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.
Immortal X-Men #13
Cover by Mark Brooks
Perhaps you grew up in an age where Doug “Cypher” Ramsey wasn’t cool. Sure, knowing every language ever is pretty handy but it is clearly lessened when compared to, say, having laser eyes and metal bone claws. Not even a fusion with Warlock could seemingly make Cypher cool. And then the “Age of Krakoa” happens, and it turns out being the voice of the mega powerful mutant island is, suprise surprise, sort of a primo position. So as X-Men Immortal continues on, the increasingly cool Doug gets his chance to speak for Krakoa, and it could be a really compelling moment both for the team and this era’s development in general. Mark Brooks’ cover nails the mysterious and subtle power that’s come to define this “new” Cypher — this really feels like some Renaissance portrait of a new feudal lord or something. Yet the real magic is in the eyes, and there’s something unseen or even unknowable that adds to his prestige and leaves us all guessing what he really knows about whatever is about to go down. Cool isn’t what you can do with your lasers or sharp instruments but how you take advantage of a moment, and Cypher has seized on his with utter grace and prowess.
Knight Terrors: Green Lantern #1
Cover by Lucio Parrillo
And from a portrait of pure beauty to one of screaming horror and pain, we arrive at another solo tie-in as part of the Knight Terrors event. If you’re asking my most humble of opinions, then the event’s mostly been a hit based off these other books (even if they’re not all landing with the same kind of oomph). So I’m still quite excited for this Green Lantern tale from Jeremy Adams, Eduardo Panscia, and Julio Ferreira — if only ’cause Adams is killing it on the main title thus far. But especially because the story itself seems to plug directly into what’s going on with the “quarantine” of Sector 2814, and Hal Jordan’s own fear of an Earth lost to darkness. It’s clearly fostered a response in Captain Cool, and while we’ve seen him in dark places beforehand, this Lucio Parrillo cover captures an uncomfortable level of pain for Hal. It’s a kind of absolute devastation that seems especially deep and visceral even as we know the sheer amounts of loss Jordan’s suffered over the years. That clear sheen of rage to such deep hurt almost obscures your perceptions, creating a place where you feel overwhelmed and out of sorts. If you’re screaming this loud that your muscles bulge, then you know it’s going to be a feast of terrifying and delicious pain.
Fishflies #1
Cover by Jeff Lemire
Judging by the Cover “fans” are well aware of the regard in which I hold one Jeff Lemire. Across various books and publishers, Lemire knows how to tell hugely human stories amid some truly bizarre circumstances. But it’s been a hit second since he’s been both writer and artist, and he gets back into the fold with Fishflies. Here, a “brutal and violent crime puts the life of an innocent teenage boy in the balance,” one which will “permanently change several residents’ lives…in bucolic Bell River, Ontario.” If that weren’t pretty spot on for Lemire’s interests, the cover to issue #1 feels like a perfect encapsulation of this mad Canadian’s skills and aesthetic. The warm charm emanating off our young “hero.” The way said charm is then contrasted with our giant bug friend, who is both creepy and still slightly heroic in his presentation. The landscape itself, and how it reflects that same sense of doom/foreboding and general small-town quaintness and approachability. Heck, even the dang color palette itself feels both super artsy and like some painting you’d see at a really old fishing store you went to as a kid. (Shout out to the eternal OG of Arizona fishing spots, Waterdog Willys.) It’s classic Lemire, and just more reason as to why he continues to build a library of singular works.
Sirens of the City #1
Cover by Khary Randolph
There’s a lot of magic swirling around Sirens of the City. If that title alone weren’t enough, it’s written by Joanne Starer (the awesome The Gimmick), features art from Khary Randolph (the similarly great Excellence), and is a “gritty urban fantasy” exploring “bodily autonomy in a patriarchal world.” And I know this book can build from that super promising start-foundation thanks to Randolph’s own cover to issue #1. We get a vintage slice of ’80s New York — with heavy emphasis on the grit and depravity. The supernatural elements of this series are front and center, and yet it doesn’t overpower everything and perhaps take away from the “reality” of the story and its setting. Character design wise, I love both the authenticity of the era, and how it’s also a bit stylized to play with how different this universe might be from our own. Even the little details — the bookstore sign, the expert use of red, etc. — is doing a lot to foster a big-time mood. It not only shows the pure talent here, but that this story is operating in ways that go above and beyond the genre confines and horror tropes. Talk about “the call of sire,” amirite?!
The Lonesome Hunters: The Wolf Child #1
Cover by Tyler Crook
If you didn’t read the first series-arc of The Lonesome Hunters, you’re off my Christmas card list forever. Writer-artist Tyler Crook took fantasy, turned it on its head, turned it rightside up again, and then threw smoke bombs and set off firecrackers to disarm us further. It was a fantasy series where the only thing more fantastical than the giant magic sword was the bond between our leads, Howard and Lupe. And with the second chapter — which involves a small town and a “magical wolf and a mysterious child in a wolf mask” — it seems Crook is doubling down on everything. There’s still that subtle, pseudo-romantic haze from the first series, and this time it feels all the more effective in playing with genre confines. The boy in the wolf mask seems a tad scary but also weak and wounded, and that has some connotations with some of the ideas of friendship and putting ourselves out there that are central to this whole story. Crook is a master of fostering an aesthetic, and he uses a light touch to get us to really connect with the subject matter and feel some very big sentiments with that graceful touch. It’s sweet and dark and oh-so inviting, and I can’t wait to see how this new chapter hunts us down and bites the living heck out of our very sensibilities.
