Dave’s Cover of the Week

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Batman And Robin #13

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Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray

Dave: Now this is what a Halloween cover should look like. The skulls are etched into that tower like something out of Alien. Robin’s stance suggests he’s some undead servant to Skeletor Batman who is screaming at his back, releasing him to kill. Love the draping cape too. You could zoom in on every inch of this thing and find something to enjoy.

Brendan: This cover is pretty metal. I do love the minor details in the skull and the speckled white within Batman’s cape. This cover has the dynamic duo looking fearsome and formidable.

Brendan’s Cover of the Week

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Conan The Barbarian #9

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Massimo Carnevale

Brendan: This cover is damned pretty. I love the blues and white and how they make everything look so damned cold. Also, as you may have guessed if you’re a frequenter of this column, I love the depth depicted using the snowcaps and the wolves. Everything is gorgeously proportioned and fantastically painted. It’s just beautiful.

Dave: Those wolves look like they were carved from the very glaciers around them. Awesome looking. And of course… hungry. If a blind woman is in the Arctic and she can’t see herself being eaten, did it still happen? Or something like that.

Dave’s Honorable Mentions

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Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan #2 (of 4)

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Adam Hughes

Dave: Pulp science fiction is something I’ve always loved. Alan Moore’s pulp series Tom Strong is my favorite work of his because it exhibits that wonder-inducing flair which this cover has. I love how Dr. Manhattan is like a statue, this obelisk of power and it helps that Silk Spectre is clutching him as if life depended on it. I also love how her head covers his genitalia, which is just sexual enough to unnerve the viewer.

Brendan: I love the pulp reference as well. Beyond that, the shading and colors really gel this piece together. What I’m really crazy about is that expansive starscape in the background. Hughes really makes you feel like you’re looking into the vast unknown.

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Grimm Universe #1: Neptune Angel

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Pasquale Qualano

Dave: I’ve hated Pasquale’s work as I’ve stated before, and I’ve loved it which I’ve also explained. This cover is by far the strongest cover I’ve seen by him (I can’t say I’ve seen them all to be honest). It’s sexual, as most Zenescope covers are, but it isn’t too slutty. The wings, glossy hair and badass pose all add up to awe-inspiring. I love the use of crumbling rock to show she’s in some cave and doesn’t care the roof is coming down.

Brendan: See, I figured she’s using whatever powers she has (I’m unfamiliar with the character, sorry) to make the rocks levitate. I could be wrong. It is important to note that while Zenescope is known for the half-naked babes, the artists who create said babes are inspiring talents that can create really beautiful art. There’s a lot to love on this cover: the wings, the lighting, the excellent coloring of the rocks. Plus you get your cheesecake smattering too.

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Secret Avengers #32

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Arthur Adams

Dave: Talk about a creative way to make a scene we’ve seen a hundred times much more exciting. The trailing hair, spit coming off mind controlled Hawkeye, and lines off our heroes shows just how fast this plane is going and the scope of where they’re standing all in one image. It helps that the plane is obviously going to crash yet the heroes can’t help but fight each other.

Brendan: I really enjoy this perspective. If it were just another generic shot of Hawk and Widow fighting on an airplane wing no one would be interested. What they’ve done here is taken that moment in time and expanded upon it so you can really understand the full weight of the situation. There are also some great touches on this cover, like Dave mentioned. I, personally, enjoy the tattered uniforms on our heroes. This subtly describes the vicious battle they have been having. The pyramid is also a nice touch, as it establishes a where to go along with our who and when.

Brendan’s Honorable Mentions

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Lady Death #22 (Wrap Cover)

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Renato Camilo

Brendan: There are two important things to note about this cover. First off, this cover is fucking badass. You got hydra dragons, you got zombies, you have gaunt warhorses. Everything here screams awesome. Second, and more importantly for me, we have a strong female hero in the middle of a vicious battle and she is not being depicted as a slab of meat. Camilo didn’t go out of his way to position her so that we could see both her T and her A because that would be impractical. She is in a pose that says “hang on a second, I have to fight this never-ending horde of evil.” When the other covers for this same issue involve a blatant ass shot and an equally ridiculous spread eagle pose, I’m glad to see that at least one out of three has some common sense.

