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.
Daredevil #13
Cover by Marco Checchetto
I get that yet another month featuring yet another Daredevil cover seems a little painfully cliched at this point. And, yes, I’m also willing to admit that in his many great works across the two series with Chip Zdarsky, this isn’t even a singularly badass bit of work from artist Marco Checchetto. But what it is, perhaps more than any other cover, is profoundly subtle. Because in a storyline that sees Matt Murdock literally traipsing through the afterlife and into the very depths of Hell, this cover could have been much more intense and fiery for everyone’s favorite Catholic superhero. Instead, Checchetto gives us a decidedly serene, almost blissful image of Matt and his dad, Jack Murdock, in a “reunion” that feels so beautiful until you realize the context. From there, there’s so many other details that make this piece exceptional. The placement of the helmet turned away from the two men. Or, the way his grapple-cane has become a twisted mess. Even the slightly inhuman shadows of Jack’s face. All of it perfectly sets the mood (dark and weird but understated) while remaining undeniably true to the series itself. It’s a prime example in how you integrate the supernatural without it overwhelming everything, and just how truly layered this series has been from day one.
Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy #1
Cover by Jessica Fong
If you’re not all caught up, Knight Terrors is basically about exploring the deepest fears of our favorite heroes and villains. In the case of these individual titles — there’s also books for Batman, Flash, Shazam, Zatanna, etc. — they’re basically locked in these psychically punishing nightmares that speak to the core of their characters and their motivations. In the case of Poison Ivy, what better way to torture her then by placing her in some twisted 1950s sitcom, where she has the perfect life that she’s always wanted and yet clearly recognizes that she doesn’t deserve or can’t maintain given her, um, more specific life goals (violently transforming the world into a green paradise). And cover artist Jessica Fong really nails this extra dark remake of Leave it to Beaver: whether it’s cooking show (how long does it take to boil a human head?!); the heat-stink lines coming off the plant food; the faces of our terrifyingly delightful guests; the demonic wall art; and/or the wailing flowers, it all works. And by works, I mean it doubles down on everything to feel truly and profoundly unsettling, a snapshot of the the way Ivy sees herself and the world and how it’d be really tragic if it also weren’t just as disgustingly bizarre. If the most normal thing in your piece is a mutating Harley Quinn, you know you’ve unlocked a real and true nightmare.
I Hate This Place #10
Cover by Artyom Topilin and Lee Loughridge
I’ve adored I Hate This Place since issue #1. It’s gone on quite a journey through the last nine/ten issues, and what started as a pretty intense horror story has branched into new genres and ideas to become something all the more layered without losing the sense of humanity. Now that we’re at the end, we’re promised either “the literal end of the world and massive amounts of death…or a ‘happy’ ending for our beloved heroines.” Based on this cover from Artyom Topilin and Lee Loughridge, it’s hard to discern the outcome, and that’s likely the point. The world exploding should be a pretty easy indicator, but life on this farm ain’t normal, and I could see this as being either some supernatural trick and/or hallucination or the actually positive outcome. The only thing that matters is our stars, Trudy and Gabby, remain together through it all — it’s been their love and general dynamic that’s made this book entertaining, scary, uplifting, etc. If it all goes boom boom, it’s nice to see that they get to do the one thing that matters: stand above it all, together, if only for a moment. That speaks to the real success of this book as no mere supernatural action story but a beacon for how we can find power and peace by committing our lives (and maybe afterlives?) to someone else. More like, “I Love This Place And Hate To See It Go.”
Swan Songs #1
Cover by Martin Simmonds
And from one end to a beginning… of many other ends! Swan Song isn’t just another series of one-offs from W. Maxwell Prince (Haha and Ice Cream Man) and a team of rotating artists. (First up, the always talented Martin Simmonds.) No, it also seeks to explore “the way things end…and also how they never really do,” and that includes sentences, marriages, and even the world itself. In fact, it’s that very first issue that sees Price and Simmonds tackling the world’s demise, and that, um, novel plot results in this really intriguing cover piece. Sure, it would make sense for them to go all I Hate This Place and smash the globe or something. But instead we get this piece that feels like it references mixed media without all those extra steps, helping to facilitate an image of death that’s profoundly serene and yet like a body horror version of The Descent. The fact that it balances both ideas so perfectly, and with heaps of interplay and whatnot, really drives home both the layers and sheer complexity that comprise most endings, and that feels somehow enough when tackling the end of an actual planet. It’s both uncomfortably intimate and yet wide enough to hint at so much more to this scene. It is, in a way, a perfect snapshot of how we engage with death itself, and it’s hard not to spend a few quiet minutes really taking it all in.
Weird Work #1
Cover by Shaky Kane
Weird Work is sort of a dream project of sorts for a lot of folks. We get the bonkers art of the iconic Shaky Kane paired with the storytelling prowess of Jordan Thomas (Frank At Home On The Farm). And the duo have quite the story to present, describing it as a “hard-boiled noir of LA Confidential [mixing] with the bright, alien-filled worlds of Futurama in this crime epic.” If that weren’t enough of a selling point, Kane’s debut cover gives us even more hints and tidbits. Like, the somehow grounded alien world we may be dealing with. (Unless these are, like, future or alternate dimension humans, which only makes this all the more intriguing.) Or, the slightly anachronistic quality (space guns but also vintage tees?) and what that does to enhance this piece’s overall feel. Even just the color palette here — lots of big, vivid hues that still feel grounded and almost gritty — speaks to something larger about the book’s tone and overall sense of emotionality. I’m sure things will get doubly, maybe even triply, weird once we crack this book open proper, and that’s going to be a journey of itself. But even this cover alone feels like a vivid introduction into a book that could wow us no matter what sort of insane adventures await.
