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.
Batman and Robin #27
Cover by Carmine Di Giandomenico
I wouldn’t describe Batman and Superman as besties. However, if the last 15 to 20 years of multi-media stories has told us nothing else, it’s that they’re at least Solid Chums. And it’s that very underpinning of respect that makes this cover so cool. Because, yes, Batman and Robin are technically breaking the law, and should be dragged out of their by the Super Family. However, we know that, at very worst, the Man of Steel’s only reliable weapon against the Dark Knight is a stern lecture. So, what we get then, is something that’s just as fun as it is edgy, playful as it is a tad scary. A perfect melding of these two titans’ aesthetics and approaches that makes for deeply satisfying comics. Toss in that pulp-y sheen, and this bad boy feels like it’s saying so much about their long, long relationship without saying a peep.
Fantastic Four #5
Cover by Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado
In a lot of ways, I only picked this F4 cover because I saw right after B&R, and I just felt like they were hinting at the same kinds of ideas and energies. Sure, I don’t think Sue Storm and Black Cat have the same dynamic as DC’s Big Two, but I like the juxtaposition with someone who is mostly fair and upright with someone who is a thieving cheat. (OK, both characters have shown much more interesting shades of grey over the years, but you get it.) It’s the kind of overtly cheesy fun that I crave in comics — a snapshot of the sheer joy and narrative gold you can muster just by pairing together characters like a kid playing by themselves in the sandbox. And like Bats and Supes, the little details (H.E.R.B.I.E., those furry boots!) only add to the magic of our faves’ cross-over adventures. Talk about stealing my heart, amirite?!
Die: Loaded #1
Cover by Stephanie Hans
On Tuesday morning, you’ll be able to read a deep dive interview into all things Die. Co-creators Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans bring the magic, and what we get isn’t just about Die: Loaded, but the emotional depths and personal connections the pair share across this ever-growing story universe. But while I won’t spoil much or any of that interview, I will tell you that Hans’ own main cover for Loaded #1 feels like it’s an important preview for what to come. The majesty of the bear, for instance, sets the tone for the layers of the “Die-verse” that Loaded is set to uncover. We also see an equally pissed-off woman, and that’s also going to be important for this latest chapter. And what’s that fox doing? Well, you’ll know soon enough, but let’s just say it’s more magic. Cause that’s what Die is — it’s a big magical adventure waiting to be discovered, and the further you journey onward, the bigger the prize. And the bigger the heartache, too.
American Caper #1
Cover by Tyler Boss
I’ve been readily enjoying David Lapham’s work on “the noir and then some” that is Good as Dead. But I’m glad to see him “getting back to basics” as he teams up with a number of folks (including Dan Houser, one of the folks behind Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption) for a “brutal satire that reflects on our current political nightmare.” Because based on Tyler Boss’ own issue #1 cover, this one is bound to be the closer-to-earth, streamlined fare where Lapham’s made his name. This could easily be from a Elmore Leonard book cover or a Coen Bros. movie poster — it’s sexy and mysterious in all the right ways a crime story needs to be to hook its readers. But then, it’s message is right there (without bashing you about the face): This is a cursed land, likely cursed by its own hand, and maybe we’re not even smart enough to recognize it. It’s an unwavering gutshot about the mess we’re in, and I for one can’t wait for this bloody caper to really lay it in even further.
Liquidator #1
Cover by Piotr Kowalski
I mean, it’s a Peter Mulligan-penned story, for crying out loud. And then you add in time travel, and a mystery surrounding dueling timelines and a “feminist masterpiece,” and boy howdy have you got my unwavering attention. I do love the idea of time travel as it’s presented here. Not just that it’s intense and crazy; even Bill & Ted… managed to capture that dynamic. No, that it involves the imagery associated with the ouroboros, a serpent or dragon eating itself that represents, among other ideas, infinity and cycles of rebirth and destruction. It’s a loop, y’all, and that’s basically what most time travel stories are about: Try as you may, you can never truly fix things without mucking something else up. And, as part of that dynamic, we find ourselves perpetually returning to these stories, living the unachievable dream that maybe, just maybe, we can escape the loop of our own self-defeating ways and actually triumph. I dig a little honesty with my time travel stories, and this one looks like it’ll be as entertaining as much as it is a warm cup o’truth.
