500 and Counting!

Here’s some astonishing news: yesterday’s piece about The Passer was Killer Covers’ 500th post. That number seems small only in comparison to, say, The Rap Sheet’s more than 6,300 posts so far. The big difference, of course, is that The Rap Sheet can boast of other contributors; Killer Covers is written by yours truly alone.

By way of commemorating this longtime-coming feat, I’ve decided to spotlight paperback book fronts by five of my favorite vintage illustrators—one for each 100 of this blog’s posts. Because, really, can we ever see enough of these graphic gems?


Knock Three-One-Two, by Fredric Brown (Bantam, 1960).
Illustration by Barye Phillips.



Man Bait, by Jack Liston (Dell, 1960).
Illustration by Robert Maguire.



The Flower Drum Song, by C.Y. Lee (Dell, 1958).
Illustration by Victor Kalin.



Dead Game, by Michael Avallone (Permabooks, 1955).
Illustration by James Meese.



Another Man’s Murder, by Mignon G. Eberhart (Dell, 1959).
Illustration by Al Brule.