Neal Adams is one of those creators who has had --- and is still having --- such a profound effect on the medium of comics that it’s difficult to even know where to start talking about him. His work for DC Comics in the 60s and 70s was responsible for evolving our view of a number of characters, not the least of which was Batman. Oh, and then there’s one of the most famous and enduring images of Superman ever:

After a number of years working in advertising and syndicated newspaper comic strips — his website explains he was awarded the job of drawing the medical comic strip, Ben Casey when he was only a “charming and talented” 21-year-old — Adams decided to get into the comic book business.

Although his talent was already considerable, his first work for DC was on comedy titles like The Adventures of Bob Hope and The Adventures of Jerry Lewis (which is a trend I’d love to see revived, because Neal Adams drawing The Adventures of Aziz Ansari would be amazing). While some artists would have thought it beneath them, Adams believed any work was good experience, and soon his work caught the attention of other DC editors leading to covers on Action Comics and Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane.

From there, Adams would leave his mark on a diverse roster of DC characters such as Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Deadman, The Spectre, the Teen Titans, and the Joker, and co-create Batman villains Man-Bat and Ra’s al Ghul. Arguably Adams’ biggest contribution to the world of comics was in the way his photo-realistic style, dynamic and exaggerated posing, and experimentation with page layouts changed the way comics could look. Inspired by the work of the legends that came before him, like Will Eisner and Jack Kirby, Adams continued to evolve the very nature of visual storytelling in comics.

At 74 years of age, Adams is as eager as ever to tell new stories with DC’s biggest heroes, and this month sees the release of the first issue of his new six issue mini-series, Superman: The Coming of the Supermen. To mark the occasion, we've compiled a collection of his best DC cover art.

If Adams’ past track record is any indication, no matter what happens in this story, the book will be amazing to look at and definitely won't be boring.