CBR Live! Archive
Judging (DC's December) Books By Their Covers
DC's December Solicitations are up, so now is as good a time as any for us to make prejudgements based just on the covers (as we all love to make prejudgements, don't we?).
Let's begin!
___________________________________________________
Occasionally in life, there comes times when you are looking forward to one thing, and are disappointed to see another thing.
Some examples - you're expecting "No cavities" and you get "You need a root canal."
You're expecting "A+" and you get "C+"
You're expecting "Written by Grant Morrison" and you get "Written by John Ostrander."
Sigh.
Oh well, if you're GOING to have a four-issue fill-in arc in the middle of a Grant Morrison storyline, you can do a lot worse than the team of John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake, who, of course, everyone remembers from their stellar work on Firestorm and Martian Manhunter (there may have been another book, I can't recall).
I guess this is DC's response to those Civil War revolts over late shipping. Rather than ship this late, we see the return of the fill-in issue!!
I can only imagine what the sales will look like - the sales chart will look like a roller coaster!
Nice enough cover, though, by Greg Lauren, whose Hellblazer covers I hated.
___________________________________________________
Dave Johnson is really a wizard with covers, isn't he?
Such a beautiful 100 Bullets cover. It probably should be in the honorable mentions.
___________________________________________________
Very appropos Astro City cover by Alex Ross.
I dig it.
Groovy, man, groovy.
___________________________________________________
Not a fan of this Adam Kubert Action Comics cover.
Weird perspective and not a fan of the character work, either.
___________________________________________________
The truth finally comes out due to this Glenn Fabry A Man Called Kev cover...
Garth Ennis really does think Kev is a god-like creature.
___________________________________________________
Nice Gilbert Hernandez cover for American Splendor.
___________________________________________________
Yes, I know it is pretty trashy, but dammit, I still get a kick out of Joshua Middleton's American Virgin covers!
The style just oozes a sense of nonchalant cool, mixed, of course, with the trashiness of it all.
__________________________________________________
Butch Guice's Aquaman covers have been sorta painful to look at. They're all so STIFF-looking.
___________________________________________________
Very nice Ladronn cover for the All-New Atom.
Just a LITTLE looser, and I think this'd be a top five cover easily. As it is, it strikes me as a bit too stiff. Still, very very nice cover. This was a great month for DC covers after a few lackluster months in a row.
___________________________________________________
Yet another excellent piece of artwork by Gene Ha for Authority that I just don't think works that well as a cover of a book.
I can't wait to see the Golden variant.
___________________________________________________
Decent, if not particularly inspired Cully Hamner cover for Blue Beetle.
___________________________________________________
This Whilce Portacio cover for Batman Confidential certainly is striking. A little TOO much so, as it is creepy as all get out!
Also, is this the first work Diggle has done for DC since he signed his exclusive?
___________________________________________________
Ugh.
Awful cover for Batman Strikes by Christopher Jones. His interiors have been good, but that cover - ugh.
___________________________________________________
Very nice Stephane Roux cover for Birds of Prey, although it sorta gives away the secret of #100, no?
___________________________________________________
Pretty good Derec Donovan cover for Connor Hawke #2.
___________________________________________________
Interesting McManus cover for the Creeper.
Good use of the Joker.
A connection between the two, though? Who's writing this, Roy Thomas?
___________________________________________________
Surprisingly decent (as in "only" decent) Crossing Midnight cover by the great J.H. Williams III.
___________________________________________________
Creepily effective Deadman cover by John Watkiss.
___________________________________________________
Pretty decent Danijel Zezelj. He was a good choice to follow Williams III.
___________________________________________________
Very subtle DMZ cover by Brian Wood.
___________________________________________________
Very nice Simone Bianchi Detective Comics cover.
I like it when he draws action sequences.
___________________________________________________
Is this the actual Ex Machina cover by Tony Harris?
Not just a scene from the book?
