Comic Book Cover-Up: Covers for the week of April 23rd, 2014

Welcome to the eleventh installment of Comic Book Cover-Up! Every week, We the Nerdy writer Henry Varona weighs in on his choices for the best comic book covers coming out this week, along with some great honorable mentions worth checking out! Looking at the layout, artistic talent, and the overall craftsmanship, the covers are analyzed and ranked accordingly. At the end, each book will be given points based on their ranking. Then Henry adds up points for the various series, which will work towards earning further accolades in the future! Here’s a point breakdown for what every ranking will earn:

• First-10 Points
• Second-7 Points
• Third- 5 Points
• Fourth and Fifth- 3 Points Each
• Still Gorgeous- 1 Point Each

So without further ado, here’s the week’s best!

 5. Justice League 0 by Mike McKone (Featured Image)

A new era for the Justice League begins today. The release of Justice League United (Or should we say Canada) shows a new crew of heroes rising out of the aftermath of Forever Evil. McKone represents this change by giving us a heroic shot of our heroes in the style of classic movie posters. Everybody exists on a different plane, not really standing next to one another. The characters here are what take a standard concept and execute it well, as there is something inherently engaging about seeing Animal Man leading a team of heroes. It’s a new team, a new era, and McKone makes it look fresh from the grim and gritty DC standard.

4. Avengers Undercover 3 by Jorge Molina

If I’m being blatantly honest here, I’ll admit that the most intriguing part of Jorge Molina’s variant cover to Avengers Undercover is that it looks like an animated series. With heightened versions of the main cast, the image looks clean and ripe for adaptation. I particularly like the technique behind Death Locket. She looks almost pretty with her pursed lips beneath her cyber-casing. Beyond that, the layout highlights who each of the characters are, while reminding readers of the looming presence of Baron Zemo. This cover takes a classic concept and makes it work.

3. Mind MGMT 21 by Matt Kindt

Mind MGMT goes silent this month, but their cover has never been louder. I have literally no experience with the series, but a silent issue always interests me. What’s particularly interesting is to advertise a silent issue by having the main character (I presume) scream at the reader. It shows the heat of the moment and the intensity of the character. It’s a very smart way to tackle the story. Beyond that, the choice in colors makes this work very well. Streamlining things so that there is just black, white, and red, the image pops off of the stands. I want to read it more than I ever have before.

2. Iron Patriot 2 by Garry Brown

I don’t like that James Rhodes is now Iron Patriot. It’s the kind of story beat that worked well for the movies and I wish it had stayed there. War Machine rocks. That being said, Garry Brown just might be the one to sell me on the idea. His cover here is tragically iconic, showing our hero bleeding out the red stripes of ol’ glory. The movement of the water ripples perfectly position themselves as the wind waving the flag. But beyond everything else, beyond the thorough concept, Brown just makes it work. His ability to render Iron Patriot and the colors behind the image make it timeless. One of my favorite Iron anything-covers in years.

1. Secret Origins 1 by Lee Bermejo

One of the main problems fans have with the New 52 is that they don’t know what stories are in continuity anymore. They don’t know whose origin has changed and what that means for the characters moving forward. Looking to remedy this, Secret Origins will retell these origins for the new era. Lee Bermejo is a master artist who is depicting a single hero on each cover in the most heroic way possible, while still reflecting their past. Due to the nature of the book, Bermejo is able to focus on making every character truly iconic, and his depiction of Superman here is just that. Classically crafted and blending Superman’s past with his future, Bermejo makes Superman the man of tomorrow once more, and makes me want to pick up this book.

Still Gorgeous:

• Dead Body Road 5 by Matteo Scalera
• Fuse 3 by Jamie McKelvie
• Justice League United 0 (Variant) by Mike McKone
• Original Sin 0 by Paulo Rivera
• Undertow 3 by Artyom Trakhanov 

Thanks for checking us out! Come back next week for more!