Hello, and welcome to Burpee Matthew’s Got You Covered. I have never done this column before. However, for the time being I will be taking over, so get used to my assorted word gymnastics and perhaps ludicrous opinions.
Either way, hop on the good foot and do the bad thing. Click past the cut for this week’s top 5 covers, as well as the first ever Blunder Award.
Who Is Jake Ellis? is perhaps one of the best comics Image is currently putting out, and given that Nathan Edmondson has said the book will be continuing past issue 5 there is certainly much to celebrate. The stylistic presentation of the book from cover to cover is definitely a big part of that. The cover here is a nice clue as to the contents inside – a hulking Jake Ellis standing formally behind our main character John, who is getting ready for action and walking out of the smoke/fog. For those who know the issue’s plot, it’s an interesting play on the events contained within.
The presentation of the cover also adds to WIJE? frequently being one of the more unique covers on the stands. The tilted cover is almost like a movie poster, with the presentation of the Image logo and the title at an angle/sideways really help this book stand out in a sea of (somewhat) conformity. The orange color scheme that the book has also adds to the eye-drawing powers of the title, as every cover in the series so far has had a distinct color scheme that has been – to say the least – eye-drawing. From a graphic design perspective, the cover has everything you could want to bring a reader’s attention to the title.
If it weren’t for Daniel Luvisi, I would not be reading Secret Six; that’s the plain and frank truth of the matter. For a good deal of time I did not read the comic despite the praise from other critics and the boys of MC, but Daniel Luvisi’s cover to Secret Six #27 was such a fantastic image that I couldn’t resist not buying the title anymore.
Such is the case here. Luvisi has created an absolutely gorgeous image that recalls an iconic moment of Batman mythology. Since Bane has moved away from antagonizing the bat, it’s all too appropriate that an issue which sees the potential fall from “grace” of Bane (according to the solicit, anyway) recreates this scene in such an etheral way. The way that the exploding dust of the demonic Batman ends up framing Bane’s face is beautiful, and the cool dark blue tone of the cover sets the reader up for the interior story. It’s the kind of cover that any fan of Bane will want to pick up.
The cover could’ve been higher on the list if it weren’t for the obnoxious banner at the top. It takes away from the presentation immensely. The rest of the layout for the cover title, logo (now missing it’s Holding The Line banner) and credits is fine, and actually in form to how it usually is on Secret Six – but that banner is an eye sore.
I’m an unabashed fan of Moon Knight, Bendis, and Maleev. It shouldn’t surprise anyone at all that this makes the cut. Of course, it helps that this is a gorgeous cover from Alex Maleev, right?
So let’s talk about Moon Knight a bit. The new version of the book, for all intents and purposes, is about how much Moon Knight is not in control of himself. He both comprehends his insanity and doesn’t according to the premise, but from looking at the cover you get the impression that Moon Knight is in charge. This is a cover that brings back memories of Daredevil #50, in which Matt Murdock asserted himself as the new Kingpin of New York. Moon Knight’s position here, holding up the Ultron head, says “I am in control. I hold all the cards.” Yet, for those reading the content inside, this really couldn’t be further from the truth.
Continued belowMaleev is one of the most talented artists out there, and he continually proves so with the covers and interiors he does. The way that Moon Knight’s cape and cowl blend into the background flows majestically, and the confidence and power that the character exudes is only due to Maleev’s great grasp of framing. Moon Knight is a powerful and imposing figure, all mental illness aside, and while this issue is far from “The Great Victory Of Moon Knight” or anything of that sort, Maleev really brings out the aspects of the character that work to draw the reader to the title.
Marvel’s cover design folk also wonderfully layout the details in a way that doesn’t detract from Maleev’s coverwork even a tiny bit. The issue number, barcode, and credits go in the lower right corner where there isn’t much to take away from but a cape, and the the character logo rests behind his head. This allows you to get as much Maleev as possible, and with a cover this good that’s a welcome gift. This is the kind of comic that you can very easily frame, and – as good as the first issue’s cover was – a step up for the title in terms of rack eye-grabbing.
Everyone should be reading Criminal. There is no reason to not to. It comes out in disconnected volumes, and when it does it is consistently one of the best comics in any given week. But this isn’t a review of the book; we’re here to talk covers. Good thing my comments for the book work just as much for the cover, eh?
Sean Phillips provides us with a gorgeous first look at our latest Criminal saga. The interior tells us of a man married to a socialite woman he no longer cares for who decides that he has to kill his wife. It’s a sort of “Archie gone all kinds of wrong” murder story, and the cover illustrates this point perfectly. Front and center we have Felicity, the victim apparent of our story in the element in which she thrives. She’s the center of both our attention and the room she’s in, with a beautiful glowing radiance that draws all eyes in her direction. And, carefully placed behind her, is her less than pleased husband Riley, our humble narrator, looking on with jealous eyes as everyone eyefucks the dark-haired bombshell in red. (At least, that’s what I assume the juxtaposition of characters is supposed to represent.) It’s the kind of cover that draws attention in more ways than one, and if you’re somehow not pulled to read the book from the cover alone then you’re decidedly doing something wrong.
Like with the next cover, it is up to the creative team how they want to put their show on. Marvel does not appear to interfere much with Icon covers, allowing creators full control of the content. The logo is given it’s block to the right in the usual font, and the entire image spreads from front to back allowing the barcode and price tag to be placed in the far left corner. While the red box does cover up a single head of a no-name character, it’s placed in a position that doesn’t take away from the setting of the image. None of the balloons or streamers are coverd (ostensibly), and it allows Felicity to almost slightly lean against the box in a sultry fashion. No matter how you look at it, this is one well put together cover.
I honestly don’t think there’s anything I need to say here. Just look at the cover. From the ground up, this is a cover assembled by an artist with every element designed to his beck and call. Francavilla is fully in charge here, from publisher logo placement to price tag. There is nothing that Francavilla didn’t do on this cover, and it’s all the more gorgeous for it.
Continued belowFeaturing a beautiful cool orange color scheme to it, the title looks like an old grindhouse movie poster. This is by far and large the kind of cover that will make someone who has never read Hellboy want to read Hellboy. The Fury is the accumulation of years of Hellboy story telling compressed into a short but tremendous finale, and it makes sense that they’d pull out all the stops to draw in the last few readers. Hiring Francesco Francavilla to create a cover to your comic that would work ten times as well as a poster on your wall is the exact way to do it.
So I’m at a loss for words. This is a beautiful cover, and I would’ve been more than happy to spend the extra buck or two to buy it (luckily, I got it for cover price).
Runners Up: Sweet Tooth #22 by Jeff Lemire, X-Factor #220 by David Yardin, and Halcyon #5 by Ryan Bodenheim
The Blunder Award Of The Week goes to DC Comics, for their ridiculous and off-putting Green Lantern banner.
Secret Six just barely squeeked on to this week’s list (thanks to an outside vote from a second source), but I couldn’t justify putting any other DC or Veritgo covers onto the list due to that awful eyesore. Look at what Marvel does when they want to promote an event or movie – they put a tiny logo in the corner, and that’s that. Take a note, DC; you could’ve replaced the “Hold The Line” logo with a Green Lantern logo and called it a day in a non-intrusive way.
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That’s it for this week’s Got You Covered. Here are your weekly stats, based on appearances on the list:
Adi Granov — 13
David Finch — 12
Jae Lee – 8
Dave Johnson — 8
Tune in next week for more eye candy.
