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 Catwoman #1
Variant cover by Sozomaika
Admittedly, the direction for Absolute Catwoman (i.e., “DC’s deadliest spy”) isn’t the most novel. Although given some of the other inspired (read: dark and bulky) directions of other titles, maybe simple is better. Especially the way co-writer Che Grayson described our new Selina Kyle as this badass Afro-Latina espionage machine who works in the shadows and makes James Bond look like a Boy Scout. It’s a vibe that’s expertly captured on this Sozomaika variant to issue #1. All Catwoman versions are beautiful, but this take has the kind of looks that are lethal if your whole shtick is basically tricking and/or luring people in. Meanwhile, the body suit may not be anything different (although the slightly beat up look is doing wonders), but that helmet continues to be this gut-shot for all the things that make this Catwoman special and new. (It really does feel like some weird helm you’d see in, like, Dr. No or something, and that swinging ’60s vibe is really effective.) Heck, even just her pose feels ripped out of that era of Bond, and Selina exudes a power, sensuality, and tinge of anger that’s going to make this spy story extra interesting. If her actual espionage work is 1/10th as good, Absolute Catwoman already has its claws deep within me.
Black Cat #11
Cover by Adam Hughes
From one cat-themed burglar/hero/whatever to another, there’s been a run of really great Black Cat covers as of late, and this one continues the streak as Felicia Hardy promises to go one-on-one with Frank Castle. I think this cover works on a few different levels. If we’re looking at it just from a technical standpoint, artist Adam Hughes does such a bang-up job (pun totally intended) with that gunfire; there’s something about the intensity and the way it almost crackles that I can almost hear it ring out myself. From there, we look at this as a really solid character study: Castle is all bravado and intensity, lashing out with force, and Hardy is the very picture of poised but pissed off, living up to her very nom de guerre. When do they finally clash in this issue, it should be packed with ideas and angles to really explore what makes the so different but also more comparable than you might imagine. And, finally, this cover is the ultimate litmus test of dog versus cat people. Which is to say, I think depending on who you think wins tells you who you are and where your allegiances lie. Meow, this ought to be a real ruff one, folks.
M.A.S.K. #1
Variant cover by Daniel Warren Johnson
I’ve seen a lot of ’80s cartoons (what you know about Poochie?), but M.A.S.K. was just never really one that resonated. Maybe it was the fact that it’s all mask-based, which seems a little odd and perhaps limiting. And, sure, the cars transformed or whatever, but so did every Transformer, and at least one of them was a boombox. That said, a story written by Dan Watters, with art by Pye Parr, and that’s also connected to the ongoing Energon Universe, is more than enough to finally get me to put on a damn M.A.S.K. It doesn’t hurt, of course, to kick things off with a Daniel Warren Johnson variant cover. In addition to drawing many things in their most badass iteration, DWJ draws the heck out of muscle cars. There’s something almost eyelash-esque about those, um, air things (no I won’t look it up), as if the car’s humanity/personality is manifested in the most clever way possible. From there, I really get that the gag is that this super robot car is eating fast food, and it may be a cheap-ish laugh, but it’s a good one. Mostly, though, it feels like the M.A.S.K. team are trying to be as approachable as possible, and to show us that everyone loves the franchise already. And that’s the biggest thing for me: In a world packed with solid comics crossovers from beloved cartoons, this one needs to be really real if it’ll work. Hey, if you share that shake, you can count me in the M.A.S.K. squad or whatever.
M1: Monster Racing League #1
Cover by Jae Lee and June Chung
Oh, hey, more sweet car-centric action from the fine folks at Image Comics/Skybound! (Man, there’s so much synergy in this edition it ought to get a regional manager’s job or something.) Whereas M.A.S.K. wasn’t my fave growing up, I already love this one because I assume it’s basically going to be like NASCAR meets Mutant League. And even if it’s not quite in that vein (god, please let it be!), it’s still Jae Lee drawing monsters and race cars, and if you needed more of an excuse to pick up a book, take a hard look at yourself because you sicken me. Still, based on the Lee-Jade Chung cover to issue #1, I definitely get the vibe of “Fancy Mutant League” or “Mutant League by way of Æon Flux.” It’s the small-but-potent touch of those “claws as shoulder pads”; the way the car itself is streamlined but also oddly creature-esque (like a mutant bumble bee or something); and, of course, the actual dragons/monsters, which rest at the ley lines of a few inspirations and/or traditions in a really interesting way. It’s way more subtle than Mutant League, but then it’s got to be — racing (F1 not NASCAR) is elegant, and this book meets that in a way while still flying its freaky little flag as this wonderfully cheesy monster book. Keep it up, Image/Skybound, and maybe I’ll actually care about cars one day.
Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre Presents: Godzilla’s The Odyssey #1
Cover by Tom Scioli
Look, if at any point I complained about or cracked wise about the 1,247 Godzilla books that have come out in the last few years, go ahead and ignore it because my heart has changed forever. Because now we live in a world where Godzilla shows up in The Odyssey, turning Odysseus’ journey home into a slice of giant mutant mayhem that feels like it’s one part Home Alone and one part Pacific Rim. (And that sentence alone has given me 100 years of life energy, FYI.) I’m having a hard time picking my favorite part: It’s either 1) this Godzilla who somehow thinks he’s being extra sneaky; 2) the birds that are less divinely omens and more like mutant versions of The Beatles circa 1965; 3) the overly jacked Zeus at that extra phallic-looking lightning bolt he’s other threatening or offering up; and 4) the fact that “Robin Hood meets Godzilla” is being preserved for the corner like it’s also not equally brain-melting. If I had to choose, my pick is No. 1; there’s something about this Godzilla that’s scary and dumb, and that kind of insight feels exactly why IDW are releasing all of these books in the first place. Hey, what’s next after this, “Godzilla in the Epic of Gilgamesh“? Please?!
