Most comic book fans have a solid idea about what they’re going to buy every week as they descend upon 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, funny, scary, etc. 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 our attention this week, with entries from comics editor Chris Coplan. This is Judging by the Cover.
Absolute Batman #2
Variant cover by Daniel Warren Johnson
No joke, I’ve had this cover as my phone wallpaper for a couple months. The 1,734,228 times I open my phone each and every day, I see another powerful piece from Daniel Warren Johnson, who isn’t just on a roll but does Batman like few other artists. Sure, the main cover (from series artist Nick Dragotta) has a sweet preview of the Dark Knight vs. Alfred Pennyworth battle royale that’s brewing in issue #2, but there’s a reason I just can’t get enough of DWJ’s offering. For one, he presents an especially solid version of “Jumbo Batman” — there’s an overt power but more so a sense of kinetic energy and even litheness as Bats’ sheer presence demands so much gravity and attention. I also love that the smashed robo-henchmen feel rather human, and that that kind of savagery and slight perception does so much to inform and shape our understanding of this “new’ Batman. Heck, even the minimalist, near-future-y architecture is important in trying to create and foster a mood and give this Batman his own space in the comics. I’ll continue to have this piece on my phone for sometime, because it just speaks to so much of what I love and appreciate about DWJ, Batman in general, and how the right tweaks can have so much power in establishing a new story/version of a character. 932-2005!
Venom War: Wolverine #3
Cover by Ken Lashley and Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Admittedly, I haven’t been paying attention to Venom War as much as I should. Which is a little silly and dumb, I admit, given that it’s lead in part by Al Ewing and involves Eddie and Dylan Brock engaging in a war like some really involved version of the Oedipus saga or whatever (but with 1,000% more symbiotes). But if anything can make me pay attention to a new Marvel event, it’s Wolverine. And not only is the premise simple enough — “Wolverine (is) bonded to a mindless symbiote hungry for flesh” as he hacks and slash through NYC — but we get some primo covers, like this one for issue #3 from Ken Lashley and Romulo Fajardo Jr. It’s hard to tell what I like more: the fact that there’s some real ’90s energy to Logan, which does a lot for my own immersion; the expert use of biology and general gore to drive home how terrible these Zombiotes really are; or that I can’t really tell if Wolverine’s going to eat this severed head or not (and, in turn, I can’t tell if I’d prefer one decision over the other). Either way, this cover is doing a lot to stoke my interest at a time when the Venom War is clearly hitting its stride and spreading the darkness and weirdness across the Marvel line. Even if I also look at this same piece and think, “Another shrimp on the barbie” for some reason.
The Terminator #2
Variant cover by Bob Layton
Even before I read issue #1, I knew that Declan Shalvey had something special with The Terminator. Not only in terms of how he explored time travel and the larger franchise, but how he managed to get some truly great variant covers from a veritable who’s who of great artists. And that’s doubly (nay triply) true, for issue #2, which not only has some primo offerings from Drew Moss and Alex Ross, but this undeniable piece from the legendary Bob Layton. Here, Layton taps into his equally lauded work with Iron Man to answer the question, “Just how are Terminators made.” And not only is it a potentially terrifying assembly process given the final product, but it’s just so dang gorgeous. I can practically hear all the machines spin and drill and bolt and screw on; you can nearly smell the liquid skin being poured on; and the whole vibe is very much both retro and futuristic, which feels like a perfectly apt dynamic for Terminator. All of that, and it really nails the whole idea/premise of this series: let us understand the essence of these murder-bots in a new light so they are both more human and familiar and all the more terrifying to the very senses. Terminators don’t need much more to be scary, but seeing how the sausage is made is somehow nearly too much even for my little brain.
Black Hammer: Spiral City #1
Variant cover by Mike Mignola
One of my favorite thing in comics — and there’s clearly a lot based on this column — is when books bring in Mike Mignola. As if the legendary artist-writer wasn’t busy with 10,000 other ongoing projects, but he gives his time to worthy series to imbue them with his trademark horror magic. Not that Black Hammer: Spiral City really needs such help, especially since based on some of the solicitations, it’ll likely star everyone’s favorite cricket P.I. Inspector Insector. But Mignola nonetheless presents a seemingly minimalist but wholly powerful distillation of what he lends to other books from time to time. Namely, stripping out any of the cuteness or approachability of our dear Inspector and instead making him look like the final boss from a gritty remake of Them! Not sure what, if anything, some of the background creatures have to do with the book (or if there’s a quota for Migola in place), but they only add to my overarching fear and uncertainty. Finally, while it may seem small enough, there’s something novel about the graffiti — a kind of force and momentum that feels a little out of Mignola’s “wheelhouse” but that only makes this cover feel even more exciting and like a proper accomplishment for this new chapter of Black Hammer. Still not sure about that monkey, though…
Wynd: The Power of the Blood #1
Variant cover by Toni Infante
Yeah, endings aren’t always the best, but it seems like James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas have some big plans for the denizens of Pipetown. Wynd: The Power of the Blood is very much the ending that this massive, heartfelt book deserves — with talk of a war involving Faeriekind, the king’s reign winding down, and a plan by Zedra involving “her deceased brother, the Bandaged Man,” among other tidbits. And so to fully capture and reflect the true gravitas of this conclusion of a generally important story, we need only to turn (even briefly) to this great Toni Infante variant cover. Great suffering seems to be the name of the game, as we seemingly see our titular hero wracked with pain and horror like never before. And yet, as has been the case for this entire series, Wynd has been undergoing a vast transformation, and while it’s not always the easiest or most comfortable prospect (clearly), there’s value in this struggle. Sure, I’m saying a lot of this the day after the 2024 election, and I’m stuffing down a lot of hurt and grief, but if we can’t believe that there’s something decent on the other side of this, then why soldier on? Maybe Wynd isn’t that deep (or is it?), but covers like this highlight a lively and potent this story is as both a crutch and a salve. Bon voyage and better days, Wynd.