Dave: There’s a story being told here and I most definitely want to see where it goes. There is a hell of a lot of insanity on this cover, from the ghouls to the Dino snake beasts. Brendan said my pick was metal but I think that title belongs to this cover.

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Star Wars: Knight Errant – Escape #5

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Benjamin Carré

Brendan: This cover has a very cool Empire vibe to it. The setting is reminiscent of Luke and Vader’s fight in the carbonite chamber. The only difference here is that our heroic figure is winning and, perhaps, about to strike down his/her foe. It’s a bit of a personal nostalgia bomb, but this cover evokes all the ideas that originally made me love Star Wars.

Dave: That chick looks all kinds of scared. “Am I really doing this?” The use of smoke and light give this cover the atmosphere to put this puppy into the epic category. The “Jedi on the edge” is a bit much. Where is Steven Tyler when you need him?

Russ: “We’re Jedis on the edge! A we can’t help ourselves from falling… to the Dark Side a woah yeahh.” … Sorry.

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Point of Impact #1

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Koray Kuranel

Brendan: That’s one pretty cityscape you’ve made there, Koray. It’s just remarkably well done. On top of that, you have the horrid depiction of our helpless victim being thrown to their death and you have a cover that really resonates.

Dave: That is one long way down to its point of impact. As Brendan says, it’s well done in the composition department. I just love its use of scale.

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Uncanny Avengers #1

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Skottie Young

Brendan: Am I interested in Uncanny Avengers? Not at all. Do I loves me some baby super heroes? Damn straight. I really wish they would just give Skottie Young a 24 “Marvel Babies” comic already. Oh the things he could do!

Dave: Captain America has the cutest expression (and I think Rogue has a load in her pants). Usually we’re hard on covers with blank backgrounds but Thor’s lightning works well to pull the babies together.

WTF? Category

Where we don’t understand, are insulted by or would rather stab our eyes with acid pops than look at these covers for various reasons.

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First X-Men #3

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Neal Adams

Dave: That bug thing being carried is flat out dumb looking. Its grin is straight out of Scooby Doo. Wolverine’s rampaging scream face is cliched and I’m not sure I even want to know what those tentacles are. Some kind of organic needles? Neal Adams you are the creator of the single worst cover of the week…so far!

Brendan: Is that not Mojo? I think that’s supposed to be Mojo. You’re right though. No one would ever be able to tell since everything is so messily strewn together. Even if you move past the obvious faults such as the faces or odd shading, you’re left with minor encumbrances that will haunt you for days. What is going on with Wolvie’s feet? How are there four needle-things bursting from his chest without any lines running back to whatever that villain is supposed to be?

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Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith-Spiral #3

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Paul Renaud

Dave: Let’s forget about the stupid action call outs and dumb dino riders. What is going on with this dude in the foreground? He’s straight up boring to look at. His feet don’t seem to be actually situated on the rock, but sort of floating. There’s no energy in his body language and the composition isn’t doing this cover any favors. Very boring stuff.

Brendan: When did Star Wars pick up dragons, anyway? Back in my day, no one ever mentioned dragons in any capacity when it came to the Force-using world. I mean, I can’t say I’m too upset by the development, but you have to admit that they feel out of place.

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Captain America #18

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Steve Epting

Dave: Jet packs make everything BETTERRRRRRR! Okay so, I think Epting does a good job with the giant ship, the tilted horizon and even the direction of the jet pack flame. I don’t like Cap’s very odd suicidal facial expression and body language. It screams either, “fuck life!” or “wheee!” Also the bad guys all seem to be floating rather than flying. They just don’t look right to me.

Brendan: I think Cap is definitely going for a triumphant “whee” face. One thing I do love about Captain America is that he is able to exist in any situation without much room for disbelief. Leave it to the guy who was depicted punching Hitler in the face to be able to fight dinosaurs or fly around with a jetpack without having the majority of the country stop and say “wait, what the eff?”

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Space Punisher #4

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Mark Texeira

Brendan: I’m not even mad about this cover. In fact, I love it. However, I could not in good conscience place this image anywhere other than the WTF section. Space Punisher is holding the (a?) world hostage, and there is nothing you can do about it!

Dave: My biggest gripe with this cover is I’m not sure what I’m supposed to feel. Is he a raving loon or badass? I can’t fault the nice painting but its intentions have WTF written all over it.

