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.
Danger Street #6
Cover by Jorge Fornés
There’s a thing in most Tom King stories where a thing isn’t what it seems to be. A man who’s good at escaping, for instance, might actually be seeking a place to call home. Or, a man solving his own murder could be more alive than he ever was before. And the same holds true for Danger Street. In fact, it may be the most King-ian title in that regard, as the story blurs the line between nostalgia and anxiety, friendship and deception, and even the genres of horror and a coming-of-age tale. It’s even abundant on this absolutely incredible new cover to issue #6 from series artist Jorge Fornés. Because, yeah, it’s a fun, super adorable cereal, but it’s also a snake waiting to bite you with some very hard truths. Or, and this is maybe not as elegant of a metaphor as is required, a hand puppet with brass knuckles underneath. Take your pick, but it’s a powerful blurring of sentiments that proves why this series is another No. 1 smash single from King.
The Invincible Iron Man #6
Cover by Kael Ngu
The flashback is an important device in fiction. I’d even put it up there with, say, starting from the middle (that’s “in media res”), or the deus ex machina. And the team behind The Invincible Iron Man clearly recognize the flashback’s mighty value, as issue #6 is dedicated to a look back at the “untold story of Iron Man vs. the West Coast Avengers.” Based primarily on Kael Ngu’s cover, it’s not only important for Tony Stark’s future but a knock-down, drag-out fight for the ages. I love the way Ngu references the ’90s without being so blatant about it. Or the way there’s shadows and explosion effects (that feel a little deliberately cheesy) to signify that this is a memory (and thus may not be entirely real or accurate). It’s a powerful visual device that subtly frames this moment and lends it some vital context, and that’s essential as we understand the real stakes at play in this issue. The only downside? They didn’t opt for the ’90s animated Iron Man suit.
Old Dog #4
Cover by Declan Shalvey
It’s been a few months since Declan Shalvey dropped issue #3 of Old Dog. I’m sure it has everything to do with his otherwise jam-packed schedule and myriad of other projects. And based on this cover to issue #4, we can (if we actually had to and this wasn’t entirely hypothetical) forgive Shalvey for his (not actual) indiscretions. In a story jam-packed with ultraviolence and globe-trotting super-spies, Shalvey never forgets to keep the focus on core human elements. This shot of Keelin/Retriever feels like a romantic snapshot just as much as a moment from a gritty war flick or evidence as someone’s trial at The Hague. It’s a moment to connect with the quiet emotionality under all the slick action and espionage, and a chance to see the real costs of it all. There’s also a little bit of a superhero-esque swoop to her coat, and that tease with literary tropes only adds to the many layers behind this much-awaited new story/chapter.
Ghostlore #1
Variant cover by Brian Hurtt
The whole gimmick behind this series — what stories do ghosts tell, or what I think would be ghost-ghost stories — smacks of stoner talk. But given that it’s Cullen Bunn on writing duties, I’m sure it’s going to be so much more than that, and a new novel device to tell some really horrific and possibly poignant ghost stories. At least that’s the sense I get from this variant cover from Brian Hurtt, who opts to forego the sense of nuance and subtlety by displaying some straight up body horror on the page. It’s hard to tell what’s worse: the fact that this woman was clearly flayed in some intricate or horrific ways, or that she’s found an upside by using her new flaps as a primitive form of levitation/flight. Either way, the end result is sort of the same: a quiet moment that welcomes the reader to pontificate what we’re actually seeing, and that if this is only the cover, just what sort of proper horrors lay within the actual story? Maybe a man with organs on the outside, and the organs are actually tiny Freddy Kruegers? Who knows.
Don’t Spit in the Wind #2
Cover by Stefano Cardoselli
You may recognize the work of Stefano Cardoselli from his dope 2021 series Sweet Downfall (a personal favorite of mine for sure). Now, he’s back with another series that’s as compelling as it is totally bonkers with Don’t Spit in the Wind. Here, a group of workers return to a polluted Earth in order to clean it up and possibly resettle the oversized toxic trash heap. What I love about the cover to issue #2 is that not only it tells us everything we need to know — the world’s a flaming garbage pile and it’s, sadly and ironically enough, our own doing — but it makes me think of similar titles. For instance, some of the humor and insanity of Tank Girl, and/or some tinges of Idiocracy. And while this book is very much its own, those little “influences” ground this book in a tradition of weird apocalyptic horror-comedy, a genre that I’m sure we’ll be seeing more and more of as we further burn this mother to the ground. Booyah!
