Most comic book fans have a pretty good idea what they’re going to buy every week when they visit their local comic shop. With that said, there’s still a lot of fun to be had just glancing at the week’s new releases and taking a chance on a book that looks promising. That’s where covers come in. A fantastic image can make the difference between trying something new or saying, “Nah, not this week.”
In that spirit, here are the covers that captured AiPT! Comics podcast co-host Forrest Hollingsworth and Manga Editor Eric Cline’s attention this week.
Forrest’s picks:
Black Hammer/Justice League #4
Cover art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta
I love how effectively Walta has combined the Black Hammer and Justice League aesthetics here in a very simple, but whimsical, bit of storytelling. What’s Batman going to do on a farm? Not a whole lot!
These Savage Shores #5
Cover art by Sumit Kumar
Kumar is channeling serious Frank Frazetta vibes with this one and I am here for it. The overbearing gloominess of this cover combined with the great fluidity in both subject matter and motion really sells the whole thing from the bottom of the image all the way up to the title. Quite a bit can be done with a limited color palette and this is a great example.
Ice Cream Man #15
Cover art by Martin Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran
Morazzo and O’Halloran have assembled a psychedelic candy-coated horror story here that I feel immediately drawn into. The complex color-work and varying lines draw the eye down to the central object (ew!) incredibly well in a way that feels evocative of countless Grant Morrison Doom Patrol covers. Nostalgic and new, there’s a lot going on here that taken as a whole tell a surprisingly simple and evocative story.
Eric’s picks:
Doctor Doom #1
Variant cover art by Simone Bianchi
I really dig Bianchi’s style here. The fluidity of motion is great, from Doom’s flowing cape to the energy crackling out from his hand. The perspective is also well-done with his foot on the step. This piece is fun.
Secrets of Sinister House #1
Cover art by John Romita, Jr. & Bill Sienkiewicz
Talk about a collaboration of giants. Sienkiewicz and JR Jr. are both among my favorite comic artists, so seeing their talents combined is an unexpected treat. I love the style here, especially when it comes to the renderings of the candle’s flame and the vampyric Batman creeping up behind Joker. This is nice Halloween fun.
Powers of X #6
Variant cover art by Mike Huddleston
This is quite neat. I’m not caught up on the current X-Men line (sue me), but there have been quite a few great variants over these last few months. This might be my favorite thus far; I really dig when comic book art has a painterly style. Plus, the two figures look great. Are those the two Xorns? Skrulls? Some other sort of aliens? I’m not sure, but this is pleasing to look at either way.
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!
You must be logged in to post a comment.