Judging by the Cover – 07/24/24 new releases

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.

Detective Comics #1087

Variant cover by Sebastián Fiumara

Generally speaking, life as Batman ain’t a cake walk. But the Dark Knight’s existence has proven especially trying and perilous in the page of the Ram V-penned Detective Comics, as he’s had to deal with a series of villainous threats and attacks against his very heart, body, and mind. That continues in issue #1,087 as Gotham is “besieged on all sides” by the Orghams, Mr. Freeze, and the Joker’s Daughter. So what better way to really capture the ongoing violence Batman faces than with this really great variant cover from Sebastián Fiumara. Sure, none of those aforementioned villains show up here, but the continued use of The Ten-Eyed Man as a regular presence or “guest” in this book is both a solid bump for the lovable D-level villain and a way to show how this book has grown certain villains. From there, it’s all about the little details — the patchwork makeup of Batman’s mask, and how that shows the deconstruction he’s undergone; the vaguely ’90s feel, which makes sense as this whole run has repurposed some of those ideas and energies; and, of course, the expert use of strings/grapple line to show how the intricacies of this story and how Bats is tied up into a neat little package. You can feel the pain and desperation radiating off this piece, and it’s been so delicious to see Batman put through the wringer in such glorious fashion.

NYX #1

Variant cover by Rickie Yagawa

The original NYX was about homeless teenage mutants and also very much growing up in age of little direction or opportunity. Now, years later, more mutants find themselves similarly without a home or a path to follow after the downfall of Krakoa, and so NYX takes on a familiar sheen life. This time around, though, we get a different cast, as Prodigy, Sophie Cuckoo, Anole, and Ms. Marvel join Laura in making their way in the Big Apple. As far as bridging the divide between old and new NYX, this Rickie Yagawa variant cover is really interesting. There is, of course, heaps of adolescent turmoil and rebellious energies permeating this cover — you can’t tell this story without having very moody teenages emoting practically in 4D. But I also think these youngsters have a more relevant, Gen Z-esque edge to them, and it’s nice to see that level of existential turmoil upgraded for a new era with its own problems and challenges. The choice of Mountain Dew-y yellow seems a little out of place, but I think it lends the quality of “drug-induced flashback from Euphoria,” and that’s a dang smart choice in my book. So maybe this ain’t the NYX you know, but it checks a lot of the same essential boxes while promising to be about being young, lost, and just hopeful enough for your own future. That, and the more Anole in stories, the better.

Epitaphs From the Abyss #1

Cover by Lee Bermejo

It feels like we’ve been waiting forever for Epitaphs From the Abyss to debut. (If you’re Hunter Gorinson and the rest of the Oni Press team, it really has been years of hard work.) But even the rest of us have seen the hotly-anticipated return of EC Comics unfold slowly and deliberately, with just enough blood-curdling teases to keep us going. And finally we’re nearly there, and what better way to further prime our hearts and minds for old school, extra relevant horror than by spending a few minutes talking about the Lee Bermejo-penned cover to issue #1. Does it live up to the hype surrounding this book and EC in general? Yeah, I’d say so. It’s the kind of untethered, slightly angled moment of pure body horror that cuts past the context, our senses, and anything else to land squarely in our guts like a perfectly-placed haymaker. There’s enough grace and style bashing up against the sheer grossness of it all, and that “conflict” feels really compelling as we trying and sort out what direction this book may be headed. And, of course, Bermejo’s sheer detail — you can smell the blood on that chainsaw! — proves how much love and energy is placed into every part of this debut. So, enjoy the rest of your very short wait — we likely won’t be left twisting and turning impatiently for much longer.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

Variant cover by Danny Earls

I get that sometimes, and without mentioning any specific publishers, it’s easy to feel jaded about the launch of a new #1 issue. It happens just often enough that maybe it’s not as special as it should be, and we live in a world where books aren’t given the chance to really make an impact as they should. But I think the folks at IDW were smart and strategic enough in letting the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles get to tell its own story before launching into a new #1 for the Turtles’ 40th anniversary. In honor of this grand celebration, there’s a few really cool cover options available. There’s the Rafael Albuquerque main cover, which feels perfectly nostalgic in its scope. And speaking of nostalgia, series creator Kevin Eastman has his own super solid cover. And, of course, I just adore how Sean Murphy has depicted the Turtles. But for this new era from Jason Aaron and Joëlle Jones, which focuses initially on individual stories for each Turtle, I had to give it to this Danny Earls incentive cover. Is Raphael my favorite or the one I’d pick to kick things off? Nope. But Earls has depicted an elegance and zen to the otherwise angry Turtle, and I think it’s not only pretty to gaze upon, but might indicate the insight and perspective this series could focus on. Either way, there’s heaps to be excited about this fresh start.

