Those feeling nostalgic for big-breasted variant cover superhero comics will be galvanized this week as Image and Marvel Comics bring us back to the 90s. Even though DC Comics has recently professed variant covers are a problem, we’re still witnessing one of the biggest booms in variant covers in quite awhile.
Thank Jeebus Brendan Harvey and David Brooke are here to ogle every single one and tell you what is worth looking at; good or bad. They’re saving you the time of shuffling through stack of issues. Lucky you! Also check out a full list of the comics coming out this week at the bottom.
Brendan’s Cover of the Week
Colder #2
Brendan: What I really love about this cover is the wonky architecture. The jagged protrusions from each building gives what would be a fairly generic scene some oddity that is really needed. Plus, the odd designs create a bit of a dream-world effect where you’re not sure what is or isn’t real. I also enjoy the connective coloring between our weeping maiden and the falling leaves. It helps push the thought that she may very well jump.
Dave: Good god man, look at the detail! Look at each and every brick, the girl’s dress, and the rooftop. The leaves sure are a nice touch as Brendan points out, but I also enjoy the background of the sickly green street. That makes the insanity of the buildings pop all the more better and also conveys uncomfortable unease as it slants at an angle between these Rubik’s Cube buildings. Really beautiful cover.
Dave’s Cover of the Week
Swamp Thing #15
Dave: Note this setting isn’t in the current continuity in the DC universe but some kind of apocalyptic future where The Rot has taken over. And yet, the buildings don’t look too bad. Instead, all the unease comes from the Dutch angle and the unsettling crosshatched orange sky. The ghoulish looking greek statue at the top left and bats at the corners bring another layer of unsettling creepiness, too. I also love how the Bat signal seems burned out, like film that’s caught fire in a theater as it bubbles and burns away.
Brendan: The bright oranges and yellows seem incredibly out of place in Gotham’s skyline, and I think that was a brilliant way to quickly differentiate this world from the main continuity. There are some amazing architectural details throughout this cover and I love how uneasy Swamp Thing looks in the traditional Bat-hero pose.
Dave’s Honorable Mentions
Creator Owned Heroes #7
Dave: New series will be introduced in this issue, including the one that appears on this cover, and it does a good job establishing mood and a sense of story. The mariachi skeletons imbue a sense of dread but also location, and the sexy chica in the background has a look that screams, “what are you up to,” even though her man looks very dangerous. More often than not I want a cover to tell me a story. This one does.
Brendan: I think this cover is awesome. I love the limited color pallete and how it connects the main man to the death dolls. The details are simple yet somehow vivid and I am left wondering what the inside of this book may present. Great work all around.
Avengers #1
Dave: The relationship being established between the disc of Captain America’s shield and the disc that forms when Thor swings his hammer adds a nice team-up feel to this cover. That’s a clever way to connect these very different characters.
It always seems the case that the Avengers are standing in rubble (they gotta avenge something, right?) and in this case it pulls them down to the ground where they fight. The white space is a tad blank, but will obviously be filled with the title.
Brendan: I, too, enjoy the relationship between Cap’s flingy and Thor’s swirly. Outside of that cute connection, I think the character poses are right on the cusp of being generic, but they pull them off nicely. I also enjoy the colorful, nondescript rubble.
I Love Trouble #1
Dave: This is simply a brilliant idea that is incredibly well rendered here. Talk about visualizing the title of a book. The solicit reads that this girl has some power that they won’t reveal unless you read the book…but my guess is she can create money. Or maybe I’m completely wrong. Maybe those are bullet casings? But that monkey is either super happy (due to said money) or he’s drunk as a skunk. Either way, let’s ride this love boat!
Brendan: You had me at cigar smoking monkey. Honestly, everything about this cover intrigues me: The girl, the banner, the monkey, the gold. This is a comic cover that makes me want to open up the book.
Brendan’s Honorable Mentions
Blackacre #1
Brendan: I love the color juxtaposition between the burning warzone at the bottom and the tranquil city at the top. I also love the messianic target looped around our hero’s head. My only gripe is the how our guy is floating above this super-cool background. It disconnects him from the content and makes me question whether this is an event that is occurring or just a cool concept for a cover.
