Judging by the Cover – 11/19/25 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.

DC / Marvel: Batman / Deadpool #1

Variant cover by Bill Sienkiewicz

In September, Marvel gave us Deadpool / Batman #1, which kicked off their latest DC “collaboration” with an issue that was, if nothing else, P fun. Now, it’s DC’s time to add to the story, and there’s likely going to be some tonal shifts and general tweaks considering who is leading the charge this time. But won’t change are the bomb-dot-com variant covers, and this time around that includes this epic Bill Sienkiewicz piece. No one can out-rage the Bat, but Deadpool does a solid job of matching the overall intensity and general ferocity. I also love that we get a reference to that one scene in Deadpool & Wolverine; it’s a nice touch without ruining a rather direct and important moment between these two. And, finally, the chaotic tone of the art does a lot to make me think this chapter can get down and dirty in a way we all want to see. Sure, that first issue had its downsides, but if this cover is a hint at what’s to come, maybe a little momentum is all they need to really go claws out.

Nova: Centurion #1

Cover by Frank Miller

I’ve made no attempt to hide that I adore Frank Miller’s recent “resurgence” across a series of Marvel variant covers. Is this the same man that changed the comic book industry in the ’70s and ’80s? God no. But is he still doing weird and interesting things you should take note of regardless? Heck yes. His own variant for Nova: Centurion #1 feels like it speaks volumes about this new series. The series description reads like a great ’80s action flick, and it’s nice to see Richard Rider look more jacked than Sly Stallone circa 1986. And speaking of the description, there’s references to the Xandarian Worldmind needing regular energy infusions — does anyone else think those energy bands could also be chains holding Rider to a fate he can’t escape (for various moral and logistical concerns)? Heck, even just flipping him sideways feels like Miller thumbing his nose at us in the best way possible. Say what you will about the man, but he’s still killing it on a level that few others can achieve.

Spawn: The Dark Ages #1

Variant cover by Ryan Brown

If you thought the Batman/Deadpool cover was packed with visual testosterone, just peep this Spawn: The Dark Ages variant by Ryan Brown. It feels like the best kind of homage to Frank Frazetta — which is to say, something that pays homage to that artist’s foundational work but perpetuates something else entirely still. So, for instance, the piece achieves that Frazetta-esque level of brutality and regality, but there’s also “dude getting a sword through his head” that lends just the right amount of humor and/or absurdity. I also feel like a whole story is being told here; yes, it’s a story of a bunch of dudes being killed, but you get more of a robust connection to an overarching narrative and not the sense that this is just random violence. Add in some other tidbits — the way the shield splinters, that oddly hopeful hue of the sky — and this feels like the perfect piece to set the tone for an all-new era of Dark Ages. Yay verily!

Final Boss #1

Cover by Tyler Kirkham

If you’d like your violence a little more modern, let’s hit up the ’80s, baby! At least that’s the era I think of when I consider Final Boss, a new series from writer-artist Tyler Kirkham that’s meant as a “high-octane nod to classic action stories.” I instantly get a mix of Streets of Rage and Over the Top, and even if that doesn’t make a lick of sense to you, just know that I meant it as the highest compliment possible. I love the superhero-esque spin of our hero (sort of like Vega meets early Daredevil, and it works); the ’80s influence that’s measured just enough to not overpower the book and its storytelling potential; and, of course, the way Kirkham draws blood is so magical — you can practically feel it glob onto the page and it both sets my teeth on edge and reminds me of why these over-the-top tales have so much dang power. This cover tells me that Kirkham is going to give us a proper action story, one with as much blood and intensity as there will be an earnest attention to detail. Really, though, Kirkham should draw blood for every dang book.

The Twilight Zone #2

Cover by Tom Scioli

A couple years ago, Tom Scioli completed something of a dream project with Jack Kirby’s Starr Warriors: The Adventures Of Adam Starr and the Solar Legion. With said one-shot, the artist got to “team up” with Jack Kirby by reworking/remixing the legend’s very first Space Epic series. So, why should you care? Well, it’s Kirby, duh, but also Scioli proved that he knows old-school, space-centric sci-fi like few others, and he gets to do it all again in the second issue of the new Twilight Zone series. Whether you like the big, bulky space suits (it’s like they all have abs!); the creepiness inherent with what appears to be transforming smoke aliens; and/or just the ’60s-forward vibes that permeate the piece in general, Scioli understands this era and the unique blend of ideas, aesthetics, and narrative might it represents. That, and it’s just uneven and odd enough to add something new to this “era” of important sci-fi. This one’s far out — very, very far out.

