Covers. Ya know?
Fury MAX #12
Cover by Dave Johnson
Decadence, thy name is ‘merrica. There’s sort of a lot going on here, what with the flag doubling, no tripling, as a napkin and a weed. The implications come through loud and clear though.
Adventures of Superman #1
Cover by Bryan Hitch
Superman has long enjoyed a complex relationships with giant nautical chains. In 2013, it’s come to all out war. I’m pretty sure this is also the first time I’ve showcased Hitch in this feature. May even be the last. This is one instance where our sensibilities finally link up. So to speak.
The Shadow: Year One #3
Cover by Alex Ross
Can’t lie. I immediately chortled, thinking of Lucille and Buster Bluth’s deeply unsettling method of snowballing cigarette smoke. It’s either that or a double photo bomb heightened by pulp cover austerity.
X-Men #1
Cover by Olivier Coipel
It’s a pretty standard class photo style cover, but there’s a Mona Lisa smile at work. I love that when you look at those expressions, you can tell the photographer is pleading with them to contort their spins in such a way that bosoms and bottoms all aim like poised missiles at the viewer. And they’re just like, “Jump in a lake, Quire. Ah, right. CHEESE!”
I’ve been seeing that X-Men cover for months and I love it with every fiber of my being.
I saw another “Adventures of Superman” cover, I think drawn by Chris Samnee, am I wrong? Variant cover, I presume? All in all I prefered Samnee’s one to Hitch, but hey! 😉
Yeah, there’s a Samnee one. I like it, but only because it’s Samnee. Not as amazing as his interiors for the issue, which are sublime.
Have yet to pick it up, crossing my fingers my LCS won’t have sold all their copies… 🙁
The Shadow cover was nice, though, I ended up getting the Wagner one instead . . .
I’m digging the Samnee covers on Shadow: Year One but Wagner has always been a favorite. They’re got a solid stable of regular artists over at Dynamite.
The Hitch superman is near perfect…. except for that one hand. I’d love to see him do a short run on a superman book or a graphic novel. Honestly can’t figure out why some people don’t get his work.
Superman hates the idea of ships docking anywhere. He wants them to be free of the constraints of the land.
Enjoyed your commentary (as per usual) along with your picks, Paul.
I thought the X-Men #1 Abbey Road variant should’ve made the list, it had good artwork combining The Beatles, Zombies & Deadpool.