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.
The Ultimates #4
Cover by Dike Ruan and Neeraj Menon
Ultimates is about taking Marvel history, tossing it into a blender, adding a gallon of 5 Hour Energy shots, and slamming the whole thing down. (Do you have a different experience? Comment below in Old English.) And so when Ultimates #4 promises to explore the “fate of The Ultimate Fantastic Four” and the “secret history of the real Reed Richards,” the resulting piece (from Dike Ruan and Neeraj Menon) has layers galore. I don’t want to ruin said layers if you’re not caught up, but if you know who is who in this universe, then it’s a transformation of everything we know of Doom and the F4 in such a way that it just might shatter your heart. And even if you’re not caught up and/or you’re coming into Ultimates blind somehow, this image still works 1,000%. From the “traditional” Marvel canon, it speaks to the unyielding game of cat-and-mouse this group is locked into, and how they’re always going to be stuck in this rat trap of sorts over their long-boiling feud. It’s that most perfect cover: one that has layers of context no matter your perspective, and speaks to something essential about these characters no matter what changes and tweaks have been made. A cover that captures the big ideas and interpersonal drama of Doom-F4 in a way that speaks to emotions we can all comprehend. And the best part? I’m pretty sure they didn’t actually draw Sue-Mouse, and that’s so brilliant.
Absolute Power #3
Variant cover by Mikel Janín
Not to be a self-help-y jerkwad and also start a blurb with a quote, but I think a lot about Occam’s razor: the simplest or most obvious truth is generally the most correct. Case in point: the whole Absolute Power event has been about stripping the DC universe of its power, control, and general sense of humanity to make us really think about what are heroes and how are they made/perpetuated. Of all the really great imagery connected to the event, I absolutely adore this Mikel Janín variant to Absolute Power #3. In what feels like a big moment in the series — the solicitations promise the “last stand of Paradise Island” — we get such a simple but hugely powerful moment where the heroes are paraded in front of their “conquerors.” But it goes deeper still: there’s a spark of quiet rage across Superman’s face; a deep shame across Batman’s cowl; and I swear I feel Flash’s leg’s start to tense as if he wants to run away. It’s layers upon layers of humanity spread across the page, informing and extending this story in ways that make it land with total heft and significance. A snapshot of this massive event and what it really means: good folks at their lowest, proving there’s still a fight to be had. Even the idea that the cover is flipped (which I undid, FYI) shows how something’s off, and intended or not, is a small sliver of this piece’s power to delve into superheroes with sheer gusto.
Minor Arcana #1
Cover by Jeff Lemire
A new Jeff Lemire-drawn/-written series is a cause for celebration, but Minor Arcana feels extra special. Lemire, alongside letter Steve Wands, focuses on Theresa as she comes to care for her mother, the “small-town ‘psychic’ fraud,” only to discover there’s “more to the magic than she originally believed” and their hometown is in dire straits. (No, not those kind.) And this cover from Lemire has me totally excited for how that vision will be executed. I love the small town vibe here — way more “post-recession devastation” than, like, Mayberry, and that’s a kind of honesty that we need more off. The magic stuff is also done rather solidly — it’s less about bashing us over the head with it and more suggesting it in a way that feels like a really wonderful secret being whispered across the page. (I really wonder if the tarot cards all hint at or tease something important about the story and its many happenings.) And, of course, Lemire’s specific brand of humanity is on display: it’s maybe a little sweet and weird at times, but it always rings as wholly true and relatable as we see ourselves through Lemire’s keen eye. Sometimes real life is the true magic — even if there’s real and actual magic abound — and a Lemire cover always makes me connect with the sheer possibilities floating in our world.
The Autumn Kingdom #1
Variant cover by Alison Sampson
When I spoke recently with Cullen Bunn, he said something important about the forthcoming The Autumn Kingdom. OK, he said quite a few important things, but specifically his comment about writing parents and that “when they screw up, that’s me trying to cope with mistakes I’ve made… or I am afraid I will make.” Because while my own experience is only of the step parent variety (hi Phia!), I totally get that fear and anxiety, and it’s something that’s brilliantly captured in this Alison Sampson variant cover to issue #1. It doesn’t take much parenting experience to know the unyielding horror you might experience as you see your two kids huddled in absolute terror below a genuine monster bird. I also love that there’s a kind of fairy tale-esque vibe to this piece — it drives home the whole parent-child thing in such a massively effective way and also comments on this story’s interest in folklore/folk tales. (It also feels a little like a block printing to me, and that’s just another really solid layer to this.) Sure, Autumn Kingdom is for anyone with a heart who and an interest in folks battling monsters. But the parental angle really matters, and it’s good to see this story speak to a specific experience even as it remains wholly universal. Shoutout to parents, and parents who have to fight ancient monsters especially.
Farscape: 25th Anniversary Special #1
Cover by Steve Morris
I’ve talked a lot about my many loves (Toxic Avenger, body horror, hating Cyclops, etc.) but not nearly enough about Farscape. For many, many Fridays in the late 90s/early 2000s, I’d watch Farscape on my father’s giant TV, and just sit there slack-jawed to high hell about this weird and wonderful slice of sci-family drama. Sure, my love for Farscape was only centered around the show, and I never really got into the resulting comics stories, but now is a different tale. Because after some 14-ish years, BOOM! Studios is coming back with a star-studded collection of new stories in time for the show’s 25th anniversary. But even more than tales from Keith R.A. DeCandido, Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, Sina Grace, and more, I’m super jazzed about this Steve Morris main cover. To me, it’s like the very best version of either art you see at a county fair or those portraits you’d get at a mall with, like, the heart backdrop. (All of those are the highest compliments, I swear.) Which is to really say, the piece has this downhome, hugely nostalgic quality — it emanates warmth and familiarity in a way that makes someone like me connect with why I loved Farscape in the first place. It was a show both of and beyond its time, and something that you could love with a simplicity and real commitment. Time’s a flat circle, and I’m so glad we’re back to the days of looking forward to something from Farscape.
