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.
Titans #1
Variant cover by Dan Mora
This debut feels special. It’s as if all the talk of a new era for DC, and a greater focus on the future, is finally coming true in the biggest way possible. It’s powerful enough to feel like we’ve watched our own children grow up — if said children were superheroes becoming the preeminent leaders of all that’s good and just. And so it only makes sense that DC would roll out the red carpet for the Titans’ big day, and we get some really great cover options for what’s bound to be a monumental moment.
The main cover, from Nicola Scott, certainly has enough gravitas for the occasion. I’m not sure how Nathan Szerdy’s tattooed Starfire makes total sense, but some sick ink is clearly one way to show you’re totally grown. Even Jim Lee got in on the action, and his cover certainly captures something magical about how the team’s evolved. Yet for what it’s worth, this Dan Mora variant gets the nod. It checks every single box: team members feel united while expressing their unique personas; the color scheme makes me think of the Super Friends cartoon, and that’s helping a lot; and we get a proper balance of hope and optimism while seeing a new level of maturity to boot. It’s the perfect cover for a brave new era, and one that has me ready for what’s next.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #6
Cover by Dike Ruan
And from totally hopeful futures to ones that look mostly bleak and depressing, we reach the second chapter of the “Carnage Reigns” storyline. And if you hadn’t already guessed based on the pretty obvious cover, Miles Morales is having a hard time contending with Mr. Cletus Kasady, as the “Extrembiote-powered” super-psycho continues to get meaner and stronger in his campaign to inflict “maximum carnage.” And, sure, lots of heroes have been in similar positions with Carnage in the past and ultimately prevailed. But there’s something here that makes me more concerned. It’s the parallel damage in the eye areas between Carnage and Miles, and the look of quiet acceptance plastered on our hero’s face. It’s as if, sure, maybe he’ll win or lose, but the bigger issue is what this does for Miles in the long-term and his place as a still-maturing hero. That little space of uncertainty is super powerful, and a reminder that Carnage’s biggest threat isn’t the wanton destruction of property but the psychic rot he brings wherever he goes.
Red Room: Crypto Killaz #1
Cover by Ed Piskor
I have a lot of complicated feelings about crypto. Mostly it’s which expletives I want to employ in discussing the world’s latest overwrought Ponzi scheme. Now, I’m not sure what, if anything, Ed Piskor’s latest Red Room book has to do with crypto, especially because it’s supposedly about the daughter of the Steel City Cannibal struggling in the wake of her father’s arrest. But as Piskor demonstrates with yet another solid cover, he’s clearly working out a lot of the same anger and frustrations surrounding crypto and a lot of modern life’s other annoyances and violations. This piece in particular feels like the perfect encapsulation of violence, excess, and all-around greed — these big and terrible ideas/sentiments that often escape words. It’s a piece that speaks less to a certain moment and more so ideas that seem to define and limit our day-to-day life. It is, in short, a sounding board for deep-seated emotions, and the catalyst for exploring things we’d sometimes rather leave buried. No wonder the book’s supposedly banned in, like, a quarter of the world or something.
Dark Spaces: Good Deeds #1
Variant cover by Martin Morazzo
Back in April, we told you about Dark Spaces: Good Deeds, a continuation of Scott Snyder’s new story series featuring rotating creative teams. For this go around, writer Che Grayson and artist Kelsey Ramsay take us to St. Augustine, Florida, where a mother and daughter try to launch a new life — only to come face-to-face with a dark force and the city’s bloody colonial past. It’s a compelling series already, and one that readily blends history, drama, horror, and the coming-of-age tale into something that’s as thoughtful as it just downright unsettling/terrifying. Sort of like this variant cover from Martin Morazzo, who managed similar feats on the Ice Cream Man book. But what’s special about this cover — aside from the fact that blood’s so spot on I wonder what he referenced — is that it both demonstrates the mystical without ever pulling this series from its firm grasp in reality. The end result creates a weird and uncertain space, where it’s hard to sort of know what’s really real and where you’re even at in relation to the scene on the page/cover. And if you manage to get past that into the book proper, prepare for an even grander head-trip.
