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 our attention this week, with entries from comics editor Chris Coplan.
Detective Comics #1021
Cover by Andrew Hennessy
With a story by Peter J. Tomasi, the current run of Detective Comics is already in a good place. But then you add in the artwork and overall designs of Brad Walker and Andrew Hennessy, and this book is even more engaging and compelling. Hennessy’s cover, especially, crackles with a firmly ’90s energy, and while you can argue that wasn’t always a good time for the Bats canon, there’s no denying the sheer drama permeating from this front. You’re gonna need two faces to absorb this much gritty, angular goodness.
Sex Criminals #28
Cover by Chip Zdarsky
I mentioned maybe a couple months back that, as the series nears its eventual end, Chip Zdarsky has been pulling out all the stops for some solid covers. And this is yet another example: a deeply human story (even one with time-manipulating bank robbers) deserves a deeply human cover, and Zdarsky captures all the nuance and emotionality with genuine grace and subtlety. You can almost feel the heartache, and taste the sense of slow-simmering anger.
Wolverine #2
Cover by Adam Kubert
If you follow him on Twitter, you’ll know how much Adam Kubert loves to draw Wolverine. Whether he’s capturing him fighting baddies, or just drinking a brewsky, ol’ Logan always looks like a million bucks with Kubert. Case in point: this cover to issue #2 of the (mostly entertaining) new series capture Wolvey in peak form, all snarling rage and rippling muscles. It’s nice when an artist really gets a character, and Kubert clearly has Wolverine down to a science (that involves sweet pectoral muscles).
Babyteeth #17
Cover by Garry Brown
I’ve never read Babyteeth, despite the fact that Donny Cates is deeply entertaining writer (he has a way with poetic, over-the-top moments and stories like few other — see his new Thor series). But Babyteeth is basically where he — and I’m so sorry for this — cut his teeth, and thus it likely deserves more of my attention. Especially given the work of Garry Brown, whose own style and aesthetic seems perfectly aligned with Cates’ own delightfully twisted view of the world. Teamwork does make the dream (nightmare) work, y’all.
Hellions #1
Cover by Stephen Segovia
In the name of full transparency, I mostly picked this book because of the core storyline. It’s sort of like the Marvel version of Suicide Squad, with all the bad mutants on Krakoa used to atone for their sins in the name of the island’s continued prosperity. Even still, the cover by series artist Stephen Segovia is hopefully telling of what we can expect. Namely, a sleek outing about totally cool mutants doing terrible things for a great cause. Is this a series that’s going to be about nebulous nature of morality? Sure, but it’ll look hella cool the whole time.
X-O Manowar #1
Cover by Christian Ward
Inside my brain, there isn’t a more elemental hero than X-O Manowar. I recall seeing some of the early issues as a youngster, standing in my LCS with my jaw nearly on the floor. And, the rest of the nw series aside, artist Christian Ward has captured what made him so appealing in one simple cover. It’s that gritty and intensity, the overt cheese of the costume, and the mishmash of sci-fi influences that makes X-O feel like such a deeply important hero in my consciousness. Plus, I’m always a sucker for a certain shade of blue.
Heart Attack #5
Cover by Eric Zawadzki
Heart Attack is one of those series I’ve only paid attention to in the most arbitrary way possible. As in, I hear good things, and the plot sounds up my alley, but I never really seem to make the decision to pick it up. Yet based solely on the work of series artist Eric Zawadzki, I should finally make the leap at last. Even if I have no idea what’s going on for issue #5, there’s a lot of glamour and prestige here, and it feels like an aesthetic right up there with any great mid-2000s Image Comics series. Will this be the time I at last pull the trigger? We’ll see!
Tomorrow #2
Cover by Jesus Hervas
This is another series not unlike Heart Attack. I love Peter Milligan (how can you not adore the likes of X-Statix and Hellblazer), and the storyline — a Russian computer virus infects humans — seems like the wonderful sort of Vonnegut-ian dystopia that I was reared on. But, really, it’s the art of Jesus Hervas that’s doing it, and it’s the perfect levels of grit and surrealness that should make this tale of a world at the bitter end a deeply entertaining one. Is this the one I’m more likely to pull? We’ll also see!
Action Comics #1021
Cover by Klaus Janson
Can a metaphor smash you over the head and still find itself effective? Yes, but only if and when it’s drawn by Klaus Janson. The whole idea of “Superman as the moral compass and driving force of the DC Universe” is practically ancient at this point, but it can still work to stir up interest and elicit genuine goosebumps. It’s genuinely touching to see Supes lead the way for Young Justice, a not so subtle metaphor of their status as the future of the DCU. Sometimes having your hand held isn’t such a bad thing after all.
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