Comic Book Resources

An all-Spidey comment!

Re. MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #28: Is Patrick Scherberger aping Humberto Ramos circa 2004, or is it a rule that the manga-leaning kid-friendly Spidey and Goblin need to look like that?

Re. SPIDER-MAN FAMILY #3 and Mr. Fantastic’s head: Looks like Pierre Alary’s chanelling Mahfood; and you’re right, it doesn’t work.

Re. SILVER SURFER: REQUIEM #2: What’s the deal with the black ink smudges encroaching on the right near the surfboard, and slightly higher on the left? Doesn’t Marvel release this info digitally?

Alright, finally able to get to one of these homage questions before anyone else.

The X-Factor cover is an homage of Uncanny X-Men 210.

First Phil Hester visual I ever liked. Good job by him there.

Silvestri is an awesome artist, Marvel needs to get him on a book pronto.

Since when can Blade grow guns out of his arms?

I’d put that Runaways cover as first one.

Funny but I think the top five is very weak (except Runaways) I’d have put Barracuda higher.

Funny but I think the top five is very weak (except Runaways) I’d have put Barracuda higher.

Not a lot of stand-out covers this month, but a lot of “good” covers.

I thought the Top Five were really good. And Franklin Richards posing as the Hulk was great! That might have made my top five instead of Art Adams. Because I’m suspicious of the eighties in general. Didn’t like ‘em.

Is Patrick Scherberger aping Humberto Ramos circa 2004, or is it a rule that the manga-leaning kid-friendly Spidey and Goblin need to look like that?

The style has a bit of a Ramos-ish vibe to it, but I think it’s different enough that I wouldn’t call it “aping”. I quite like it. (And if by some chance you meant the look of the costumes, I have to say that Ramos’ Goblin design is probably the only decent one the character’s had, in my opinion…)

What’s the deal with the black ink smudges encroaching on the right near the surfboard, and slightly higher on the left? Doesn’t Marvel release this info digitally?

It’s a bird. A bit hard to tell with half of the bird cut off by the edge, but its wings have the same blurry motion effect as the ones further in the distance.

RE: The IRON MAN: HYPERVELOCITY cover: Well, yeah, Brian Denham did indeed work from my breakdowns for the cover, but he did a damned fine job on the finished piece, so what does it matter? Also, let’s not forget the excellent Photoshoppery by miniseries colorists Guru eFX, who pulled the finished illo together nicely.

Meanwhile, Jo Chen doth reign o’er the rest of us, once again… One of her best RUNAWAYS covers yet, which is saying something.

BTW: Tell Greg to get off his ass and read EMPOWERED; considering how weak some of his other choices were this time around, I think that the book might well stack up nicely in comparison… but I am, of course, biased.

Hello !!

Sub-Mariner 1: how come there are no water projection surrounding Namor ??!

World War Hulk X-Men: If Hulk is stragling Pr Xavier, doesn’t that mean that he allready broke the man chest, especially in that position ??!

Blade: I haven’t realized the weapon out of Blade’s arm but since he got to cut his left hand in order to escape captivity, I guess that’s a kind of hommage to Evil Dead.

Mythos Spider-Man : UUUUUUUUGLY !!!!

Frankiln Richard: Funny World War Hulk Homage!! That made me laugh.

Silver Surfer : How come a cosmic entity have to carry his surf like a californian guy, especially when that surf is supposed to follow your will ??!!

B2S.

This is a much better showing than usual for Marvel – or maybe DC had a poor month.

Off covers for a second, which has the better stories – the Marvel Adventures Line, or the Marvel Age line.
Every goes on about how good one of them is, but I can never remember.

“I could stare at Black Bolt’s ass for days.”

That actually made me laugh out loud.

That Greg Horn Ms Marvel cover is pretty terrible. I’ve never seen a Greg Horn cover I liked though so i might be prejudiced, but imagine how it’s gonna look with a logo covering up the top. You’re not properly gonna see what’s happening when half of the guy she’s flying towards is covered up. It does leave a very prominent boob-shot in the middle of the cover so it probably won’t hurt sales.

Lotsa nice covers this month, I was impressed with the New Warriors cover (I disagree strongly, BTW, I think it’s a _great_ first issue cover, conveying the core concept of the book even before you pick it up. These guys are young, irreverent, and anti-registration…and getting in trouble for it. That’s a lot of information conveyed in one picture, a good job for an issue #1 cover that needs to sell readers on the series as well as the issue.)

WWH: Frontline will presumably have a scene where Sally Floyd explains to Hulk that he doesn’t have the right to smash things until he first learns what MySpace is.

