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.
Batman: Off-World #3
Cover by Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, and David Baron
If you haven’t been reading Batman: Off-World, then you’ve been missing out on slightly wacky, mostly badass slice of space-faring Bat action. And I get what you’re saying, “Why do we need a story about Batman in space?” And then maybe you’d add like, “How is Jason Aaron writing his first Bats story like he’s g-d Flash Gordon or something.” (That last bit seems obvious enough as to why it should be a thing, but then I’ll let it slide for the sake of a larger argument.) My only real evidence as to why this series is great (aside from the fact that it is just damn great) is this cover to issue #3 from Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, and David Baron. Not only is there some real, super dramatic ’90s energy infused across every square inch, but the idea of Batman riding a demonic alien space wolfe/horse/thing is treated with the utmost intensity and seriousness. It’s by definition a bonker snapshot, but it works because of the sheer talent, attention to detail, and all-around commitment. And that’s the actual book to a tee: something weird and nonsensical with real ramifications and insights to offer up for the Dark Knight. You’d put off your rocker not to read.
Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #4
Cover by Juan Ferreyra
If you’ve read Judging by the Cover in recent months, you’ll know I’m a tad torn about Spine-Tingling Spider-Man. A distinctly Halloween-inspired book, the bulk of it’s taken place decidedly after that most spooky holiday. But as the book concludes with issue #4, the cover from series artist Juan Ferreyra reminds me just why I can let slide that tiny scheduling “mishap.” Because in a book about Spider-Man basically being trapped in a haunted house, there’s so many directions this cover could have gone, and yet Ferreyra went with this mostly abstract, nonetheless killer cover for the grand finale. Does it work as a really clever piece of horror while encapsulating the kind of systemic threat that’s faced by the “Spider family?” Absolutely — and the fact that it’s not so overly dark and bloody feels like a deliberate choice. But more than that, I love the idea of the Spider-Man “persona” representing a kind of cell for Peter and his brood, and this idea that it both protects them as much as it keeps them locked in (including in situations involving haunted houses). It’s another layer to that old “to Spider-Man is to suffer” chestnut and a powerful lesson about the kinds of energies and ideas you can add to Spider-Man stories to cultivate new truths.
Moon Man #1
Variant cover by Bill Sienkiewicz
Sort of like with my penchant for Spider suffering, I’ve also used this column to occasionally talk about non-comics folks jumping into the industry. There’s been a wide array of results, from the really good to the promising but somehow convoluted. Now we have another entry to the canon with Moon Man, in which Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi joins forces with writer Kyle Higgins, artist Marco Locati, colorist Igor Monti, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Certainly the premise seems promising enough, as a failed astronaut embarks on a journey that sees him “becoming something the world has never seen before.” But it remains to be seen if this book will be a success given the fact that Mescudi better known as an actor and rapper over a writer. (I mean, he did write the heck out of his A Kid Named Cudi mixtape.) But if nothing else, we’ll at least have this super great Bill Sienkiewicz variant cover. It not only is utterly epic, but it also has the forethought to blast Cudi’s mug front and center, letting potential readers know what they’re facing before word one. That, and Sienkiewicz’s efforts feel like an album cover, and maybe that somehow informs the story and its overall approach. Either way, I’m praying to the moon itself that this one’s a winner.
Lilo & Stitch #1
Variant cover by Jennifer L. Meyer
A couple months ago, we spoke with Greg Pak about the comics debut for Lilo & Stitch. During the course of said chat, Pak dropped a few hints and clues about the kind of warmth and joy we can expect from this book, and the sort of care he and artist Giulia Giacomino took to build on this beloved series for a new generation/different audience. I think those core sentiments and ideas are best conveyed in this Jennifer L. Meyer variant cover to issue #1. I love the pulled away shot/angle, and how that adds a different spin on your usual comics cover (maybe like some kind of kid’s book, perhaps?) The focus on just Lilo and Stitch, and just how important their friendship continues to be and maybe the way it evolves over time and across various titles/releases. The serenity of the shot, and how that feels wholly removed from the silly intensity and chaos I’d usually assign to the films/TV show. Even just the color choices really lean into the Disney vibes while still making this book feel wholly removed and novel in that “discourse.” I for one can’t wait to see what hijinks await our BFFs, and this cover is a welcome start to this exciting move into comics.
Leaded Gasoline #1
Cover by Lorenzo Re
It seems like Leaded Gasoline was meant to come out in spring/summer 2023, and it’s since been bumped back to this week. (Let’s hope that it finally drops.) But considering the talent attached (writer Patrick Kindlon and artist Lorenzo Re), and the premise — a community college professor on the case of a serial killer in ’80s Los Angeles — I’d certainly wait even longer than we already have. That’s doubly true just for the debut cover from Re. For one, the black and white choice feels very era-specific in terms of comics, and that’s doing a lot for my overall immersion. From there, I love the noir meets noir vibes — it feels like all the wonderfully intense, cheesy films from the late ’80s/early ’90s (and that’s doing to stoke a ton of nostalgia). Plus, it’s just utterly filthy, chaotic, and a touch unsettling — a profound mix of energies and sentiments that shows the kind of unflinching scope of this book and what it wants to do to readers (i.e., inflict tons of psychic violence). It’s sort of like huffing actual gasoline, and I love the rotten high that it’s giving me.