Disney Villains: Scar #2
Cover by Karen S. Darboe
In the grand tradition of Young Sheldon, we’re getting what’s basically an origin story for Scar. Sure, his story is pretty basic — he’s mad he’ll never be king and that his more handsome and charming brother Mufasa gets the honor. But that doesn’t mean there’s still not questions; like, how’d het get the scar, perhaps, or how exactly did he become such a certified bag of rotten apples? While this cover from Karen S. Darboe doesn’t answer any of that, I do love what it still manages to accomplish. Like, portraying a dark and sleazy world, as if we’re hearing this sordid tale from Scar’s perspective (and, like the aforementioned Iron Man cover, that means to take it all with a grain of salt). Or, the almost noble elements that are played up, and how they delicately shift our perception of Scar. Heck, even the gradation of colors makes this feel like some elemental cave painting or Renaissance portrait, and that only adds to the innate prestige here. We may know where it’s going, but I’m sure there’s bound to be some surprises in what’s basically “Young Scar.”
Green Lantern #1
Variant cover by Pete Woods
I get that my whole shtick with Judging by the Cover is to be, like, super jacked about comics. But there’s occasionally books I’m ultra-deluxe excited about, and that’s true for the new Green Lantern. Maybe ’cause I’ve spent the last few days working on an interview (that you can totally read Tuesday morning), but the book feels special. Writer Jeremy Adams and artist Xermánico truly have crafted a “tale of redemption, loss, and finding out that maybe…just maybe…you can go home again.” And this variant cover is the perfect preview of what is such a great start to an important and poignant story. From the ’70s sitcom vibes of the “split screen” to the wilting flowers (didn’t you make those with your mind, Hal?!) and even that totally perfect little “click,” all of it just feels like such a sweet and funny but ultimately this truly heartfelt exploration of romance and coming home again. The fact that there’s also green constructs and battle scenes is maybe the least special part of this new series.
Phantom Road #3
Cover by Gabriel Hernandez Walta
I’m on TikTok a lot (mind your business), and I’ve never really cultivated much of a proper algorithm. As such, it seems like every few weeks, the platform tosses something my way, apropos of nothing, to see what might stick. Lately, it’s been The Backrooms and other videos on liminal spaces, and that all feels like a proper “preview” for the latest issue of the already great Phantom Road. As we delve further into the story and lore behind this book, I can’t help but feel the same liminal-adjacent vibes of unplaceable creepiness when I peep this seemingly innocuous road sign. Is it a car wash, or maybe some Buc-ee’s knockoff? Is the bear going to jump off and eat me, or infect my brain with a psychic parasite? I don’t have any answers — other than I’m unprepared for whatever is about to actually about to happen here. That’s sort of why this book has flourished thus far: it’s familiar and knowable to an extent, but it’s already gone in some directions that truly boil the ol’ brain in a thick stew of horror and existentialism.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #34
Cover by Leinil Yu
I for one am so glad we’re going to stop beating around the bush when it comes to Darth Vader. Because for years — in the comics, mostly, but also sometimes video games and animated offerings — Vader has been portrayed as some nigh-unstoppable force of nature. (Which sort of runs counter to his weird, often clunky portrayal in the actual films.) And here, we get a combination Renaissance portrait-Norman Rockwell painting that really plays up Vader’s inherent deity vibes. Like, seriously, those guards are either praying or groveling to the Sith Lord (minus the guns) — regardless, he’s eating it up with a killer pose that’d make a Greek god feel inferior. It’s honestly about dang time; if you’re going to have someone who is basically Space Satan (and later Space Jesus to an extent), you’ve really got to drive home his true significance. That, and it just feels like a way to further elevate the character and show why he’s such a beast in this particular medium. And if any of this is hokum, may Lord Vader strike me down from his meditation chamber in the heavens.
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