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.
Absolute Wonder Woman 2026 Annual #1
Cover by Mattia De Lulis
You may remember that, early on enough in Absolute Wonder Woman, Diana had to “become” Medusa in order to save Gateway City. But what could have easily been a rather cool, semi-throwaway moment or story device didn’t, and Diana has been irredeemably changed by her experiences. She, quite literally, is grappling with that moment and its implications for herself as both a person and a hero in this strange, new world. And the cover (much like this whole storyline) could have gone one way and been good enough, but there’s some key elements that make this piece truly epic. The design of Medusa, for instance, feels perfectly balanced between monster and person, and that feels thematically significant. There’s also lots of personality to the snakes (some seem aggressive, other seems derpy), and that speaks to the nuance and texture of this storyline. And, last but totally not least, Medusa seems poised to consume Diana at her most proud and combative, and that just gets at how huge this moment is for her larger development. I wouldn’t expect otherwise from this book, but what a damn fine way to use every bit of this snake meat.
Cyclops #1
Variant cover by Edwin Galmon
Now, I won’t go as far as to say my recent chat with writer Alex Paknadel made me a total Cyclops convert. No, there’s just too much history and context leaping about my brain pan to ever truly disconnect me from that final iota of disdain for the awkward boy scout. But as we sit at the eve of his new solo title, I certainly feel a different way about Scott Summers, and I think it’s best encapsulated with this Edwin Galmon variant cover. Because it’s easy to hold onto one idea of Cyclops (see hokey boy next door with issues galore), but as we quickly see here, Scott’s worn a lot of hats (er, visors) over the years. He’s done and been through so much, and to see it all presented here in such a tight, efficient package, you really feel the character’s pain and evolution all at once. Not only that, but with his connection to his powers seemingly at the center of this new story, you really feel what this struggle has been like for him, and how power and control are two central themes in his long, winding life. Maybe this story won’t make any more Cyclops devotees, but at least this cover manages to contextualize him in such a way that we can all see more of our own journey for balance reflected in Scott’s life. And that’s so much more rewarding than merely adoring some character.
Bleeding Hearts #1
Cover by Stipan Morian
There’s lots of reasons to be super jacked about Bleeding Hearts. For one, it’s a reunion between 20th Century Men collaborators Deniz Camp and Stipan Morian. It’s also the opening salvo in the resurrection of the mighty and beloved Vertigo line. And, lastly, it’s a story about zombies (and a world after the fall, which seems heaps more relatable these days). But mostly the reason I’m stoked to the max is the actual artistic work of Morian, which we get a neat-o snapshot of across issue #1’s main cover. I’m assuming our “star” is a member of the undead; if that’s the case, the balance of the grotesque and gothic and charming is something I hope defines this book’s aesthetic. Even folks that I assume aren’t zombies look, um, interesting, and that oddly non-human charge does a lot to comment on how this book separates the dead from the living. And there’s other stuff, too, like the way nature has reclaimed the world, or that cute-but-creepy lil’ fella in the corner (and is he like the Robin of zombie killers?) It’s all a damn fine start to what’ll be a mighty new era for Vertigo and another grand chapter in the Camp-Morian collaboration. One question though: Does he have to water that flower at all?
Star Wars: Jar Jar #1
Cover by Taurin Clarke
It’s not very often that a character actually gets to write their own story. OK, actor Ahmed Best isn’t technically Jar Jar (just his voice and mo-cap), but if he’s still repping the character after literal decades of hate from huge swathes of the fandom, I’ll ignore that technicality. Now the question begs: Why are they telling a Jar Jar-starring story in the first place? Is it just a ploy to give a spotlight to Kelleran Beq? Is this a response to the success of Andor — like for every great Star Wars story, we have to talk about Jar Jar or introduce another adorable character who may either die or simply become a merchandising juggernaut? Either way, it’s given us a rather interesting cover from Taurin Clarke. No slouch by any means, I’d say Clarke had a slightly unenviable task in trying to make Jar Jar look cool (when everything is working against just such an achievement). Still, Clarke did it, making Jar Jar seem both deep and almost poised without disconnecting him from his past and our strong connotations of him as the galaxy’s goofiest goober. It’s my hope the story can do the same, and show most of us that Jar Jar has true potential. And, like, so we don’t have to read novels and other “background” works to actually know the truth.
Tortured Hearts #1
Variant cover by Tom Fowler
I love my wife because she can be a terrible person. Not that she is evil or anything (she likes disco balls and can talk to anyone like an old friend) — it’s that when she wants to, she can engage the darkness like few others I’ve ever met. And part of that is maybe I’m the same way, and we share in this magic of stoking a flame we’ve both held since before we met but can now use to power our life and romance together. Which leads me to my bigger point regarding Tortured Hearts #1 (and this Tom Fowler variant cover). In a book that’s all about horror-centric romance stories (“Love is pain…and we mean it literally!”), this cover feels extra significant. Yeah, it’s gross and uncomfortable to stare at for too long, and it might make you run away screaming from your next romantic entanglement. But for someone with my specific coupling, it tells you that all of us can find someone to build a life with. Maybe that life might one day involve wholesale murder/slaughter, but it’s easy to do lots of things in this life if you’re riding the wings of love. It’s a cover that reminds us that love is weird and bloody, and those of us that flourish embrace the light and dark alike. It may not be romantic, but that’s what romance is, folks.