DC Power 2024 #1
Variant cover by Denys Cowan, John Stanisci, and Chris Sotomayor
I’ve given lots of love to DC’s other anthologies, including those for Halloween and even Valentine’s Day, in years past. But we simply can’t forget about DC Power, which highlights Black writers and artists and let’s them tell some really powerful stories. The 2024 edition is especially jam-packed, with contributions from John Ridley, Brandon Thomas, Alitha Martinez, and N.K. Jemisin, among several others, crafting tales about Thunder and Lightning, Bloodwynd, Black Manta, and both Green Lanterns (John Stewart and Jo Mullein). But the thing I’m most excited about, though, is this pretty bonkers variant cover from Denys Cowan, John Stanisci, and Chris Sotomayor. I love how it references and plays with that iconic moment from the ’68 Olympics, which links these characters to some very real historical context. Or that their salutes seem to generate actual power/energy, and how that feels both wonderfully dweeby but also just a really important bit of commentary that extends that Olympics reference. Heck, even the mix of characters here (some more established than others) is a really nice way to round out this piece. Come for the cover, but stay for the 104 pages of pure power.
Dead X-Men #1
Cover by Pere Pérez
I get that if you’re an avid enough X-Men fan, this whole “fall of Krakoa” campaign is probably quite hard. It’s basically tearing down what’s been carefully and considerably built over several years, and it’s a rather profound reaction to the systemic change that this “era” represented to everything that we know about the X titles. But look on the upside, as death can have some benefits and a new “era” may be another way to delve further into what makes the X-Men compelling right now in 2024. If nothing else, Dead X-Men is promising zombie superheroes! I mean, the real rub is that they’re not just the brain-eating variety of superpowered zomboids, but five dead heroes on a mission to fulfill the legacy of Professor Xavier. And so in that way, we get the bonkers quality of hero zombies but with all the emotional potency and thematic value — a way to have our cake and it, too. (If our cake here is deceased mutants on a “suicide” mission to carve out space for their kind when the world clearly has other ideas.) Pere Pérez’s cover to issue #1 is a simple but deeply effective encapsulation of this premise, and a stark reminder that what’s dead doesn’t always stay that way.
Duke #2
Variant cover by Ricardo López Ortiz
I love what Joshua Williamson and company are doing with Duke. I mean, he’s basically the prom king with a revolver, and the kind of ultra-cool hero and extra shimmery paladin who served as a lot of people’s immersion in the realm of “superheroes.” But in this book, the man’s not only all on his own, but he’s dealing with a fundamental re-shaping of his own reality thanks to the hijinks of the Transformers. So there’s few better ways to capture those opposing ideas/sentiments than this Ricardo López Ortiz variant cover to issue #2. I mean, I also really love the main cover form series artist Tom Reilly and colorist Jordie Bellaire — it certainly hints at the dire nature of Duke’s situation with a certain gravitas and heft. Yet it’s the variant piece that really picks up on the emotional instability, the overt intensity, and the massive odds affecting Duke’s path forward. I mean, the sheer exaggerated tendencies of this piece (the gun feels massive, almost like a toy) do heaps to extend the chaos swirling around our hero. That, and it’s like we’ve got him mid-car crash, and that just feels like a really powerful metaphor. It’s the kind of preview that speaks volumes about a book that’s really trying to do something novel with an old favorite.
Sirens of the City #6
Variant cover by Chris Brunner
If you’ve been reading my reviews of Sirens of the City, you’ll know that I’ve loved the art of Khary Randolph in a major way. It’s been a really powerful way to not only build and extend this slice of gritty, colorful urban noir, but it’s added new energies and ideas that extend the story’s core about a young pregnant girl getting in way, way over her head. (I’d argue that Randolph’s work has been the thing that’s connected me to the book even when any issues with the storyline might have proven a touch too irksome.) But the thing about this book is that there’s so much dang potential baked into it, and that means other artists can often come in and do great things. Case in point: this Chris Brunner variant cover to the sixth and final issue. It’s certainly a touch more “pristine” than the book proper, with a kind of aw-shucks-y, slightly cartoonish quality. But I love that added touch, especially in the way the skeletons are depicted and the surge of brevity they then offer. I also think that Brunner’s work captures the warmth and power of Layla and how this is very much a love story (even as it’s so, so much more). Plus, there’s the overall vibrancy to the city, and how this place feels just as much like an actual character. There’s other touches, too, but all of it works as nice new angle into this world — and it both extends and reaffirms the things I like about the book as we come to our grand finale.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.