Welcome to the eighteenth 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 United 2 (Bombshells Variant) by Ant Lucia (Featured Image)
I’ll admit that I’m a big fan of the Bombshell designs DC Collectibles has come up with over the last year. A wonderful homage to a bygone era, they tow the line between sexy and classy in a very respectable way. However, I do feel that many of the great designs have failed as covers due to some poor layout choices and sheer randomness. Here though, the Bombshell design of Stargirl is both appropriate to the character and the to the story being told, as the Justice League goes cosmic. It’s a fun cover that manages to be different and fresh without missing the point of the comic within.
4. Dead Letters 3 by Ron Wimberly
Ron Wimberly just popped onto my radar big time in the past week, with his work on the variant cover to Dead Letters 3 and his work in She-Hulk. Wimberly has a very urban style that looks like street art. His bold color choices highlight his disproportionate features, allowing for a piece that truly pops off of the page. Nothing about this cover is subtle, and that’s what makes it so awesome to me. It is very much like a 1970’s blaxploitation cover with a modern twist, and the combination of all these elements makes it worthwhile, whether you know what the book is or not.
3. Secret Avengers 4 by Tradd Moore
Tradd Moore’s covers to Secret Avengers have been nothing short of stellar every month. This time around he chooses to give special attention to Hawkeye and Nick Fury as they lead a battalion of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents into unknown doom. The bubbles that encompass our character serve two purposes. The first is to isolate the characters to provide memorable and distinct images that anybody will recognize. The second is to highlight the peril of being trapped under water, simulating the bubbles of air that escape one’s lungs. Add a top-notch color palette and you have a sick cover.
2. Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu 2 by Dave Johnson
Shang-Chi is fast breaking the mold of Bruce Lee, whom he shares an uncanny resemblance. His Kung-Fu skills are truly unparalleled as he kicks into the air. Dave Johnson does what so few artists do and he actually gives Shang-Chi proper martial arts form in his work, making it truly speak with an intensity. The body of Misty Knight in the background allures you is a great throwback to 1970’s movie posters. She looks like a bad babe and Shang-Chi looks like a righteous fighter. What more could you need in your class martial arts comics?
1. Detective Comics 32 by Francis Manapul
Francis Manapul is doing something truly remarkable with his Batman covers. Unlike his work on the Flash, which focused so much on superheroics and selling the story, he seems like he is trying to reinvent Batman and challenge your expectations on what Batman should be. His layout beautifully enhances the already horrifying image of Batman being swallowed up into the depths of the sea by a giant octopus. The use of the title to hide the break in the water is brilliant, and the splashes of color bring this wild piece altogether. Manapul manages to make Batman look like he is in horrible distress and doomed to a life at the bottom of the sea. That is no easy feat.
Still Gorgeous:
- Deadpool 30 by Mark Brooks
- New 52 Future’s End 6 by Ryan Sook
- Original Sins 1 by Mark Brooks
- She-Hulk 5 by Kevin Wada
- That’s Because You’re a Robot One-Shot by Shaky Kane
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