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.
Poison Ivy #12
Cover by Jessica Fong
I think there’s a tendency to think of Poison Ivy as as a kind of super uneasy anti-hero. She wants to try and save the planet. She’s in one of the healthiest, most well-rounded relationships in all of DC (even if it’s not always perfect). And she’s certainly saved the day/world her fair share of times. But as the excellent G. Willow Wilson-penned series reminds us time and time again, Pamela Isley isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and one of her end goals is the total destruction of human life. And as far as reminders of her more villainous tendencies go, this amazing Jessica Fong cover nails it — this is a woman who can do some mean and vial things to get what she wants, and she’s never one to shy away from her darker tendencies. The end result, as this cover so brilliantly facilitates, is a hugely nuanced and complex person, and someone who makes good decisions for bad reasons and vice versa. This is quite literally a portrait of someone with leagues of depth, and it’s why we should love and fear her all the same.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #5
Cover by Dan Mora
I’ve got to give it up to the creative team of this hugely nostalgic series: they showed some real subtlety and patience with their covers. It took until March’s issue #4 to get to what we were all really waiting for: totally freaky, cross-property mutations. A little Turtles dressed like Rangers, and Rangers mutated into dinos, to melt the brains of anyone over the age of, say, 10. So, then, what makes #5’s cover somehow more compelling than its predecessor? Well, I think it’s a few things: 1) it’s the slightly different Ranger suits; 2) the fact that everything feels a little less crowded and thus the imagery here is all the more effective, and 3) the more prominent feature/starring role for the blue triceratops. But perhaps more than any of that, artist Dan Mora nails something that feels more in line with both franchises at their respective cores, and that little aesthetic turn does wonders for maximizing this series’ brain-scrambling potential.
Demon Wars: Scarlet Sin #1
Cover by Peach Momoko
Last fall sometime, the eggheads at Marvel had a bright idea when they gave super artist Peach Momoko free reign to tell her own story. The end result has been Demon Wars, in which she reimagined the Marvel Universe (specifically Civil War) as a magical Samurai epic, with fantastical creatures, badass armor, and sweet fights galore. Now, we get our “cataclysmic conclusion” as the story wraps up with an issue that promises an epic throwdown between human forces and the spirit world itself. If you’ve never read the series (for shame!), the cover to Scarlet Sin #1 feels like a proper preview. Not just that it shows some of the stakes and the madness involved, but that Momoko expertly encapsulates the sense of whimsy, the general odd energies, and the powerful sense of history at play here. It’s the sort of piece that captures everything in a way that accomplishes a lot without overwhelming the reader, and hints at something powerful without spoiling a thing. In short, it’s a magnificent preview to what’s sure to be a truly grand finale.
Starsigns #1
Variant cover by Colleen Doran
If you’re like me (and no one truly is), you’ve gotten a little tired of the rise in horoscopes over the last few years. I won’t insult people who are into astrology, because I think it’s a practice for honing your people skills as well as to foster more all-around self-awareness. But I will say I’m glad we’ve got a series that can move us beyond this phase of in-your-face interest and help ground and contextualize this whole thing like any truly great comics series can do. (Please see, to an extent, NFTs.) And as far as grounding and whatnot goes, a book about falling zodiacs giving people superpowers is not only fun and compelling, but as this Colleen Doran variant proves, it’s not just about gimmicks. There’s a sense of belonging and connection that informs this cover, and it feels like it connects our weariness of existing in the universe with this ceaseless idea to explore beyond our little world. The end result is something magical but still deeply human, playful without being overly silly or overly indulgent. A new way to appreciate this practice beyond hackneyed gimmicks.
Monomyth #1
Cover by Cecilia Lo Valvo
I’m very excited for Monomyth, and not just because I love repeating the name over and over like sweet candy in my ears. It’s a book where magic is dead, and as people are summoned to a decaying school of magic following one final spell, they’re forced to “confront the deepest parts of themselves, their tragic pasts and defeat each other in order to survive the ordeal.” And so the cover from series artist Cecilia Lo Valvo does a lot to nail not necessarily the story, but the ideas and energies attached. We get the prerequisite sense of wonder involved (i.e., magic vines!); some clear horror vibes without overindulging and/or ruining the “fun;” and some sense of timelessness that really plays with out sensibilities in the absolute best ways. Beyond that, it feels like a hugely familiar image, like some half-forgotten ’90s movie poster, and that really makes everything here sing with new levels of intrigue and outright apprehension. Seriously, just say “Monomyth,” like, 10 times in a row.
