This month was a kind of up and down one for high quality covers. It started very strong, and then the last couple of weeks were pretty weak overall (of course, the comics that were inside of the covers matched that as well). However, it was still a fine month, headlined by Dave Johnson’s stellar effort in closing his run of Punisher MAX covers with #22. The blend of black, white and red has been a common thread throughout, but I enjoyed how in this final issue, the red was taken out of it. A clever, subtle touch to match the ending of the series.
Click through the jump to find the other best covers of the month, including efforts from people like Duncan Fegredo, Francis Manapul and Rodin Esquejo, as well as an update to the year-to-date rankings. The covers are listed in alphabetical order.
The Activity #3
Art by Mitch Gerads
I commented on this already this month, but my comments still stand: Gerads does an incredible job of blending the title dress at the bottom with an impactful image at the top, creating a total package of a cover that feels unlike anything else this month. It’s phenomenal work, as per usual, from Gerads.
Blue Estate #9
Art by Viktor Kalvachev
I have to give Kalvachev serious props for this. It’s a hilarious concept, and with each passing month I am more and more impressed with what Kalvachev comes up with for his “Blue Estate” covers. This is definitely the crown jewel so far, and it just makes me more excited for what he’s going to come up with next. Definitely one of the up-and-coming cover artists in the industry in my opinion.
Dark Horse Presents #8
Art by Duncan Fegredo and Kristian Donaldson
I heavily deliberated between these two covers. Which of the always strong Dark Horse Presents covers this month should make my list. Is it the very Brian Wood styled cover for The Massive from Kristian Donaldson, another strong piece that blends Wood’s graphic design vision with his artist’s very capable eye for composition and color? Or would it be the sad, powerful Hellboy/BPRD mash-up piece from recently departed (from the book, not life) Duncan Fegredo? A central tenet to my life is simple: when in doubt, cheat. So why not have both make the list?
The Flash #6 (Variant)
Art by Francis Manapul
I have no idea why this was the variant, not the primary cover. I think it’s another great example of what Manapul does well, blending a ton of energy, storytelling and incredible usage of watercolor to make the piece incredibly unique. I really love what Manapul has been doing on this book, and this cover is another fine piece.
Morning Glories #16
Art by Rodin Esquejo
I love Esquejo’s covers. This one does an incredible job of creating a dynamic image that provides a snippet of what is going on inside, and cheers to Tim Daniel for his excellent design work on the cover as well. Quite often, especially in Big Two books, do we find beautiful covers submerged over dressing hyping an event that the book is tied to or some other unnecessary titling. This cover though is an exercise in minimalism in that regard, choosing to instead emphasize the image, which makes the package stronger overall.
Scalped #56
Art by Jock
I love this cover, but I love all of Jock’s “Scalped” covers. This one is great simply because of the story it tells – Dash on a road to places unknown, no longer with the FBI, everything uncertain. It’s what the story is all about, but he does such a great job at conveying that with a singular image. I love the cracked white in the image and around the edges as well, a typically great touch from one of the best cover artists in the game today.
X-Factor #232
Art by David Yardin
I have to admit, the main reason why I love this cover is simply because it stands out so much. The color palette and spinning spell design emanating from the middle of it the book jump off the racks as you are taking a stroll in your local shop, so for me, Yardin’s effort does a phenomenal job at doing what covers need to do: make readers stand up and notice the book they are on.
X-Men Legacy #262
Art by Mark Brooks
Dave Johnson commented on this cover this month, because, as he said, these types of covers are fairly common and perhaps even overdone, but Brooks’ work is so strong on it you can’t help but think it is absolutely great. And he’s right – this is a powerful image of the lead of this book, torn and tattered with the title dress over her. One of my favorite parts about it though is the way the light surrounds her, creating a really unique version of an idea we’ve undoubtedly seen before.
2012 Rankings
1. Dave Johnson – 3 covers
2. Yuko Shimizu – 2 covers
2. Rodin Esquejo – 2 covers
3. Eleven tied with 1 cover
