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.
Nightwing #110
Cover by Bruno Redondo
I’ve talked in the past about the sheer chutzpah of this series (and more so its creators, Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo). That they’ve made a series of weird but careful decisions to make this book equally heartfelt, silly, and a tad irreverent. (Case in point: a recent arc with pirates.) But through that commitment to the silly and the surreal, they’ve managed to get us to rethink and reconsider both Nightwing and larger parts of the DCU. However, all of that pales in comparison to Redondo’s own cover to issue #110, which apes this most beloved, sometimes overused meme to maximum effect. I mean, the sheer levels of savagery required for this move are nearly unmeasurable — it’s throwing up a solid B-Boy stance to anyone who’d ever doubt that this is a totally weird and wonderful book. At the same time, though, with everything that’s happening in the ongoing Beast World event, this cover makes 100% sense (even if it’s still totes bonkers). So, there you have it: Nightwing is a book that knows no bounds, and will do whatever is necessary to make comics magic happen (and maybe piss of its haters). If you can’t get behind that sentiment, and this cover, then maybe you should relocate to below the earth’s surface.
The Invincible Iron Man #14
Cover by Kael Ngu
Among other, slightly more vital and important things, the ongoing The Invincible Iron Man series has been about Tony Stark’s new armor. It’s been hyped pretty much since the book’s beginning, and with issue #14 we’re getting closer than ever with hints that our favorite billionaire playboy philanthropist “needs more than just an armor to defeat Orchis, he needs an army.” But until we actually see Ironheart deliver this bad-ass armor (armors?) and thus complete an essential objective of this book, we can totes enjoy Kael Ngu’s cover to issue #14. It feels like the embodiment of that one scene from Predator — all aggression and peak testosterone filtered through the “xtreme” magic of some ’90s comics. I don’t know why two of these characters need guns when they’re encased in nuclear-powered suits of armors, but I don’t really care about that when everyone looks so undeniably badass and epic. I feel like I’m looking at a version of The Boondock Saints movie poster if it was (somehow) designed by H. R. Giger on acid. Or, what has to be the most surprisingly intense and totally relevant team-up this side of the whole Krakoa era. Whatever armor is about to come, it better be at least 55% this epic.
Cobra Commander #1
Variant cover by Santa Fung
Yes, writer Joshua Williamson has done a pretty good job with the newer Duke series at Image/Skybound. (It’s super action-heavy but just as much about the seemingly vulnerable man.) But as he told us in an interview, it seems like the tale of this star-spangled hero is only a teaser of sorts, as he’s really excited to dive into Cobra Commander. Based on the solicitations for the five-issue miniseries, it’s going to be quite the tale at that, with the promise of a particular “mysterious alien substance” while expertly exploring true heart of the masked master of mayhem (trademark pending). Whatever happens, much like with what’s happening with this week’s Invincible Iron Man, the story better be one-tenth as cool as this Santa Fung incentive/variant cover. Do I know why the commander is wearing a trenchcoat and fedora? Not at all, but I think it’s a much better look than that all-blue ensemble. And does he actually command snacks like this or is this something new? Good I hope so. Finally, is that blood or wine? I don’t know which I’d prefer! All of that just tells you that this book is going to be a doozy, and if anyone can excel in this strange new world, it’s Cobra Commander.
The Weatherman #1
Cover by Nathan Fox
Way, way back in 2018, Jody LeHeup and Nathan Fox launched The Weatherman. A quirky and kinetic slice of sci-fi, it followed Nathan Bright as his good life on Mars was blown up after he was accused of being the galaxy’s worst terrorist. Flash forward a few years, and own shared deluge of life-altering tragedies, and we arrive at The Weatherman #1 once more. The book’s second arc came pretty quickly after the debut, and this #1 is slated to be the finale that Mr. Bright’s story truly deserves. The focus seems to be on exploring the actual Ian Black, who Bright has been forced to live as for quite some time. This approach, then, gives us a rather bleak and extra bloody focus, and something that I think will define this third arc. At the same time, though, there’s at least some threads that tie back to that first #1 — both men (if it’s indeed Bright vs. Black here) have that same shell-shocked look across their face, as if they can’t believe the state of themselves and the world. It’s rather subtle, but it feels like a powerful way to not only connect these books but to do so in a way that speaks to anyone who might have gotten lost in the intervening years. It’s one of those touches that defined the first two volumes, and it feels like a way to really drive home what should be a shocking conclusion.
