"Cover of the Week"
Every Wednesday I pick my favorite cover from all the comic books that came out during the week…today’s pick goes to Magus #1 by Fiona Staples.
Mystery and intrigue always make for a great cover and this one has both in spades. Not knowing anything about this book I can’t help but feel inspired to check it out; without being too direct the artist gives us several hints to the direction of the book. And despite some dark clues – a dragon destroying a plane, a bloodied floor, and many others – it’s a very bright cover and is mixed with innocent objects like a soccer ball or fire truck. The cover has a very welcoming first impression but leaves you with a different feeling. It’s a nicely played trick.
Other Honorable Mentions (click title to see cover):
Batman #705, Hulk #28
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My Cover the Week column has been absent for quite some time – real life has gotten very busy – but it’s back, should be weekly again, I’m trying a new format, and I’ll make up for the absence. Listed below are my picks for the Cover of the Weeks that I missed along with this week.
*I only wrote for this week, didn’t have as much time as I had hoped. Back on track next week though.
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October 13, 2010:
Another double header to make up for last week; every week I pick my favorite cover from all the comic books that came out during the week…today’s pick goes to Green Hornet #8 by Alex Ross.
The Green Hornet is my kind of character. Or so I think, since I haven’t actually ready any Green Hornet (except the free comic book day issue), but after getting a good stare at Alex Ross’s cover to issue #8 this has to change, it looks too good to pass up.
Like some issues of The Spirit that have made Cover of the Week Alex Ross does an excellent job of explaining the title, setting up the story, and creating intrigue all in one image – this is a classic. The two heroes are tied to a giant typewriter with a hornet-esque character tipping his hat, on top of a huge building overlooking the city…perfect setup, I’m hooked. And it helps too that Alex Ross is a master at his art; every detail is appropriately touched on (down to the shoe laces), all the lighting and wind is just right, and without the use of facial expressions I can feel just how dire of a situation this is. Even the typography used on the typewriter is appropriate to the time frame. For a fan of pulp, detective stories, and some silver age arch nemesis action, this is more than enough to get my purchase.
Other Honorable Mentions (click title to see cover):
The Unwritten #18, Strange Tales II #1, Invaders Now! #2
October 6, 2010:
Last weeks pick for October 6, 2010 goes to Wolverine #2 by Jae Lee.
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September 29, 2010:
Another double header to make up for last week; every week I pick my favorite cover from all the comic books that came out during the week…today’s pick goes to Crossed: Family Values #4 by Jacen Burrows.
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Every Wednesday I pick my favorite cover from all the comic books that came out during the week…today’s pick goes to The Unwritten #17 by Yuko Shimizu.
The Unwritten is no stranger to our Cover of the Week, and for good reason, it’s a title that’s unique both in it’s covers and the story and art that come after, but no cover has pulled me into this book as much as the one for issue #17. Turning a cover into part of a board game is more than just creative, as Yuko Shimizu showed, it can be used as a symbol for so many things going on in the title, strategy and games come to mind for example, and the different spots on the board allow for hints, teases, or clues into the story. As someone who’s not reading this book I’m immediately curious as to why certain symbols made it onto the board (the headphones, the diamond cane, the handgun, and straight jacked). I can even begin to put together some of the plot without even having to open the book (the title might be about an orphan or an orphanage, seeing how it’s in the “start” position). It’s a smart way to tip your hats to the loyal readers and give out free clues, hints, or previews to those interested.
It also helps that this is a great looking work of art too. As in a lot of the Unwritten covers Red is a dominant color, and I don’t think it’s too much of a coincidence that the cover features a swastika (red), red cross sign (red), and gun (which suggests violence, which is often linked to red).
Whether or not your an avid reader of The Unwritten you have to tip your hat to their covers, which are always some of the best on the shelves each month.
Other Honorable Mentions (click title to see cover):
Ides Of Blood #2, Joe the Barbarian #7, Shadowland: Blood on the Streets #1 (2nd print variant)
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Every Wednesday I pick my favorite cover from all the comic books that came out during the week…today’s pick goes to Paolo Manuel Rivera’s Amazing Spider-Man #641.
This cover is easily one of my favorites of the year so far.
Paolo Manuel Rivera is no stranger to our Cover of the Week column. His work on the Amazing Spider-Man title especially sticks out, making him one of my favorite artists out there, and this issue explains why. Not only is this is one of the finest pieces of art I’ve seen on a cover in a long time but it’s also one of the finer examples of displaying emotion I’ve seen in an even longer time. The choice to surround the two characters in blue and take out any blue in their costumes/outfits (filling in negative space) is a tricky way of making the two characters not only stand out but highlighting their actions. Similar to what they must be feeling, the moment is all that matters. No buildings, no background designs, only the two characters in a frozen moment. And the embrace itself says something about the story; this looks like more than just a simple hug. Her wrapping her arms around his neck, him holding her head in his hand…this is a true embrace, and whether intentional or not the choice to hide Mary Jane’s face only makes Spider-Man’s hurt all that more prevalent.
I’m not up on my Amazing Spider-Man (wish I was) but I will be picking this issue up. The cover itself is just too good to pass on.
Other Honorable Mentions (click title to see cover):
Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #2, Batman: Odyssey #3, Amazing Spider-Man #642 Variant, The Calling: Cthulhu Chronicles #3
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So every Wednesday I pick my favorite cover from all the comic books that came out during the week, but things got busy so I missed a week. So for the August 25 cover see below this weeks Cover of the Week which is…Phantom Double Shot #5 by Dennis Calero.