Dave: The colors help divide this issue up and pull viewers’ eyes to the aberrant skulls. I agree with Brendan on every other point. Agreement for the win!
Great Pacific #2
Brendan: The struggle here is super intense and I love it. I am also feeling deep affections for the composition of this cover. The way Morazzo angled our hero to really fill the space of the cover while still allowing the everlasting blue to encompass as much as possible is spot-on quality.
Dave: This is what you get for swimming in a sewer. Essentially the trash subs in for ice which conveys the heart pounding moment all the better. Reach the hole boy!
Daredevil End of Days #3 (Variant)
Brendan: Yeah, I’m a sucker for Mack, but while everyone else is drawing generic cartoon poses, this guy is churning out art. Every time I see something from David I wish I could just have it materialize on my wall.
Dave: The purple blotch of watercolor almost seems random…until you see the gravestones at the base of the color. What a wild eye-popping way to bring Electra out from the image.
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.
Avengers #1 Variant
Dave: Dear god, somebody call 911; I think there’s something wrong with my eyes! Oh wait…that’s just awful Photoshop and a terribly rendered image destroying my corneas. Let’s ignore how terrible this looks on a workmanship level (however hard that is) and look at the concept behind this. What, the fuck, is this cover? The Avengers are “larger than life in this face blast of awesome!” No, please make it stop. Proof the variants are hastily rendered to milk morons at the stores.
Brendan: There is a whole lot wrong here, so much that I don’t truly know where to start. I think the main problem here comes from the coloring choices. Everyone is painted with these high-gloss pastels that makes everyone look super-fake. Couple that with the idea that each person looks drastically separate from each other just makes this cover feel… wrong.
Bloodstrike #33
Brendan: It’s the eyes, friends. All of the problems derive from the eyes. Well, that and I don’t really enjoy how Mr. Greyhair’s head is somewhat floating liberally. With enough focus you can see where the majority of his body lies, but for some reason the angling is really throwing me off.
Dave: At the very least Brendan, I think he’s got a very bad neck problem. He might as well be a severed head.
Avengers #1 Variant
Dave: …So then “Gangnam Style” made it onto comic covers and it was then that we realized the Mayans were right. The world was ending. It is incredibly not cool to see Deadpool doing this, especially since it’s sort of old now. Am I wrong? Nothing against Mark Brooks’ work here…it’s all on the idea. Ugh.
Brendan: There is no truer test of when a fad is over than when said fad appears on a comic book cover. It’s a shame that Marvel was only four months off on this one, because I’m sure this would have been hilarious if it were topical.
Green Arrow #15
Dave: Hey Ollie, you ever wonder maybe it’s a dead giveaway you should run away from a fight when there are giant cement letters spelling it out for you? Literally! How stupid does he look in that pose too? Note how he’s sort of hopping his way towards the bad guys with a hilariously small bow that has yet to sling an arrow. On top of that they’re all getting multiple shots off (two of the guys have two bullets going per gun even!). Green Arrow has been terrible for so long you’d think DC would learn something from how Hawkeye is portrayed and do that. At least he wouldn’t be a laughing stock.
Brendan: Those guys are the WORST shots I have ever seen. Ollie must be ten feet away from these guys and they have missed every shot. You three are the most pathetic goons I’ve ever seen.
Guarding The Globe #4
Dave: I probably shouldn’t laugh at this, because many women might have this problem, but look how ridiculously giant this superhero’s breasts are. I haven’t read a single issue of this series, but lord, if her power isn’t mammary-related, she needs a redesign. I look at this image and think, “she’s not running, she’s falling down.” On top of that, the spandex is a bit much as it clings so tightly to her I think I can see her ovaries.
Brendan: Hey, not many things are guaranteed to make fans pick up a comic book, but you know what does? Boobs. Us man-babies loves them boobs, and the good people at Guarding the Globe are here to provide. My favorite part is how she looks angry at the size of her breasts, like she is the only one who truly understands how inconvenient they really are.
Comics Being Released This Week
This is a cleaned up list via ComicList.com. Prices in USD. “AR” = Ask Retailer. Comic availability subject to change.
