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Multiversity’s Got You Covered: Best Covers of 2012

By | January 4th, 2013
Posted in Columns | 5 Comments

Comic covers are, arguably, the most underrated aspect of comics. They can tell stories, they can sell a book, and they can open your eyes to worlds unknown. Truly gifted cover artists perpetually reinvent the form, using negative space to highlight storytelling elements, incorporating graphic design into the mix and making sure that their picture is worth well over a thousand words.

It’s been a big year with a lot of editions of Got You Covered, and to start 2013, I want to look back at my ten favorite covers of the year. They’re below in alphabetical order by comic title.

Batwoman #5

Art by JH Williams III

The strangest thing about JH Williams III for me is the fact that, even though I am very aware of how talented he is, he’s always so great that I almost hold him to a higher standard. “Oh ho hum, another completely unique and spellbinding page from Williams. No surprise there.” He’s superhuman in his talent, and it takes something truly spectacular for us to stand up and notice. Like this cover. Look at that thing. The way Batwoman’s foe comes to (un)life. The reflection of Kate in the water. The subtle integration of the credits. JH Williams III would be a huge talent in any art form, but he’s made for comics. It’s covers like this that really make us realize that.

Fables #122

Art by Joao Ruas

Ruas will forever be compared to his predecessor on Fables – the phenomenal James Jean – but many forget…the guy has been on the book for nearly 50 issues now. Ruas has made his own dent on the Fables world, and with covers like this and the hauntingly beautiful imagery created on it, he’s starting to make people realize just how incredible his work is in his own right.

Hellblazer #297

Art by Simon Bisley

This recent cover from Bisley highlighted one of the many, many reasons why it’s a shame that Hellblazer is ending: his covers. This beauty is a killer, with more muted colors in the background making Constantine’s eye and the near fairy pop all the more. The level of detail and quality of the linework is incredible, and I love the slight juxtaposition between the angular edges of the fairy and the relative smoothness of Constantine himself. This is a brilliant piece, and something that gets better with more time spent looking at it.

Lobster Johnson: Caput Mortuum #1

Art by Tonci Zonjic

The first of Zonjic’s two appearances on this list, Zonjic really broke out in 2012 thanks to his Lobster Johnson work. It’s a perfect match of artist with character/title, and in my mind it was most fully realized in this spellbinding cover that finds the spectre of Johnson (fitting, given his role in the modern B.P.R.D. world) looming over his city. Simple, yet powerful, work from Zonjic.

Northlanders #50

Art by Massimo Carnevale

Massimo Carnevale, pound for pound, is one of the absolute best artists in comics. His covers for Northlanders were spectacular, and this one that covered the finale of the series was his best yet. I love the looming doom implied on it – with the battle torn helmet and the seabird perched atop the helm. Carnevale’s painted works often are exercises in brilliant minimalism, and his work here shows just how much you can convey with simple yet powerful imagery.

Punisher MAX #22

Art by Dave Johnson

Punisher MAX from Jason Aaron and Steve Dillon had one of the most underrated finales of the year, and a big part of that was the spot on cover from Dave Johnson. Touching on his trend of using mostly black and white with flourishes of red on these covers, Johnson gave Frank Castle and this book a fitting coda with this powerful cover absent the red that greeted us throughout his run. Johnson is one of the absolute titans of comic covers, and he didn’t get any recognition in our 2012 in Review segment. It was deserved for work like this.

Continued below

Saga #4

Art by Fiona Staples

Fiona Staples’ covers (with a shout out to Fonografiks) this year have been revolutionary in their awesomeness, taking advantage of both cover pages to create a greater whole. Beautiful, single color backgrounds with character imagery often dominates them, and this routine has become a magnificent feature of the book month in and month out. For me though, the best cover was the fourth issue, if only because The Will and Lying Cat are, for me, the coolest characters of the series so far.

Scalped #60

Art by Jock

Besides James Jean’s Fables run, Jock’s work on Scalped may be my favorite covers run ever. This final cover was a pitch perfect homage to the first cover, showing readers just how far things have (or could have) evolved, and how the world on Prairie Rose has changed. It has some of the best storytelling payoff I’ve ever seen in a cover, and, as per usual, is just a brilliantly powerful visual like Jock so often brings to us.

The Creep #3

Art by Tonci Zonjic

Mr. Zonjic is the only artist on the list who scores two entries, but with good reason: I freaking love this cover. John Arcudi and Jonathan Case’s The Creep earned a lot of critical acclaim, but it was this cover that really made me stand up and take notice. Its ominous nature blended with pitch perfect lighting and a genuinely creepy feel make this cover stand out off the rack, and it’s another very good reason why Tonci was one of the break outs of this year.

The Unwritten #35

Art by Yuko Shimizu

What more can I say about Yuko Shimizu that I already haven’t? I could easily have just made this best covers of the year post her covers from The Unwritten, but what would be the fun in that? Her talent level is as high as anyone in the industry, but its her inventiveness and storytelling that consistently sets her apart. Her work on The Unwritten has quickly become one of the all-time legendary runs on covers in comics.


//TAGS | Multiversity's Got You Covered

David Harper

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