We Pledge Allegiance to Paolo Rivera’s Stunning CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 Cover

You won’t want to shield your eyes from this stunning Paolo Rivera art deco cover for Captain America #1. Courtesy of Rick Remender’s blog, this variant cover will adorn the series’ first issue due out on November 24th. At which time it will immediately sky rocket to the upper echelon of our Best Covers of the Year list.

Here’s the thing about Paolo Rivera. He’s not just a chameleon. He’s the kind of chameleon who capably shifts from red to white to blue, and in the end you’d swear those were his original colors. There was a time when we’d look at one of his amazing covers, unable to guess its origin. Once informed, we’d absolutely believe it. These days, we see something with this level of craft and you know it’s got to be a Rivera.

Comments

  1. Love the cover! Reminds me of old-school propaganda posters.

    • This style is reminiscent to the propagandistic “socialist realism” posters that Soviet artists used to produce. Rivera is using the style to make an ironic comment on that style of art.

  2. We need an issue where Captain America fights censorship and Rivera!

  3. I’m not American and I usually roll my eyes at your patriotism (hey being a Quebeccer entices me to that! ;P) but it’s a damn good cover and a great use of symbolism!

    We often say that an image is worth a thousand words, well this is the proof. This IS Captain America!

  4. Avatar photo DDangelico (@DavidDangelico) says:

    Wow–I never buy variants, but this may get me.

  5. Awesome cover. I’m actually tempted to get this variant.

  6. Not for nothin’, he might have trouble getting through airport security, if that embarrassing incident with Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap is any precedent.

  7. Aaaaaand the only Hastings in Georgia closed….unless this isn’t exclusive to Hastings, which would be great.

    • The only comic shop in my town reeks of smokers and back issues, so I typically get my books at Hastings. They usually have quite a few of the variants – probably 20 of the Deadpool #1s today – so I can grab a copy and mail it to you if you want.

      Heads up though – they usually charge more than cover price – the Uncanny Avengers #1 I got was $5.99. Just let me know.

  8. Love it.

  9. This is fantastic!

  10. Incredible work, as always, by Paolo Rivera!

    ‘Graft’?! Wow, haven’t seen that word in years. That’s not a term you hear much of anymore.

  11. Why does he have a boner?

  12. Wow, that is awesome. Paolo Rivera is too good.

    Side point. Has anyone noticed that in all of the new Marvel Now stuff, Cap wears a helmet like Chris Evans did in the movie, as opposed to his traditional hooded mask? I am not a fan of this. I get that they want everything to be like the movies. But the helmet was the one mistake they made in the Captain America movie. It just looked silly, and looks silly in most of the books I’ve seen it in. Rivera is able to pull it off, because he’s awesome. But overall, I’m not really loving this change.

    • I agree on the look of the movie-inspired costume. When they adapt these costumes to real life they need to add some texture and detail so they look less silly. But then they feel they need to put that detail back into the comic books where it isn’t needed. This Cap costume isn’t as bad but is approaching some of DC’s New 52 designs with the excessive rendering. Simplicity works in drawings.

    • The Ultimate Cap was the first to wear a helmet. I think it makes sense for protection. After all, Captain America is not invulnerable. In the future, I suspect that artists may switch between the mask and helmet.

  13. DOES anyone know what Hastings is?is it the coloring company(like comicraft or HiFi)?

  14. This is a great cover but I kinda wish the bullets weren’t there. Obviously they work for the theme of the image but they look a bit silly to me.

  15. Oh my word, that is simply stunning. Poster please!