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Multiversity’s Got You Covered: Week of 11/28/12

By | November 30th, 2012
Posted in Columns | 2 Comments
Four of the absolute best cover artists around show up in this week’s top five, as well as one relative newcomer. Check out who made the cut in an especially competitive week.

5. Ultimate Comics X-Men #19
Art by Dave Johnson

As per usual, Dave Johnson has a cover in this week’s top five. He’s so damn productive and consistently great. This cover may not be an A+ effort for him, but it is really, really well done. In particular, I love the usage of the gigantic X as both a mental reminder that yes, this is in fact an X-Men book, and that they are a target. It’s a simple yet highly effective idea, and one that comes together well with the rest of Johnson’s work on the cover.

4. Wolverine Max #2
Art by Jock

In a less tight week, this would have finished much higher – maybe even #1. But this week, we have some really strong contenders and sadly this cover loses the tiebreaker of “is the book inside any good at all?” The answer is no, so this strong cover gets booted down to fourth.

But fourth in a week like this isn’t bad – it’s quite good actually. Jock continues to incorporate aspects of Japan’s Rising Sun imagery, creating an incredible image for Logan and Victor to exist over in the foreground. I love the way those two and the shinto they’re standing upon appear entirely in shadows, as all of the lighting is being produced by the background. It’s a cleverly designed and well thought out piece, and just another reason why Jock is one of the best.

3. Nowhere Men #1
Art by Nate Bellegarde and Fonografiks

This cover gets bonus points for the back cover, as the aesthetic carries on into the back to get more in-depth with credits and imagery. The front in itself works on two different levels. I love the way the four main characters are rendered together – one body (with two variations of clothing), four merged faces – as it is an elegant way to depict one of the core tenets of the story. These four men all have similar backgrounds, but what they’ve done with their lives and who they’ve become took hugely divergent paths.

Then, you have the design work on the book itself. I’m not sure if Bellegarde did that or someone else (Update: Eric Stephenson informed me that Fonografiks/Steven Finch was actually the one who did the design on the cover), but the highly clean look with the Nowhere Men title and insignia on it, as well as the simple but effective credits, really take this cover up to the next level. Simplicity has been my deal lately, and this brilliantly exists within that realm.

2. American Vampire #33
Art by Rafael Albuquerque

Thankfully, I know this time that the cover I am posting is indeed the final version that went to print. Albuquerque has been improving steadily throughout this series at his covers, and the last couple have been his best yet. This one? Anyone who has been reading this series throughout will know exactly what it means, and the heartbreak it represents. Albuquerque lets the cover rest on heavy white space, with just a victrola and the red, sad notes of a last song disturbing Pearl’s sorrow. It’s a beautiful piece that catches the eye and is a spot on representation of what is inside the book. What else could I want?

1. Fatale #10
Art by Sean Phillips

I WANT FATALE COVERS. Seriously, just like the book itself, Sean Phillips’ covers have been getting better and better

And they were already pretty damn amazing.

I had this book laying on my bed to be read, and I kept going into my room to get something and I’d see the cover and think “man that is a beautiful cover.” Apparently the repetition worked, as it made it to the top of the pops this time.

This cover works for typical Fatale reasons – the white box that provides a frame to each cover, the spot on titling, the beautiful blend of monsters and dames. It’s an exceptional formula that is executed well every time they bust it out. This one is a favorite if only because of the use of only grayscale on the woman and the use of a vibrant red/orange on monster found within the reflection of the knife. There’s a reason why Phillips’ frequently does Criterion Collection covers – this guy gets how to hook someone up front. This is a perfect example of that, as per usual.


//TAGS | Multiversity's Got You Covered

David Harper

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