Cat Fight #2
Variant cover by Alex Moore
In my review of issue #1, I said Cat Fight is “playful, unpredictable, and never afraid to draw a little blood.” While I still stand by that wholeheartedly, I’m also going to have to extend my list of compliments for this still-young series. Because as we head into issue #2 — in which our hero, Felix Lamarr, is on the run from a bad frame job — we get this truly excellent variant cover from Alex Moore. The fact that I ignored/missed that purr-fect pun the first few times just goes to show you how floored I am by this cover. Moore’s lines are so clean I could eat off ’em. It’s a little thing, but that precision and effectiveness really enhances the image, adding a sense of depth and concreteness while extending the sense of momentum intended by our hero’s balancing act on a speeding train. And in addition to those sharp, sharp lines, the colors, too, are truly top-notch; I can practically smell the mountain air, and feel the wind rushing by my face. (Even the grass is somehow tricking my allergies.) It may not align entirely with the work of series artist Ilias Kyriazis, but it’s pretty dang consistent, and that feels important in building this book’s visual identity and general aesthetic so early on in the story. I would ride this train even if it were going to Dentist Junction, and I can’t wait to see where it’s actually taking us and our scrappy hero.
Fallen Friend: The Death of Ms. Marvel #1
Variant cover by Carmen Carnero
When it comes to encapsulating just how badly Marvel bungled the death of Kamala Khan, I defer almost entirely to the talented Lia Williamson. So many things went wrong, or were somehow ignored in varying degrees, that no matter what you thought about the whole “event,” Kamala often felt like an afterthought all the same. Luckily, as Marvel releases Fallen Friend: The Death of Ms. Marvel, it seems we may finally focus on Kamala in what’s basically a star-studded remembrance from some of comics’ biggest names (and long-time Kamala fans/co-creators). I hope that the actual issue is just 1% as thoughtful and poignant as this excellent Carmen Carnero variant cover. For one, Kamala finally gets a proper position, and the fact that it’s in the arms of Death is a little moving (if not also cheesy in the best/most appropriate way). It makes a difference that there’s so many big-time heroes in the background, and more than that, their dynamic poses and general emotional outlooks feel like a really important decision. As if that “variety” and general nuance shows the real scope of this moment, and how it’s affected this very “real” universe of heroes (all while, again, keeping the main focus on Kamala herself). It’s a simple but effective cover that almost makes me forget how botched the death was, or that this is all just a little ploy to re-debut Kamala with her TV show-accurate power set. It makes this grief feel real, and that’s the very least that Ms. Marvel deserved.
Superman: Lost #5
Cover by Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Elmer Santos
DC’s trinity, in case you’ve forgotten, is Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Heaps have been done between Batman-Superman and Batman-Wonder Woman, but I don’t think the Superman-Wonder Woman well has been explored nearly enough over the years. (Even as they’ve had their own series and other important interactions across various forms of media.) Maybe that’s because Christopher Priest hasn’t explored their dynamic — which is just what happens in issue #5 of the increasingly profound Superman: Lost. As Lois struggles to “close the widening gap between herself and Superman,” she inevitably turns to Wonder Woman, who represents an interesting interesting and vital friendship for the Man of Steel. They’re both quite regal-like in the eyes of the world, and yet they struggle with their roles in a world that’s still rather alien to both heroes. They’ve experienced great loss and other tragedies, and yet they continually have to rise above (a pressure not always experienced by Batman). They’re more powerful than most of the world and they always want to try and use that in a way to help despite not always seeing the right or best path forward. This portrait, then, is a profound encapsulation of that relationship, a quiet and compelling moment to see their connection and how, despite being cosmic in its scope, is something we can all relate to (and then some). They may effectively be gods, but even they need a moment of perfect tenderness from time to time.
Haunt You To The End #2
Cover by Andrea Mutti
We all know that slightly cliched saying, “The devil is in the details.” But that’s not always true, especially when you’re talking about effective horror stories/storytelling. Case in point: the cover to issue #2 of Haunt You To The End, from writer Ryan Cady and artist Andrea Mutti. The so-called “ghost story for the end of the world” follows a rag-tag crew of folks attempting that super easy task of proving the existence of life after death. And as issue #2 gives us our first proper look at Isla Lodo (aka “the most haunted place on earth”), Mutti’s own cover shows why this book’s so interesting thus far. Whereas a lot of other horror titles go for the detailed/hyper-realistic blood and guts, Mutti shows us the kind of cognitive horror that can take hold with a minimalist approach. The sheer lack of details, and really the lack of objective reality, does wonders to make this moment all the more confusing and terrifying — as if we’ve lost any anchor and are tumbling into this surrealist hellscape. Add in the first person POV, and our feelings of uncertainty and horror are only compounded that much further. Mutti’s got a really sharp style here, and it picks up on ideas and energies in a really powerful way. And if someone entering a door is this bad, wait til the story really picks up across Ghost Island.
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