They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. While that might be true for prose, it’s not entirely true for comic books. Comic books are a visual medium and more times than not, it’s the art that draws you in. With so many comic books coming out these days, a cover that stands out from everything else on a wall of new releases can determine how well it sells. I know that I’ve picked up new titles solely based on the cover.
It is with that in mind that we bring you Face Value, a column where we will be looking at the best covers in comics, both new and old, every two weeks. For this month’s special edition, I’m continuing my spotlight series on individual artists. This month, I’m looking at some of my favorite Annie Wu covers.
“Ms. Marvel” #3 by Annie Wu
I like when teenage characters actually have to deal with going to school so I really love this cover that spotlights Kamala Khan, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel, trying to hide her double life from all the different kinds of people she deals with at school.
“Black Canary” #1 by Annie Wu
This run on “Black Canary” honestly didn’t get as much as love as it deserves but this image has become a go to for the character. It’s iconic now and it perfectly set the stage for what this series was going to be.
“Barbarella” #1 by Annie Wu
This cover stood out so much in the variant lineup when this series started. It’s light and ethereal instead of a sexy pin up. It’s a change of pace from what we usually get from Dynamite and a welcomed change.
“Deadpool” #18 by Annie Wu
This is a weird one because this a variant cover for a series that the characters don’t belong to but I can’t help myself. I hate this kinds of things on principle but look how great my favorite Marvel couple looks.
“Black Canary” #9 by Annie Wu
This is bad ass in every sense. Batgirl and Black Canary already went to war and they’re gearing up for round two. I adore it.
“Hawkeye” #3 by Annie Wu
Kate and Clint beat up, hanging out on a rooftop. All is right in the world.
“Angela: Queen of Hel” #1 by Annie Wu
The Marvel Hip Hop homages were mostly really good and this was one of my favorites because I think this is a good example of an artist paying homage to something while still making the piece belong to the character. This is still very much an “Angela” cover thanks to the big ass sword.
“Archie” #4 by Annie Wu
Look how great my children look. Annie Wu, please draw my children more often.
