Judging by the Cover – 05/07/25 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 May 7th, 2025.

Deadpool Kill the Marvel Universe One Last Time #2

Cover by Davide Paratore

There is, I think, some degree of celebration to be done whenever Cap-Wolf rears his furry mug. He’s become a sort of shorthand for how goofy comics can be, and while some might view this as a bad thing, I’m inclined to disagree: comics are at their best when they are aware of their unlimited potential. That potential can lead comic book creators to incredible heights; it can also lead us to Cap-Wolf.

Paratore leans into the horrific in this Deadpool cover, keeping Cap-Wolf as appropriately feral as possible. It’s gruesome, it’s creepy, and it makes me smile.

Fantastic Four Fanfare #1

Cover by Matteo Scalera

We’ve highlighted a lot of brilliant negative space covers in the last few months, almost all of which showcase a single character and their singular iconic cover. As one of the very few super superteams to match, the Fantastic Four have the good grace to shop in tandem (or to generate unstable molecules in bulk, as the case may be). Matteo Scalera poses his characters in a way that makes the negative space suggestively dynamic — Reed’s rubbery arms, alone, add a lot to the action captured.

I’m also a sucker for a classic title treatment, and that Marvel Fanfare font is doing it for me.

Far Down Below #2

Cover by Jacob Phillips

Ah, the old ‘skeletal diver’ dilemma. This Jacob Phillips cover does a wonderful job of revealing the horror of dark exploration — a skeleton is exactly what you don’t want to see illuminated by your flashlight beam. It’s a great, haunting image that feels somehow iconic.

Let This One Be a Devil #3

Variant by Piotr Kowalski

Tightly packed with detail and gloomy, woodcut-like hatching, this Kowalski cover is striking for a number of reasons beyond the obvious ‘massive and looming demon from Hell’ centerpiece. That demon is fantastic, of course, and the suggestion that he’s been down in this cave playing with his itty-bitty crucifix collection gets me. “This one goes here,” he seems to be saying to himself, just as the figure in the foreground walks in on him. Oh, the rank embarrassment of being a demonic collector of knick-knacks and tchotchkes.

Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #13

Cover by Mark Brooks

Far be it from me to deny a cover with a fantastic use of text embellishment — MORE THRILLING SPACE ADVENTURES in a jagged caption box would have worked on me as a kid, and it works on me now. Gwen and her monster pal are great, for certain, but it’s Jean that captivates me in this cover. Jean’s had some incredible cover images — the classic John Byrne Dark Phoenix covers among them — but this big-eyed, green-suited imagery feels classic: a woman out of her (cosmic) element and killing it.

Storm #8

Variant by Ejikure

Speaking of classic X-Men costumes, this Ejikure variant brings us a fantastic, painterly rendition of Storm of Asgard. While not exactly in line with Arthur Adams’ original from way back in Uncanny X-Men Annual #9, this version leans instead into a vampy and more revealing style. I love the detail that she’s miles and miles above some distant farmland.

Two-Face #6

Cover by Baldemar Rivas

Hey, Harv, there’s a guy in there. You might want to get that checked out.

Rivas delivers a fantastic anthropomorphized illustration of Two-Face’s gruesome twinned personalities. The scarred face is gruesome, the split-open head suggests horror, and the scarred face of the coin suggests nefarious doings, and all of that sums up Two-Face’s whole deal.

X-Men #16

Variant by Russel Dauterman

I’ll never get over Russell Dauterman as a cover artist. Everything he produces is sleek, stylish, and iconic, and this series of costume covers — which have run across a wide array of titles and provide a sort of historic look-book of various characters’ costume lineage — stands near the top of his achievements. This entire range of covers likes to take a peek even at the more obscure and questionable costuming outings (you’ll note Cyke’s gnarly silver face mask and Age of Apocalypse locks), and they do a wonder at celebrating the legacy of their featured characters.