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 July 7th, 2025.
Avengers #28
Variant by Wes Craig
These Retrovision covers were bound to attract this particular column: a group of compelling artists finding unique ways to honor the old-school aesthetics of classic comics. We’re also frequently singing the praises of artist Wes Craig, who was a perfect inclusion in the Retrovision lineup — his artwork already has some of that blocky, Kirby-fed style (however loose and indie it feels).
Birds of Prey #23
Cover by Annie Wu
The colors on this Annie Wu piece are eye-popping and incredible: all that pastel contrasting with the black void of Canary’s foe. Birds of Prey has had an incredibly stylized and off-the-wall palette for its two year run so far, and remains one of the most visually interesting books from the Big Two.
Captain America #1
Variant by Chip Zdarsky
Zdarsky’s going simple and bold with his variants on the new Captain America, and we’re here for it. I love the simplicity of swapping blue for black to make a striking image, reducing the man to the most basic color shapes to accentuate the iconography of the suit.
GI Joe: A Real American Hero #318
Variant by Francis Portela
Negative space cover with the the biggest possible negative: just a big, white swatch of nothing. Storm Shadow has always had one of the most striking of GI Joe costumes, the exact contrast of Snake Eyes’s (or Baroness’s) full black. I love it.
Gotham City Sirens: Unfit for Orbit #1
Variant by Helen Mask
I’d be foolish not to include at least one of Helen Mask’s upcoming framed portraits (at least the next two issues feature one). A perfect ‘high-art in the low-art’ conversation piece.
JSA #9
Variant by Jorge Corona
This cover manages to give Fate a great deal of energy for a relatively static pose — you feel the eldritch blast coming. Very bold line work, and my oh my is that helmet shiny.
Vampiress Carmilla #28
Cover by Sanjulián
There’s something timeless to a painted pulp cover — this could have been produced at any time in the last 60 years and you’d never guess. It’s classic. What’s more, it’s haunting: I love that you can see the manor through our central figure. She’s not fully there, and that’s creepy.
X-Men: Hellfire Vigil #1
Cover by Luciano Vecchio
Even Hellfire in mourning is all about high fashion. You gotta look good for a Hellfire meet-up, no matter how tragic. Presumably, this means that Jumbo Carnation had a very busy few weeks.
You must be logged in to post a comment.