Judging by the Cover – 02/26/25 new releases

There is a veritable cornucopia of new comics hitting stands each week. While readers often know exactly what it is they’re most interested in (those in the know have got their pull-list sitting in their comic shop’s ever-reliable hands), there is something to be said about going against that old truism and Judging a Book by Its Cover.

Some truly astounding cover art hits each and every week, and these are the ones that caught Colin’s eye the week of February 26, 2025.

Daredevil (1964) #1

Facsimile Variant by Stephanie Hans

One of the great aspects of the modern trend of Facsimile Editions is the ability to throw some incredible modern artistic talent into dressing up one of the true classics. You can have some classic Jack Kirby and Bill Everett inside and a gorgeous Stephanie Hans piece on the cover. Why wouldn’t you do that? I’m speaking to you, reader, personally. Why wouldn’t you specifically do that?

The answer, reader, is you would do that unless you want that classic Kirby/Everett cover in foil, combining the best aspects of 1964 and 1992.

Hans captures the classic red and gold costume against a cityscape, reality warbled to indicate his sonic hearing, and it’s an absolutely iconic image. Hans is an uncanny talent whose creator-owned stints on Die and We Called Them Giants managed to create wholly unique worlds; applying all that world-defining style to a classic is a joy.

Detective Comics #1094

Variant by Bruno Redondo

There might be a segment of every Judging by the Cover that’s “Gotham Silhouette Time” (see previous entry). This week we’ve got an amazing monochromatic Batman by Bruno Redondo, made striking not just by the red palette but by the stark empty white. That white replaces the classic rainy darkness of the Gotham skyline. The Gotham gargoyle, atop a gargoyle, somehow in darkness despite being fully revealed. I love the jagged edges of the cape and how they mirror the flapping bats in the background.

DuckTales #3

Cover by Ivan Bigarella

The new DuckTales book has given us a wealth of classic-feeling Duckburg cartooning, and this piece by Ivan Bigarella lends a kinetic, adventurous energy to the classic Disney aesthetic. A hundred-year cartooning history surrounds the Mouse and his friends (Scrooge is 78 this year), which amounts to an impossible amount of gorgeous cartooning; Bigarella’s work here feels like a modern culmination of all that fantastic work.

For those curious, the Beagle Boys pictured are Bankjob and Burger. I know our readers are desperate for this sort of in-depth journalism, and I want to assure you that AIPT is here for you.

Grommets #7

Variant by James Callahan

What I love about Grommets is its commitment to capturing everyday teenage moments, even if they aren’t exactly experiences I had growing up. Not a skater, I never sneaked into an empty pool; I did, however, sneak places.

James Callahan’s variant cover perfectly snapshots that feeling of doing something relatively harmless but still somehow clandestine – a crime committed in the name of fun. It’s a fantastic sentiment to end the series on.

Hello Darkness #8

Variant by Jeremy Bastian

There is a lot going on in this Jeremy Bastian cover: some sort of horrible demon, childlike innocence mid-corruption, and an incredible 18th-century woodcut aesthetic. This is the sort of image that you wouldn’t have been likely to have found in an old tome about the paranormal, but it’s certainly something that would be in a movie prop tome about the paranormal: just a touch too modern to pass itself off as old.

Suitably creepy.

Jumpscare #1

Cover by Danny Luckert.

I don’t know that a cover has so completely sold me on comic like this in years. I don’t know what Jumpscare is beyond the names involved (Cullen Bunn’s been just churning out horror hit after horror hit), but this Danny Luckert cover promises something above and beyond. You know I love skeleton aesthetics; I also love neon, pink, ridiculous aesthetics.

The more you look at the cover, the more you notice: it wasn’t until well into crafting this column that I noticed the little flame-eyed skulls on either side of our protagonist’s shoulders. Fun!

Superman #23

Variant by Dave Johnson

There is nothing like an ad in a comic book that encourages you to take scissors to your beloved treasure in order to get some sort of cheap junk. T-shirt iron-ons? Cut that comic up! Sterling silver jewelry (famously popular with children)? Break out those Fiskars.

Dave Johnson captures the feeling of all those ads, complete with simulated Ben day dots and color layering glitches, with this Superman Sonic Amplifier ad. NSA Approved.

Ultimate X-Men #12

Variant by Jim Mahfood

Jim Mahfood is one of the most singular artists in comics – there is no mistaking his artwork, which has grown more hectic, splattered, and aesthetics-first over the years. This Ultimate X-Men cover featuring Maystorm is all vibes, aspiring to the “cool girl” aesthetic Mahfood has been chasing since his stoner action Grrl Scouts cropped up in his xeroxed 40 Oz Comics minicomics almost 30 years ago.

He’s an artist who won’t let himself slow down, and that’s a great match for the dreamy world Peach Momoko’s been creating in the book itself: hip, unreal, covered in nonsense stars.