Spider-Man Noir #2
Cover by Simone Di Meo
Back in October, I geeked out about writer Erik Larsen’s own variant cover to Spider-Man Noir #1. Not only do I just love the man’s pacing and timing when it comes to action, but I felt like it was a proper snapshot of the book’s feel, sense of momentum, and general work in pushing the Spider-Noir character forward even just a wee bit. But even that excellent piece falls short to Simone Di Meo’s own main cover to #2. It’s the way Noir crouches — efficient, yes, but with so much damn charisma and panache. The bolts of light that are, I assume, his Spidey Sense; what a powerful way to capture this long-held device with new life/intensity. And, of course, the way light/shadow plays with her clothes; you can practically see through them, my god. Every single aspect of this piece is at a 10, and when you achieve that, then you’ve truly made something special. It’s more proof of why this Noir book feels understated but important, and why you only need a couple great covers to really shine.
Batman: Dark Patterns #12
Cover by Hayden Sherman
It’s a damn shame that Batman: Dark Patterns is coming to an end. Yes, Dan Watters and Hayden Sherman have, as far as I can tell, told the story they intended to with these 12 issues. But when you do something this well (i.e., tell an inventive Batman story in a sea of similar stories), you can’t blame people for wanting even more. That said, Sherman’s own cover to issue #12 feels like its a proper send-off. I love the distinction between Batman and Bruce Wayne that’s intended here; all the best Dark Knight stories use that to better explore the mythos. I also think the bandages here have a real Marv circa The Hard Goodbye; it feels like a way to exemplify how this story achieves a similar kind of hard-hitting power in terms of great noir. Plus, the bandages also look a little like confetti, and that adds a celebratory sheen to what’s a slightly depressing affair. Great work, team, you’ve really done something truly and undeniably vital for the Bat Canon.
Predator: Badlands #1
Cover by Juan Ferreyra
Not to be too much of a hater, but I’m not super-jazzed about the newly-released Predator: Badlands. Yes, I like Elle Fanning as a robot sidekick, and the idea of a younger Predator basically embarking on his “murder bar mitzvah/Rumspringa.” But the franchise can be hit or miss, and for every Prey we also get something a la Predators. But I can always rely on Alien and Predator comics, and this Badlands debut is already a hit based on Juan Ferreyra’s own main cover. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that same “tentacle tech” in this universe, but I absolutely want more because it feels exciting and refreshing. I also see the Conan-esque influences some of the filmmakers have mentioned; it’s really a smart direction to take the film, and further plays up the focus on individuality that this specific story seems most interested in exploring. Heck, even the “hard laser” weapons featured in the trailers feels just a smidgen more believable and thrilling on the page. Yes, I’ll see the dang movie because it’s Predator, but not even an extended Fanning fight scene is going to mean it could ever match the Marvel comics.
Batman/Static: Beyond #1
Cover by Nikolas Draper-Ivey
If you watched the DC cartoons in the late-ish ’90s/early 2000s, you already got a taste of a Static-Batman Beyond crossover/team-up. But we didn’t get one from the minds of Evan Narcisse and Nikolas Draper-Ivey, who decided to put them together for a “high-stakes mission that could reshape Earth’s place in the cosmos.” I don’t know about any of that just yet, but I do know that Draper-Ivey can draw the ever livin’ heck out of both heroes. I love that Static feels old and young at the same time; it positions the hero at a unique point in his timeline and makes me think we’ll get a different version than one we’ve seen before. Meanwhile, I appreciate the more feral/vampire-esque take on Batman (see the claws, mostly); the show did some of that, but more of that on display here feels like a unique and exciting strength of this “version.” Even just the use of lightning with the bats, and the city design, do a lot to set the tone and mood of this story while also tickling the senses in the way all “futuristic” stories can and should. Guess I’m just Beyond jazzed, yeah?
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