Most comic book fans have a solid idea of what they buy each week when they go to their local comic book store. That said, there’s still a lot of fun to be had in skimming through the week’s new releases and trying out books that look promising, interesting, or scary. That’s where the cover comes in. Great images make a difference. You can either try something new or you can say, “No, I’m not going to do it this week.”
In that spirit, we present the covers that caught our attention this week, along with an entry by comics editor Chris Coplan. This can be determined by the cover.
Absolute Wonder Woman #1
Variant cover by Wes Craig and Mike Spicer
If you’re like me, you were excited about Absolute Batman. And even if you were somehow not thrilled with the younger, less financially well-off Bruce Wayne, there was always an “axe in the chest” to geek out with the right vigor. But if you’re going to get the most out of this whole absolute line, I’m especially excited about Wonder Woman’s “transformation.” Not only are Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman leading things, but this version of Diana was basically born outside of Thescira, and the lack of sisterhood and overall peaceful vibe make this Wonder Woman He is left as a terrifying villain of the species. And that’s exactly the vibe Wes Craig and Mike Spicer have captured in this stunning variant cover. This was the first time I really felt the darkness and chaos of this Wonder Woman, and everything about her, from her amazing armor and tattoos to her stance, felt different and more intense. It’s a familiar story to me, but it’s completely new in every sense of the word: “This Amazon is going to have its head ripped off if it coughs weirdly.” If you’re going to do a new take, let’s make it completely, furiously, insanely new, like Absolute Wonder Woman takes zero prisoners by page one.
iron man #1
Cover by Yasmin Putri
And speaking of “a new and cruel era,” we come to Iron Man #1. Here, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Spencer Ackerman teams up with artist Julius Ohta to not only don new armor and twist up his (metallic) sleeves, but clearly he’s better than ever. We are creating a Tony Stark that looks angry. (This makes sense since he has to deal with the twin headaches of AIM and Roxxon.) I’m 10 of the Terribles featured here on Yasmin Putri’s issue #1 cover I’m here for a completely pissed off Stark, even if it means getting even a tenth. First, I love the slightly “breakable” handmade quality of the armor. You’d be pissed if you had to do that much welding and soldering. (Plus, it totally reminds me of the “steampunk Iron Man” of the Dark Ages.) Still, the “charm” of the handmade suit is replaced by something angry and dark, completely stripping Stark of his charm. And to be honest, it makes me uncomfortable. And then everything will be fine. The smartest man in the world is angry, desperate, and has hoarded enough scrap metal and statutes to do something about it. It’s a simple moment where that realization really hits you, and it shows how seriously the Starks take the war and how much it means so many people are in trouble. I feel like I want stealth armor again, right?
Null Hunter #1
Cover by Michael Walsh
You might be the best writer and artist for his horror work (like Silver Coins and the recent Universal Monsters: Frankenstein ). And when it comes to monsters and all things scary, Walsh captures the grotesque with a depth and endless humanity that forces us to reconcile with what it really means. That ability is what makes Nullhunter (along with artist Gustaffo Vargas) so interesting. The film has been described as a “dynamic cyberpunk recreation of the labors of Hercules,” and that premise, combined with Walsh’s approach to storytelling, should create something that transcends genre boundaries. Case in point: Walsh’s own cover for issue #1. It gives you a snapshot of what this book feels like (if not exactly). It has a lot of sci-fi goodness, including what I imagine is a sick robo-lion. But whether it’s the clever use of shadows or the general emotional tone, there’s a certain tinge of horror and an otherwise palpable heft that transports this work from a bright, shining future to its primal intensity. Draw into a place of energy, into a place where something seems to exist somehow. Scarier than anything on this earth. Sure, sci-fi horror is important, but Walsh takes it to new heights in his efforts. It’s a good thing that in space no one can hear you scream.
Voice in my head #1
Cover by Brian Bolland
The reign of horror anthology continues with this one-shot from Image Comic, which has a very good track with similar titles/works. After all, Voices In My Head #1 promises a particularly impressive list of talent, with writer Joe Pruett joined by artists Phil Hester, Michael Gaydos, Andrew Robinson, and Juan Du. has been. But it all starts with this amazing cover by Brian Bolland. This whole thing reminds me of a scene from Men in Black. For example, what’s wrong with Victorian women who treat life atop this monstrous mountain like a sunny afternoon? But while she may be the most frightening of them all, I’m certainly impressed by how Boland draws on everything from folklore to the Ring films to give us something strangely familiar. I love that range as if it were. That said, familiarity doesn’t help. Its level of detail engages all your senses, forcing you to engage with this work in a way so acute, almost intimate, that you’ll almost actually sweat with fear. Monster books these days are a big deal by the dime, but this one has a combination of charm, humor, artistic depth, and overall intensity that makes it feel particularly relevant and important. Let me do it. Does anyone suddenly feel like blowing their nose or washing their hands a dozen times?
