Swords! Color! Action! Swirling blizzards! Impending doom! Hot puppet-on-poultry action! All that and more in the top covers of the week!
Cowboy Ninja Viking #4
Cover by Riley Rossmo
I'll be honest. The sweet, summery color palette used on this cover felt like a tropical oasis for this snow-weary Philadelphian. It's like a righteous pouch of Capri Sun. In a world of static pinups, I relish those instances when the artist actually breaks the frame. The diagonal momentum of the characters, the canted angle of the oversized title logo, and Rossmo's impressionist style all screams aggressive action. Rossmo can get a little messy, and sometimes that can detract from the storytelling. But here, it just sings. Love that murky, watery splash of black ink. It's like the main character is leaping off a page of brushed Asian calligraphy. And, damn, do I love that little three-headed icon down the bottom.
Fantastic Four #576
Cover by Alan Davis
I gravitated to this one because of the starkness. Alan Davis offers a simple story beat: The Fantastic Four go somewhere cold. Is it Antarctica? Is it another planet? Did their tauntauns freeze before reaching the first marker? The image hints at the story inside, but more importantly it leaves you curious to find out more. You also get a nice visual joke with Johnny using his flame powers to keep himself warm. I also thought this would be the perfect opportunity to comment on that terrific logo. It incorporates the main characters' faces so the artist can feel free to do more oblique compositions like this one. I also really dig these unattributed quotes Hickman's been placing up top. "Tell Me, Who Speaks For Man?" Always mysterious, sometimes a little ominous. Again, it leaves you curious about the story inside.
Scalped #35
Cover by Jock
I read Scalped in trade, and that becomes more and more difficult each passing month. Each and every issue seems to arrive with a staggeringly gorgeous cover from Jock. Everything about this particular composition feels so doggedly right. The logo is placed perfectly. Even without much context, we know that the skeletons must be that same pair who appear up top. The hat says it all. Like a lot of this series' covers, it evokes a total sense of doom. Even despair. By taking up something like four fifths of the image, the murky skeleton section transcends memento mori status and ends up totally overwhelming the visual. Death isn't just lurking; it's comin' to get ya.
Muppet King Arthur #2
Cover by David Petersen
When it comes to star-crossed lovers, Lancelot and Guinevere have nothing on Gonzo and Camilla. If a Weirdo canoodling with a chicken is wrong, who wants to be right? I was thrilled when I heard Mouse Guard's David Petersen would be moonlighting as cover artist for a new line of Muppet comics over at Boom Kids!. He's up there with Skottie Young in the top ranks of modern comic fantasists. Few artists capture the textures of the natural world with such precision and whimsy. Petersen reminds me of some of my favorite draftsmen from the Golden Age of Illustration, greats like Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, and N.C. Wyeth. There's something so rich about the line-work and detailing. I love the desaturated hue of the roses. Really feels as if this could've been ripped from an ancient illuminated manuscript of Jim Henson's Le Morte d'Arthur.
Alright, those are my picks, but dozens of other comics hit the racks this week. Let us know what tickled your collective fancy.
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That Muppet cover is stellar. I would never have seen it if it wasn’t on this list. Nice work.
I really like the cover on Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho Hill #4. Very simply, yet expressive.
Love the FF cover. Brilliant in its simplicity.
FF was my favorite cover of the week but then I felt it was a bit of a down week for covers.
Flash Rebirth.
All great covers! I liked the Streets of Gotham cover this week as well.
nice choices Paul. All a refreshing the departure from the pinups and boatloads of run of the mill covers that come out every week. And that Muppet cover IS pretty pimp. And a little unsettling.
I’ll second Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho #4. I don’t read it, but I noticed it when I was making my pull list and fully expected it to make this list. Gorgeous.
I did take notice of that great Jae Lee cover for Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho. Really clean, great color, bold image. He’s been doing some consistently strong work on those books. I think I just had more to say about my top 4.
I thought Viking’s cover blew everything else away.
And I mean Viking, the Ivan Brandon/Nic Klein series.
Scalped was my favorite this week. I think this is the first time you guys picked a cover that I did.
Loved FF but surprised Northlanders didn’t make the list. Thought that was the best of the week.
Ben Grimm can survive in space in just his trunks. Why is he wearing a parka?
@MikeFarley – Peer pressure.
I did not like the cover to ASM this week. Bianchi is just…ugh.
How can you go wrong with that Muppet cover? All prose prints of the King Arthur legend should have that as a cover. Also, I love that Fantastic Four cover.
In my pile: I have a feeling that the Captain Swing issue I got was a variant. But it has Swing attacking a cop on his electric boat. None of that makes sense until you see it.
Others: Amazing Spider-Man #622 (That’s the Bianchi I wanna see. Not what we’ve got in Astonishing X-Men or….giving guys creepy nipples.) JSA #36 (Love that striking image with the heroes, the blood, and the….symbols. Envokes a golden age style cover.) The Walking Dead (Always giving us amazing covers every month.) The Web #6 (I’m sorry I just love that costume, and Stanley Lau really makes it stand out.)
Worst Cover: Teen Titans #80 (Giving us an old school feeling…..for horrible reasons.)
Best Trade Cover: Luke Cage Noir HC (Cause sometimes…..you just gotta flex them muscles.)
That FF cover is gorgeous.
I want that muppet cover as a poster, to hang on my wall. I don’t care if girls will ask questions or look at me weird, it’s that awesome.
Green Arrow #30 cover was great. Blackest Night has allowed for a nice way to have a reversed version of the classic Neal Adam’s Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76.
I was so tired of waiting on Flash REbirth tht I couldnt bring myself to enjoy the cover.
I had no such problems enjoying the book itself, but I thought the (ensemble) cover was kinda clumsy.
Can we all agree the worst cover is New Avengers? 😉