Lamentation #1
Cover by Maan House
Speaking of things that will activate my echolalia, Lamentation is another gem from a comics veteran (Cullen Bunn) and a rising star (Arjuna Susini). This “darkly glamorous tale of bone-splintering terror” concerns a play that may not just be mere fantasy, and a cast who may be in for the roles of their respective lives (as possible murder victims!) And while the cover from Maan House doesn’t really play with some of those fictional/theatrical elements (that’s left to variants like this solid entry from Yanick Paquette), I still really like this piece for a few reasons. There’s the reddish-orange primary color, which does a lot to build tension and play around with ideas of violence without feeling too blunt. There’s also a sense of timelessness as well as an unfixed geography; those together play with our sense of gravity in a big way. Even the font here feels like it blurs the ley lines between comics and drama, and that’s important for the story’s true work ahead. It’s not some jaw-dropping piece but what it does it does very well, and that’s to set a mood for some madness to come.
Edge of Spider-Verse #1
Cover by Patrick Brown
I’m no dummy; I get that the whole Spider-Verse comics and movies are about inclusion and celebrating our differences. But even with all of that goodness in mind, I have to be that guy momentarily and point out how impractical Spider-Rex and Venomsaurus are in the grand scheme of things. Are they totally awesome looking? Yes — Venomsaurus alone is a snarling, acid-spewing menace. But using webs with such tiny arms, not to mention swinging between the densely packed trees of the Mesozoic era, is a step too far even for this detached nerd. Not only did DC Comics sort of do it first with Jurassic League, but they at least addressed the problem by making everyone semi-normal dinos who just so happen to fight crime. Does any of this mean anything, or should it prevent you from snagging this book? No way — but it’s the sort of totally dumb, doubly cool image that fosters true nerdiness with such ease and prowess. Also, why wasn’t it a Spinosaurus called Spidersaurus and, like, Venomiraptor?
Peacemaker Tries Hard! #1
Variant cover by Bjorn Barends
Between the Suicide Squad film and his own HBO show, Peacemaker’s had a real resurgence in recent years. And it’s been a massive success if only that it’s helped redefine the character as both a lovable loser and a kind of running commentary on both comics writing and living in a country that’s made war its own dang economic powerhouse. This new six-issue miniseries proves how effective this recharacterization has been with one simple variant cover. Here, we have artist Bjorn Barends (best known for his work on Spawn), who could make a coffee cup look badass. And he expertly applies his skills to give us a most terrifying version of Peacemaker, who reaches levels of carnage we’ve never seen in a single image/page. Yet I defy you to not think about how dumb and silly he still is, and the sort of hijinks we can expect from a Kyle Starks-penned story. That’s the magic of our “new” Peacemaker: dumb and brilliant, violent and silly, he bridges so many gaps in the name of effective storytelling and character development. Come get some peace!
The Sacrificers #1 (FCBD 2023)
Cover by Julian Totino Tedesco
I get that this Saturday (May 6) is Free Comic Book Day, and that’s like our Christmas and Halloween all rolled into one. But there’s still so many other books coming out this week that, in the name of not going crazy about some of the genuinely prime choices coming out, I’ve alloted just one FCBD entry. But boy oh boy what an entry it is, as Rick Remender and Max Fiumara team up for a new book about a planet with a one-child policy that results in a bloody and emotional battle centered around a “son expected to give everything for a family that never loved him, and an affluent daughter determined to destroy utopia.” Everything about this cover from Julian Totino Tedesco screams that Sacrificers is going to be extra huge. It’s the Dune-ian levels of elegance; the sci-fi design that feels both grounded and reminscient of some uber-dramatic Richard Corben illustration; and even the more magical and fantastical elements that permeate this world. It’s an aesthetic and instance of world-building that promises something old and something new, and if it can enhance the pure drama of this, it’ll be a damn fine FCBD indeed.
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