事实上，超人甚至没有出现在接下来五期的封面上。读者注意到，当他出现在第七期的封面上时，动作漫画的销量飙升至每月50万册。
Soon, that figure would edge closer to a million. One super hero turned comic books into a very big business. It wasn’t long until more heroes clad in eye-catching costumes made their debuts in the pages – and some on the covers – of DC’s comics. Batman and Wonder Woman became almost as popular as Superman. Soon, hundreds of others – not only from DC but also other publishers – were battling for space and attention in a very crowded marketplace.
很快，这个数字将接近100万。一位超级英雄把漫画书变成了一个大生意。没过多久，更多身着引人注目服装的英雄首次出现在DC漫画的页面上，有些甚至出现在封面上。蝙蝠侠和神奇女侠几乎和超人一样受欢迎。很快，数以百计的人——不仅来自华盛顿，还有其他出版商——在一个非常拥挤的市场上争夺空间和注意力。
There were no comic book stores back then. Indeed, those would not arrive until the 1970s. Instead, comic books were almost always sold on newsstands, in grocery stores, and in drugstores. There the comics had to compete for attention stacked next to an array of pulp magazines, larger glossy magazines, and paperback books.
那时没有漫画书店。事实上，这些都要到20世纪70年代才会到来。相反，漫画书几乎总是在报摊、杂货店和药店出售。在那里，漫画不得不与一系列的纸浆杂志、较大的光面杂志和平装书争夺注意力。

With so many other publications to choose from, a comic book with an eye-catching cover image or an enticing line of text was much more likely to find a buyer. Comic book companies viewed covers solely as sales tools.
有这么多其他出版物可供选择，一本封面形象引人注目或文字线条诱人的漫画书更有可能找到买家。漫画公司把封面仅仅看作是销售工具。
Former DC Comics president and publisher Paul Levitz says, “For much of the history of comics, the cover was the most important element selling the issue, an invitation that had to grab the reader’s attention on a crowded rack of 50 or more choices.
前DC漫画公司总裁兼出版商保罗·莱维茨（Paul Levitz）说：“在漫画史上的大部分时间里，封面是推销这一期漫画的最重要因素，这一邀请必须在拥挤的50多个选择的货架上吸引读者的注意力。
Story hook (“I have the strangest feeling I’m being turned into a puppet!”), tragic moment, poster, or just an outrageous character (“The Gorilla Boss of Gotham City”), the covers lured us in.”
故事钩（“我有一种奇怪的感觉，我被变成了一个木偶！”），悲剧时刻，海报，或者仅仅是一个无耻的角色（“高谭市的大猩猩老板”），封面吸引了我们。”
Today, more than 85 years after Jack Woods arrived on the cover of New Fun #1, the function of a cover is still to sell a comic book. “If it stops being a sales tool, then all you’re doing is selling to a presold audience because you’re not trying to entice anybody to a particular book”, says former DC publisher Dan DiDio.
如今，在杰克·伍兹登上《新乐趣1》封面85多年后，封面的功能仍然是销售漫画书。”如果它不再是一种销售工具，那么你所做的一切就是向售前读者销售，因为你没有试图吸引任何人阅读某一本书”，前DC出版商Dan DiDio说。
“If the cover isn’t dynamic or isn’t trying to sell the book, then I think it’s just being lazy. It’s just commissioned art, and it’s not worthy of being on a cover.” And what attributes make up a great cover? DiDio lists the following traits: “Heroes in danger.
“如果封面不是动态的，或者没有试图出售这本书，那么我认为这只是懒惰。这只是委托制作的艺术品，不值得登上封面。”那么，一个伟大的封面应该具备哪些特征呢？迪迪奥列出了以下特征：“英雄在危险中。
Something that picks out the climactic moment or highlights a climactic moment in a book. Something that pulls me into the action and story. A dynamic image of our hero that feels relatable to that character so that no other character can be doing the same thing. Or maybe asking a question that makes me want to know more about what’s happening inside.”
在书中挑出高潮时刻或突出高潮时刻的东西。把我拉进行动和故事的东西。我们的英雄的动态形象，感觉与该角色相关，因此没有其他角色可以做同样的事情。或者问一个问题，让我想更多地了解里面发生了什么。”
There are more than 350 classic covers collected in this volume and almost as many reasons why each cover was chosen. Some were included because the comics themselves were historically important, including the aforementioned New Fun #1 and Action Comics #1. Other covers were chosen for their stunning artwork, their inventive typography, or their unique overall design.
本卷共收集了350多个经典封面，每一个封面的选择理由几乎相同。其中一些是因为漫画本身在历史上很重要，包括前面提到的新趣味漫画和动作漫画。其他的封面则是因为它们惊人的艺术作品、创造性的排版或独特的整体设计而被选中的。
You will find hand-drawn covers, painted covers, pencil sketch covers, and computer-generated covers. Thousands of talented people – artists, writers, editors, and art directors – combined forces to create the covers seen in this book.
你会发现手绘封面、彩绘封面、铅笔素描封面和计算机生成的封面。数千名才华横溢的人——艺术家、作家、编辑和艺术总监——合力打造了本书的封面。
These covers have entertained millions of readers and helped to sell many millions of copies of comic books, which in turn influenced the entire spectrum of popular culture. And it all started with a cowboy.
这些封面吸引了数百万读者，并帮助销售了数百万册漫画书，进而影响了整个流行文化。这一切都是从一个牛仔开始的。