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Judging by the Cover – 03/29/23 new releases

Comic Books

Judging by the Cover – 03/29/23 new releases

Chris shares his favorite covers from this week’s new comics.

Most comic book fans have a solid idea about what they’re going to buy every week as they descend upon 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, funny, scary, etc. 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. This is Judging by the Cover.

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Dark Knights of Steel #10

Cover by Dan Mora

Judging by the Cover

By now, the Batman-Joker dynamic/comparison is more essential than peanut butter and jelly and older than even that whole “sliced bread” gimmick. (Talk about cliches!) And even still there’s just something so damn compelling about their relationship, and the way it feels so quintessentially good versus evil — even with the sheer nuance and depth their “pairing” still promises. So, even when you pull these two back into ye olde medieval times, with slightly different aesthetics and looks, you get the same results: a powerful demonstration of dichotomy and a study in nature versus nurture, how we’re often reflections of our worst fears, etc. etc. and so on and so on. And while the whole playing card gimmick is also quite deliciously cliched, that doesn’t mean it’s any less effective in capturing something primal and elemental about Batman-Joker. In this context, it feels like a perfect relationship to capture the story’s big pillars, and to do so in a way that feels hugely familiar and geared toward this very specific, very compelling world.

Daredevil #9

Cover by Marco Checchetto

Judging by the Cover – 03/29/23 new releases

Try and think about life before writer Chip Zdarsky got his hands all over Daredevil. Sure, we’d seen Matt Murdock in some dire situations, often covered in varying qualities of his own blood. But over the last few years, and between a couple “different” series, Zdarsky has put the Man Without Fear through the absolute ringer. And now, as the many foes and other events of the Zdarsky era coalesce, we get to see Murdock at his, um, most intense and affected. Longtime DD cover artist Marco Checchetto expertly captures this extra-dire Murdock: whether it’s the haggard beard, the unidentifiable origins of all that blood, or just the way this pic screams “savage man-beast,” you can practically feel the rage, isolation, and overall intensity permeating this cover. It’s going to be more bad times after years of bad times, and this Murdock looks like he’s ready to face the challenge snarling and screaming. You’ve got to love it — unless you’re actually Daredevil, of course.

Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #5

Cover by Mike Del Mundo

Judging by the Cover – 03/29/23 new releases

It feels like Once Upon a Time at the End of the World hasn’t gotten as much hype as it deserves. Maybe it’s because it’s one of Jason Aaron’s first creator-owned things in some time, and folks just want more Thor? And it’s especially confounding when Aaron’s enlisted other big-time talent for covers and whatnot, including Michael Allred and Nick Dragotta. Either way, this touching, totally gnarly book is as heartfelt and earnest as it is unwaveringly brutal and hard-hitting, and the sort of thing that encapsulates Aaron’s whole bag. So, if you haven’t read this series already, let the main cover from Michael del Mundo convince you otherwise. There’s the whole vintage, 2000 AD-esque aesthetic; the poignant moment of human connection; the corresponding dark turn and sudden humorous bent; and just a dash or two of gore/body horror. In short, something to sway the heart, shock the system, and maybe make queasy the old tum-tum.

Lovesick #6

Cover by Luana Vecchio

Judging by the Cover

It’s that part of the month where I gush endlessly about Lovesick. I get that, at this point into the seven-issue miniseries, it may feel a little old hat. Like, just how good can a series about a murderous dominatrix going through an existential crisis actually be? (The answer? Quite.) But if you ever doubt my overt love for this book, I want you to peep the cover to issue #6. As the penultimate issue begins, we’re promised a little trouble in paradise between Domino and Jack — and what that means for this “couple” is more complicated than an awkward brunch. With the subtlety of a falling bowling ball, artist-writer Luana Vecchio gives us a snapshot of this couple, capturing the madness and insanity of their bloody dynamic. And yet amid a hugely confrontational image, there’s still something almost quiet and romantic — something that tugs at the heart even when the rest of our body is screaming otherwise. It’s a powerful moment of dichotomy, and we haven’t even opened up the actual issue.

