Connect with us
Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

Comic Books

Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

Some choice comic books arrive this week, but before we review their content this Wednesday we’ll be reviewing their covers. New releases like Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan #1, Super Crooks #4 and Batman Incorporated #3. We pick our favorite, least favorite and honorable mentions.

Dave’s Pick


Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan #1


Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

Paul Pope

Listen to the latest episode of our weekly comics podcast!

Dave: I’m a big fan of Paul Pope, and lo and behold he’s doing some variant covers for this Before Watchmen debacle. I like to think this is a Dr. Manhattan who’s still trying to learn about the world; a little naive. He comes off as such quite well. He hasn’t yet moved on to disassembling humans yet.

Brendan: I always loved the panels of Dr. Manhattan disassembling things, whether they were machinery or humans. It’s really an interesting concept to see all of the intricate pieces that we take for granted on a daily basis. Also, while I’m not certain this was on purpose, I’m fairly sure its impossible for 99% of human beings to lower just their pinky finger while leaving their ring finger extended. Is this a subtle hint of the advanced state of our good Doctor?

Brendan’s Pick


The Flash #12


Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

Francis Manapul

Brendan: I mean, I don’t think we’ve ever mentioned this before, but Dave and I can’t draw worth shit. Does that affect the credibility of this weekly article? Probably. Anyway, if I were able to draw, I would want to draw exactly like Francis Manapul. His characters and his colors are just flawless, in my opinion. I’ve never seen a work by him that I did not love. That is exactly what has happened with this cover: Love at first sight.

Dave: Definitely a top choice of the week. The play of hair, clothing and lightning is not only dramatic but romantic. Like two lovers holding one another. I also like how the lightning appears to be flowing when it should be bolting this way and that. He’s clearly being slowed down and tempted by this villainous bitch.

Dave’s Honorable Mentions


Adventure Time #7


Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

Graham Annabel

Dave: What I like most about this cover is the shock registering on the three bears’ faces. You then move your eyes around the room seeing the destruction and I love it. The cartoony style also suits the characters quite well.

Brendan: This is another fun Adventure Time cover that accomplished exactly what it sets out to accomplish. It’s just a funny, quirky moment in their lives.


Super Crooks #4


Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

Leinil Yu

Dave: This series has been just okay, but I can’t help but love Leinil Yu’s art. I like the layering going on here and the neat way of showing who’s inside the scope. The sniper is pulling off the evil grin nicely and the chick…let’s just say those chesticles make us all evil for looking at her.

Brendan: I love the amount of work that went into this cover. From the shading to the characters the the fully fleshed-out hotel room in the deep background. It all reads that Yu cares about the art he creates.


Transformers More Than Meets the Eye #8


Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

Alex Milne

Dave: Grimlock angry! I sure hope one of these guys pulled a prank on him, because if not the fear on the face on our boy at the bottom right is actually a bit disturbing. Either that or he’s a complete wuss bag. By taking up nearly the entire cover Grimlock, while already freaking me out with his facial expression, is extremely foreboding. I also dig how the energy flowing inside him seems to be crackling.

Brendan: Is that Grimlock? I can never tell anymore. These Transformers covers tend to blur together for me, as well as the robots themselves. Although I must admit that the amount of detail that goes into these robots is quite impressive.

Brendan’s Honorable Mentions


Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #4


Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

Kaare Andrews

Brendan: Without checking, I think I have chosen every single DKMU cover that has been released. I think they’re very accomplished at displaying the menacing sociopath that we all take for granted as “the goofy dude who can’t die”. It’s also a nice little homage to have the other murderer of worlds, Mr. Frank Castle, grace the cover as what could be Wade’s final victim. It’s a very nice cover.

Dave: The shoulders on Deadpool are out of this world badass. The background seems to be suggesting they’re in the middle of a tornado. It’s the center of the storm in this culminating issue.


Batman Incorporated #3 Variant Ed


Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

Jason Fabok

Brendan: That Batman has a very “The Dark Knight Returns” vibe to him and it just tickles my fancy. Outside of that slight nod the cover is pretty straightforward. The red backdrop and symbol are pretty uninteresting, but the work done on Batman is very well done. I especially enjoy the facial silhouette and the bloody hands.

Dave: Gotta love those gauntlets and the pooling effect of the blood in his grip. Frightening.


Scalped #60


Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

Jock

Brendan: I have never read a single issue of Scalped and I have no idea what this cover is referencing. Having said that, it is very nice to look at. The moody reds along with some great character work makes this work really stand out.