- DARK HORSE COMICS
- Buffy The Vampire Slayer Willow Wonderland #2 (Of 5), $2.99
- Colder #2 (Of 5), $3.99
- Hellboy In Hell #1, $2.99
- House Of Fun (One Shot), $3.50
- Star Wars Purge The Tyrant’s Fist #1 (Of 2), $3.50
- DC COMICS
- Action Comics #15, $3.99
- Animal Man #15, $2.99
- Batwing #15, $2.99
- Before Watchmen Minutemen #5 (Of 6), $3.99
- Detective Comics #15, $3.99
- Dial H #7, $2.99
- Earth 2 #7, $2.99
- Fairest #10, $2.99
- G.I. Combat #7 (Final Issue), $3.99
- Green Arrow #15 , $2.99
- Human Bomb #1 (Of 4), $2.99
- Legends Of The Dark Knight #3, $3.99
- Looney Tunes #210, $2.99
- Phantom Stranger #3, $2.99
- Scooby-Doo Where Are You #28, $2.99
- Smallville Season 11 #8, $3.99
- Stormwatch #15, $2.99
- Swamp Thing #15, $2.99
- Worlds’ Finest #7, $2.99
- DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
- Dark Shadows Vampirella #5 (Of 5), $3.99
- Lone Ranger #11, $3.99
- Lone Ranger Snake Of Iron #4, $3.99
- Lord Of The Jungle #10, $3.99
- Red Sonja #72, $3.99
- Robert Jordan’s The Wheel Of Time The Eye Of The World #31, $3.99
- Voltron Year One #6, $3.99
- Warlord Of Mars Dejah Thoris #19, $3.99
- IDW PUBLISHING
- Adventures Of Augusta Wind #2 (Of 5), $3.99
- Chasing The Dead #2 (Of 4), $3.99
- Doctor Who #3, $3.99
- G.I. JOE A Real American Hero #185, $3.99
- Haunted Horror #2, $3.99
- Magic The Gathering Path Of Vengeance #1, $4.99
- Pound Ghoul’s Night Out #4 (Of 4), $3.99
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Color Classics Micro-Series Michelangelo (One Shot), $3.99
- Transformers Regeneration One #86, $3.99
- Womanthology Space # 3 (Of 5), $3.99
- IMAGE COMICS
- Alpha Girl #5, $2.99
- Blackacre #1 , $2.99
- Bloodstrike #33, $3.99
- Creator Owned Heroes #7), $3.99
- Cyber Force #2, FREE
- Epic Kill #7, $2.99
- Great Pacific #2, $2.99
- Guarding The Globe #4, $2.99
- I Love Trouble #1, $2.99
- Invincible #98, $2.99
- Krishna A Journey Within GN, $29.99
- Legend Of Luther Strode #1 (Of 6), $3.50
- Perhapanauts Danger Down Under #2 (Of 4), $3.50
- Storm Dogs #2 (Of 6), $3.50
- MARVEL COMICS
- All-New X-Men #3, $3.99
- Amazing Spider-Man #699, $3.99
- Avengers #1, $3.99
- Avenging Spider-Man #15, $3.99
- Daredevil End Of Days #3 (Of 8), $3.99
- Deadpool #3 (Geof Darrow Regular Cover), $2.99
- Fury MAX #7, $3.99
- Hawkeye #5, $2.99
- Iron Man #3, $3.99
- Marvel Universe The Avengers Earth’s Mightiest Heroes #9, $2.99
- Marvel Universe Ultimate Spider-Man Comic Reader #4, $3.99
- Marvel’s Iron Man 2 Adaptation #2 (Of 2), $2.99
- Punisher War Zone #2 (Of 5), $2.99
- Red She-Hulk #60, $2.99
- Spaceknights #3 (Of 3), $3.99
- Thunderbolts #1, $2.99
- Ultimate Comics The Ultimates #18.1, $2.99
- Wolverine MAX #1, $3.99
- X-Factor #248, $2.99
- X-Men #39, $3.99
- VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT
- Shadowman #2, $3.99
- ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
- Fly Volume II #2 (of 5), $2.99
- Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Holiday Special 2012, $5.99
- Wake The **** Up #1, $2.99
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