19 Nov, 2012
Thanksgiving is coming folks, but just like those famous brand name gelatin desserts — there’s always room for comic books in our diet. We preview the comics coming out this Wednesday and select our favorite and least favorite cover art. For an in depth review of each comic check back late Wednesday when ComiX Weekly breaks down the best books for those with a 10 dollar budget. Also check out the full release list at the bottom.Dave’s Cover of the Week
Goon #43
Dave: I’m pretty sure I’ve selected Powell’s last three The Goon covers and I’ll probably continue to do so because hot damn can he draw exciting covers. If Powell lived 100 years ago I’m pretty sure he’d be in the trade of making carnival posters. The confederate dude at the bottom and his freaky midget friend pop as they are cast in red, which nicely juxtaposes them against the crazy shit going on above them.
Those baby ghoul/ghosts look so sad chomping on Goon, maybe because he tastes awful, but really I can’t stop looking at the title: The way Powell has cast the teeth to surround the titles is nothing short of awesome. Dare I say, once you see this cover you won’t be able to stop looking at it.
Brendan: I love the use of color in this cover. The way the villains are painted with a blatant red not only allow you to easily identify them, but they also make you reconsider the allegiance of our sad ghosts and even the toothy monster chomping on the title. With colors much more in line with the Goon himself, is it possible that they’re being forced against their will to carry out these munchy deeds? There’s only one way to find out!
Brendan: This cover is drop-dead gorgeous. There so many things to comment on I really don’t know where to begin. Our pixie is gorgeous. She gives off a sexy vibe without any gratuity and the butterfly wings are mesmerizingly fantastic. Constantine is incredibly well done with a lot of great character details including the scars. I think this cover is super cool.
Dave: That is one hot fairy. The curves of her wings and placement pull your attention in on Constantine’s glaring eye. Makes me want to uncover the relationship he shares with this mystery pixie.
Brendan: Despite being in mostly black and white I find this cover very eye-grabbing. I love how each item, whether it be the wings, the tentacles, or the woman, frames the subsequent items. This is a cover that makes me want to open the book and see what it’s all about.
Dave: That vag-moth is going to eat you lady! Run! There’s a lot of unanswered questions to this cover which is going to get people to crack it open, but I think most conspicuous is the bright green glow on the woman’s face cast by the tentacled stone thing. Intriguing stuff.
Brendan: Dark Horse is delivering serious quality this week. They have a monopoly on creepy-ass skull drawings and this guy is gonna haunt me in my dreams. The quaint village has a great scope to it and I love the way the black and white rose forces itself onto you…
Dave: I like how the horizon seems to be burning. Mix that with the blank eyes of the skull man and the random black and white rose and you’ve got something to marvel at.
Brendan: Sook is another chap who does a great job of framing one character with the last. I love the stencil effect for our undead horde and I really enjoy how Blue Devil looks extra devilish.
Dave: The use of negative space is well done here, from the weapon to the lightning. Love the way that the hero, devil and zombies all end up merging together because of it. Nice touch.
Dave: “Enter Wolverine: the castle of the mind!” This cover nails it in the composition department, but let me direct your eyes to the rain. The way it runs off Wolverine’s back is impressive, but also note how it creates the face of the woman at the top right.
Brendan: I absolutely love the woman’s profile in the rain. The rest of the cover is also incredibly well done despite being built around the rain effect. I find this cover to be incredibly intriguing, which is not always the first adjective to come to mind when discussing Wolverine comics.
Dave: Everyone has been wondering why on earth Hulk would need to wear armor in this new Marvel NOW! iteration and this is the perfect cover to reply to those naysayers. They do so with a nice diagram shot of the Hulk armor and the creators themselves taking shots at how silly the premise really is.
Small print like, “Comes only in purple? Really?” and “Pockets for I.D. Debit Card, Toothbrush(?)” are funny jabs and by being this self-aware, hopefully we’ll be given something of actual substance (or a good reason for the armor) on the pages therein.
Brendan: Thank god even the people at Marvel get how silly the idea of Hulk wearing armor is. It is definitely a harsh fanboy trait I hold, but I cannot get behind such an obvious redesign-to-redesign ploy. Just give the kids 24 pages of Hulk breaking shit while wearing underoos and we can all be happy.
