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 tha 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 for the month of October 2009.


5. Adventure Comics #3
Cover by Francis Manapul

Look how happy they are! While their reunion in the issue itself may not have been as joyous as Manapul has made it out in the cover, Conner Kent and Tim Drake sure do enjoy each others company. Remember how sad Tim was wan Kon-El bit it? Well, he's even extra gloomy after the "death" of his adoptive father Bruce Wayne, but hey, at least he gets to have motorcycle races that he could never possibly have a chance at winning.

Seriously though, I love Manapul's subtle smirks that he gives the characters, and the sense of speed is great. If you look close enough, you can see that Conner is relaxed and taking it easy, as though he's running at a jog. Tim, on the other hand, is slouched over and focused. You know, since he's human and all, he could feasibly hit a pothole and come crashing to his death. It's a great little detail that gives this cover more depth than you might initially recognize.