Not the most vivid cover out there.
___________________________________________________
This HAS to be a scene from inside, right?
Otherwise, this is a quite weak Phillip Bond cover for Exterminators.
___________________________________________________
One of the weirdest things about being aged prematurely is what you see on this cover.
Inertia was Bart's enemy when he was Impulse, so to be his rival when Bart is now an adult?
Kinda creepy.
___________________________________________________
Very effective Ryan Sook cover for Friday the 13th.
___________________________________________________
Decent Brian Stelfreeze cover for Firestorm.
___________________________________________________
Nice to see McDaniel drawing Batman again!
Pretty good cover, overall.
___________________________________________________
I'm impressed by Talent Caldwell's work on this Gen 13 cover.
Not bad!
And "bad" is what I expect from him.
___________________________________________________
Okay, Chaykin, I liked it the first time, but come on, dude, every cover you draw of Guy Gardner can't just be the dude standing there!
___________________________________________________
Very nice, moody piece for this Hellblazer cover by Lee Bermejo.
___________________________________________________
Not the most inspired Hawkgirl cover by Chaykin.
Note the protruding nipples remain!
A stalwart!
___________________________________________________
Okay, I admit it, "Infinite Christmas" made me laugh when I saw it.
Good job, DC.
Not such a great Howard Porter cover, though.
And is that Batwoman?!?!
A LESBIAN AT CHRISTMAS?!?!
Think of the children, DC!!!
THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!
___________________________________________________
Another blah Kalman Andrasofszky Ion cover!
Collect 'em all!
___________________________________________________
Nice James Jean cover for Jack of Fables.
___________________________________________________
Art Adams, tsk tsk tsk...you're missing the protruding nipples!!
Otherwise, nice variant cover for JLA.
___________________________________________________
For this other JLA #5 cover, I am annoyed.
What is the point of doing the "blanks hiding the secrets" bit if you're not going to play fair! When they did the blanks for JLA #1, the blanks didn't match the actual cover!
I CALL BS, DC!!!
___________________________________________________
I love Christmas covers. This JLU one wasn't as good as last year's, though.
___________________________________________________
Nice Rags Morales cover for JSA Classified.
___________________________________________________
Oooh..that's a freaky looking Alex Ross cover. What's the point of having Alex Ross draw your cover if he does it like THAT? It looks so...weird.
___________________________________________________
Nice homage cover by Dale Eaglesham, though, for the other JSA #1 cover.
___________________________________________________
See, now THIS is the Alex Ross I'm used to!
Still not a great cover (it's for the second Justice HC), but at least it's the Alex Ross I'm used to!
___________________________________________________
Pretty cool looking Justice cover by Alex Ross.
___________________________________________________
Scott Jeralds continues to knock these Krypto covers out of the park!
___________________________________________________
What an odd Walt Simonson cover for Legends of the Dark Knight.
___________________________________________________
Very sweet Frusin cover for Loveless.
___________________________________________________
Nice Scott Gross cover for Looney Tunes.
___________________________________________________
Pretty cool Art Adams cover for Manhunter. Nice to see them giving the character a push.
___________________________________________________
Fairly decent Chris Sprouse cover for Midnighter. Nothing out of this world, but pretty good.
___________________________________________________
Sweet Mystery in Space cover by Shane Davis. He's had some inventive covers.
___________________________________________________
Another strong Al Barrionuevo cover for Martian Manhunter.
___________________________________________________
Yikes!
Not a fan of this Dietrich Smith cover for The Next.
___________________________________________________
Good Michael Chang cover for Ninja Scroll, but a step down from his previous covers for the book.
___________________________________________________
Much more dynamic Tony Harris cover for this Elm Street cover.
___________________________________________________
Not impressed with this Ethan van Sciver Nightwing cover.
___________________________________________________
OMACs just annoy me so much.
I am sorry Renato Guedes. You do good work with what you have!
