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.
5. House of Mystery #13 Cover by Esao Andrews
I'll be honest with you, and say that I haven't yet read this issue. Why? In short, my LCS loves to order only for their subscribers - leaving those of us that don't wish to pay $40 for the year on our own for a lot of books (hooray for online comic book retailers!), including most titles from the Vertigo imprint. LCS gripes aside, the fact that I haven't yet read the issue only adds to the appeal of the cover. Issue #13 may have the most simple image of all of the House of Mystery issues previous, but the design is so ingtriguing that it leaves one desperate to get inside. The image on the cover bears seemingly no connection to the plot of the series, but planting lucky number 13 at the center of the cover certainly indicates a certain level of celebration for the series. After all, it's only fitting that issue #13 would be a collection of writers and artists telling various stories, a sort of mini-anthology within the main series. House of Mystery is one of the most original series on the shelves, and Andrews' cover work showcases that perfectly.
