In hindsight, it’s rather remarkable to reflect on what a fuss was kicked up by the shooting of JR Ewing on the tv show Dallas. It was a time when the culture wasn’t so fractured and the public’s attention was focused on only a few places. Which, of course, demanded that John Darling be a part of it.

Next up in the cover gallery is a beauty by Russ Heath. I had talked to Russ at Comic-Con about doing a cover and ...