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Face Value: Special Edition January 2019

By | January 8th, 2019
Posted in Columns | % Comments

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. This is now my third January special edition and so, let’s keep with tradition and look at some of the very best #1’s that have ever hit the shelves.

“The Walking Dead” #1 by Tony Moore

These days, this story does nothing for me but up until the big prison/governor storyline, I was into “The Walking Dead.” Whether you like it or not, this image is now pretty iconic and even the show has recreated it for promotional purposes. It’s just a good image.

“Batman and Robin” #1 by Frank Quitely

MY BOOOOOOOOOOOOOYS!!!! I got into buying my own comics right as Grant Morrison was unleashed onto the Bat family and so this series is near and dear to me. I still love this cover because it’s simple but if you look at it closely, it kind of flips everything you know about these characters. Robin, with that expression is more of the tough guy here with Dick Grayson Batman looking a little more laid back and happy. I adore it still.

“Nailbiter” #1 by Mike Henderson

“Nailbiter” is long over but this is still an image that stays with me. I am a nervous nail biter myself and this freaks me out completely. Job well done.

“Lumberjanes” #1 by Noelle Stevenson

Who would have thought that 5 years ago, this image was just the start of a comics phenomenon. I sure didn’t but I definitely hoped so. Stevenson doesn’t do a lot of comics work these days but this is such a fun cover that so her and it set the stage for what was to come.

“Spider-Gwen” #1 by Robbi Rodriguez

When I think of Spider-Gwen I go right to this image. This is a perfect image of the character that defines her in so many ways. She’s powerful, she’s dynamic and she’s nothing like any other Spider-Man adjacent character you’ve ever seen.

“Fables” #1 (variant) by Alex Maleev

In another life, I was a huge fan of “Fables” and this cover is one of the first images I ever saw from the series, which is weird given that it’s a variant. Maleev’s art here is dark and moody and really beautiful. I loved the work of Mark Buckingham but if Maleev had some issues, I wouldn’t have complained.

“Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man” #1 by Kaare Andrews

We’re all high off Into The Spider-Verse so let’s look at one of Miles’s first covers. Drawn by Kaare Andrews, this cover gives us a great look at Miles’s costume and shows off how he moves a little differently than Peter did. It’s really dynamic and works well as a first issue cover.

“Thor” #1 by Russell Dauterman

She is beauty, she is grace, she will hit you in the face with Mjolnir. Dauterman’s cover is absolutely gorgeous and no one could argue otherwise even if they hated the story choice. It’s powerful and it’s so quintessential Thor without losing Jane Foster in it.


//TAGS | Face Value

Jess Camacho

Jess is from New Jersey. She loves comic books, pizza, wrestling and the Mets. She can be seen talking comics here and at Geeked Out Nation. Follow her on Twitter @JessCamNJ for the hottest pro wrestling takes.

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