___________________________________________________
What a weird-ass Omega Men cover by Henry Flint.
I think I like it.
___________________________________________________
Is that Katana on this Outsiders cover?!
Matthew Clark, what have you done?!?!
___________________________________________________
Good Gleason Robin cover.
___________________________________________________
Pretty blase Ordway cover for Red Menace.
___________________________________________________
Not that impressed with this Nick Bradshaw Rokkin cover.
___________________________________________________
CHRISTMAS COVERS!
I love Christmas covers.
Pretty good Scooby Doo one by Scott McRae.
___________________________________________________
I will give Ken Lashley this much. I don't love the cover, but the work he does on the cover with Captain Boomerang is handled nicely - nice subtle touch.
___________________________________________________
Isn't it supposed to be a secret who is coming in in this issue?
___________________________________________________
Nice McManus Shadowpact cover.
___________________________________________________
Oh man.
I HATE this Phil Jimenez cover for Superman/Batman.
So ugly.
___________________________________________________
This Tim Sale cover for Superman Confidential, on the other hand?
Very nice, if a bit overly stylized.
___________________________________________________
SWEET Carlos Pachecho cover for Superman.
Krypto rules!
___________________________________________________
Nice cover for the Sandman Mystery Theatre revamp.
___________________________________________________
Decent Stormwatch cover.
___________________________________________________
That is a FREAKY Testament cover.
___________________________________________________
Good Cam Stewart The Other Side cover - but a bit of a step down from his other ones.
___________________________________________________
Funny Googe cover for Tranquilty #1.
___________________________________________________
Mad Mod scares me!
___________________________________________________
I love the look on Uncle Sam's face!
Ha!
He's all "this dismays me!"
___________________________________________________
Creepy Wetworks cover.
___________________________________________________
Decent Y cover.
Reminds me of the movie Ghost.
___________________________________________________
HONORABLE MENTIONS!
___________________________________________________
Matt Wagner has a great style, and that makes this otherwise fairly uneventful Tales of the Unexpected cover stand out.
___________________________________________________
I love Darwyn Cooke so much that I dig this cover even if it isn't all THAT good.
___________________________________________________
Very amusing Kilian Plunkett cover for JLA Classified.
Great idea for a cover.
___________________________________________________
Who did this JLA trade cover?
Is that Bolland?
Very nicely done.
___________________________________________________
I do not like Sasha, so I'm rooting for Sarge Steel, but damned if this isn't a fine Checkmate cover by Jesus Saiz.
___________________________________________________
Very nice 52 cover by JG Jones.
He's done such great work every week.
___________________________________________________
TOP FIVE
5. What a stunning Gleason cover for Green Lantern Corps.
I love covers that use blacks and whites effectively - it's such a great tool for cover artists, but not a lot can pull it off.
___________________________________________________
4. Matt Wagner just has a gift for eye-popping covers.
___________________________________________________
3. As I've said before, Adam Hughes sometimes gives us some amazingly creatively designed covers.
This Catwoman cover is one of those.
___________________________________________________
2. I love Christmas covers!!
And this James Jean Fables cover is one of the best!
___________________________________________________
1. Frank Quitely, Frank Quitely, he's the man!
If he can't do it - wait a few months until he can!
YAY FRANK QUITELY!!
___________________________________________________
Okay, that's it for me, folks!
Feel free to share YOUR prejudices (and YOUR top five)!!
- Posted on September 18, 2006 @ 02:51 PM
- Leave a Comment
- Share This!
40 Comments
Dave
September 18, 2006 at 3:04 pm
Superman Confidential? I dunno. Lois looks 15 and Jimmy looks 12 -- and that hat has to go.
JLA trade cover reeks of Ordway to me, especially Zatanna's face.
T.
September 18, 2006 at 3:05 pm
i think the jla trade cover is by ordway, or at least he inked it.
