Got You Covered is back, with another look at the best covers of the month. At the end of each month, we’ll be sharing the absolute best (in one writer’s mind) in comic covers for the month. Unlike before, they won’t be ranked, they’ll just be listed alphabetically with explanations as to why each is such a great example in the art of comic covers.
Share your thoughts in the comments about what were the best covers in the month, and thanks for reading.
Dead Letters #1
Art by Chris Visions
There’s something simply potent about this cover, especially considering how solely focused on the image at hand it is. Naturally, there’s a sadness to it, but raw power permeates from the central image, and the space left from ink and color in the corners make that all the more engaging. Chris Visions is an artist whose work I had not experienced previously, but with covers like this, I really am going to find him difficult to not pay attention to. Also, bonus points to Boom! for allowing such a low impact credits box. It’s placed in such a way that it doesn’t take away from the piece, instead acting as an anchor for the eye once you’re done taking it in. Well done by all.
Elektra #1
Art by Mike Del Mundo
I would say the best thing for other artists interested in being the best in the comic cover game is that right now Mike Del Mundo is doing interiors for Elektra, which may ensure that he only does covers for one book. Because let’s face it people – he’s the best cover artist in the game. For a man who’s cover list over the past year is effectively the rankings for the best covers of the year, this one might be his best yet, and arguably the finest comic cover since Jock’s “Detective Comics” #880 piece. This is Elektra in an image, as the ninjas and blood create the deadly assassins visage, and its beauty is underlined in the simplicity and the mad genius it took to create it. I’m running out of superlatives for Del Mundo, people, but he’s the absolute best.
Flash Gordon #1
Art by Declan Shalvey
Speaking of simplicity, this is a cover that excels not necessarily because of the figure work – which is great, don’t get me wrong – but for the beautiful design. I love the usage of Flash’s outfit integrated into the cover design, and it really makes this cover stand out in an effortless way. The top half pushes the eye to the main image, telling us that this man – this Flash Gordon – is the man to watch, and who are we to say no? Just very bright work by Shalvey, who has really evolved as a cover artist over the past few years thanks to good decision making in design like that.
Invincible #110
Art by Ryan Ottley
While this issue itself was pretty on the depressing (and controversial) side, this cover? An absolute beauty, with the torn apart lovers Invincible and Atom Eve reaching for each other but not quite getting there over a light, matte background. The background is really what makes this piece work, to be honest, as if Ottley had chosen to try and fill a background or anything else, we’d have lost the power of the action taking place on the page, and that’s where this cover excels. It’s an exercise in good comic cover storytelling, and one of the best artists in comics knowing when less is more.
Iron Patriot #2
Art by Garry Brown
I never thought a book like Iron Patriot would be one that stands out to me for its covers, as Marvel books CAN be a bit stock in look sometimes and it’s Iron freaking Patriot, but I like it when books prove me wrong. This is the second straight month that Garry Brown’s cover work on the book has made my list, and it’s well deserved: he’s doing fantastic work. Even if we’re just looking at Iron Patriot plummeting in water, the figure work is just A+ stuff. He’s an artist who has a subject he really connects with, and we can’t help but feel that as readers. But the usage of watercolors (or fake watercolors) to stream the look of the American flag’s colors behind Iron Patriot as he plummets? That’s what does it. It’s actually similar conceptually in a way to the first cover, which also manipulated the image we saw to reveal something else, but it’s working really well for Brown.
Continued belowAlso, bonus points for the titling. I like to think that was inspired by Ales Kot, as it has a rough, almost zine like feel to it. This book has a good visual identity going, and that is really great for a book that could have been generic.
Lazarus #8
Art by Michael Lark
If you haven’t been reading it, this “Lift” arc has been truly fantastic. It has – excuse me for this – elevated the book, and Michael Lark’s cover work has been inspired right along with it. This cover is very simple but very effective, showcasing a bit of propaganda the Carlyle Family has created to promote the lift, and god damn if it isn’t completely dynamite. If I had 11 slots, I’d highlight the back cover of this book, which is used by the Lazarus team as regular ads for the varying opposing families of the Lazarus world, and they’re an under-appreciated touch of a book that is really seeing a world built within its pages.
Moon Knight #2
Art by Declan Shaley
I went over this cover once upon a time with Declan Shalvey, and I want to reemphasize once again how great these Moon Knight covers really are. As I had mentioned before, Marvel isn’t huge on playing with their cover form, but with this book, the Moon Knight team has created an iconic look for their run. Pairing a half page of titling with a half page of image, this book’s covers excel if only because they look like nothing else around. On top of that, Shalvey’s design and execution of the image at the top is dynamite, especially if you’ve read the issue, and Jordie Bellaire’s colors make it pop all the more. This is a triple threat cover, and one that hits me on all levels a good cover should. I’m curious if more Marvel books will start emulating this look, but only time will tell on that.
Ms. Marvel #3
Art by Jamie McKelvie
Simplicity continues to be the key word of the month, as McKelvie’s cover to the third issue of this series simply shows us the hero Kamala might already be, and at the very least, could eventually become in a striking and resonant image. Instead of integrating a dense background into it, McKelvie leaves Kamala to be the focus, which is perfect given that this book – and this arc – is quite literally all about her. Another thing I love about it? How her red cape, as it flows into the red lettering in the title, inverts the colors to make them yellow. That’s a small but completely genius touch, and it really speaks of how well thought out and executed this piece really is.
The Saviors #4
Art by J. Bone
J. Bone has done a phenomenal job on all of the covers throughout this series, and they’ve all fit into the motif of building an image within an image on the covers. However, there’s something about this one, which features the rather scary alien nemesis that pursues Tomas in the issue, that stands out. I think it’s the clarity within the imagery, as previous ones – while also good – suffered from a bit of a case of clutter. Either way, beautiful image that fits in a striking design, utilizing white space to give us layers of information to ingest, and speaks to the design mind of J. Bone.
Thunderbolts #25
Art by Julian Todino Tedesco
Alright, alright, alright. Apparently Marvel’s not really THAT beholden to ensuring that covers fit a certain look, as half my list is Marvel this month. But it speaks to the creative freedom at the House of Ideas that this is happening, as they arm brilliant artists like Todino Tedesco with the ability to unleash what they think works best in a cover. And this cover? Hoo boy. What a beauty. I love everything about it, from the design to the soft focus colors to the character work to the not quite white background the whole image rests on. This is a potent piece, and one that, at least to me, makes me want to buy the book it is the cover for.
And isn’t that the point of a comic cover most of all?
