Got You Covered is back with another look at the best covers of the month. At the end of each month, we’ll be sharing the absolute best (in one writer’s mind) in comic covers for the month. Unlike before, they won’t be ranked, they’ll just be listed alphabetically with explanations as to why each is such a great example in the art of comic covers.
Share your thoughts in the comments about what were the best covers in the month, and thanks for reading.
All-Star Western #34
Art by Darwyn Cooke
There are a lot of ways for a series to go out, and while I didn’t read this issue, I can say this: Darwyn Cooke’s final cover to the series is pitch perfect. It feels like the last slate to a classic western tale, in concept, and the execution is just as impressive. It’s a moody, dark piece, and not something we typically expect from Cooke, but by damn I can’t help but think it’s remarkable just like his work always is.
The Bunker #5
Art by Joe Infurnari
This breaks one of my rules, as I always like a cover to be indicative of what we can expect from the book itself, and this cover doesn’t tell me anything about it from the outside looking in. But it is a remarkable cover in a design and execution sense, combining a great titling graphic with excellent and sketchy art that really connects that there is some rather dark stuff going on in this book. I don’t currently read this book, but with covers like this, I must say I’m pretty intrigued.
The Fade Out #1
Art by Sean Phillips
What else can be said about covers from Sean Phillips? He’s been an Eisner nominee on multiple occasion for multiple books, and it’s with good reason. His covers don’t really look like anyone else’s, and I mean that in a very good way. This first cover to “The Fade Out” introduces the layout he’ll be using throughout the series, with a singular image layered over a purely white background and the watercolor like blood stain over the titling. It’s a simple design, but it’s really powerful, and it’s something that will carry on throughout. From issue one, he’s nailed one huge element of the series, and we shouldn’t expect anything less from the guy at this point.
Fairest #28
Art by Adam Hughes
Adam Hughes’ “Fairest” covers have made this list quite a few times at this point, and quite often, they feature his trademark bombastic women on them. This one though is equally enticing, and it barely features a person at all. It’s a beautifully simple piece, with the titling flying away like the character in the upper right corner, but it really connects thanks to that simplicity and the unique look. I like the faded treatment he adds to the background, as it gives it a dreamlike texture that really takes the piece to another level. Hughes is often characterized as a certain type of artist, but pieces like this do a great job of showing off his versatility and keen design eye. Love it.
Low #2
Art by Greg Tocchini
Tocchini’s an artist I sometimes love and sometimes am frustrated by, and it’s pieces like this that fuel the frustration in a weird way. This cover is remarkable, with a powerful central image and beautiful covers that make the image that leap off the page. It features expressive characters and burgeoning life that draw us in to the story on the cover and likely inside the book. Every element of the image is clearly delineated, and that makes a huge difference, as sometimes, that delineation is absent from his interiors. All of the good is there on the interiors too, but when it all weaves and meshes together, it makes him hard to follow. So it’s a tremendous cover, but it also exists as a reminder of why he’s one of the most beguiling artists around.
Continued below
Suicide Risk #16
Art by Stephanie Hans
First off, I just have to say I’ve always appreciated the titling on this book. Simple, clean and never taking away from the lead image, “Suicide Risk” as a book has that as a great feather in its cap. Stephanie Hans on covers ain’t no joke, either, as her work is consistently stellar. This one is just a bit better though, as it depicts a nightmarish situation in a potent, beautiful fashion, and it’s hard not to get drawn in by it. What’s going on in this book? What’s happening to this character, and why? These are questions that Hans’ art makes us think, and isn’t that what you want a cover to do?
Supreme: Blue Rose #2
Art by Tula Lotay
Two months, two issues and two rankings in my list, and it’s easy to see why. Much love to Comicraft’s titling elements to this book, as they’re wonderfully simple and fantastic draws to your eye without being distracting, but they’re a complimentary element to the main event that is Tula Lotay’s astonishingly gorgeous art. It’s a moody piece in its own right, and the way its depicted has a certain timelessness, as the image could exist in periods as disparate as the 1940’s and today. Beyond that, it’s just intoxicatingly beautiful, as Lotay delivers beautiful, powerful women with the greatest of ease, and the faded, unfinished world around her delicately delivers the unreality that often surrounds the character. Just fantastic stuff.
Trees #4
Art by Jason Howard
This is a cover that belongs more to the Jonathan Hickman school of covers, and major props to Howard for fitting into that yet making it feel entirely his own. It’s another simple cover, with a black background with traditional dragons layered into it and a small, singular image layered over it. That image though could mean a lot, with the upside down bowl and the blood coming from it making this cover worth maybe even more than the thousand words a picture is normally worth. For a book that says a whole lot without burying us in dialogue or monologue, this cover is a pitch perfect fit to it.
Wayward #1
Art by Steve Cummings
“Wayward” #1 didn’t just have one cover, it had several (ten to be exact) covers, all of which were fantastic. Alina Urusov’s B cover was particularly beautiful, and actually the one I went home with (Cummings’ one was sold out at my shop), but the one from series artist Steve Cummings was the one that didn’t just stand out the most, it actually sold me on the book. I never once read solicits for this book. I didn’t read any interviews with Jim Zub. I didn’t read our advance copy. I saw the cover from Cummings and knew that this was a book that I wanted in my life. I could say a lot of things about his technical work or the design or any number of other things, but what is more valuable than that story? A tremendous and effective cover.
Zero #10
Art by Michael Gaydos
“Zero” is a book that is basically comprised of secret weapons, with Jordie Bellaire and Clayton Cowles and Tom Muller fighting each other perpetually for that title. But these covers might just be the real deal, as each issue has several, and each bring different but highly impactful art and designs to readers. A big part of that is Muller’s work, as his designs and his titling has been the unifying factor like Bellaire’s colors are for the interiors. But Gaydos deserves a lot of credit too, as this chilling image works perfectly with his minimalist design and over the top imagery. This is another example of how well put together this book is, and yet another reason why I love this book.
