Judging Books by the Cover - 9/10 & 9/16

A double-shot of covers for my double sized week. Without further Apu (oh, I've been zinged!)on to the covers :

Favorite Cover This Week (9/10):

Red Robin #4
Cover by Francis Manapul

Dynamic. This is an awesome shot of what is basically two brothers fighting each other. They just happen to be dressed like super-heroes. The other nice thing about this cover is that THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN THE BOOK!! Not exactly the way it is portrayed here, but Red Robin does essentially best Batman.

Runner-Up :

Secret Six #13
Cover by Daniel Lu Visi

Intensity. That’s the one word that describes this cover. Everyone on it is pissed off and they’re all staring right at you.





Least Favorite Cover :

Blackest Night : Batman #2
Cover by Andy Kubert

The art is decent, but the layout is very Ghostbusters. Also, what are those things crawling up towards them? Because most of them are not Black Lanterns. Did some random werewolf like things get in on the Blackest Night event?



Favorite Cover This Week (9/16):

Batman & Robin #4
Cover by Frank Quitely

The Fight Against Crime Grows Up! Batman and Robin check out a larger than life billboard (or possibly electronic ad) of Red Hood and Scarlet. It gives a great impending feeling that trouble is coming and it’s big. Do not let this fool you though, the interior art could not be more different.

Runner-Up :

All Hail Megatron #15 (Cover B)
Cover by Daniel Lu Visi

Perceptor as DaVinci’s Vitruvian Man. Perceptor goes through a serious change in this issue and I love how this cover displays just how serious he is now after being “re-designed”.



Least Favorite Cover :

Blackest Night #3
Cover by Ivan Reis

This is a weird one. I don’t exactly dislike the cover here but what I do dislike is DC’s marketing of this issue. In every preview and solicit that I’ve seen for this issue, the cover that was shown was VanSciver’s Firestorm-centric cover. When I picked up my books, I hardly recognized the issue because there was a cover that I have never seen before. It’s not bad, just not the one I was looking for.

Judging Books by the Cover - 9/2/2009

It’s been a while since I’ve done this feature but here we go with a look at this week’s comic book covers. Only 5 books this week so not a lot to choose from, but at least 2 stood out. These are chosen from books that I actually purchased, so I’m sure that there are other covers out there that could have made the grade. On to the covers :

Favorite Cover This Week :

The Last Resort #2
Cover by Darwyn Cooke

There are two artists whose cover work I have trouble passing up, no matter what the book is. One of those is J. Scott Campbell, the other is the fantastic simplicity of Darwyn Cooke. How he can render a scene of horror such as a plane crash with a flight attendant flying through the air next to charred bodies (and body parts) and make it so super-cool is a testament to his talent. Cooke’s cartoony colors and ultra-clean style is in direct contrast to the interior artwork which is brutal and messy, but in a good way.

I’m actually enjoying this title so the Darwyn Cooke cover is a nice bonus, but I do hope that he continues providing the covers for this book.

Runner-Up :

Final Crisis Aftermath : Run! #5
Cover by KAKO

What the hell is that one the cover?? That, my friends, is a 26-dimension hyper griffin. You heard what I said. I like this cover because it showcases just one of the insane aspects of this book. You almost have to pick it up just to see what is going on inside which, if I remember correctly, is the purpose of cover art in the first place.

Least Favorite Cover :

Batman #690
Cover by Tony Daniel

Although I am a fan of Tony Daniel’s work, this cover is just basically Generic Batman Cover #73 as he is about to punch Clayface (who actually doesn’t look like Clayface but something out of Resident Evil). The image is fine other than that, it’s just that the layout is so blah.

Judging Books by the Cover – 7/15/2009

In the second of my new feature introductions this week, we’ll be discussing the covers that made the grade or the others that fell short. I’ll try to pick 2 to 4 covers each week, but feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments section. On to the covers :

Favorite Cover This Week :

Blackest Night #1
Cover by Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert & Alex Sinclair


This cover just evokes the feeling of horror that is contained in the story. It’s even creepier now, knowing that this is most likely supposed to represent Bruce Wayne’s skull which Black Hand is currently carrying around with him everywhere he goes. The VanSciver variant cover was good as well, but I like the simplicity of this cover more.

Runner-Up :

The Last Resort #1
Cover by Darwyn Cooke


OK, I come into this as a huge Cooke fan, and I just realized that I am watching Justice League : The New Frontier while I’m writing this, but this image is well done and brings you into the story. Basically, at first glance, you see a pretty girl in a bikini enjoying a tropical drink. Look closer though, and you see the eyeballs floating in the cocktail which is resting on top of a skull. Cooke is one of my favorite artists for his simple and clean lines and this cover is no exception.

Least Favorite Cover :

Titans #15
Cover by Angel Unzueta & Wayne Faucher


My main problem with this cover is that this image or event occurs nowhere inside the book. This really bothers me with certain comics. In my opinion, the cover should at least have some reference to what is contained inside. The cover shows Tempest, obviously enraged, taking down Cyborg (not Cyclops as I previously wrote in some strange Marvel / DC crossover in my mind) while the other Titans lay defeated at his feet. In an issue where he spends most of it moping about Atlantis not accepting him, this is out of place.