Conversion #3
Cover by Simon Gane
I love Convert, and I 100% think you should love Convert too. Sounds a little familiar in parts, right? Admittedly, I think I even described it as a “fusion of Annihilation and Avatar,” which is generally fair as well as sensible. I also think it moves a little slow in parts and omits some of the inherent adventure for long-term meditations on community? Absolutely, but for some readers that’s a negative. I would argue that it is both a positive aspect and a positive aspect at the same time. But at least the cover, written by Simon Gane, should be enjoyable for just about anyone. The resulting Gain cover pokes fun at the best and the “worst” parts of Convert, as issue three means Orin has to deal with a sudden “alien conflict.” It feels like it’s happening. Well, it’s the same as the blue girl screams Avatar, but there’s a certain sophistication and style that makes her design unique. Of course, a lot of that has to do with this cover and the more metaphysical nature of the book as a whole. It’s a mix of violence and fantasy that makes it feel warmer and more inviting, dangerous and uncertain. Sure, giant wolves are always cool, but that only speaks to the kind of imagery and immersive experience that makes Convert such a cool, textured story. Like it or not, it just means more meditative and alien behavior for us.
Hello Darkness #4
Variant cover by Jenny Frison
I may have a tooth problem (long story not worth sharing), but I feel like we have a collective obsession with horror centerpieces. This is how we engage and interact with the world in a very direct sense, and despite how important visual perception is, we don’t fully understand (or trust) it. ) is a thing. So the everyday appearance of eyeballs in horror makes perfect sense, even if it means being poked with a sharp object, prophesying doom, etc. Still, Jenny Frison goes all mega-ultra HAM all the way up to Hello Darkness #4 with this variant cover that truly puts many other notables in horror’s hallowed halls to shame. Somehow, the screaming skull demon isn’t the worst offender. In fact, it is a single dripping tear that causes the most fear. For example, the way they seem to catch light, and the way they can almost feel the path of light passing under their eyes, highlights just how frightening and vulnerable the eyeballs are, both as devices and as parts of the body. You can see it realistically. It can’t be helped that the eyelashes look like little barbed knives, but those eyes really make you look scared and nervous, making it very difficult to look away. In short, it’s the right combination of beauty and horror you want in a good story, and it’s truly eye-catching (though not in an actual awful way).
Detective Comics #1090
Variant cover by Dan Panosian
If you read our recent interview, you’ll know that Tom Taylor (and artist and collaborator Mikel Janin) have some pretty big plans for Detective Comics. This week’s issue #1,090 opens with “A Father’s Mercy,” revisiting the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne and discovering what new insights and big secrets their deaths still bring to us and Batman. Check. And I can’t think of a better way to start this new era of detective comics than with this truly amazing Dan Panosian variant cover. Does it remind you not only of Se7en but also of 2022 Batman? Well, it has a down to earth yet very stylized feel to it. Similarly, I love the down-to-earth feel of Batman’s attire. I wonder if this could give us a younger/younger Batman and/or a Batman that’s darker, weirder, intense, interesting, etc., closer to the ground. Of course, it is necessary to mention the bloodshed, violence and horror depicted. The best Batman stories need to be unflinching and unwavering in order to really work and draw you into the story. No, we haven’t carried over 100% of Panossian’s work, but we’re confident we’ve got the hang of what will make this new run interesting. If only one-tenth of that is true, we’re in for a terrible situation in late fall and early winter.
Werewolf of the night #3
Variant cover by Sergio Fernández Dávila
Even after Detective Comics, your desire for comics of blood and mayhem still hasn’t been completely satisfied? Then Werewolf of the Night #3 is a little more exciting thanks to this variant cover by Sergio Fernández Dávila You should be able to enjoy it. On the other hand, it doesn’t need much explanation as to why this is a (bloody) gem. I feel like I’m in the middle of the most dastardly battle in the original Bloody Roar. And vaguely 90’s energy/association is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here. Also, I haven’t read this series, but the fact that we don’t know enough about the blue Robowolf here is very interesting to me, so I hope there’s a ton of backstory. As for the backstory, all this very powerful violence is based on the fact that our hero, Jack Russell, goes on a trip to the frontier, and he clearly has a thirst for his own blood. or going out to satisfy a broken heart. In order for such extremely vivid violence to be truly evaluated, do we need a basis? No, no. But does that context help expand the energy and theme, making it a pure visual wonder with more weight and stability? you know it. May the rest of October be filled with even more wolf vs. wolf battles.
Body trade #2
Cover by Joku
The debut of The Body Trade was a great start to a multi-layered and depressing story. (But it’s the good kind of melancholy, affirming one’s own humanity and such.) But beyond the multifaceted lead Kim and the brutal honesty of that first chapter, what really stood out to me was , it was a vaguely near future. time frame. While it wasn’t explicitly declared, there were little tech tidbits and a general vibe that made us think we were dealing with an era slightly beyond our own. And that’s especially doubly revealed on the cover of the second issue (also by series artist Jok). Whether it’s architecture or giant floating airships, considering the calendar year of this book, it’s clear that we’re in for more suffering and sociopolitical upheaval. Yet when we see a “giant human monster like Swamp Thing” or a “ghost,” time, space, and everything else falls by the wayside, and this book aims to affect us as deeply and thoroughly as possible. It makes you think you might be much more interested. Our relationship with death and grief is unaffected and shaped by this kind of context, and we must grapple with it endlessly (until we reach our own end, of course). To arrive at the idea that it is not possible. That depth and power is why I already love this book so much. And the reason why I haven’t been able to sleep well lately.
