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.
Fantastic Four #22
Cover by Alex Ross
Alex Ross’ accomplishments and general presence are a routine enough feature of Judging by the Cover. It’s hard to not feature Ross’ work in the same way that some medieval Italian architectural digest just had to feature Michelangelo. But of all the great, great covers across his career, Ross has really outdone himself with Fantastic Four #22. Usually we got something potent and glorious from Ross, pieces that remind us why we look up to and admire superheroes in the first place. Here, we get some primo body horror, a genre that Ross may not be a maven within but is clearly more than skilled to truly unsettle and unnerve readers. I can feel everything stretching to the point of near-ripping, and we get the sense that we’re watching the very end of Mr. Fantastic happen with each excruciating movement of his flesh. You must be mad if you don’t feel the very weight of those vamp teeth, and how they might crunch and crack under that increasingly stretched-thin balloon we call Mr. Fantastic’s face. This one may not make you believe in anything but it sure will have you hoping and praying for a sudden win for the F4 and other NYC heroes.
Super-Pets Special: Bitedentity Crisis #1
Cover by Pete Woods
And from the biting of flesh to a different kind of bite, we come to Super-Pets Special: Bitedentity Crisis #1. Much like Ross’ own solid cover work, I’m also a big fan of DC Comics’ various specials, and that includes when we get a story with Bitewing and Super-Pets. This star-studded issue features some big names cracking wise with superpowered cats and dogs and other fluffy beasts, including contributions from Kyle Starks, Christopher Mitten, Dan Watters, and Mike Norton. But the thing I care most about right now is this excellent Pete Woods main cover. Because it’s the thing that sets the tone for this issue and also what makes these specials so great in the first place. Namely, the insane hilarity of a supervillain getting straight whooped by Krypto, Ace, and the most underrated Green Lantern of them all, Ch’p. And, of course, we get to see Bitewing do some dope dog stuff, and those images together tell a vital story. A tale of how hero comics should be weird and dumb and joyous, and if you can’t find hope and whimsy in a super dog, then maybe you can’t find it anywhere. Now, just make sure we actually get a story with Bat Cow and we’re golden.
The Department of Truth #24
Cover by Martin Simmonds
In my house, the Kennedys are still very much taken as this serious thing. (I’ve heard the word “Camelot” 1,000 times since the wife and I got together in 2018.) And so coming into The Department of Truth #24, I’m feeling a mixed bag. I’m excited because I can’t wait to see how this chapter of the series treats and deals with the assassination and also Lee Harvey Oswald. But there’s also a kind of secret shame because I know this whole story should be a little more taboo. And, based at least on the cover, I think series/cover artist Martin Simmonds approaches this whole scenario with respects to that multifaceted deluge of feelings/emotions. We get a kind of grainy cinematic look, like the CCTV version of the Zapruder film, and in that way these events and people are properly contextualized and made almost mythic. But Simmonds’ reach is never overly soft or indirect, and there’s a clear and unwavering honesty and sharp perspective into this multifaceted historical event. From there, something happens visually that plays with our understanding and perspectives into this moment — telling us this isn’t like the history books we know. And all of that together is why DoT is such a great series that remixes and reassembles our shared history in some deeply interesting ways.
Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus #1
Variant cover by Andy Belanger
Am I feeling a little weird that we’re further building on Blade Runner in the comics sphere? Maybe — as great as some works have been, it’s just always a little odd to see such a perfect film try to exist elsewhere. But I’m nonetheless still excited for Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus #1. For one, writer Mellow Brown and Kianna Shore team with artist Rodolfo Taibo for a story about “two Kalanthia survivors [fighting] for their lives in a world where Blade Runners are the least of their problems.” But mostly I’m overjoyed for the sheer number of epic covers/variant covers attached to this book. There’s Christian Ward’s super psychedelic main cover, which feels suited to the unique confines of Blade Runner. Or, this badass Fernando Dagnino piece, which screams “kung-fu flick magic” in a way that’s deeply satisfying. But the clear winner for me is this Andy Belanger, which achieves a sleek and stylized kind of cyberpunk edge that’d make even William Gibson a tad jealous. It tells us the tone, feel, and intent of Tokyo 2015, and how it’s familiar and yet something newer and shinier altogether. If we’re doing more Blade Runner, it ought to look like this and make me excited for the possibilities of this rich universe and story. That, and more swords is always a good thing regardless.