Marvel Versus DC is one of the biggest factors to why I became a comic book fan; largely due to the covers (because to this day parts of that story don’t make sense to me). I remember staring at those covers, imagining how it would really look if all of Marvel fought all of DC. I would trace them covers over and over. It hooked me. The cover to The Phantom Double Shot: KGB Noir #5 is about as opposite of the Marvel versus DC covers as you can get, yet it’s also hooked me (interesting how one’s tastes can develop over time).
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Every Wednesday I pick my favorite cover from all the comic books that came out during the week…today’s pick goes to The Light #5 by Brett Weldele.
Vampires and Werewolves seem to be all the rage right now but don’t forget how cool skeletons can be!
Now, a closer examination reveals that this isn’t a skeleton at all, rather were seeing through skin, and as far as I can tell the story has nothing to do with skeletons, but kudos to Brett Weldele for hooking me, forcing me to give this a closer look after my heart skipped a beat upon seeing it for the first time. I saw this and said to myself, “What the heck is going on here.” Not something you would always want to hear but in this case it works to the issue’s advantage. Not only is the image of the person being electrocuted(?) intriguing but the whole cover is filled with elements not noticed at first and has just enough things that are “off” that it can’t help but stick out from the crowd. Why is the issues title right-justified? Did you notice that the words are actually glowing? The trees in the background are actually mixed with lines. And what is shining out of/flowing out of the person’s skull? It is just supposed to be smoke or is there a shape starting to take form?
Of all the covers this week the creepy skeleton-looking-guy getting electrocuted caught my attention first, when looking at it more closely all these details started flying out of me…what more can you ask for?
Other Honorable Mentions (click title to see cover):
Fear Agent #29, Secret Avengers #4, Darkwing Duck #3
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Every Wednesday I pick my favorite cover from all the comic books that came out during the week…today’s pick goes to DMZ #56 by JP Leon.
In one cover comes a slew of broken rules to be discussed. Love it.
Every once in awhile the status quo needs a good shakeup, and this weeks cover to DMZ #56 is a perfect example. Your conventional comic book cover usually features the central character on a spread either striking a pose or in some kind of action with the title’s name at the top; here though we get a busy cover with the character simply walking across and down the street, with the title in the center and yellow as your central color (a color that in the industry is believed to sell fewer issues).
The satus quo – or conventional thinking – is in place for a reason, typically because it’s a working formula. In the case of covers years and years of comic book publishing would indicate that this kind of cover doesn’t bring in enough sales, and generally I would agree. I’ve had moments where I’ve bought an issue or a book because I said to myself, “Man that looks cool.” and this cover does not ignite that same thought, I mean it’s just a guy walking across the street (although the military presence is intriguing). But in terms of catching my attention, it works. I’m attracted to the difference between it and everything else on my shelf. Similar to why people follow Lady Gaga or appreciate the work of Picasso, because it’s something ‘outside the box.’ Do I think every cover should look like this? Not really, I have framed covers that fit in that status quo I was talking about and I love them all the same. Do I think every “different” cover works on the same level as this? Of course not. Do I appreciate the heck out of this cover? Did the creator pull me in to take a second look at this issue? Am I now thinking about DMZ more than I was before seeing this?
Yes.
Check and mate.
Other Honorable Mentions (click title to see cover):3
Strange Science Fantasy #2, The Calling: Cthulhu Chronicles #2, Uncle Scrooge #394
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Every Wednesday I pick my favorite cover from all the comic books that came out during the week…today’s pick goes to Daredevil: Black and White #1 by David Aja.
When does a heroic pose work on a cover? When it looks like this.
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Every Wednesday I pick my favorite cover from all the comic books that came out during the week…today’s pick goes to Witch & Wizard #3 Battle For Shadowland by Fabian Moon.
Apologies all around for the tardiness of this Cover of the Week.
Admittingly I have no idea what Witch & Wizard is about I just couldn’t help but stare at this cover, so much going on but without it being too busy. I especially thought the green and yellow/orange colors used in the background make for interesting contrast next to the light blue. And the cover itself seems like an optical illusion, first giving the impression that there are only two planes, the blue surface and the sky but a closer examination reveals a bridge on the surface creating a third plane…very tricky since the streaks coming out of the sky overlap the surface on the bottom and the negative space in the bridge is filled with a different sky than the one dominating the cover. And there is story here too, a big guy hovering over a small guy, a dead body and someone/something in the middle of the design in the sky.
Like I said; a lot going on but spaced out enough to not seem busy in the slightest, those are my favorite kind.
Other Honorable Mentions (click title to see cover):
First Wave #3, Thor: The Mighty Avenger #2
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Every Wednesday I pick my favorite cover from all the comic books that came out during the week…today’s pick goes to Dustin Nguyen’s Streets Of Gotham #14.
Dustin Nguyen has an original style to his art that fits the superhero genre and at the same time walks a thick line outside of the “box.” His capes and cowls are top notch, but the softer tone and near watercolor feel to his cover work in particular offers a unique look amongst some of the other work around his. This cover is a great example; it could easily carry over to another comic genre, say, anything at Vertigo. Although I’m a sucker for just about all things typical of the superhero genre (as we all can be at times) I cannot speak enough good things about artists like Dustin Nguyen who push the envelope.
As for the actual cover, what’s not to like here? Aside from being borderline creepy (which certainly fits Thomas Elliot) the whole cover comes off as a bit of an optical illusion with the veins and necklace defying gravity. I couldn’t help myself and flipped the photo, if for nothing else than the cool effect it might have and despite it not revealing anything, per se, it makes the original that much more fun. One takeaway was that the two when flipped do connect, the veins right above where the heart would be seem to fit pretty well. Was it intentional? Who knows. Is it cool? Heck yes.
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Other Honorable Mentions (click title to see cover):
Avengers #3, Fear Agent #28: Out of Step #1, Brightest Day #6
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The Unwritten is no stranger to our Cover of the Week
