Judging by the Cover – 08/14/24 new releases

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.

X-Factor #1

Variant cover by Luciano Vecchio

The relaunch of all things X continues with X-Factor #1. If you’re even a partial student of history, you’ll know that X-Factor has a rather, let’s say, complicated history. Over the years they’ve been a detective agency, operated as “mutant hunters,” and even had both government-backed and corporate configurations. So, what’s this latest X-Factor look like? Why they’re described as “the most powerful, most patriotic, most marketable mutant heroes,” who are working to “stem the tide and make the world safe for democracy.” So, Team America but with more Spandex body suits? Regardless, this Luciano Vecchio variant cover is a solid nod to X-Factor’s wild history. I definitely thought they were pulling the blinds back on their seedy office as private dicks. But, of course, those might be prison bars instead, which speaks to some interesting possibilities for this latest series as well as how X-Factor are “prisoners” to everyone else’s thoughts and assumptions about the team. And, if nothing else, this is a perfectly ’90s snapshot, where some of the best X-Factor stuff stems from anyway. No matter how you look and what you may do, member sof X-Factor, color us bright yellow and jazzed!

Precious Metal #3

Cover by Ian Bertram

Sort of like Alex Ross’ regular presence across Judging by the Cover, I’m obsessed with the work of Ian Bertram. Across both Little Bird and Precious Metal (and some other solid projects), Bertram has continually pushed a style that blends horror and psychedelics into glorious, terrifyingly powerful comics greatness. Just look at the cover to Precious Metal issue #3. As the solicitation promises a sordid betrayal for our hero Max, as well as more nefarious deeds from the Temple of Twelve, we get “super biblically accurate blood angel.” (If you have a better description of this, I’m all terrified and totally eager ears.) It’s another in a rather robust series of images from this book that feels like the true veneer of the universe has been stripped away, leaving some profound monstrosity that you can’t help but ogle in all your slack-jawed stupor. A piece that not only captures what makes this universe so deeply and richly inventive, but also how it’s operating on a creative wavelength removed from competitors. A snapshot, if you will, that tells you everything about how far Precious Metal is willing to go to tell this vital, sometimes unsettling tale about memory, our relationship with the world, and even religion and spirituality. You’ll want to look into every single eye, and if you do, I promise you’ll never be the same again.

DC vs. Vampires: World War V #1

Variant cover by Jae Lee and June Chung

I liked Marvel Zombies. You liked Marvel Zombies. I didn’t like when the series jumped the shark and had, like, 15 spin-off series and other offerings. And it’s that very reason (or reasons?) why I was a little bit hesitant about DC vs. Vampires: World War V. Because, yes, the Matthew Rosenberg-penned first series was great, a perfect balance between superhero wonder and seedy vampires in a story about that deeply human notion of what happens when we fall prey to our baser instincts. And while this series has an interesting premise — Damian Wayne may have ruined the tenuous truce between humans and vamps — the thing really giving me hope is this Jae Lee/June Chung variant cover. Because if we’re really making our heroes evil vamps, this piece doesn’t just transform Wonder Woman with a ruthless efficiency, but it “perverts” that oh-so essential relationship between her and Superman. Because it’s not just enough to corrupt heroes — DC Vs. Vampires went deeper to infect the pillars and essence of this beloved universe. It takes the power and life-affirming nature of these characters and shows us what happens when it all goes deeply, deeply wrong. Not only that, but the idea of “puppet Superman” also has some oddly political undertones, and that just adds whole new layers to our despair. I may be slightly hesitant, but I’ll certainly take a bite of this one.

S.I.R. #1

Cover by Fell Hound

I’m a simple idiot who likes explosions and nacho cheese. So when you describe a comic as being about and/or primarily featuring “motorcycle jousting,” then you have my full and stupid attention. S.I.R. (from writer-artist Fell Hound) follows Avery Sakai, who in trying to reunite with her girlfriend Nico, will “throw herself into the violent but captivating world of the motorcycle jousting fight club known as the Seismic Ironclash Roulette.” (Inject the phrase “Seismic Ironclash Roulette” directly into my lizard brain.) The cover itself, then, gives us everything we’d need: the dreamy teens (distanced here as to maximize their adolescent heartbreak); motorcycles that look like the dopest dinosaurs ever; a pretty sweet design for their jousting sticks (I’m not looking up the name); and just the general vibe of these manga-adjacent/-inspired books that is both somehow quaint and adorable and just the right amount of edgy and melodramatic. I would have liked to see more actual motorcycle jousting on the debut cover, but this nonetheless tells an intriguing preview story in a hugely effective way. Now bring on the motorized violence!