Skate Ali #1
Variant cover by Emma Ríos
If monster racing or giant-lizard themed literature ain’t your bag, there’s always Skate Ali. Again, it’s a case of mostly novel premise — a young girl plays would-be revolutionary in a near-future L.A. where skateboarding is illegal — that’s made heaps more compelling thanks to its inspired creators. In the case of this book, co-writers Sam Humphries and Kelly Sue DeConnick spent so much time exploring the emotional and intellectual beats of this story, positioning it as this really powerful coming-of-age story that just so happens to involve skating. I think that’s why this Emma Ríos variant cover speaks to me so much. (Ríos’ connection to the story as seen here makes sense as she and DeConnick made the badass Pretty Deadly together.) I can’t tell if this is a solid trick caught in mid-move, or if our young hero has instead opted to bail. And that inability to discern isn’t just interesting, but it feels thematically significant. It’s also my hope that Ríos has nailed some aspect of the world at large because this semi-futuristic Goth architecture cityscape is once more interesting and would only further set Skate Ali apart. It’s a moment that perfectly captures the excitement, chaos, and uncertainty of youth, and how wherever and whenever you are, it’s just a leap you have to take to really live. That, and the angle is the absolute best kind of disorienting, and brings me right back to this weird but wonderful moment in time. I give this cover a score of “900.”
Avengers: Armageddon #1
Variant cover by Kaare Andrews
I get that some/all of us give Rob Liefeld heaps of crap for his lackadaisical approach to humanity anatomy. And, sure, it’s comics, and we should let artists take certain liberties (even as Liefeld’s liberties would fill up a stadium). So, if you’re going to have fun with the way you depict folks (both super and not), I think this Kaare Andrews variant to Avengers: Armageddon #1 is a damn good place to start. There’s a certain heft and durability to the neck of Mr. Fantastic, which makes his most ridiculous powers seem more possible. I’d say Captain Marvel leans into some certain stereotypes about the depiction of female heroes, but it’s tempered just enough not to feel like some overblown joke. Meanwhile, I like this particular look for The Thing; it’s not groundbreaking, per se, but it definitely fosters his impressive physical prowess in a way that feels more apparent than other depictions. And, of course, we’ve got to talk about Wolverine: While his claws are sometimes seen as being totally straight, the extra curved thing really does a lot to not only feel more physically possible. Plus, they ultimately signal the true value of this piece in representing Armageddon: In a story that’s meant to be about transformation and a “super-powered cataclysm,” it’s important we start this whole affair really understanding our heroes in the most deliberate and obvious of ways. Claw power!
Bleeding Hearts #5
Cover by Stipan Morian
Zombies are inherently messy. I mean, if you were dead and only interested in eating brains, you’d let so much order and structure in your life just fall to the wayside. And yet there’s something so damn organized and efficient to this cover of Bleeding Hearts #5. Yes, series/cover artist Stipan Morian has spent the last four issues drawing some of the most chaotic and aggressive zombies and zombie kills we’ve seen in some time. And yet staring at our friend here running from the horde, I just can’t get over the unwavering precision of it all. It’s poking me right in the brain, drawing me in and screaming about how every inch of this cover is wrong and yet it’s so wonderfully pleasing to the old eye socket. Is there a reason for it, perhaps beyond that Morian is just a damn fine artist? If I had to hazard a guess, it might be that he wants us to feel that unease. That as this book grows more emotionally explosive, we need to hold on to some order to keep from going insane, even when we know that everything around us in this book is breaking down in the best ways possible. Similarly, I might guess that it’s a commentary on the book itself, and how it takes the zombie genre and adds new depth and volume to get us to reconsider its value like never before. Either way, there’s a straight line from this book to my still-beating heart.
Bad Thoughts #1
Cover by Dave Wachter
If one thing has become clear to me as of late, it’s not what the story is about that often matters — it’s how it gets told. Take, for instance, the cover to Bad Thoughts #1. Here, we meet mercenary Jack Coates, who “can look inside your mind and see every awful thing you’ve ever thought or done.” Jack then uses that rather “pedestrian” bit of telepathy across his various dealings as a private security operative. Yes, the whole military angle is novel enough, but telepathy is still telepathy, and Bad Thoughts will live and die because of other tweaks and decisions made by series/cover artist Dave Wachter. For one, Jack’s “ability” looks like a flair or even white phosphorus, which isn’t just thematically appropriate, but feels like a commentary on the nature of jack’s ability and the inherently destructive nature of such power. Similarly, his red face isn’t just another solid touch (flairs have to burn, yo), but it speaks even further to the all-consuming tendencies and even likely self-destructive capabilities of Jack’s ability. I also quite like that, intended or otherwise, Jack’s squad mates don’t seem to know or ‘t care about his power or its intended side effects (and perhaps are only concerned with its mission applications). This cover tells me that Bad Thoughts may be familiar enough, but there’s enough flourishes and other tidbits to push it just enough and make it really work for this specific story. No need to read my thoughts when the cover is this dang effective.
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