Dave: Those worms are some gross little anneloids and I don’t want any part of them. It doesn’t help the bile stay down in my stomach when they have white foreskins. The skull, ear and arms are so incredibly detailed and it’s the coloring that really knocks this one out of the park. The skin looks realistic due to the detail, ink work and color. Dare I say this reminds me of something R. Crumb might produce.
Brendan: There is a great use of color here that adds a lot of disgusting detail to this cover. Although I hate saying it, I love the way Corben gave the bones little bits of red fleshiness to really portray the various stages of consumption. Super gross.
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.
Dave: This cover is in the WTF category simply because I have no idea what those black bars are breaking up the teeth. I eyeballed this cover for a good 15 minutes before giving up and I’m still not sure. They can’t be physical bars because one is going right through her…so are they psychological? It’s so rattling of a choice it throws me off and I dislike it greatly.
Brendan: I believe that they are supposed to be the shadows of black bars, but for whatever reason they aren’t as prominent on our leading lady. Outside of a case of the Hughes I think Mr. McCarthy did a fine job on this cover. Although, as Dave said, it would have been great if there was a little more emphasis on just what the hell is going on.
Russ: Come on, can’t you guys recognize a 12-year-old boy’s perverse fantasy when you see one? The black bars are symbolic of Catwoman being trapped in some gloomy cage or prison cell confinement; the chattering gag teeth of course have the good mind to strategically strip her of her leather garb — instead of, you know, actually chawing into her flesh and causing any real damage.
And where’s that errant set of teeth going in the center of the cover? Why towards the zipper, which is holding her egregious breasts inside the thinstuff of her costume like the Hoover Dam holds back thousands of acres of water, of course! Trevor McCarthy you cheeky monkey you!
Dave: I don’t know what you ate last night, but you must have been incredibly high to not remember eating an entire arm. This is a WTF in a good way, because it’s so darn disturbing. The veins in her face add a lot to the weird flowing arm. If you’ve ever barfed you’ll feel for this character because that can’t feel good on the way out.
Brendan: If Dave didn’t chose this for the WTF section I would have thrown it into my honorable mentions. I just love the look of desperation on the characters face. This is grade A nightmare fuel right here.
Brendan: Am I the only one who thought Nightwing was fighting the Predator? All I’m saying is Lady Shiva looks like she should be hunting Schwarzenegger in the Congo.
Dave: The mask certainly is Predator-like, but note the strange blade attached to the end of her braid. Doesn’t that hurt when your hair is swinging around? How do you even use that without hurting yourself? That can’t help when fighting hand to hand combat. One tug and you’re down.
Russ: Maybe they’re using Lady Shiva to fill the previously untapped comic-book-reading whaler demographic. Or maybe they’ve subscribed to the theory that any reference to Moby Dick is a good one? MAN THE HARPOONS!
Brendan: I know Optimus is supposed to be diving out into the open or something equally dramatic, and maybe I’ve watched Rumble in the Bronx too many times, but all I can see is Mr. Prime doing handstand pushups and thinking about how badass he is. We get it, you have great upper body strength. Get over it, Prime.
Dave: I suspect the Transformer title is mucking up what exactly is going on with his feet. Either he’s hanging or he’s diving. Either way I have no idea what that light source is or what.
Russ: Autobots, transform… and show ‘em how we b-boy that shit back in Cybertron!
This is a cleaned up list via ComicList.com. Prices in USD. “AR” = Ask Retailer. Comic availability subject to change.
Comic lovers. Movie afectionados. Friends. Compatriots in this screwy journey we call life. It was a cold day on the college campus when these two men of men met, and it'll be a cold day in hell when their bonds are broken.
Star Wars: Darth Vader & the Ninth Assassin #2
9.0Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Tim Siedell
Artist: Stephen Thompson
Imagine for a moment the vilest and coldest villain. Now imagine him scared and unsure of their next action. This comic does that with Vader. Must read.
Also reviewed this week:
We love Batman: The Animated Series as much as the next guy, which is why we couldn't help but snag this amazing box set. 30% off on Amazon!