Gilt Frame #1

Cover by Matt Kindt

There’s a lot of great hooks surrounding Gilt Frame. For one, Matt Kindt co-wrote it with his mother, Maggie Kraft Kindt. And in keeping with those family vibes, it involves an aunt and a nephew solving murders. If that somehow weren’t enough, there’s also talk of a new case involving, among other things, “jewel thieves, art forgers, gun-runners, [and] a lost puppy.” But beyond all of that razzle dazzle, I for one am most excited (if you haven’t already guessed) by Matt Kindt’s own cover for issue #1. Anytime that Mr. Kindt is on covers is a cause for celebration — if it’s for his own work, especially, there’s a certain charm and depth and magic that he brings to trying to distill this story in a way that gives us lots of context without spoiling the magic. In terms of this story specifically, we see this deeply violent act made to look like some gorgeous painting in the Guggenheim, and we’re left to try and manuever that emotional and intellectual chasm. Kindt’s got a way of grounding horror and violence while maintaining some semblance of joy and fantasy to poke various parts of our brain and really encourage that active, enthusiastic engagement. Add in the frame, and there’s another meta layer here that really encourages us to get involved with this layered story. Whatever brought you in, this one could be another beauty for the wall.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Nightwatcher #1

Cover by Fero Pe

Maybe you’re only reading Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Nightwatcher for one reason and one reason only: answers. More specifically, just who is IDW’s version of the titular badass. (Raphael filled the role in the mostly great 2007 animated TMNT movie.) But while you play armchair detective about the mystery from writer Juni Ba, don’t forget there’s other great reasons to read this new book, including the art of Fero Pe. There’s already been some preview pages released, but pay special attention to Pe’s own cover to issue #1. It’s very much in the vein of Kevin Eastman’s own minimalist but gritty style, albeit with a little more joyous, decidedly cartoonish energy throughout. I also get a weirdly tangential vibe to the Garbage Pail Kids, and even if that’s just my own dumb brain, I think that association informs a certain blend of weirdness and insanity that I hope we can expect from the series proper. This is also a really solid chance to look at the Nightwatcher design; it screams “sci-fi meets barbarian,” and that is exactly what we need even for of from TMNT. There’s so much depth and power here already, and any “mystery” is just an extra scoop of ice cream on this playful, nostalgia-generating sundae that’s meant for TMNT pros and newbies alike. Also, is Nightwatcher a newly-created Donatello clone?!

Outsiders #10

Cover by Roger Cruz

I don’t know if enough people are talking about the Jackson Lanzing/Collin Kelly-penned Outsiders series. It’s right up there with your Grant Morrisons and Jonathan Hickmans for just mucking with the fabric of a fictional universe, repurposing the ol’ multiverse trope, and getting wonderfully meta with it all. If anything, I’d add that Outsiders has done a really great job of showing what happens when you explore the multiverse with depth and an unwavering intensity, and that proves doubly true for this Roger Cruz cover to issue #10. Because for all the weirdness and whimsy that’s inferred by getting to play around with multiple worlds/universes, this piece reminds you that there’s real consequences. That proves doubly true when this “new Drummer” is involved — she’s doing in her best, yeah, but she’s just one of those players that highlights that there’s a bit of chaos and madness to balance out what we’d normally expect from the multiversal concept. Drummer does, in fact, treat the multiverse sort of a like a drum, and if you can’t get the song you want out if it, then you’re just not smashing the snare drum hard enough. There’s a power and terror to these kinds of tales, and it’s nice to see that play out with such succinctness and elegance while also showing us a truth in a deliberate manner. I dig this tune, if you catch my meaning.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #49

Cover by Leinil Yu and Romulo Fajardo Jr.

It’s sort of crazy to me that we’re almost at issue #50 of Star Wars: Darth Vader. Maybe that’s because it seemed like just yesterday that writer Greg Pak launched his profound and compelling dissection of the badass Sith Lord, who he has written with a sincerity and integrity that’s never been replicated in any other project across any other medium. But if you don’t have the time or energy to read all 48 prior issues (a deep and endlessly sharp shame on you), you can get the distillation of the entire series so far in this great cover from Leinil Yu and Romulo Fajardo Jr. Is it wholly badass? You better believe, as no one does dope moments like this than the armored space wizard/knight. Yet at the same time, there’s something sad about this cover — across the Pak-written run, it’s been clear how depressed and nihilistic the former Anakin has become. He almost welcomes whatever this drill might do, and that little sparkle made me even think he was using the Force to bring the bit even deeper into his helm. And speaking of helm, even as it covers his face, we can see just how emotionally complicated and resonant this take on Vader has been the whole time. It’s a semi-deceptive cover, but the rich, rich layers are right there. It’s just one of many, many reasons why this book has been so vital to fostering a real and nuanced Vader.

Jonny Quest #1

Variant cover by Tom Raney

Back in late June, we spoke with both Joe Casey and Sebastián Piriz about the all-new Jonny Quest comics series from Dynamite. Among some rather solid gems, the pair talked about balancing their own ideas and interpretations with the nostalgia that the series carries with it. Or, this idea of trying to be true to the original 1964 series, which is a very specific artifact, and to present that to an audience far removed from the series’ ideals and aesthetics. It’s that very process in mind that I chose this Tom Raney variant cover to issue #1. Because, on the surface, this feels like it could be a screengrab (if 1964 TVs could perform said function), and that makes me very aware of what this book and TV show have in common. At the same time, though, there’s something else here — an edge and/or a sense of foreboding perhaps — that makes me think something’s wrong or afoot beyond the usual “dangers” of the show. That, and the more stylized, rather dramatic take on Jonny and company, and I have a sense that this series wants to lean into that fear in a specific way (which makes sense given the premise about “going home again” is at the center of the book’s solicitations/roll-out). Maybe it’s just a lightning strike at sea, but this cover has me sure that things are about to get really real for these hyper-cheesy adventurers.