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.
Action Comics #1062
Cover by John Timms
Not to #humblebrag, but I had a chat with Mark Waid recently about DC storytelling. (Check for that Q&A later this week!) And, without revealing his direct quote, he brought up a vital ideal about balance in the DCU that I think’s exemplified by this John Timms cover to Action Comics #1062. Bizarro is, in a lot of ways, a byproduct of a very specific era of DC, in which a backwards-talking mutant clone was a fun lil’ joke. But this ain’t that time anymore, and so now Bizarro stories must honor that initial “silliness” and still exist in a way that seems more appropriate for the current comics audiences. That’s certainly been true of Timms and Jason Aaron’s story so far, but it’s snapshotted so brilliantly in the cover itself. The whole live/die swap remains funny given how familiar we are with the trope. But then you marry an especially visceral Bizarro design — the eyes exude layers of darkness and emotion because they’re so tiny/focused, that smile screams “predator” — and it extends and complicates all of that in some really effective ways. It’s a cover that engages with and reflects DC’s history, and does so in a way that we as the readers can grapple with it on our own. It’s a way to balance history, sentiments, stories, etc., and the hallmark of why I’ve always loved DC and why the whole line feels so effective nowadays.
Fall of the House of X #2
Cover by Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia
Whether you’ve been up-to-date on this or really any of the Krakoa-era stuff, anyone with a passing knowledge of Marvel can recognize Knowhere. And, sure, it’s mere presence on this cover from Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia does feel like plugging in the cheat code to utterly delight even casual Marvel fans (but then that’s totally permissible and maybe something the world at-large needs even more of these days). But I also think this cover proves a larger function aside from just being generally badass. (The team of Larraz and Gracia clearly make magic as they balance something epic with really impactful and interesting design choices.) For one, the choice of Knowhere in this chapter of the “Krakoa saga” speaks to how the editors and creators are really knocking down the walls — as a new era takes place, it really seems like absolutely anything is possible. Then, you add in Polaris, who is clearly elevating amid the “fall” and taking on a much more significant role, and that sort of makes that transition a tad easier for, let’s say, more hesitant fans as she’s literally riding Knowhere into action. The end result is not just a sick piece, but a demonstration of why the end of Krakoa may be good and the kinds of ideas and energies we can facilitate as something entirely new takes place. Change ain’t always easy, but it sure can be awesome, yeah?
Transformers #5
Cover by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer
If you’ve already read Transformers #4, this cover may not feel quite as effective. And, sure, to some extent that’s maybe a loss; the Optimus Prime/Megatron rivalry is right up there with Dolphins–Jets in terms of bitterness and general satisfaction to fans/the faithful, and to have it play out the way it has so far is, while wildly entertaining, means a very specific configuration for this story. But it seems like Daniel Warren Johnson may still have a surprise waiting in issue #5 as solicitation promises a return of “one of the most powerful Decepticons.” That’s where this cover comes into play as it bypasses some of the specific context of the Prime/Megatron dynamic in this book to something more familiar. A sense of powerful despair and devastation that stops Prime in his (tire) tracks, and demonstrates with stunning prowess the sheer power of their multifaceted back-and-forth. It’s a moment that, regardless of the specific story, crystallizes the thing we know about this book: it’s a bitter battle between good and evil, and we don’t always know who’s going to win the day. It’s a rivalry that defines this book, and here Johnsona and Mike Spicer given it a real spotlight that speaks to all fans even the book enters increasingly new and intriguing directions. Sure, they’re fake robots, but you can’t tell me this cover didn’t give you actual pause.
Zawa + The Belly of the Beast #4
Cover by Michael Dialynas
And while the idea of balance as it relates to the DCU is (hopefully) still fresh in your minds, we come to Zawa + The Belly of the Beast. Across the first three issues, writer-artist Michael Dialynas has expertly balanced this story’s many layers and often competing sentiments. It’s very much a silly and playful tale about a magical creature, but it’s also quite serious and thoughtful as it explores “big” issues like environmentalism and social responsibility. I can’t think of a better encapsulation of how Dialynas expertly manages this balance than with the cover to the penultimate fourth issue. The melted ice cream cone may take many of you back in time (for me specifically, that time is circa 1993/1994 amid boiling Arizona summers). Yet your trip back to the good old days is ruined by the slow melt of your tasty treat, and that feels like a powerful commentary on the real nature of nostalgia. Then, toss in the ugly hand here (is that Zawa or maybe the book’s “dark entity”?), and what we get is a complicated message about how these kinds of experiences genuinely feel universal in a really powerful way. And there it is: a perfectly balanced snapshot of joy and despair, warm nostalgia and stinging truth, and fear and joy. It’s a mere teaser of what this book’s been capable of thus far, and I can only see it growing as we make our way into the final lap.
The Displaced #1
Cover by Luca Casalanguida and Dee Cunniffe
In another case of “I’ve read this already,” we come to The Displaced #1. (I’m sorry if this edition of Judging by the Cover has seen so much feckless bragging — I promise to do something mean-spirited to tamper my ego for next week and beyond.) But even before the team of Ed Brisson, Luca Casalanguida, and Dee Cunniffe gave me actual goosebumps with their story of a vanishing town, I had this cover from Casalanguida and Cunniffe. For one, it certainly feels like a prestige HBO/MAX drama. (I already feel like Justin Theroux could easily play the lead in the future adaptation.) And that connotation — mostly attractive ensemble cast dealing with a vague sci-fi threat — is important to hold onto as I think the rest of the cover works its magic. Because, and maybe this is just me, but it took a second to realize the “black hole” is people, and when that dawned on me, I felt instantly more horrified than if we were dealing with the usually terrifying prospect of a collapsed star. (Even if it is instead “people being sucked into a cavernous hole in space and time,” that alone is still about a 6.7 on the “Holy Crap” meter.) The addition of all those very beautiful, emoting people just makes this whole process all the more unnerving. And that gets you just about where the actual book does, and proves that a solid cover (even if it seems “basic” in scope) can prepare you by pressing just the right buttons. Still, you ain’t entirely ready for this one.
