One of the beautiful things about the comic book medium is that it is one of the few art forms that allows readers to both literally and figuratively judge books by their covers. The work of a cover artist is not always to encapsulate the plot of the issue; in fact, most times the cover is completely unrelated to the content inside. The primary job of the artist is to make the book stand out - to grab readers by the throat and force them to take a look at the issue, even as it's speckled in with dozens of other books on the shelf, Wednesday after Wednesday.
It is entirely possible to purchase a book based on its cover and find the content inside to be complete drivel, or worse yet, with art that pales in comparison to the work of the cover artist. Alternatively, a poor cover could potentially lead readers away from books that are otherwise goldmines. There's a lot riding on that cover, so CraveOnline is taking it upon ourselves to take a look at the covers and artists that made us stop dead in our tracks in September 2010.
5. Scarlet #2
Cover by Alex Maleev
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Another issue, and another badass cover from Scarlet artist Alex Maleev. Though it’s another portrait of the titular character, this time around Maleev has shown a completely different side of her. With issue #1’s cover we saw the aggressive, violent revolutionary that Scarlet may or may not be destined to become. Here, we see a more contemplative or reflective side of the character that is equally intriguing.
She’s placed inside what looks to be a high rise construction site, with comedy and tragedy masks hanging above her, perhaps suggesting a metaphor for her existence. She’s also strapped with a huge freaking rifle, but much to Maleev’s credit, he distracts from that with his delicacy in her facial expression. Averting your eye from the huge gun makes it all the more striking when you realize what it is that she might be contemplating.
4. Justice League: Generation Lost #10
Cover by Cliff Chiang
Chiang’s work is always a treat, so I’m thankful he’s got some more cover work coming in. Though I haven’t been reading Generation Lost as of late, the bright orange trim and modern flash of Chiang’s cover drew me in almost immediately when I saw it on display. There’s nothing much happening in the image, just Batman being a creepster and eavesdropping on the JLI, but it’s all about the style and presentation.
Chiang’s work on this cover reeks of pop-art influence, and what better medium for pop-art to make an appearance than a superhero comic? I never get tired of Chiang’s contributions to the cover community.
3. Amazing Spider-Man #641
Cover by Paolo Manuel Rivera
Rivera’s cover to Amazing Spider-Man #641, which was the last chapter of “One Moment in Time” that saw Mary Jane entering back into Peter’s life, uses color to its benefit much like Chiang’s work on Generation Lost, but adds in a good degree of symbolism. At least, that’s how I see it.
Despite one character having a masked face and the other character’s face being hidden, this simple image holds a lot of emotion within it. Rivera uses Spidey’s eyes along with body positioning to make his figures emote, and then the bleeding blue color makes them both a part of the scenery rather than the center of it. It could be construed as their worlds bleeding back together into one, things coming full circle, etc., but the fact remains that whether you enjoyed “One Moment in Time” or not, this is a beautiful piece of work.
2. Star-Spangled War Stories One-Shot
Cover by Brian Bolland
Brian Bolland is one of the true masters of cover art, and he showed us why once again with his work on DC’s special one-shot, Star Spangled War Stories. The issue was 5-star all the way around, with Billy Tucci writing and Justiniano on art, but Bolland’s cover steals the show. Using a bleak color palette for 70% of the image, it makes the Mademoiselle Marie character pop, at the same time giving us a hint of her personality and flair. More importantly, it stands out from the rest of the DC war one-shots that came out in the month with its sexiness.
It’s odd to say that a cover featuring Nazis is sexy, but maybe that justifies my calling Bolland a master of his art.
1. The Unwritten #17
Cover by Yoko Shimizu
By far the best comic book to come out last month, it’s only suiting that it has a cover to match. The Unwritten #17 was a “choose your own adventure” story, with multiple different narratives that criss-crossed, overlapped, and complimented one another, no matter how many times you read it. It’s an ingenious piece of comic book writing, and Yoko Shimizu’s cover matches it stride for stride.
Taking the guise of a classic board game, the cover plays into the “Many Lives of Lizzie Hexham” by offering various spaces that featuring different parts of her suggested life, while the actual Lizzie looms hopelessly in the background as the player decides her fate. It not only fits the story contained within, but everything we know about the character thus far. Shimizu’s covers on The Unwritten are consistently fantastic, but issue #17 takes it to a whole new dimension.
If you haven’t picked up this issue, or any of The Unwritten at all, do yourself a favor.