James Bond 007 #1
Cover by Dave Johnson
If I wasn’t already pretty excited when Garth Ennis was announced as the writer of a new James Bond story/series, I then got the chance to chat with the iconic writer. And at one point, he said, “He’s a nasty bastard, although you wouldn’t know to look at him. Essentially Bond is the British establishment’s killing machine, and as such is unlikely to be a model citizen.” That idea right there feels like the very crux of this book — the balance of light and dark, the power of violence masquerading under the debonair exterior. It’s something that feels even true of this awesome Dave Johnson cover. Sure, it looks very much like the normal, deeply cool Bond-starring post, but I think there’s also something to the Soviet symbols, the expert use of red, the giant firing rocket, and even the laser sight — they all remind us of what Bond really does. He may look perpetually cool, but he’s there to murder people and overthrow governments and whatnot, and that kind of playful approach to the truth feels really novel in this franchise (and more in line with the Daniel Craig “era”). It’s about finding new pockets to explore, and to give us a kind of “classic” Bond that still feels wholly aligned with Ennis’ outlook. Frankly, it left me shaken and a tad stirred.
Space Usagi: Death and Honor #2
Cover by Sweeney Boo
You don’t really need much to make this Usagi series a success. You’ve gone Stan Sakai working with Emi Fujii, and so far they’ve presented a stark and engaging version of the world’s greatest samurai rabbit. And all of that’s before you even mention or recognize that this story takes place in outer freaking space! But if all of that weren’t somehow enough, we get this sweet cover to issue #2 from Sweeney Boo. Be it her stuff with Captain Marvel or Over My Dead Body, Boo’s style infuses a kind of joy and depth, a style that feels suited for the dual-wielding of emotionality and whimsy that defines so many Usagi stories. The fact that the dinosaurs here remind me of something akin to a dark reboot of The Land Before Time certainly doesn’t hurt my immersion into this cover and how it’s furthering the story. All of it together just shows you that there’s so many layers to this story, and it’s why Usagi continues to be this rich place we can explore as both creators and audience in seeking something that warms the hearts and sets the brain ablaze. With art like this, you could have Usagi Tax Auditor and I’d be 1,000% down.
Superman #10
Variant cover by Lee Bermejo
I often have a hard time picking between a main cover and one of several variant options. But Superman #10 is the first time I picked the main cover after some debate, wrote something up about it, and then decided to just go ahead with the variant because my brain is a jerk-bully. I adore this Jamal Campbell piece because the idea of Cowboy Superman is both 1) super hilarious and 2) wholly appropriate as Supes winds up basically in what’s described as a kind of Wild West ghost story. I love that it screams ’90s harlequin romance, and it feels like a really fun and sassy choice for a character that too many of of us forget is sorta hilarious in nature. But it’s for those reasons that I ended up choosing the Lee Bermejo cover because it does all of that and then some. From the muscles that look like they might actually explode to the over-the-top bad guy on the train and even the delightfully cheesy vibes of our damsel in distress, it’s this cover that gives us something fun and campy even as it feels generally compelling and decidedly stoic. It’s a proper cocktail of comics silliness and seriousness, and more than worth the 10-ish minutes I’ve lost writing two entries.
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #1
Cover by Aaron Campbell
When Si Spurrier and Aaron Campbell first got together on Hellblazer just a few years ago, it felt like an important and decidedly definitive chapter in the history and canon of one John Constantine. So much so, in fact, that it’s hard to believe that a sequel/follow-up could capture the same kind of magic. But if we’re going based on the covers alone from Campbell, then John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #1 will be an even more dark and hilarious journey from everyone’s favorite asshole magician. In a story that seems to be about a kind of Zombie Constantine (as the cover would support), that’s somehow the least interesting thing here. It’s all about that slice of Americana that feels both warmly nostalgic and also a tad unsettling. The psychedelic quality of the magic/supernatural elements, which feels perfect for John and the setting even as it also feels somehow novel. Even the rather cinematic quality here, and how that plays with the kind of dirty depravity that defines most Constantine stories, is a real important touch. Campbell proved he knows the character, and this time he’s adding to his legend and lore with terrifying results. Seriously, Zombie John Constantine, though.
Cable #1
Variant cover by John Romita Jr.
Here at Judging by the Cover, we talk a lot of shit about ’90s comics (even as we lovingly celebrate them). Maybe that’s just a quirk of how I was raised, but I think you have to adore and/or appreciate something if you’re going to be critical of it to boot. I only mention that because even I can recognize when ’90s energy is being used in the best way possible, and that we’re rehashing and/or remixing that decade’s clear tendencies in a way that feels like an honest and heartfelt recognition of what that period did really well. Case in point: this John Romita, Jr. variant cover to Cable #1, a series in which he worked on way back in its heyday of the early to mid-90s. Romita’s design feels super-duper ’90s in its scope, with lots of exaggerated human anatomy and pockets and pouches galore. At the same time, though, I feel like Romita recognizes that to honor something is to understand and extend it, which he does brilliantly with those guns that exude a distinctly modern edge and depth. The end result is something old and new and utterly in-between, a way to bring what worked about the ’90s (overt intensity) into our modern sensibilities (where we maybe have a better grasp on subtlety). It’s the best of both worlds, and proof of what happens when artists can explore their range and influences and past work in some really novel ways.
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