Dave: This is the last issue of Scalped and I’m sad to see it go. That sunset is a killer base to a movie poster quality cover. You get story, character and drama all wrapped up in this concluding issue.


Rocketeer Cargo of Doom #1


Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

Chris Samnee

Brendan: Here’s another fun Rocketeer cover, although it’s a bit light on the action. The depth of the image is very nice, as well as the details on the plane and our main man, Rocketeer. My only gripe is that, due to the frozen timeframe the Rocketeer is trapped within, I feel like we’ve seen this “man versus Aero-plane” many times before. If it ain’t broke, I guess.

Dave: If we follow that smoke trail it appears Rocketeer flew into the path of this plane. Why is that exactly? I do love how Rocketeer is drawn here though. Brendan feels as if the Rocketeer is pigeonholed because of his time era… do I smell a Rocketeer Through Time? If so, we get royalties.

WTF? Category

Where we don’t understand, are insulted by or would rather stab our eyes with acid pops than look at these covers for various reasons.


Mind MGMT #4


Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

Matt Kindt

Dave: I know this is an unconventional book with unconventional art and covers but… seriously? A god damn dolphin smiling at us? I suppose the words in the water are interesting and contrast with the dolphin’s happy demeanor… but how did he do that? Splash it in such a way to spell words? It’s a WTF moment if I ever saw one.

Brendan: Hey, man. Everyone likes dolphins. You gotta be a real piece of jerk to dislike dolphins. The “Help me” is a bit creepy, but maybe the cute little guy has some serious problems he would like assistance with. I’m here for you, my aquatic companion!

Russ: That’s when both of you remember that dolphins are the only marine animal that kills for fun. [Insert Admiral Ackbar saying here.] Oh… and uh, sup guys?


Wolverine #312 Variant Cover


Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

J. Scott Campbell

Dave: Leave it to Campbell to cheesecake-up a cover when there’s only one female in the story. I don’t mind this cover, but I just don’t get the composition. Is Wolverine huge or is he in the background as a layered image? He seems to be looking at her so I guess he’s huge? The claws are neat flowing up, but it appears as if he started with Wolverine and then realized there wasn’t any cheesecake. He then stepped to adding Remus curving it up.

Brendan: The problem here lies with shading, my friend. Wolvie is supposed to be in the foreground, with our ninja bitty leaping at him from behind. Where this falters, however, is when they lighted the cover to emphasise the dreamy curves of the smokin’ redhead. This causes her to appear to be front and center when in reality she should be creeping in from the back. As an aside I would like to mention: Dayum.


Superman #12


Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

Dan Jurgens & Norm Rapmund

Dave: I’m just glad Superman had the maturity of putting a “lid” on that sex party.

Brendan: I’m not sure which one has to stop. Either they need to stop drawing tentacles on at least one comic book per week or we need to stop making tentacle rape jokes. I hope they take the high road because I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to put a lid on that variable treasure trove of comedy gold.


Danger Girl Army Of Darkness #6


Comic Book Preview: 8/22/12

nick bradshaw

Brendan: This was so close to being a sweet cover. I love the little demon cherubs and the shit-eating grin on Ash surrounded by the danger babes. But the devil is in the details and once you start really paying attention to the characters I’m sure you’ll agree that this is a bit of a dud. Look at the oddly warped faces. To whom do those hooker boots belong? Just a small amount of critical thinking and reasonable editing could have made this cover great.

Dave: This cover is a bit too busy for my taste. I do love me some quality demon cherubs though.

Join the AIPT Patreon

Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:

  • ❌ Remove all ads on the website
  • 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
  • 📗 Access to our monthly book club
  • 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
  • 💥 And more!
Sign up today
Comments

In Case You Missed It

WWE SmackDown preview, full card: March 1, 2024 WWE SmackDown preview, full card: March 1, 2024

WWE SmackDown preview, full card: March 1, 2024

Pro Wrestling

AEW Dynamite preview, full card: February 28, 2024 AEW Dynamite preview, full card: February 28, 2024

AEW Dynamite preview, full card: February 28, 2024

Pro Wrestling

AEW Rampage preview, full card: March 1, 2024 AEW Rampage preview, full card: March 1, 2024

AEW Rampage preview, full card: March 1, 2024

Pro Wrestling

Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in 'Blood Hunt' Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in 'Blood Hunt'

Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in ‘Blood Hunt’

Comic Books

Connect
Newsletter Signup