The Gimmick #3
Cover by Erica Henderson
Previously on The Gimmick: an elbow-dropping baby broke all of our hearts (and the bones and sinew around them to boot). And, as I’d said at the time, just such a bizarre image felt like a great representation of this book, a moment to let things get weird without also forgetting the deep human drama at this title’s core. To a noticeable extent, that same kind of approach is to be found on the cover to #3; you can only imagine the scenario that led this wrestler, whose name I assume is, like, The Brawling Barmaid or something equally awful, to go medieval on her fellow grappler. But once you get past the humor, and even the singular levels of badassery this cover permeates, you’ll remember that humanity. And, depending on the kind of person you are, you may laugh even more or pause for a brief and quiet moment of reflection. Either way, this book’s going to move you, and it’ll do so with a sense of heart that’s more deadly than a Steiner Screwdriver.
Arcade Kings #1
Variant cover by Corey Lewis
If you say you’re book’s perfect for fans of Murder Falcon and Invincible, you already have at least 98% of my attention. Beyond that, however, you’re really going to have to deliver if you want to keep it — especially with that prestige edition price tag of $7.99. And yet based on this variant cover to Arcade Kings #1 (from Corey Lewis), it would appear that this book can perhaps live up to the hype (or at least a hunk of it). Lewis’ piece seems to capture everything we’d need for really getting on board, including the whole homage/appropriate aping of both Viewtiful Joe and Gridman; the big, brash style that’s anime-adjacent; and, of course, the video game intensity and overall playfulness. If the rest of the series can commit to even a fraction of this hyper-colored madness, than you know it’s going to be a good one. But one final question, though: is the fighting more like, say, Street Fighter, or can we get even weirder with a Marvel vs. Capcom entry instead?
The Avengers #1
Variant cover by Rian Gonzales
I get what you’re saying: why did you pick the most painfully cute cover option possible for the much-anticipated launch of an all-new Avengers series? Well, put down your bad vibes, and step out of Downerville for a second, and really take a second to appreciate this awesome Rian Gonzales cover. Sure, it doesn’t fit with the scope of the book, in which an all-new configuration the Avengers has to deal with the threat of Terminus. But then that’s the point: this super-cute overload is the perfect balance to the intensity that’s likely to come with this new title. More than that, I think the meeting of the mega adorable and super exaggerated action lends us a contextual place to explore these characters, the team’s development, and what’s next for this “phase” of the Avengers in some really novel and compelling ways. Sort of like putting a pink collar on a giant, slobbering English bulldog — you laugh, you cry, and maybe your heart rate goes up a bit.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1
Cover by Simone Di Meo
I get what you’re also saying about this cover: “Oh boy, another new Batman-centric anthology series.” And, yeah, I’m more or less on board with ya; Bats has had a ton over the years, and not all of them have been worth writing home to the Bat-Family. Sure, this one does kick off with some big-time contributions from Tom King, Dan Mora, Mitch Gerads, Ed Brisson, and Christopher Cantwell, but so too have other Bat-thologies made lofty promises. For me, the lynchpin of this series being worthy is this cover from Simone Di Meo, who previously did great Bats work with DC vs. Vampires and Batman: Urban Legends (one of the more promising Dark Knight anthologies). Maybe it’s the cleanness of his lines; the way he drew Batman in both a classical style and yet retaining some sense of newness; and/or that solid Batmobile design (I always love when it’s basically a muscle car), but this works. And by works I mean, “It appropriately sets the stage with a bit of razzle dazzle before the stories themselves decide if this is one for the ages or more refuse in the Bat Garbage Bin.” Also, if you’re wondering, this gets a 7.6 on The Batman Ears Scale.
The Seasons Have Teeth #2
Cover by Qistina Khalidah
I’ve read a lot of Dan Watters projects. And then I recently read Limbo, and I think I really get what he’s going for (and doubly, even triply, appreciate him for it). It’s sort of like what he’s done just a couple issues into The Seasons Have Teeth. Which is, create this bizarre world where he can torture the living heck out of his protagonists in order to explore some universal truths on massive subjects like love, the nature of reality, the dichotomy of truth, etc. In those moments, we get to see the world in new ways but also appreciate the power of everyday humanity. It’s an ideal that’s carried over even with his collaborators, as Qistina Khalidah presents a microcosm of this dynamic on issue #2’s cover. It’s this process that messes with our perceptions and very understanding (why is the fire-smoke monster harassing that nice photographer?) done to get us to really pay attention to it all (specifically, what’s that really mean to us and how does it impact my own emotional wellbeing). It’s truly the work of great comics (stories and art), and an unassuming experience we chase all the time. Once we have it, it’s best to let it sort of settle over ye olde bones.
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