Barbarian Behind Bars #1
Cover by Francesco Tomaselli
I love me a good fish out of water story — Crocodile Dundee, Short Circuit 2, etc. There’s heaps of humor in folks being lost in translation, and I think we can also understand the shock and horror of being out of your very element. Barbarian Behind Bars takes the concept to its extreme, as a barbarian drops out of some fantasy world/story, executes a wizard, and now his public defender has to sort it all out. It’s a FOOW story (that’s fish out of water, again, in case acronyms ain’t your thing) that’s only familiar enough, and so cover artist Francesco Tomaselli really leans into that. There’s no awkwardness for the sake of humor; our barbarian friend is ready to keep right on chopping away. He’s also had a real impact on those cabs, and I’d like to think that’s a kind of shorthand for the fact that they’re further doubling down on this story being about real cultural misunderstandings and not just something done for the cheap LOLZ. And the setting of Times Square also makes a huge difference; NYC is the center of the universe, after all, and I can’t think of a better place to highlight and de-centralize parts of this “trope” to make for an even better story. (Plus, NYC is the home of all the best FOOW flicks.) This one could be gem of the “genre,” and let’s just hope there’s as much axe swinging as awkward conversations.
D.C. KO #4
Variant cover by Mike Del Mundo
Browsing the internet recently, it seemed as if folks were of two minds about the recent “twist reveal” from D.C. KO. Some folks loved that the Absolute universe was brought into the mainline DCU; it was inevitable (either for creative or financial reasons), and it made the universe feel significant. Meanwhile, some folks hated the move, and wished that what made Absolute feel new and special would be maintained in its own little comics “corner.” Well, if you weren’t sold before, I think this Mike Del Mundo variant cover to D.C. KO #4 just might do the job. Because I think we get to see what makes them special: Not only that they’re clearly new and different (god, they’re all so bulky and gothic at the same darn time), but that they’ve each already established a certain iconography that will be essential in maintaining what’s worked already for Absolute. From there, they’re entering into a kind of tunnel (that may or may not, and purposefully or unintentionally, feel like an entry into the afterlife) that perfectly respects the sanctity and significance of their “transition.” There’s far more hokey versions of this cover in an alternate universe, but this one has me at least cautiously excited for what’s about to come.
Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1
Variant cover by Baldemar Rivas
Across his long and sordid history, Moon Knight’s “unique status” has been captured in ways both brilliant and absurd. Which is to say, some folks have used his multiple, overlapping personalities and dissociative identity disorder to explore the character in thoughtful, intriguing ways, and others have used those same “devices” in ways that are a bit more unseemly and/or downright dumb. I’d certainly put this Baldemar Rivas variant cover for Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1 in the former category. Spector’s whole “situation” can feel a little overwhelming, as if his struggle for stasis in balancing his many personalities is akin to being physically torn apart. Yet amid all of that chaos and uncertainty, Spector knows exactly who he is at his core: a hero. Maybe not always the one he’d like to be, or in a way that always seems to make the most sense (or even prove the most consistent, for that matter). But whoever is in “control” at any given moment, he’s going to do what he can to preserve the life of as many “travelers” as humanly possible. That devotion is a guiding light, and the more we dissect and reassemble Spector, the more we see the real man with increasing depth and clarity.
Good Bones and Other Sordid Tales #1
Variant cover by Liana Kangas
Just so you know: Good Bones and Other Sordid Tales #1 is mostly a collection of “familiar stories” from Hello Darkness. It does, however, contain one new horrific goodie, as Steve Orlando and Dillon Snook share “Good Bones,” a story where a “house of forbidden love harbors a grudge that’s every bit as strong.” Oh wait, there’s one more goodie that you may have ignored outright — this totally excellent variant/incentive cover from Liana Kangas. And not only is it quite pretty, I’d argue that it’s the best fit for this sampler platter as it defines what I like most about Hello Darkness. It looks like this could be from the most terrifying and endearing romance story ever, and that use/perversion of genre storytelling is a big part of the anthology’s success. From there, we get varying types of horror, be it psychological (the melting clock); body horror (the hand, duh), and even the comical (what’s the deal with that foot?) And if none of that works for you (somehow), Kangas draws a damn good tree, and that skill/commitment should clue you in that these creators take these “mini-tales” doubly seriously. Whatever dark joy you want to take away from this one, Hello Darkness continues to deliver in some truly significant ways.
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