Emperor Nerd
September 18, 2006 at 3:27 pm
They linked Creeper and The Joker in the Batman animated series so it's not out of the blue.
Greg Burgas
September 18, 2006 at 3:32 pm
A few things - for once, I can guess an artist, and the first two comments already have. Damn you, Dave and T.!
Did you equate a John Ostrander-written comic with a root canal? Are you mad? Is it go time (again)? If you had said, "You're expecting Written by Grant Morrison and you get Written by Larry Hama," that's one thing, but Ostrander, I submit, is barely a step down in quality. In some respects, he's a step up. For shame, Lord and Master!
That Ex Machina "cover" was the last page of the last week's issue. That's weird for two reasons - why is that being shown as the cover, and why didn't you know that? A glitch in the download?
Isn't that Amazo on the JLA #5 cover? Why would DC hide that? Or is it someone who just has the same outline as Amazo? Oooooh, the suspense is killing me!!!!
T.
September 18, 2006 at 3:33 pm
Damn, Dave beat me to it.
Joker and Creeper also had a connection in the 90s Creeper series as well, although not as tight as the one in the animated series.
Levantine
September 18, 2006 at 4:29 pm
I can't believe they're finally releasing 'Emperor Joker' in trade paperback! Awesome!
And why is there still a 'Legends of the Dark Knight' along with 'Batman Confidential'? Isn't that a little redundant?
DubipR
September 18, 2006 at 4:42 pm
Uh..
Didn't see you put up the Jordi Bernet JONAH HEX cover. Aside from the Cooke Spirit cover, the Bernet Hex cover deserves to be up there.
Harpo
September 18, 2006 at 6:19 pm
Did you really forget the very good Ostrander/Mandrake "Spectre" series or were you kidding about forgetting it because it was so very good?
Greg Burgas
September 18, 2006 at 6:54 pm
Brian LOVES Suicide Squad, Harpo, so I know he didn't forget that or The Spectre. But it's still GO TIME, Cronin!
Adrian
September 18, 2006 at 7:26 pm
I'm actually looking forward more to the Ostrander issues than I am to more issues of the so far rather disappointing Morrison run. ALthough some of the character names mention in the solicitation make me wonder if I've been timewarped back to the 90's...
Tricia S.
September 18, 2006 at 7:47 pm
Yeah look at Brenda she looks HAPPY to have a Mother Box.
You'd rather they show Guy buck naked?;)
adam!
September 18, 2006 at 8:07 pm
i think it's pretty funny that the RED MENACE guys are running across what looks to me like an office building's parking lot.
moose n squirrel
September 18, 2006 at 8:23 pm
Yeah, what's with the Ostrander hate? Both The Spectre and Suicide Squad are easily as good or better than the median Morrison series (I mean really, The Invisbles was cool for a couple months back when we were disaffected teenagers, but now that we're all past puberty we can agree that it was pretty stupid, right?). And if there was any current Morrison project you had to pick to get a months-long delay or fill-in arc (other than 52, of course, which already feels like a fill-in arc anyway), wouldn't it have to be his so-far lackluster run on Batman?
adam!
September 18, 2006 at 8:26 pm
and the 52 cover looks like an episode from STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, only TREK's yeti had a horn.
and, hey, why exactly is the 100 BULLETS cover NOT in the Top FIVE?
moose n squirrel
September 18, 2006 at 8:40 pm
When Brian does the Marvel covers, this has to be #1.
I'm pretty happy to see Manhunter going over to Birds of Prey, by the way. There was that dire rumor that she'd end up in the JSA, and picking between Geoff Johns and Gail Simone is no contest.
Eric Gimlin
September 18, 2006 at 9:15 pm
Other Ostrander/Mandrake projects include 1/3 of the Kents limited series, and a nice run on GrimJack.
I'm sure they've done other books together, as well.
Randy Lander
September 18, 2006 at 10:10 pm
You know, I'd really be happy if the response from DC and Marvel *every* time a book is late was to put John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake on it.