The First Americans #2
Cover by Tadd Galusha
Maybe you’re one who’d rather read about superheroes and the fencing club when it comes to your daily comics consumption. But perhaps we should all make room for a little more history (albeit slightly dramatized for effect) based on books like The First Americans. Set some 14,000 years ago, the book tracks what happens after a tribe of paleo-indians makes their way into North America and their subsequent fight for survival. I for one am down for anything that foregoes Christopher Columbus (he made grade school a nightmare for us Chris’) and his whole story for something even remotely more honest (again, even if it’s heightened for storytelling purposes). And based on the cover to issue #2 from series artist Tadd Galusha, we’re getting that perfect balance of history and drama. We get this glorious snapshot of what these people may have looked like, and that does such a hugely effective job in grounding our understanding and expectations. And, yeah, giant bloody sabretooth skull would be enough to entice almost anyone, but it’s positioned in a way to never take away from the humanity here. If anything, the skull becomes this great device to show our connection to the world (for better and worse) and to demonstrate to us that there’s a well of deep power to exploring this place and its dynamics. Maybe you’ll learn stuff, or you’re just there for blood, but ain’t history neat regardless?
Exceptional X-Men #1
Variant cover by Scott Koblish
You might be saying to yourself, “Hey, Chris, didn’t Scott Koblish already do a massively-detailed, canon-sweeping portrait of X-Men?” And I’d respond with, “Yeah, dummy, that was for Uncanny X-Men #1 and he’s basically doing a whole series of these — do you read much?” But I’d do it with a warm smile on my face so you wouldn’t feel so bad. And speaking of feeling bad, I bet that’s how Koblish’s hands felt after he finished each and every new piece. The one for Exceptional X-Men #1 feels especially wonderful somehow. I think it’s the inclusion of even more slightly larger characters, including some Stark Sentinels, and just the positioning of folks like the all-white Magneto. Maybe it’s that there’s almost like sub-groups within the larger group shot, and how that creates all of these rich pockets that still add to the heft and context of the whole piece. It could be that, and correct me if I’m wrong, there’s more eras and teams/titles represented here, and that just gives us this sense of how ginormous the X canon truly is. Regardless, the sheer power of this piece of art is undeniable, and it’s not just great gimmickry but a moment in time to explore the richness and layers of this living, breathing story. A frame in the ongoing X film, if you will, that tells us so much and hints at even more. Now please get Mr. Koblish some Epsom salt or something.
Plastic Man No More! #1
Variant cover by Tyler Boss
I recently got the chance to sit down with writer Christopher Cantwell for a proper deep dive into Plastic Man No More! And among the many great insights and perspectives Cantwell shared, one idea emerged to me: we have no idea who Plastic Man truly is. He’s not the shapeshifting joke we assume Eel to be (even as he very much is that), and Cantwell and company seek to capture some of that nuance and layers, this really shapeless, ever-changing humanity, within the miniseries. So, then, what does that have to do with this great Tyler Boss variant cover to issue #1? I think Boss has captured some of what I was talking about — this notion that Eel is a great many things, like varied pieces of art on a gallery. And that gallery “gimmick” has other meaning — this book is very much about Eel discovering some of these things himself, and so what better device to use than a gallery where huge truths are so casually laid out for our consumption? And, of course, we have to talk about the whole melting thing — it’s not only about this being a book about death, but also the way these truths can break us down and even how we’re maybe forced to keep it all together despite that process. It’s a cover that provides so much contextual and emotional value, and prepares us for the way this book might break opening our understanding of PM but also ideas of death, parenthood, and legacies. More like “Plastic Much More,” amirite?!
Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1
Cover by Gerardo Zaffino
I recently started reading some Conan stories, and even if I can crank out a volume pretty quickly, there’s still, like, 4,000 out there on bookshelves. And that’s a good thing — not only cause who doesn’t love to read — but also this idea that’s central to Conan: everyone does the badass barbarian a little differently, and there’s a nougat of truth and insight across every fresh story/depiction. Case in point: long-time Conan scribe Jim Zub has teamed with artist Jonas Scharf for Conan: Battle of the Black Stone. And if we’re going solely on this excellent debut cover from Gerardo Zaffino, we may have to change the name to “Badass Stone.” Because I love this more caveman-y, totally brute-ish Conan, as if he’s carved out of a filthy rock and eats sticks and gravel as much as he woos pretty women. Conan is a savage in any book, but here it feels especially elemental, and that specific kind of depiction works really well for me if I’m thinking of the Conan stories that hit the hardest. He’s big and bruising and undeniably bulky, and this version of Conan speaks to the way that no matter how much (or for what reason) you boil down Conan, he will always be this pillar of physical power in the world and a neat dissection of our own humanity. He’s got truths that cut deeper than a sword, and he ain’t afraid to use ’em, folks.
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