Children of the Comet #1
Cover by Gabriel Kikot
If you’ve read both You Promised Me Darknessand Follow Me Into The Darkness, then this is a book to have on your radar. It continues the adventures of Sage and the titular children, and this time around they have new threats to grapple and contend with around Miracle (aka the child of Sage and Daversa). But even if you’re not familiar with the story/titles, creators Damian Connelly and Gabriel Kikot have promised us a few things, including “satanists, psychedelic dimensions, [and] chihuahuas that shoot laser beams from their eyes.” In the meantime, they’ve at least delivered with this wonderful little cover to #1. Aside from our OP chihuahua friend, the rest of the cover speaks to a compelling mix of sci-fi and fantasy, each united by some decidedly filthy sheen and endlessly indie comics vibes. I get a lot of the tension and emotion that the premise hinted at without it being married to anything specific — and that somehow just feels all the more interesting at this stage. Even something as simple as the red and black-dominant color scheme tells us a lot about this story without broadcasting it and thus “spoiling” anything in the actual book. So whether you’re a long-time fan, or getting dropped into this book fresh and screaming, it’s got the aesthetic choices and interesting genre mixes to feel like a proper pick.
Thor Annual #1
Variant cover by George Perez
When George Perez passed away in May 2022, comics lost a proper giant. Perhaps more than any of his other, equally iconic colleagues and collaborators, Perez understood the magic and whimsy of comics, and what happens when you capture even some of that on the page. But heroes never truly die, and we get to see some great Perez art as a variant of this year’s Thor annual. If this is a new piece or something merely being recycled, we can’t really tell. (Please, please fact-check us in the comments!) Regardless, it feels quintessentially Perez — which is to say, the kind of awe-inspiring wonder that speaks to the heart of geeks everywhere. That, and Perez’s distinctly old-school Thor may shine with the same kind of shimmer as some Jack Kirby designs, but it also feels timeless in how it captures the weirdness and firmly regal air of Thor and his compatriots. The fact that this cover comes at the end of the final issue, and before Al Ewing and company launch a new era in August, only makes it all feel that more compelling. Like, no matter what happens, there’s something essential that exists about this character and his corner of the Marvel universe. It’s an idea similar to Perez’s own legacy, and just one of the many reasons why he was one of the greatest to ever do it.
Knight Terrors: Batman #1
Cover by Guillem March and Tomeu Morey
As far as iconic images go, the whole “Bruce Wayne in Crime Alley” thing has been done to death. (Sorry.) It practically shows up in almost every story (some more directly than others, obviously) and is a recurring motif or bit of imagery in most of the Bat films. And, sure, I get it — it’s the defining image of Batman’s life, and the thing that takes him from a loving child to a rage-fueled, crime-smashing man-robot. But it’s old hat — until I saw this take from Guillem March and Tomeu Morey. Because, on the one hand, I see how its been transformed for the sake of Knight Terrors. But then I ask myself, maybe this is how Bruce really saw it all along? Did he think his arms were soaked in that much blood? Did he see bat-gun demons? Is it as much a tragedy as some kind of Cthulian horror of unimaginable darkness? Because if that’s the case, then we’ve only ever seen part of his experience, and exploring this moment again and again would let us see deeper into Batman’s true psyche. This version of it isn’t just in contrast to the “tamer” versions but a moment of profound release, a glimpse into Batman’s mind like we’ve never seen it before with all its revelations and boundless terror. Even if this is just a child’s perceptions of an otherwise tragic moment, it’s a version that’s bound to stick with you.
Pink Elephant #1
Cover by Benson Chin
I talk a lot about body horror across Judging by the Cover. It’s not only my favorite sort of “genre,” but it also has a larger value. I see it as a way of exploring human connections and understandings (especially if you’re neurodivergent somehow) and what it really means to be human. Sure, a lot of that translates to, “Oh god it’s horrible,” but I still think proper body horror can be a way to affirm some sense of one’s own humanity. That’s mostly why I picked Pink Elephant. Sure, I also picked it cause it’s from the same creators as Heavy Metal Drummer and The Purple Oblivion, and it’ described as an “’80s slasher, lysergic, weird, indie, lynch-esque story” about teens on a wild road trip. But mostly, it’s because through this horrific and yet joyous image we learn things about humans. Like how we love things that are both sweet and horrific, and what that says about our emotional complexity. Or, how something can feel distinctly warm and human-like no matter how bizarre or strange it might look. Even this idea that, underneath even the most hideous of creatures, we still all work mostly the same (like having long, ugly bones, for instance). All of that together may scare and shock but it also shows you just how enmeshed we are collectively in a world that we don’t always understand. That, and as I’ve always said, swords are always dope.
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