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 14th, 2025.
Action Comics #1086
Variant by David Talaski
There’s a real Saturday Evening Post vibe to this Lois Lane cover that feels classic and sort of retro-modern; it feels like what mid-century illustrators felt the future would look like. Talaski captures a great Lois — determined, focused, too busy to bother with the clear action of Clark speeding away. The suggestion of Superman — of his ever-presence — illustrates just what it must be like to be Lois: knowing your super-husband is always there, even if at a hundred miles an hour.
Adventure Time Deluxe Edition #1
Cover by James Stokoe
Few cartoons in recent memory have calmly and pleasantly applied epicness in the way that Adventure Time did; this James Stokoe cover, creepy and sinister, captures a bit of that lunatic epic nature. What are those guys the boys are riding? Why do these half-shell birdies have helicopter blades sticking out of their heads? Are those cacti in pain? All of this — and more — feels perfectly at home in the Land of Ooo. Nobody would bat an eye at any of this.
Batman and Robin #21
Variant cover by Danny Earls
Gotham and the Cave, the dual natures of our protagonists, the moody haze and darkened, gothic settigns. All of this sums up the exact atmosphere of Batman‘s dual worlds. Earls has made a clever use of illustrative division; it’s compelling that the divide doesn’t come vertically or horizontally but at an angle, askew. Nothing in Gotham is ever straightforward.
DC vs. Vampires: World War V #9
Variant by Björn Barends
It’s undead Big Barda. That alone sells this cover pretty solidly; that Berands fills the image with lush armor details — scales, battle armor, flowing fabric — and ratchets up the horrifying nature in her face only cements its place on this list.
Energon Universe 2025 Special #1
Variant by Daniel Warren Johnson
I love a well-stocked record store. I used to long to have one near my ultra rural hometown. Daniel Warren Johnson knows the joys of a place like this — he packs the shop with the exact right amount of clutter. Aside from the action figures on the counter in the foreground, you’d be hard-pressed to tie this to any of the megafranchises at play in the Energon Universe (though I’d kill to know what Cybertronian jazz sounds like).
Fire and Ice: When Hell Freezes Over #2
Variant by Dan Mora
Dan Mora does a great job illustrating the main concern Fire and Ice are dealing with, namely that they’re all mixed up. The duo have such nicely contrasting design schemes that this overlay almost jars your eyes.
One World Under Doom #4
Variant by Adi Granov
In an earlier column, I speculated on what sort of artwork would hang in a Latverian art gallery. Granov provides the answer to that question: hyper-realized Doom portraits, complete with its canvas texture.
Phoenix #11
Cover by Lucas Werneck and variant by Rod Reis
Two fantastic Phoenix covers this week. Lucas Werneck beautifully illustrates the cosmic energies, and Rod Reis provides a fantastic family portrait, reminding us all to go back and reread Scott Lobdell, Jeph Loeb, and Gene Ha’s 1996 Askani’Son miniseries.
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