Supermassive #1

Variant cover by Tony S. Daniel and Igor Monti

We’re basically in the third year of these Supermassive events, which unite characters from The Dead Lucky, Rogue Sun, Inferno Girl Red, and, of course, Radiant Black. On the one hand, this being the third or so entry is a little bit of a surprise — it seems like yesterday that Image Comics was rolling out its own interconnected superhero universe (courtesy of Kyle Higgins and company). And three years in could make some folks feel a little jaded already — if we keep doing this every year, won’t this whole thing just become more and more like the Big Two in ways that are both wonderful and also wonderfully annoying? While I don’t have answers, and I wouldn’t dare ask you not to pose these queries of the Massive-Verse, I’d welcome you to take a quiet moment and enjoy this variant cover from Tony S. Daniel and Igor Monti. Because it feels like a snapshot of the insanity of this whole “experiment,” and a way to cut through any context or whatever and give us something neon and oversized that speaks to everyone’s inner nerd. That, and I think Daniel and Monti do a damn good job aligning these characters and still letting their respective designs and spirits show off, and that’s hugely important in giving the Massive-Verse the reverence it deserves. So maybe you’re not keeping up, or maybe you’re feeling a little disconnected. But this one pic proves that this still-burgeoning construct demands your eyes and heart alike.

Godzilla: Skate or Die #2

Cover by Louie Joyce

I recently had some big questions for Louie Joyce about Godzilla: Skate or Die — and not all of them were about whether the big guy ever hops on a board or not. During said interview, Joyce talked about the resurgence or revival of street culture like skateboarding and rollerboarding, and how it was being led by a new generation of people finding their voice. And that very much feels like the focus of his own cover to issue #2. For one, we get a lot of robust kinetic energy expressed across this page — I can practically feel the wind whipping across my face. And it’s not just that every kid here looks like they could be some TikTok star — it’s that they’re also embracing something wild and free about these activities, as if we’re seeing them engage the world this way almost for the very first time. It’s a snapshot of what it means to be young and alive in a major way, and to try and explore the world and its lofty obstacles in a way that fully meets your needs. Sure, the various obstacles won’t always be two giant monsters battling it out, but the fact that the kaiju throwdown is the background speaks to the deeply human interests of this cover and the series at-large. I can’t wait to see what new trick Joyce busts out next.

The Nice House by the Sea #1

Cover by Álvaro Martínez Bueno

The solicitation for The Nice House by the Sea gives ample room for hyping up its predecessor, The Nice House on the Lake. And why wouldn’t it? James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno really rocked the house with that first series, presenting this tense and inventive take on horror that really made you feel both wholly uncomfortable and fully engaged in this robust, slow-burning mystery. But can the follow-up capture the same kind of magic, especially when the solicitation doesn’t give us too much to go off other than some through teasing (would you expect anything else from this series?) I think the proof is in Martínez Bueno’s own cover to The Nice House by the Sea #1. Not only is it a perfect parallel to Nice House‘s own debut cover — there’s still the skull motif and the subject is raising out of the water into something altogether more unsavory — it’s just as singularly breathtaking and captivating. I could spend hours in my non-artist brain trying to figure out the technique here, and I’d never achieve an answer. But I wouldn’t be mad as this piece just lulls me into a sense of total, motion-stopping peace. And then, only after some extended period of time, would I realize the horrors that I’ve been consuming and the violence and madness waiting inside. That’s this book to a tee, and I know the sequel can continue our exquisite torture.

Ultimate Black Panther #6

Variant cover by Felipe Massafera

I get that the whole point of both Ultimate lines is that, “It’s your favorite heroes but not!” But I’d argue that this latest reboot takes that whole idea and spins it toward infinity. Case in point: the ongoing Ultimate Black Panther, which not only involves Moon Knight straight out of left field, but a confrontation that also involves Ra and Khonshu and the Upper and Lower Kingdoms of Wakanda. So, suffice to say, this ain’t at all your daddy’s Black Panther. Except it very much still is thanks to this truly great Felipe Massafera variant cover. Because while the lore and aesthetics surrounding this take on T’Challa may clearly be different, there’s no denying the energies are clearly the same. There’s a power and intensity baked into this piece that transcends whatever the Ultimate lines’ goals may be, and gives us this rather essential depiction that’s brimming with raw power. The fact that there’s some ’70s vibes here mixed with “muscular ’90s hero” vibes is just added proof that this cover isn’t married to stories or genres or whatever but instead something pure and mighty about Black Panther. He is, too get to the heart of it all, this huge but stylized hero with passion and intrigue to spare. Ultimate, maybe, but surely excellent.

Hello Darkness #1

Cover by Paolo Rivera

I get what you’re perhaps saying: another horror anthology. (Or maybe you’re busy screaming your face of already, at which point you don’t need a single drop of that hating.) But this one at least brings the star power from word one: there’s contributions from Werther Dell’Edera, Brian Azzarello, Vanesa R. Del Rey, and John Arcudi, among many others; a “deadly new Something is Killing the Children story” across issues #1-6; and a “a bone-rattling new serialized tale by Garth Ennis and Becky Cloonan” in issues #1-7. And, of course, we get great covers for every issue from Paolo Rivera, who I think really sets the tone for the whole dang enterprise with this piece for issue #1. This one has some real What Lies Beneath vibes to it, and that forges a kind of lingua franca for the book’s blend of fantasy, mystery, horror, and other genres that go bump in the dark. It’s a cover that shows you just what kind of aesthetic to expect and the ideas at play and yet never gives you too much info to ruin the flirtatious way that great genre stories play with your senses/perceptions. It’s super bold, thoughtful in its detail and presentation, and scary as much as it also tantalizes — in short, the kind of start you want for another star-studded comics extravaganza.