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.
Absolute Batman #3
Variant cover by Riley Rossmo
When Absolute Batman was first announced, people had some very strong reactions. But more than slack-jawed gawks of uncertainty and/or irritation, the best responses were all of the really great fan art that emerged. I mean, be it cutesy little team-ups with Absolute Superman and Wonder Woman, or just seemingly endless pics of an extra jacked Bats, these pieces fully embraced the magic and potential of launching a “new” Dark Knight. And the same has held true for all of the variant covers by the pros, like this Absolute Batman #3 offering by Riley Rossmo. What this Bats lacks in size, the sheer, teeth-gritting intensity is as over-sized as it gets and captures that Absolute essence. I also love that his cape is turning into bats, or vice versa, and that’s such a hugely clever device and a way to recontextualize that old trope. But perhaps the best part is that, at least the way I see it, Batman has turned the end of his cape into these hooked weapons. Even if I’m way off base, that little bit is perhaps the best way that fun, creativity, and new levels of excitement have really come to define this Absolute “era.” I can’t wait to see what else we get from artists — maybe a cape that covers the whole dang city, perhaps?
TVA #1
Cover by Pepe Larraz
We can all agree by now that time travel is a trope more venerated than, say, old dudes and white whales. But if you’re going to keep exploring time travel, then I can’t imagine a more potentially interesting new offering than TVA. Making the leap from the realm of TV/movies in a major way, the series (from Loki Season Two writer Katharyn Blair and artist Pepe Larraz) sees the org “expand its tolerance of variants…[and it has] enlisted some new recruits from timelines that have been wiped from existence.” (That includes Gambit, Spider-Gwen, and Peggy Carter.) And if that team up didn’t already feel novel enough, I think Larraz’s own cover to #1 shows some further novelty. Like, the way everyone seems to be on different “planes,” and how that aligns character development with the general wackiness of time travel. The use of the Miss Minutes “team,” and how these cutesy characters continue to develop in some weird ways across TVA-centric stories. Even the continued use of more anachronistic tech just feels like such a massively important part of the whole TVA “gimmick.” So, yes, time travel is been there done that (or is it being there doing that?), but if you approach with this kind of cleverness and energy, than the trip remains a blast.
Missing on the Moon #1
Cover by Damian Couceiro
Have you ever seen the greatest moon-centric tweet ever written? That’s exactly what I thought about when I saw the cover for Missing on the Moon #1. As it turns out, the story — from writer Cory Crater (The Codex) and artist Damian Couceiro (X-Force) — is a little different, as P.I. Daniel Schwinn lives on a moon occupied by “undead drug addicts, mechanized robocops, and blue-skinned Soviets” and he must encounter each during the case of a missing child. So, no, those aren’t Moon Ghosts (I think?), or even people jettisoned for breaking Moon Law (I think?!), but maybe just a way to set the mood/tone for what could be a weird, intense crime story (that just so happens to be set on the moon). But you can’t deny that the visual is incredibly sharp, and the idea of all this suffering and humanity taking place on the Moon just feels the best kind of disorienting. Like, it slashes the tranquil, almost noble undertones of our lunar pal, and makes it feel as lonely and scary as the rest of space. It perpetuates this idea that a thing so familiar and even “warm” in our memory may not be so safe/peaceful, and that gets us rethinking our place in the universe once again. It’s so harrowing, in fact, that I forget to chuckle that someone named Cory Crater wrote a story about the moon.
The Horizon Experiment: Motherf*ckin’ Monsters #1
Cover by Michael Lee Harris
First off, if you call your story Motherf*ckin’ Monsters, you have my love and respect until the very planet explodes. And then add in the fact that this is another really promising entry in The Horizon Experiment “project,” and that admiration somehow grows more robust. But the book doesn’t need a great pedigree, and the huge talent involved is enough. Like writer J. Holtham (The Handmaid’s Tale, Marvel’s Jessica Jones), who has crafted what’s been described as “Evil Dead for black nerds.” And he’s joined by artist Michael Lee Harris, who gives us a solid preview of the action-horror-comedy to come with the cover to issue #1. He’s clearly nailed the whole fantasy-horror vibes — it feels like I’m looking at some equally terrifying copy of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. Meanwhile, the cartoon-y, slightly “cutesy” art style only adds to the layers of nerdery, and gives the coming horror some really great texture and layers. Plus, even amid all the horror vibes and great displays of geekery, there’s just so much heart and personality here — we need to connect with these folks in a big way if all of this horror is really going to land (and not just feel like cheap, bloody thrills). Again, if you start with swear words, then you’ve done, like, 82% of the job of getting me on board.