Russ: So we’ve had 2099 Punisher, Punisher Noir, A Man Named Frank, Zombie Punisher, and now, apparently… Nuclear Man Punisher, from Superman IV: The Quest For Peace:

At this rate, I can’t wait to see Pirate Punisher and Punisher: Holy Terror, where Frank Castle really loves singing Gospel and going to church every Sunday morning.

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Comics Being Released This Week

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This is a cleaned up list via ComicList.com. Prices in USD. “AR” = Ask Retailer. Comic availability subject to change.

• BOOM! STUDIOS
• Adventure Time Marceline And The Scream Queens #4, $3.99
• Fanboys Vs Zombies #7, $3.99

• DARK HORSE COMICS
• Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 #14, $2.99
• Conan The Barbarian #9, $3.50
• Creep #2 (Of 4), $3.50
• Massive #5, $3.50
• Star Wars Knight Errant Escape #5 (Of 5), $3.50
• Star Wars Lost Tribe Of The Sith Spiral #3 (Of 5), $2.99

• DC COMICS
• Ame-Comi Girls #1 (Featuring Wonder Woman), $3.99
• Batgirl #13 , $2.99
• Batman #13, $3.99
• Batman And Robin #13 , $2.99
• Batman Arkham Unhinged #7 , $2.99
• Before Watchmen Dr. Manhattan #2 (Of 4), $3.99
• Deathstroke #13 , $2.99
• Demon Knights #13 , $2.99
• Dominique Laveau Voodoo Child #7, $2.99
• Frankenstein Agent Of S.H.A.D.E. #13 , $2.99
• Green Lantern Corps #13, $2.99
• Green Lantern The Animated Series #7 , $2.99
• Grifter #13 , $2.99
• Legion Lost #13 , $2.99
• Phantom Stranger #1, $2.99
• Punk Rock Jesus #4 (Of 6) , $2.99
• Ravagers #5 , $2.99
• Suicide Squad #13 , $2.99
• Superboy #13 , $2.99
• Team 7 #1, $2.99

• DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
• Damsels #2, $3.99
• Dark Shadows #8, $3.99
• Dark Shadows Vampirella #3, $3.99
• Evil Ernie #1, $3.99
• Voltron Year One #5, $3.99
• Zorro Rides Again #12 (Of 12), $3.99

IDW PUBLISHING
• G.I. JOE #18, $3.99
• Haunted Horror #1, $3.99
• Popeye #6, $3.99
• Pound Ghoul’s Night Out #2 (Of 4), $3.99
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Color Classics #5, $3.99
• Transformers Regeneration One #84, $3.99
• Transformers Robots In Disguise #10, $3.99
• Transfusion #1 (Of 3)(Cover A Menton J. Matthews III), $3.99

• IMAGE COMICS
• Creator Owned Heroes #5, $3.99
• Halloween Eve (One Shot), $3.99
• Hoax Hunters #4, $2.99
• MacGyver Fugitive Gauntlet #1 (Of 5), $3.50
• Morning Glories #22, $2.99
• Point Of Impact #1 (Of 4), $2.99
• Saga Volume 1 TP, $9.99
• Think Tank #3, $3.99
• Walking Dead Michonne Special, $2.99

• MARVEL COMICS
• Avengers #31, $3.99
• Avenging Spider-Man #13, $3.99
• AvX Consequences #1 (Of 5), $3.99
• Captain America #18, $3.99
• Deadpool #62, $2.99
• Fantastic Four #611, $2.99
• First X-Men #3 (Of 5), $3.99
• Invincible Iron Man #526, $3.99
• Marvel Universe The Avengers Earth’s Mightiest Heroes #7, $2.99
• Marvel Universe Vs The Avengers #1 (Of 4), $3.99
• Red She-Hulk #58, $2.99
• Scarlet Spider #10, $2.99
• Secret Avengers #32, $3.99
• Secret Service #4 (Of 6), $2.99
• Space Punisher #4 (Of 4), $3.99
• Ultimate Comics X-Men #17, $3.99
• Uncanny Avengers #1, $3.99
• Wolverine #314, $3.99
• Wolverine And The X-Men #18, $3.99
• X-Men #37, $3.99

• VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT
• Archer And Armstrong #3, $3.99
• Bloodshot #4, $3.99

• ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
• Grimm Universe #1 Neptune Angel, $3.99