Most comic book fans have a pretty good idea what they’re going to buy every week when they visit their local comic shop. With that said, there’s still a lot of fun to be had just glancing at the week’s new releases and taking a chance on a book that looks promising. That’s where covers come in. A fantastic image can make the difference between trying something new or saying, “Nah, not this week.”
In that spirit, here are the covers that captured AiPT! Comics podcast co-host Forrest Hollingsworth and Manga Editor Eric Cline’s attention this week.
Forrest’s Picks:
History of the Marvel Universe #1
Cover art by Nick Bradshaw
I can’t think of a better cover for a Marvel history retrospective than this: one celebrating comics themselves. Bradshaw packs a ton of little details and dynamic energy into this in a great way with the Spider-Man Master Planner, Wolverine, X-Men, and other covers, and I love the vibrant, poppy colors and character choice. Just an all around fun, unique, and celebratory cover that I think suits the book’s purpose very well.
Mars Attacks!
Cover art by Chris Schweizer
There are very few sci-fi images more immediately recognizable than the Martians from Mars Attacks and this is a great send-up of them. The green and orange contrast really sharply, the title and creator treatment is straight out of a ’50s pulp horror movie poster, and there’s still a bit of intimidation imbued in the Martian’s ceaseless stare complete with minimal but evocative detailing. I would really love to see a cover for something like The Blob in this style.
The Amazing Spider-Man #26
Cover art by Ron Garney
You may have heard that it’s Spectacular Spider-Month here at AiPT! and this is my obligatory pick. I love the way Garney uses this bright white effect not only to create a stark contrast between the reds, greys, and blues, but also to highlight some detail. The way it bounces off Spidey’s ribs and legs implying a lot of muscle and prowess is a neat trick, and I’m a sucker for the way the webbing starts off-page on the left-hand side creating a cool in media res swing. Does look like that dove on the top is having a rough go of it, though.
Eric’s Picks:
House of X #1
Cover art by Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia
There’s no overstating how hyped up this upcoming era of X-Men comics has been. Fortunately, the first cover is an impressive one. All those core characters literally marching forward toward the future, and with Xavier’s portable Cerebro head making a great focal point. Plus, knowing that all the vegetation is probably Krakoa is an added bit of fun. All in all this is a nice piece.
The Flash #75
Variant cover art by Francis Manapul
I always love great use of negative space, and Manapul uses it exceptionally well here. It’s a bold move to have the majority of a cover just be a blank white expanse, and the risk pays off. Between the texture of the fur and Captain Cold’s breath, you can really see the frigidity here. The blues are gorgeous as well.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #45
Cover art by Rahzzah
This is lovely. Great colors all around from the lime-green grass to the darker green in the shadow to the red of the Devil Dinosaur spring rider. The shading is really well-done and the overall composition is top-notch. This is perfect.
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