Hello Darkness #16

Cover by Rebeca Puebla

The appeal of this issue of Hello Darkness should be that R.L. Stine is on board. (If you don’t love The Beast from the East, you can eat a bowl of gravel and wash it down with motor oil.) But for me, the true magic of this issue is the main cover from Rebeca Puebla. (I mean, duh.) Admittedly, this “snapshot of Americana but perverted” has been done to (brain) death, but there’s something still interesting here regardless. It’s the slightly off or “peculiar” angle to the skull cap removal, and how it adds a touch of the uncomfortable to the already horrific. That even though the family’s eating brains, the pumpkins still ground them in a less cannibalistic framework, and that feels thematically significant with what this piece is trying to tell us. Even just the sheer technicality and Norman Rockewell-esque warmth are huge here; it’s not gore for the sake of it, but something further telling and revealing. Blood and guts are great, but it’s even better when there’s layers to cut into like a Sunday dinner roast.

Justice League Red #4

Cover by Clayton Henry

There’s heaps of reasons to like Justice League Red. There’s the mysterious storyline, where Red Tornado is acting clandestinely to avoid Earth being remade as Apokolips 2.0. There’s also the team lineup; you got to love a couple of Lanterns alongside Cyborg and Power Girl. But the best reason is right here on this Clayton Henry cover to issue #4: Deadman! I mean, that’s really it; I’m such a huge Dead-Head (not that kind…) that I’d love this book even if it didn’t have anything else going for it. This cover is, to me at least, exactly why having Deadman on the roster is so cool: Layered ghost magic. Yes, visually speaking, having Boston Brand move through people is always going to be cool. (Henry does an exceptional job, and you can see/feel Deadman’s presence even where he’s, um, phased through his teammates.) But that’s also a nice analogy for where Mr. Brand stands on the team as well as bigger ideas about teamwork, trust, transparency, etc. Come for the cool art, stay for the layered storytelling. Oh, and also stay for Deadman!

Punisher: Red Band #3

Variant cover by Philip Tan

It may not always be the most obvious and/or popular pairing, but Frank Castle and Wilson Fisk are inextricably linked. So be it a “fateful afternoon in the park to the furthest corners of the Marvel Universe in Weirdworld,” the duo know each other’s stories, strengths/weaknesses, tendencies, etc. like few others, and so it’s natural that this early into his tenure with everyone’s favorite murderous sociopath, Benjamin Perry and company would bust out Kingsher/Pungpin. What’s that got to do with Philip Tan’s neat-o variant cover to issue #3? Well, it shows the pair in their “natural habitat”: Fisk as this giant, snarling force who practically dictates gravity with ever story he appears in, and Castle as this blood-soaked force of nature that cannot be stopped. There’s also an ’80s-esque sheen to their designs, and that’s got to speak to the length and overall intensity of their back-and-forth. It also, just a little bit, feels like Wilson obsessing over a Castle doll he had 3D printed, and that only makes me more excited for round 1,873 of their personal beef. Boom!

Lost Fantasy #5

Variant covers by Alex Diotto (L) and Maxi Dallo (R)

Is it cheating to pick two covers? I mean, sure; so many other times I’ve had to settle after making an agonizing choice. But then I realized I’m the game warden of this here comics savanna, and I can occasionally break my own self-induced rules to have some fun. And fun is exactly what I’m having with these two video game covers, with Alex Diotto repping Final Fantasy X with true grace and prowess while new series artist Maxi Dallo pays fittingly epic homage to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild  Is there a reason why they’d reference both? I mean, aside from the fact they’re cool and culturally significant, sure. Lost Fantasy has, in just four issues, done a lot to both honor fantasy storytelling as much as its upended the genre with new ideas/inspirations and this vaguely meta awareness. And who else did those very two things? That’s right, FFX and BoTW! Does that mean the comic is on par with this legendary games? Maybe not. But it does earn credits for swinging for the very same fences, and for doing something novel, exciting, and reinvigorating for fantasy. You can’t be great unless you go for the gusto, and even some “fun” variants speak volumes about this story’s long-term future.