Civil War late? Give it to Ostrander/Mandrake!
All-Star Batman & Robin? Ostrander/Mandrake!
Ultimates gone missing? Ostrander/Mandrake!
More seriously, anything that puts these guys back in front of the main bulk of fans is a good thing. Ostrander wrote some of the best DC comics of all-time, and it'd be nice to see him working regular for them again. And Mandrake is an artist who always does his best when paired with Ostrander.
Brian Cronin
September 18, 2006 at 11:11 pm
I don't feature re-solicited covers. That's why I didn't comment on the GL cover, the WW cover and I think one other cover.
One comment per cover!!!
Brian Cronin
September 18, 2006 at 11:11 pm
Was it good?
Brian Cronin
September 18, 2006 at 11:14 pm
To all the "Why hating on Ostrander?" comments, please note that I specifically did not knock Ostrander. In fact, I referred to his and Mandrake's work as "stellar."
If Ostrander and Mandrake were to have a Batman mini-series, then that's cool.
But if Grant Morrison is on a Batman comic, I want to see his name in the writer slot, and when I don't, it's disappointing, even if the replacement writer is, like Ostrander, stellar.
Brian Cronin
September 18, 2006 at 11:16 pm
I totally forgot to read that last week. And I thought about that exact possibility (that that is the last page of the most recent issue), but your comments about it suggested something more shocking, so I figured, "Nah."
That was my point. When DC blacked out the people on the JLA #1 cover, the blacked out figures didn't match up with who was on the cover, so while the figure certainly LOOKS like Amazo, for all we know, they're cheating again, which I think defeats the point of DOING blacked out figures like that.
If you're not going to play fair, just put up a big black box covering the figure entirely.
Brian Cronin
September 18, 2006 at 11:18 pm
As Greg pointed out - the latter.
Brian Cronin
September 18, 2006 at 11:19 pm
It certainly IS nice seeing them get some work.
Cayman
September 19, 2006 at 7:22 am
BATWOMAN, BRIAN!
She is Batwoman, not Batgirl!
Doesn't she deserve our respect after all the great stories she has given us?
"O" - the Humanatee!
September 19, 2006 at 8:09 am
The Batman cover you show is almost certainly not by Lauren, but by Mandrake - it positively reeks of his style. (I'm not a big Mandrake fan - lots of busy linework covering up weak drawing underneath.)
The Creeper cover's not by Justiniano but by Shawn McManus - it's signed and everything.
I agree with everyone else who says the JLA trade cover is by Ordway. Despite some superficial similarities as "realistic" artists, Ordway and Bolland draw - and especially ink - pretty differently.
That Nightmare on Elm Street cover looks like Harris has been taking Glenn Fabry lessons. It's much more animated than his usual style.
I don't know anything about Tranquility, but that cover really makes me want to buy the book (which is what a cover should do).
Hey, Art Adams may not have gotten the protruding nipples right, but he sured nailed the big, pendulous breasts!
And don't be hating on Walt Simonson's "odd" LOTDK cover. Simonson draws "odd" (but very well) by definition!
Matt Brady
September 19, 2006 at 8:54 am
That Alex Ross JSA cover is hilarious. I think he got upset that people kept making masturbation jokes about the classic JSA cover, so he showed the scene from the top down. "See? They're just resting their arms on the arms of their chairs! Get your minds out of the gutter, people!"
Why is Black Lightning running away from everybody else on that JLA trade cover? Is he upset that he didn't get to jump through the hoop?
Batman has a really big upper lip on that Walt Simonson cover. I though he was Wildcat there for a second.
Chris Galdieri
September 19, 2006 at 9:42 am
"More seriously, anything that puts these guys back in front of the main bulk of fans is a good thing."
Yes. I'd love to see a nice run of TPBs collecting their phenomenal run on Spectre.