The Ambassadors #1

Variant cover by Pepe Larraz

Judging by the Cover – 03/29/23 new releases

If we’re talking about books being hyped to the moon, The Ambassadors is certainly up there. For one, it’s a reunion of sorts with Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, who’ve made magic before with Jupiter’s Legacy. Plus, it’s a rather compelling story, as just six people in the whole world are to be chosen to become superheroes. (And the book follows normal folks pitching why they should nab said honor.) Yet despite all that, the thing I want to talk about the most is this excellent Pepe Larraz variant cover. I love the sort of ’60s-style energy and nostalgia — it works nicely to contrast your average Millar-penned story. That, and I think we get to see something unique about the globe-spanning heroes while also connecting with them on a very basic, deeply human level. (They feel extraordinary while still being somehow quite accessible.) It’s a cover that pulls back some of this book’s hype, and shows us something quintessential about our relationship with these silly hero types.

Liquid Kill #2

Cover by Sunghan Yune

Judging by the Cover – 03/29/23 new releases

Liquid Kill feels like a superkick to the neck from word one. The book is described as being like “Ghost in the Shell meets John Wick,” and follows “sadist-slaughtering vigilantes as they encounter pure evil in a blood-soaked cyberpunk future.” If that somehow weren’t enough for the money in your wallet to suddenly explode outward, there’s some great art attached, including this cover to issue #2 from Sunghan Yune. It near-perfectly nails what you’d expect from those aforementioned descriptors, but there’s also something so much more here, too. It’s the way this bleeds the energies of anime and “standard” comics fare; the vaguely pin-up-style energies to every character, and how they all feel singular and yet fully aligned; and even the slightly otherworldly quality that defines this piece. Together, it’s less the aforementioned neck kick but something that could worm your way into its brain and quietly explode sometime thereafter. Good luck blocking that one.

The Invincible Iron Man #4

Cover by Kael Ngu

Judging by the Cover – 03/29/23 new releases

Iron Man’s armor is a metaphor — and not the one you might think. I understand the notion of a billionaire genius building their own battle armor, and what that might say about self-actualization and the like. But I’ve always though that Tony Stark’s armor was a shell, a hollow little device to protect its vulnerable owner from the dangers of the world (and protect the world from his robust flaws). And when that armor begins to break — as it does in this cover, as Iron Man battles “his dark counterpart” Feilong — we get to see more of the man behind the futuristic armor. The rage and uncertainty that’s always defined a sizable chunk of Stark’s life, and how he’s always one moment from making the wrong choice despite owning all that money and extra squishy grey matter. Is he a bad guy? No, but he certainly has it in him to make the wrong choices, and that armor has always been the way he’s tried to fix things, no matter how foolish or flimsy of a concept that might be. And when it all starts to snap and splinter like this, we get to see Stark in a new and unshakable light.

Waller vs. Wildstorm #1

Variant cover by Mike Perkins

Judging by the Cover – 03/29/23 new releases

I can think of, let’s say, 20 reasons why this new miniseries is going to be great. And more than the talent attached (Spencer Ackerman, Evan Narcisse, and Eric Battle); the fact that it’s a juicy Black Label book; and/or that takes place in the always compelling Cold War, it’s we’re getting Amanda Friggin’ Waller as the “star.” So, if you’re going to dive deep into the early origins of Waller’s work in “recruiting” superheroes (and how she went toe-to-toe with the misfits of WildStorm), I can’t think of a better bit of “hype” than this variant cover from Mike Perkins. From the proper use of colors (that red against the black and white is slick and adds to the narrative) to the totally assured face of Waller, almost everything on this cover speaks to what we can expect from the book proper. Which is to say, something edgy and gritty, lots of espionage and superhero hijinks, and Amanda Waller totally and completely in control. Be scared, Stormwatch.

Indigo Children #1

Cover by Alex Diotto

Judging by the Cover – 03/29/23 new releases

I don’t have the inside scoop on any of these covers, but if I did, I think I know what went down with Indigo Children. Series artist Alex Diotto came up with this core image, which was maybe missing something in a story about a group of superpowered children gone missing. (The solicitations mention “Radiant Black meets The Department of Truth.”) and then someone, somehow came up with the idea of dropping that big, ugly indigo streak on the child. Even if my story’s entirely fictional, it doesn’t change the fact that said blob/streak is a totally brilliant move, the kind of seemingly simplistic choice that screams why this book matters without making it a big(ger) deal. It makes the child here feel more grand without spoiling stuff; it somehow accentuates and de-emphasizes the crowd; and sets a mood and overall level of tension. If that streak ain’t actual magic, then I don’t know what is.

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