Operation Sunshine: Already Dead #4
Cover by David Rubín
If you’ve been reading my reviews, you’d know that Operation Sunshine: Already Dead has been mostly great. Sure, the build to this big caper has been a little bit drawn out, but you can’t blame the writers (Henry Zebrowski and Marcus Parks) for trying to be thorough in telling a layered story. But across every issue, series/cover artist David Rubín has been consistently killing it, and that most certainly extends to this cover for the final issue. For one, seeing a bright, sunshiny day in a vampire story is the kind of decision that might fry the old mental hard drive. But that’s why Rubín did it — he’s all about playing with your expectations and perceptions. And that sense of robust joy is found elsewhere, like in actually calling this place “Hotel Vampire” (how oddly brazen and deeply hilarious) or using the confetti to spell out “Final Issue.” It very much promises to be this party, and a celebration of the book’s slow build and what’s about to happen now that the vampire -ish really is truly about to hit the fans. Plus, even if this cover may seemingly spoil the book’s ending, I still feel like it could be a really joyful swerve of some sort. I can’t say I’ll be happy to see this book end, but man oh man, I can’t wait for the dang bloody fireworks to commence.
Sanction #3
Cover by Dan Panosian
If you haven’t been reading Sanction, I hope you get sanctioned into hell! But, truly and really, creators Ray Fawkes and Antonio Fuso have crafted a really interesting bit of noir, where a Russian cop circa 1987 is handed a seemingly open-and-close murder case only to find the event has deeper significance to some older deaths in the city. It’s this massively layered, deeply textured story that’s best mirrored and/or represented in Dan Panosian’s covers, including issue #3. To begin, we get a really compelling look at ordinary life at or near the end of the USSR — a snapshot of a random city corner and cafe/deli where life happens. But from that, Panosian has filled it with so much life and detail, from the dirt caked into the roof panels to the various posters. Heck, even the spacing of our man here and the use of the seemingly out-of-place gun and its smoke trail like a hot cup of Joe manage to play around with this place and our understanding of it. And that tells you everything you need to know about Sanction: there’s layers, man, and it’s going to worm its way into your brain in the very best ways. Not reading it, then, seems like the actual crime here.
X-Force #1
Variant cover by Chris Allen
I’m already hella excited about the all-new X-Force. For one, we’ve got Geoffrey Thorne on writing duties, and he’s done great work with another big, multifaceted team of sorts in Green Lantern. And as for the premise he’s cooked up with this one, we’re basically getting a Forge-lead team that promises both an interesting lineup (including Surge and Rachel Summers) as well as the recruitment of “a specialist for each target.” So given all of that, even as the first specialist turns out to be Deadpool, I don’t even need this Chris Allen “Stormbreakers” variant to further entice and whip up my interest. But that doesn’t mean this isn’t a totally great cover — we get a pretty great Deadpool gag that only makes my stomach churn a little (42% of that beer has to be sewer water by now); the appearance of Dead-dog/Dog-pool; some potential easter eggs with the bobble-heads; and, of course, a really, really solid depiction of Wolverine mid-snarl. Allen’s whole style is really interesting, with a proper balance between grit and joy as well as this sense of action and intent in every dot and line. The book should be great regardless, but this cover is a weird and wild cherry atop a massive mutant sundae.
Firefly ‘Verses #1
Cover by Miguel Mercado
Whereas I may have a “complicated” relationship with Blade Runner comics, I’ve never much read anything to do with Firefly/Serenity. Maybe because I have a very specific version of the franchise (the movie remains a proper standout in every way), and I just don’t want to risk damaging that “vision.” But if there’s one book that’s going to maybe dip my toes into this comics-verse, it could be ‘Verse. Not only do I love the kind of “what-if,” alternate history approach to this one-shot, but this one aims right for the throat with a tale that asks, “What if the Browncoats had won the war against the Alliance?” Cover artist Miguel Mercado has done wonders in bridging the “old” Firefly with this new universe. Because I feel the series’ core aesthetic represented here — that slightly filthy, deeply grounded energy that makes the series so singular. But it’s twisted and turned to feel really unsettling and dark, and that is the thing that makes me deeply curious and totally afraid of this retooled Firefly universe. Like, it’s the place we know but made to fill us with grim pain and fear and not the promise of a big, wide universe. If the book can deliver 1/10th of these feelings and ideas, then maybe I’ve got a bright future reading Firefly comics.
Red Hood: The Hill #6
Variant cover by Shawn Martinbrough
Admittedly, I perhaps didn’t pay nearly enough attention to Red Hood: The Hill as I should have. Everything was right there, with Shawn Martinbrough and Tony Akins teaming up for a story about Jason Todd/Red Hood getting acquainted with his home turf. But for whatever reason, I didn’t really let it land beyond issue #1, and only now months later am I feeling a little dumb for that brilliant decision. Because Martinbrough’s own variant/incentive cover to issue #6 is checking some very important boxes for yours truly. Like, how it almost reminds of the cover to Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #1, and how I wonder if there’s some deeper connotations within. There’s also the bullet/shell cases; does that specific number also have something important to tell or maybe inform the story? Even just the sheer amount of blood on display and the interesting placement of the knife — all of it has so much intrigue as much as it just looks cool as heck. It’s a sense of style and power, mixed with some great connections to proper Bat lore, and I may have to get caught up on this series pronto. Maybe join me if you like Batman and noir galore?
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