Matt D
September 19, 2006 at 10:17 am
I don't really think Ostrander would be a C+
In fact, I'd probably rather see Ostrander on a title than Morrison.
He's DC's single best writer of the post-Crisis era, and unlike Englehart and Claremont, he can still do it.
I'd generally never read a Star Wars comic normally, but he was writing it so I gave Republic a shot and it's just a really, really solid bunch of stories.
I like Morrison fine, but Ostrander's probably somone I'd RATHER see on batman..
Matt D
September 19, 2006 at 10:27 am
Oops. You tackled it.
I don't know. I'd rather that Ostrander did talk to Morrison a bit and the run wasn't completely disjointed but I think the pros heavily outweigh the cons here. I'll take fill ins over delays anyday anyway. Spitefully, I like my comics more these days when they don't fit neatly into a trade.
Michael
September 19, 2006 at 1:44 pm
"Why is Black Lightning running away from everybody else on that JLA trade cover? Is he upset that he didn’t get to jump through the hoop?"
I think it's an allusion to the fact that BL didn't actually join in his try-out issue.
Abe Froman
September 19, 2006 at 5:32 pm
Just a few observations...
It's nice to see that JUSTICE still features Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family, since I see that INFINITE CHRISTMAS (??) is featuring the KKK-looking Marvel character from the misbegotten Winick series.
Why does Superman have an "S" symbol on his belt in the Kubert cover? Does everything *have* to match the movie?
Krypto flying away from the Kent farm better not mean he's leaving (I'm serious about this)!
John Ostrander rules, and DC should collect the rest of his SPECTRE run.
moose n squirrel
September 20, 2006 at 7:33 am
the KKK-looking Marvel character from the misbegotten Winick series
Who is that, anyway? Is that Black Adam made over into some godawful White Adam? Is it Captain Marvel in a hideous new costume to show how "serious" he's gotten?
Brian Cronin
September 20, 2006 at 7:50 am
I believe it's the latter.
Lynxara
September 20, 2006 at 8:04 am
I think the new costume is supposed to indicate how Captain Marvel is now "powered-up", and the replacement for the Wizard Shazam.
(But mostly, yeah, it's just goofy lookin'.)
JEff
September 20, 2006 at 10:31 am
only covers that loook good are DMZ and American splendor
the rest sux bd
why's everybody always just staring into the camera on comix nowadays? what happened to intersting action scenes to make you want to buy the comic?????
MacQuarrie
September 20, 2006 at 2:00 pm
You know what I'm going to say.
Taht Martian Manhunter cover would be a lot stronger if Green Arrow knew how to hold a bow, his bow looked like, y'know, a bow, and he wasn't trying to shoot his index finger off.
*sigh*
At least the other two archery-related covers are reasonably accurate (no overtly dangerous mistakes, and the equipment actually looks vaguely like the real thing).
Brian Cronin
September 20, 2006 at 2:50 pm
Thanks for reminding me, Jim!
I meant to point out that I was impressed by how one cover (I think it was Claw) actually looked like real archery (as much as I know about it, that is, which is is mostly based on you pointing out the problems!).
Chistopher
September 21, 2006 at 11:01 am
Wow,
That was a pretty bulletproof top five looking through the covers I thought that I was going to have some issues but not after I actually got a look at them. However, I do have issues with the Honorable mentions. I think that the Ladronn Atom cover was awesome and deserved consideration along with the Middleton cover. I also love that Desolation Jones cover by Zezelj, that had a cool Sienciewitz(sp?) look to it that I don't see as much anymore as the Importance of inking is dimished by increased computer work. Thanks.
Bill Reed
September 22, 2006 at 3:05 pm
That JSA cover looks like the cover to some crappy old Fear Street novel or something.
Scot S.
September 23, 2006 at 12:25 am
Funny, when I first saw the Creeper cover, I thought about his appearance in the 3rd issue of the 1975 Joker series... which makes me feel really freakin' old...