Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that covers are everywhere. Often they're not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but they're always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. If you look for them, I've got a sneaking suspicion covers actually are all around.
Uncanny X-Force #11
Cover by Esad Ribic
Ribic's classical figures truly lend themselves to dramatic lighting and this is a perfect example. We're in the thick of the action. I love Nightcrawler's pose there, concealed in shadow, back to the viewer. If there's any real flaw it's that Magneto doesn't appear in this issue even fleetingly [EDIT: Fine, fleetingly, but not in costume!].
Jonah Hex #68
Cover by Raffa Garres
This is just a classic Hex composition. All kinds of great perspective work without being distractingly complicated and geometric. The asymmetry is vital. Everything points to our favorite anti-hero. Just a humdinger of a cover.
The Lone Ranger: The Death of Zorro #4
Cover by Francesco Francavilla
This is a really tricky maneuver to pull off, but I think Francavilla slipped the horseshoe 'round the stud. He took two great character profiles and with a little selective erasure, offered up a really inventive composition. The pale lavender is an inspired background color, setting a subdued tone of…is it sadness? It feels a little somber to me.
Criminal: The Last of the Innocent #1
Cover by Sean Phillips
Saving the best for last. Nothing exudes more class than a Criminal cover. It could be about this sultry femme dancing in what could be moonlight or a dimly lit nightclub. But closer examination, and we're introduced to the man watching her at center. Whatever he is, it isn't happy. It's moody. It's cool. It's elegant. It's Criminally good.
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I like that Criminal cover, too. I didn’t really see anything else at the shop that caught my eye. Kind of a weak week for covers.
Love Actually? Beautiful work by Phillips and Ribic.
The Jonah Hex cover is classic!
I love all of these choices. Criminal and Zoro are both soooooo very well done. I think that Uncanny X Force is a beautiful images but the cover as a whole was slightly ruined by that default “Dark Angel Saga” banner that was just slapped on there. White on Black text banner is so default and just smushes the space, and the Art Deco font choice is very out of place.
Love the intro. As for the covers can’t go past Criminal.
Really like that Lone Ranger cover. Very clever.
Not to be picky, Paul, but I think that’s Magneto in the wheelchair on the last page.
Lone Ranger/Zorro cover is fantastic.
I almost bought Lone Ranger just for that cover. Francavilla just keeps getting better and better.
It was nice to see an Uncanny X-Force cover get some love. Ribic has some serious style! My favorite that I got was Moon Knight, but the Criminal cover is probably the nicest.
Both Hellboy covers for The Fury #1 were fantastic this week.
Francovilla’s cover for Hellboy was the best cover of the week. Criminal a close 2nd.
@MisterShaw –forgot about that one. I very much second that notion!
That Zorro cover really caught my eye last night while I was shelving this weeks books. I’ve heard some good about the series too.
My only complaint with the Criminal cover is the giant ass red title box. That art is so good, the rest of it needs to be shown.
@MisterShaw I agree about that Hellboy cover. It was fan-friggin-tastic.
what no love for moon knight?
@jmack You can’t love a crazy person. It’ll never work.
No love for Thunderbolts?
A great representation of the Thunderbolts struggling on a small Raft. Mirroring on what’s happening in the issue. Great work by Kev Walker.
I could be wrong, because I haven’t read all of AoA, but wasn’t that Magneto (fleetingly) with Jean in the last panel? And if that’s not Magneto, who is it?
@LucasEwalt You’re probably right. Filthy mutants.
Ribic needs to do more work. Anything he touches I love. Anyone who never read Sub-Mariner: The Depths should, such great artwork.
I loved the cover of “Heroes For Hire.” It has Spider-Man in a balletic pose as though fighing crime is an art.