Today in our 2011 in Review series, we have a look at one of my favorite categories of this exercise: Best Cover Artists.
Covers have become a much more hot button issue recently (especially with cover artist extraordinaire Dave Johnson getting more in the mix lately), and it’s with a good reason: they say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but many do. Comic covers are a very important aspect of the presentation of comics, and some are very, very good at that (and some are equally bad). We’d like to highlight the best of the best for 2011, which you can find after the jump.
As per usual, thanks to designer Tim Daniel for the rockin’ 2011 in Review logo!
5. Yuko Shimizu
Why she made the list (Walt Richardson): Back when I wrote about The Unwritten for an older Friday Recommendation, David was quick to scold me – and rightfully so – for a grave omission on my part: I had completely neglected drawing attention to the wonderful cover work of Yuko Shimizu. When people talk about creator-owned comics, it’s usually the writer and the interior artist, if there is one who is consistently involved and/or shares co-creator credits, who get talked about most. However, a consistent cover artist who is different from the interior artist can be just as essential to the work as a whole. Consider, for example, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, which would not be not be the same without Dave McKean’s exquisite covers. The same is true of Yuko Shimizu and The Unwritten; Shimizu’s covers add an extra level of depth to each issue that is truly fascinating. The tone of each cover perfectly matches the tone of the issue it accompanies, which is often a problem in, say, the realm of superhero comics. And, on a simpler note, her covers are just incredible even as stand-alone pieces of art. The line work, the composition, the textures, and goddamn those colors… everything that makes a great piece of art is present on every single cover. If I could get prints of these covers, I would soon be completely broke.
4. Dave Johnson
Why he made the list (Matt Meylikhov): The art of the cover is an incredibly important one. The idea here is marketing in its purest form; a great cover has to be able to draw in a reader who has never picked up the comic in their life and keep them there, but it should also exist as a unique piece of art in and of itself. While a cover artist may not remain the same as an interior one, their contribution to the book and its story is just as important as anything inside, as they set the stage for everything to come within.
Cue Dave Johnson. The man just gets covers. You should know him from his amazing 100 Bullets covers, as Johnson has won the cover of the week from Multiversity countless times, holding third place in the rankings by the time I stopped doing the column myself. You see, what Johnson does better than most is he can effectively blend style with substance for always noteworthy covers. Johnson doesn’t boast the cleanest character design or most appropriate rendering of muscles for your average/run-of-the-mill superhero title (at least, not in the eyes of the collected masses, who worship these various muscled gods), but Johnson can draw eyes to books like no other. Blending creative design with eye-popping colors and unique layouts, Johnson is a cover master, and this year was another excellent show of force from him.
Whether it be his fantastic Deadpool covers (the only thing worthwhile about that title, in my opinion), his amazing Mignola-verse coves from BPRD to Abe Sapien, or his show stopping Punisher MAX covers, Johnson absolutely embodies everything you could want from a cover artist and more.
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3. JH Williams III
Why he made the list (Gilbert Short): What is there to say about JH Williams III’s art? Nothing I say would come close to describing the beauty of his art and how powerful those images are. His layouts and composition can take a seemingly mundane object and turn it on its head. Look at any of his covers from Batwoman or Batman Incorporated for any ideas of what I’m talking about.
Take his cover to Batman Incorporated #3 (dated March 2011). In the photo, he merged many of the themes that perfectly conveyed what was happening in the book, but subtly and in a technique so gorgeous it belongs in a museum of modern art. Everything from the characters on the cover (Batman and Gaucho, the Argentinian Batman Inc. Representative, to the locale and even some symbolism with the enormous scorpion presented on page, is a perfect way to entice the reader to reading an already stellar comic. Williams is one of the best people in this regard, and it’s well deserved. He works with the biggest names in the business for a reason, from Alan Moore to Greg Rucka to Grant Morrison. With his covers on Batwoman, his work is only looking to improve, as if that were
2. Francesco Francavilla
Why he made the list (Josh Mocle): Comics would not be the vibrant, beloved medium they are today if pulp/noir novellas did not exist before them. I know it, you (probably) know it and Francesco Francavilla damn sure knows it too. Over the course of this year, he was attached to two high(ish) profile comics that involved a masked hero on some kind of Frank Miller-esque “gritty” street punching a common criminal and/or rapist and/or psychopath. Conceptually, these books are only a few steps away from the pulps, which is what makes covers like Detective Comics #879 or Black Panther #524 so utterly perfect. Their intentional mimicry of the classic pulp/early hollywood movie poster style sets the stage for the book from the moment a potential reader lays eyes on it on the rack, and if that is not successful cover art I don’t know what is.
1. Jock
Why he made the list (David Harper): I contemplated just saying “see: the cover to the left.” Because really, his Detective Comics #880 cover is without a doubt the champion for cover of the year. That thing is absolutely amazing for many reasons, but I’ll walk you through how it hits the things I look for in my favorite covers.
1) It passes the rack test, meaning if you’re walking along the rack at your local shop it grabs your eyes with its design
2) It tells a story in its own right, indicating that The Joker will be appearing and that he (literally) has Bats on his brain
3) It acts as an individually brilliant piece of comic book art
That’s the thing though: this cover is just one of many by Jock that passes all three of those tests. He covers one of my favorite books – Vertigo’s Scalped – and every month there is another gorgeous, incredibly unique cover greeting me when I pick it up. Every cover he works on (like his fantastic cover to Pigs #1) is top notch and instantly makes me want to pick up that title. Really, shouldn’t that be the goal of a comic book cover?
And for that reason, he’s my number one vote for the second year in a row.
David’s Picks
1. Jock
2. Yuko Shimizu
3. Dave Johnson
4. Francesco Francavilla
5. Rodin Esquejo
Matt’s Picks
1. JH Williams III
2. Dave Johnson
3. Francesco Francavilla
4. Rodin Esquejo
5. Dustin Nguyen
Gil’s Picks
1. JH Williams III
2. Clay Mann
3. Francis Manapul
4. Mark Simpson
5. Brian Hurtt
Brandon’s Picks
1. Jae Lee
2. Jock
3. Mico Suayan
4. Dave Johnson
5. Francesco Francavilla
Josh’s Picks
1. Francesco Francavilla
2. Rodin Esquejo
3. Ryan Sook
4. Rafael Albuquerque
5. Rafael Grampa
Walt’s Picks
1. Yuko Shimizu
2. Francesco Francavilla
3. David Aja
4. Francis Manapul
5. Not John Cassaday (aka The Field)
Patrick’s Picks
1. Art Adams
2. Jim Cheung
Brian’s Picks
1. Tony Harris
2. JG Jones
3. Viktor Kalvachev
4. Jock
5. Ryan Sook
Ryan’s Picks
1. Jock
2. Dave Johnson
3. Chris Bachalo
4. Mike Mignola
5. JH Williams III
Chad’s Picks
1. Marcos Martin
2. JH Williams III
3. JG Jones
4. Tony Moore
5. Dave Johnson
Mike’s Picks
1. Jock
2. Francesco Francavilla
3. Mike Mignola
4. Travel Foreman
5. Juan Doe