Calavera P.I. #1
Variant cover by Ramón Pérez
If you haven’t read my interview with writer-artist Marco Finnegan, he’s got some big plans for Calavera P.I. It’s a notion best encapsulated when, throughout the Q&A, he celebrated this book’s core influences (like Dashiell Hammett stories and Philip Marlowe-starring films) and also recognized that, as a Chicano, Juan Cavalera isn’t your traditional private dick. And if you really want to understand how that translates to this compelling, multi-layered slice of noir, then you can just peep this Ramón Pérez variant cover to issue #1. Because we get some clear, old-school pulp vibes, with just this most stylish and sturdy slice of 1930s SoCal crime goodness. But the Latin/Chicano influences are clearly there, and yet they never seem to overpower or subvert anything and instead are more interested in extending and expanding the aesthetic and vibes of this piece. Of course, the blood red sky and bloodied victim also feel a little more robust and overt than this era and genre might otherwise allow, but that’s just a step forward in a way that shows how dedicated this book is to telling a crime story with even more teeth than usual. Whatever about this cover hooked you (assuming you have a heartbeat and eyes), just know that this is going to be one bloody good mystery to solve.
Psylocke #1
Variant cover by Yasmine Putri
Not only am I not an artist, but I’m no marketer, designer, or general expert. (I know, surprise surprise.) But Psylocke #1 does demonstrate a trend I’ve noticed around debut issues: the covers are a little one-note. That’s not to say they’re not cool or interesting, but based on the fact that it’s a newer story that no one knows enough about yet, a lot of covers for these books just feature the lead standing around in different poses. (It’s sort of like, “I don’t know, so here’s my best catalog shots.”) But since Psylocke was “made for violence,” as the solicitation notes, it only makes sense that she’d get right into the thick of it with this primo action shot. And there’s so much to cling to regarding this Yasmine Putri variant: the way that her psy-blade feels so powerful and real, as if it’s our necks it’s being plunged into; the way the rocks seem to move and scatter through the shot, again with a kind of organic energy and intent attached; and the idea that we can’t really tell how gravity works here and/or what’s up or down, which disorientates in the very best way. Does this shot tell me what’s about to happen in this story? No way! Do I need to know anything when the action hits this hard and the power is this visible and all-consuming? Nope! Give me more covers like this, and you can launch 100 new #1 issues every week for all I care.
G.I. Joe #1
Cover by Tom Reilly and Jordie Bellaire
And speaking of starting things off with overt violence and edgy vibes, we come to G.I. Joe #1. If you weren’t aware, the last G.I. Joe series ran for 300 issues (concluding in late 2022/early 2023), and was a masterclass in how you bring the action figures and/or cartoons in the realm of comics and tell something thoughtful and entertaining in the long run. Do I think this creative team — writer Joshua Williamson, artist Tom Reilly, colorist Jordie Bellaire, and letterer Rus Wooton — have what it takes to also go the distance? Sure. But in the meantime, and something that clearly helps/supports their case, we get this wrap-around debut cover from Reilly and Bellaire. Sure, it might also boil down to folks standing around, striking their best version of Blue Steel or whatever, but there’s certainly more here. The wraparound isn’t just a cool gimmick; it offers a helpful compare-and-contrast for the two sides, and lets us understand some key dynamics going forward. It also shows the sheer layers of this story, and we want something big and bold and dramatic to really dig into and to tell this kind of grand war story for the 21st century. Even the way that color works here, and the gradation between red and blue, feels thematically important. And all of that’s before I even mention the presence of giant robot arm, which you may have missed entirely given the vast offerings already here. Go Joe, indeed.
Green Lantern #17
Cover by Xermánico
In January, Green Lantern #19 is the start of a “new era” for the Corps. But in the meantime, based on the cover to issue #17, things are going to get weird and wild in the meantime. Not only is Star Sapphire contending with a “creature from her past,” but Lanterns Jordan and Stewart have to deal with the twin-headed threat of the United Planets and the “newly-transformed Lord Premier Thaaros.” That kind of chaos and trouble would make anyone want to scream, even if they’re seemingly some sentient space anomaly whose main task seems to be mucking things up for the Green Lanterns. But the concept of a yelling planet or whatnot is only the beginning, as cover/series artist Xermánico takes the whole thing up a couple of notches. I don’t know which I like more: the fact that it seems as if the planet/object is actually drooling (and all the implications that carries with it), or that given the pained faces of the Lanterns, I can nearly hear the high-pitched wail myself. Oh, I know, the thing I actually love most is that this somehow gave me a very latent form of trypophobia, and now my lifelong dream of one day going into space is somehow ruined. Perhaps you won’t have the same experience, and you can enjoy this cover for what is really is: a snapshot of this weird and wild book. If the first 18-ish issues are phase one, what madness can we expect with this new era?