The Infernals #1
Variant cover by Alex Cormack
Unlike the balance discussed in regards to Action Comics and/or Zawa, The Infernals isn’t about pairing the sweet/life-affirming/etc. with the awful/depressive/etc. Rather, this new series is about demonstrating that life is a touch more complicated sometimes, and that some things (maybe the Antichrist running a criminal empire?) can actually be good and bad in multitudes, and it’s up to the reader to grapple with the complexity without being able to reconcile it fully. (That sounds a tad complicated and intense, but it’s just another way that life is less about dichotomies and maybe just this ceaseless moral and intellectual puzzle to wrap our heads around.) On the bright side, that process can at least look cool as hell with this really great Alex Cormack variant cover to issue #1. What I love about this cover — and it’s got some really great competition overall — is that it doesn’t try to balance things but rather encapsulate that mostly unblinking “honesty.” So, while we may mourn for someone who is clearly dying, there’s clues here to maybe withhold or restrain that grief a bit. Or, we may see that things are literally black and white, and that somehow informs or alters some of our initial reactions here in a really novel way. It’s a cover that’s totes cool but does that thing where it’s about presenting this uneven snapshot of the world and leaving it to us to really consider how to feel. With this book, the choice between good and evil/grief and punishment/etc. says more about you than anything else.
Batman #143
Variant cover by Stevan Subic
I don’t like being told how to react, and I think that’s why any critical insights I might generate are worthy even 1/20th of a metric damn. So, when I look at this Stevan Subic variant cover to Batman #143, I recognize how I’m supposed to feel: disgusted. I mean, in a rather large canon of really unsettling portrayals of The Joker, this one’s so bad I can practically smell his awful breath and feel the weight of that 40 pounds of makeup. While I readily admit to feeling massively unnerved, I think there’s other things to pick up from here (without having to touch a g-d thing, of course). Like, the imprint of the bat mask, and what that cheap quality says about the whole Joker-Batman dynamic. The heterochromia (?) of Joker’s eyes, and the commentary about duality and balance that’s always been at the heart of the Clown Prince of Crime. The same goes for the mask itself, the wilting flower, and even the skull button — Joker is a maddeningly complicated cat, and your mission to crack this nut is a fool’s errand. Heck, just the way is hair sits feels like its playing with cartoonish connotations, and that just adds more layers to an already rather involved scene. The great thing about this cover is that no matter what you take away from it, one thing is clear: the Joker remains a deeply cutting figure, and his origin story only enhances those prospects.
Thunderbolts #3
Cover by Terry and Rachel Dodson
If you’ve seen the covers for the first two issues of Thunderbolts (also from Terry and Rachel Dodson), you may have made some initial observations about this book. Perhaps that it’s a rather grounded affair, and that it’s all about “street level” heroes engaging in some effective, sometimes sexy spy work and general espionage. (That’s true even as the early solicitations promised the freaking death of Red Skull from day one.) But then we get something of a curveball with the cover to issue #3, as Bucky Barnes/Revolution does battle with American Kaiju (seemingly after a botched recruitment mission). Is it really that far removed from the “promised” aesthetic of those early covers? Not really, especially because I think there’s still something deeply human and approachable about this cover — even as we’ve been dropped instantly into making the grittier Barnes into a 60-foot badass monster hunter. If anything, I think this “leap,” as it were, just opens this book up to really add onto and extend the purview of a proper spy story — this book is about vengeance and punishment after all, and that right there isn’t typically what you’d consider fitting with the “genre.” Yet it all works out really well because I think the Dodsons (and, really, the rest of the creative team) have managed to shock us even as they maintain some consistency for this still quite young team. Still, at this rate, the fourth issue will feature Thanos getting a wedgie or something.
Petrol Head #4
Variant cover by Ben Willsher
Despite my mostly iffy feelings about issue #3, I’ve generally really liked Petrol Head. It’s been a series with ample heart and joy — without ignoring those very real, often intense thematic interests (i.e., dystopias, environmental decay, humanity’s tendency for destruction). So, if you really want to delve into the heart of why this book hums like a futuristic drag racer, just go ahead and peep this variant cover to issue #4 from Ben Willsher. For one, I love that Petrol Head, Lupa, and Dave the bird are wearing matching uniforms — it gives the whole thing some real Jonny Quest vibes. (Especially because I think PH is also wearing a turtleneck?) We also get some great details about PH himself, including his tiny arm and steam vent/pipe, and those speak volumes about the character and his place in this world. The robots chasing them feel a little different from what we’ve seen so far, and that continues to reveal new layers (or at least suggest ’em) in an inventive and exciting manner. Even the way that Willsher has signed PH’s foot speaks to the way that actual humanity is stamped all across this book. It’s a subtle but deeply effective moment that says everything great about this book but in a way that allows you to sort it out/discover it all on your own. But, seriously, more robots in trousers now and every year.
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