Gargoyles Winter Special #1
Variant cover by Chris Eliopoulos
Here’s how great dogs are: even when they’re not technically canines, they’re always amazing. That’s clearly the case for Bronx, the beloved companion of the Gargoyles and star of his very own holiday special. The Gargoyles comics at Dynamite are generally pretty great, and this one should be no different as our extra adorable friend has to move across a freshly-blanketed Manhattan in search of a “missing member before they’re trapped under ten feet of snow.” And if the story alone doesn’t promise to warm hearts more than 10,000 yule logs, we get some great cover options. That includes this uber charming main cover from Jae Lee and June Chung; this “ripped from an alt universe Disney” piece from series artist George Kambadais; and this Trish Forstner piece that makes me well up with the intensity of 100 rivers. But the true nod goes to the Chris Eliopoulos variant for a few reasons: it’s simply but hugely clever; Bronx has never looked more curious and endearing; and it reminds me of the quiet wonder of winter more than almost anything else. That, and it almost makes me think of Blue’s Clues somehow, and that association is oddly poetic. It doesn’t take much to make you fall more in love with the mere concept of winter, but this simple but effective piece nails it and then some for our blue boy.
Judge Dredd: Megazine #475
Cover by Christian Ward
If you lived long enough, you’re bound to pretty much do everything at least once. That’s got to be the sole explanation for this cover to Judge Dredd: Megazine #475. Because in addition to tales from Ales Kot and PJ Holden and T.C. Eglington and Boo Cook, Ken Niemand and Paul Marshall have a story have a story in which “a monster loose in the city… [and] it has a list of targets.” That certainly would be my favorite way to frame or discuss Saint Nick, but whatever the way in or context, we still get this decidedly great cover by Christian Ward. For one, I love that compared to Ward’s other work, this one feels more direct, with a lot of his trademark “psychedelic madness” designated for the background. (Talk about a winter wonderland, amirite?!) That lets us focus on the sheer humanity of it all, like the unwavering mix of anger and irritation on Dredd’s face, or how Santa looks like a similarly multifaceted blend of fear and sligh bemusement. And that creates a moment that could’ve been hokey in many other folks’ hands but is instead another weird and wild moment in the Dredd canon, and an instance where the character’s range and power only grows thanks to the work of great artists. Forget the nice or naughty lists; Santa’s looking at getting his very own Iso-Cube for the holidays.
Sentinels #3
Variant cover by Kael Ngu
If you haven’t been reading Sentinels, you’re missing out, partner. With writer Alex Paknadel leading a great team, it’s been a way to tell this non-traditional story post-Krakoa, exploring the connections and incongruities of mankind and mutants in a rather perilous time in Marvel history. (And a story that’s ultimately a really solid commentary on the military industrial complex, too.) But in case you forget that this is still comics after all, Kael Ngu swings for the fences like a Wolverine-Colossus fastball special with this issue #3 variant. Magneto, whom the team will run into a time when they’re especially under-prepared, gets the quintessential badass treatment. But even cooler than ripping a sentinel hand out of midair and crafting your own throne are the smaller touches. The completely unphased body language; the way the fingers have bent as the perfect arm rests; and even that little twirl of his own fingers — it’s just Magneto at his most singular and undefeatable. This captures him not just as a force of nature, but someone who is so much more robust and multifaceted than just the most terrifying villain ever. It’s another feat from a great book, and why you should be compelled to read it like the pull of so much magnetism.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5
Cover by Javier Fernández and Patricio Delpeche
And speaking of dope looking books doing big things, we come to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5. After the first four issues provided a spotlight on the four individual turtles, Jason Aaron and Darick Robertson finish the book’s first arc with the most important question of them all: “What has been going on in New York while the Turtles have been scattered across the globe?” The answer involves a new, heinous DA for the Big Apple as well as a new role for Casey Jones as he tries to “stop this power grab-and figure out who is backing this nefarious new enemy.” This cover then, I assume from all of that, isn’t literal. (Unless, of course, Casey’s actually the big bad somehow and OMG my brain would fall through my entire body and explode from the bottom of my feet.) Instead, I think it’s about how the Turtles feel right now: trapped. That, having gotten away and tried to do their own things, they’re compelled back into the hero life. Not that they’re not decent and virtuous, but if you’re called the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it can feel isolating and intense just trying to be something new. It sets the tone for what should be a great story, and one even more interested in the Turtles’ dynamics in this brave new era. Also, does anyone else get vibes of Queen’s News of the World?
New Gods #1
Variant cover by Carmine Di Giandomenico
Having basically waited all of eternity for this much-hyped book, we’re finally at New Gods #1. Here, Ram V., Jorge Fornés, Evan Cagle, and a litany of collaborators continue/reimagine Jack Kirby’s iconic New Gods. More specifically, an “old god has died, and the reverberations of his passing are felt across the universe, setting forth the soldiers of an intergalactic army and awakening the latent powers of a mysterious child on Earth.” And I can’t think of a better way to begin this grandiose journey than with this Carmine Di Giandomenico variant cover. Sure, it doesn’t have the robust power of Nimit Malavia’s main cover; the sheer intensity of Cagle’s own variant; or the majesty of Pete Woods’ offering. It does, however, feel like a perfect blend of Kirby’s magic and this new spin, a respect for the past and an excitement for the future that shows the sheer depth and range of this grandiose story. Be it the authority of Metron, or the way the worlds of Apokolips and New Genesis might very well consume one another, this cover is a deeply effective artifact that lives within and outside of its grand context. It brings home the weirdness, humanity, and sci-fi magic that’s always defined New Gods, and it’s a stark reminder that this story will always have power because of what it means to us. Welcome to a brave new era, folks.
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