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Multiversity’s Got You Covered: The Best Covers of January 2014

By | February 3rd, 2014
Posted in Columns | 2 Comments

It’s been a long time coming folks, but Got You Covered is now back officially, this time as a monthly column. 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.

Alex + Ada #3
Art by Jonathan Luna

There are a lot of really simple elements that make this cover work so well for me, and it all starts with the title dress. Alex + Ada, in general, has a very clean look to it, and its title dress with its bright, white space and sans serif font for the name really gives it a unique look and feel for comics today. Pairing it with the minimalist credits, the powerful illustration that takes the front and center up, and the fit it actually has in the story, and this is one cover that stands out by not trying to overwhelm the reader with activity. Simple, clean, elegant and effective, just like the book itself.

Black Widow #1
Art by Phil Noto

Phil Noto in my mind might actually be a better designer than he is illustrator, as the character element to the cover is actually the part that stands out the least to me. It’s all about the composition, pairing the white cutout of Moscow and tagline at the top with a redded out image of Natasha looking out over the city. It’s a phenomenal look that resonates off the stands when you’re looking at comics, even as standard cover dress takes part of the bottom. Marvel really has done an exceptional job at letting covers stand out a bit more on their books, and with clever artists like Phil Noto working for them, this is the type of work you could expect from them going forward.

Deadly Class #1
Art by Wesley Craig

Deadly Class actually has a bevy of excellent variant covers, including ones by Farel Dalrymple (my favorite) and Declan Shalvey, but I wanted to focus on interior artist Wes Craig’s standard piece. It’s anything but standard, of course, and like with Black Widow’s cover, Craig makes this piece resonate by keeping the colors minimal and solid to better emphasize the parts he wants to. It makes the characters and their very deliberate positioning stand out all the more, and I love the very realistic, almost casual posing he gives them. There’s a lot of meaning on this cover, and it is superb work.

Of note as well: I love the way the numbering of the page is displayed at the bottom. It’s a minimalist look that fits very well with the rest of the design. This is just well crafted work.

Fables #136
Art by Dan Dos Santos

So far, my picks have been heavily weighted towards more design conscious choices, but this one? This one is just an utterly brilliant illustration from Dan Dos Santos. While I still am perplexed by Joao Ruas’ disappearance from the book (seriously, try finding an answer to that anywhere), when Dos Santos is dropping bombs like this on us, I don’t really care. This is just a phenomenal piece of work, showing Rose Red in her armor, holding a sword that acts as a metaphor for the pain she likely is bringing into her life in her pursuit of bringing back Camelot. I tend to pick covers that succeed on a more design based level, but when the art is this good, who am I to not pick it?

Fairest #21
Art by Adam Hughes

Without much fanfare, Adam Hughes has been providing some of the absolute best in covers since he started working on Fairest. And while he’s certainly notable for his lovely ladies (last month’s issue #21 was exceptional proof of that), this simple piece of Cinderella holding her gun with three mice on it is both a beautiful crafted illustration and a meaningful ode to what is inside the issue itself. The title dress (which I think is wonderful) lets the art breathe, and gives this piece room to really stand out amongst the books around it. A killer piece by Hughes.

Continued below

Fatale #19
Art by Sean Phillips

Some would call me crazy for saying that Sean Phillips’ covers to Fatale are underrated, but that’s exactly what I’d say about them. These aren’t showy pieces, as they fit into the format he’s developed for the book (which is powerfully simple), but they are brutally effective, with this piece encapsulating the ultimate chapter of this arc in efficient, shocking fashion. It helps that this was my favorite Fatale arc yet, but I really love this book for its ability to not look like anything else in comics, but only in the best of ways. Perfect tonal fit to the title.

FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #7
Art by Nathan Fox

This is another situation where the illustration is just so dynamic that it’s hard not to love the piece. The greatest thing FBP has going for it is the art that it features each and every month, and first and foremost each time are Nathan Fox’s covers. Fox is undeniably one of the most gifted and unique artists in comics, and his ability to heighten what is otherwise a relatively simple image and turn it into something mystifying yet completely inviting is a testament to his abilities. Gorgeous stuff.

Ghosted #6
Art by Matteo Scalera

This is just a rock awesome cover from one of the rising star artists in comics, Matteo Scalera. It’s a simple piece, pushed to another level by the blend of the creepy, atmospheric blue that makes the read of the ghosts in the glasses pop all the more. I love how, with Scalera’s art, you can see a certain level of his work in the piece, in that it isn’t all clean lines, there’s a rough edge to it that makes it all the better. There’s a painterly look to it that emphasizes the fear that they’re trying to bring out in you as the person interacting with it, and it hugely effective. Great piece.

Prophet #42
Art by Emma Rios

I’m going to be totally honest, I have no idea exactly what is going on with it. I can say that it’s a gorgeous, hugely engaging image that makes me want to find out, and isn’t that what a cover is supposed to? Emma Rios is one of the most brilliant illustrators in comics today, and her raw ability to create cannot be spoken about enough. This is just fantastic.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #30
Art by Ross Campbell

I think if I had to rank all of these covers in terms of just my personal preference, this would be my favorite of the month. Ross Campbell created an incredible, introspective piece that perfectly uses white space and color – specifically in the orange of Michaelangelo’s bandana, the titling and the leaves – to make an absolutely dynamite piece. This is just thoughtful, incredibly crafted art that perfectly fits the tone and feel of the story. Brilliant stuff, and I’m looking forward to seeing more cover work from Campbell.


//TAGS | Multiversity's Got You Covered

David Harper

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