“Annihiliation Conquest: Prologue” looks very striking. Similarly, “Nova” looks great, but I always have liked Granov’s covers.

“Legion of Monsters: Satanna” may be a little cheese-cakey as you say, but it fits the character depicted. Hopefully she won’t look too dissimilar page-to-page in the actual comic.

Both “Incredible Hulk” and “World War Hulk” are very nice covers. Looking at them on the rack, with no knowledge of whats going on, would make me want to check them out.

I’m guessing that Greg Land traced his Satanna for the “Legion of Monsters: Satanna” cover from an adult men’s mag model that was leaning against a wall, because her balance is waaay off…unless she’s using magic to hold herself in that position. Do I get a No-Prize?

Now I’m getting bashed by comics professionals for my choice of comics! Sheesh. My comic shop did not get a copy of Empowered, Mr. Warren, so I didn’t get it. If I see it around, I’ll have to check it out.

In terms of Djurdjevic’s Daredevil covers, I’m not sure he’s doing the movie costume so much as his own ‘this is what Daredevil’s costume would look like in the real world’ idea. Hence all the seams and the boots with laces and the shiny leather. Frankly, I hate all the enhancements. Simone Bianchi does the same thing with Batman on his covers and it bugs me there, too.

Arthur Suydam’s zombie covers are now officially massively boring. Can this guy do nothing else? Even his Ultimate Spider-Man 100 cover for that 100 covers fundraiser used a zombified Spidey (if I remember correctly).

On that Epting cover, the part of the Falcon will be played by Eriq la Salle.

And why would Silver Surfer choose to hang out with Spidey during his supposed “last days”? I’d think the FF or Dr. Strange would be a better choice considering they’re, you know, his actual friends.

That one X-Factor cover reminded me of X-Men 210 which was right about the time i started reading comics as a kid.

Don’t know if that’s what you were thinking of –> http://www.uncannyxmen.net/covers/uncanny/uncanny210.jpg

That Hulk “Frontline” cover answers a question I had never thought to ask before: “Gee, I wonder what the Incredible Hulk’s toenails look like?”

Curiously, we get a good look at She-Hulk’s nails too, which seem better cared-for. I like the depiction of her face there, too. Not super-glamorous, but kinda cute….

That “Iron Man gets decapitated” cover is a nice one. It gets across the power and motion of the blow well, which isn’t always the case for this sort of thing.

The person who did the Quasar cover, just like all of the folks that are doing the Annihalation covers, comes from the wonderful world of video-game cover art.

My only real comment this month was that I think you were unduly harsh on Franklin Richards. It took me a second to get the parody, but I think it works great.

Also, the FF Adventures book, with Johnny going through all of the realities? I don’t see “Too cartoony” at all. I love how all of the realties are different too. I think I caught Spider-man in one of them.

So-so covers this month from Marvel.
I really enjoy the Marvel Classic Adaptation covers, both Maleev and Hilderbrant; looking forward to reading them.
I think my favorite was the She-Hulk cover, because it looks like the cover actually has somethinng to do with the interiors.

Oh, for those interested in Aleksi Briclot’s artwork:
http://www.aneyeoni.com/

or

http://www.myspace.com/aneyeoni

Nobody remembers the Pretty in Pink movie poster? How old are you?

Those faces look horrendous, however.

Pretty goofy looking Ed McGuinness cover.

“Even Hulk’s PENIS angry!”

Also, some Spider-Man design choices jump out at me, such as the ears on Cheung’s cover, the unbowed, circular webs on Scherberger’s cover (lovely pic, though), and the FEEEET on the Mythos cover.

I think there’s a balance to be had between verismillitude and overstylised – ESPECIALLY where Spider-Man is concerned (which is a whole ‘nother argument). But some things just bug me.

…heh….bug…spider…heh.

…I’ll get me coat.

//\Oo/\\

Runaways and Ms. Chen by a mile. Adams is a fave of mine as well, but this is the same design you knocked as “bland” earlier. The artist doesn’t kick bland up to #1.

And does anyone else see an increasing similarity to Mike Zeck’s stuff in Jim Cheung’s work? I’d noticed it a little before, but the black Spidey suit screams it. I think.

“I have to tell you…I know it has a lot of his cheesiest elements in it, but I think this is a pretty decent Greg Land cover.” Were you smoking something, Brian, or just letting your other head get a hold of you?

I’ll admit, it’s not as egregious as that recent Michael Turner PG cover for Justice League (what is, really?), but still, that anatomy is waaay off. Look at how skinny she is otherwise — how flat her stomach is, how she’s got no ass. But that rack! Good grief. It’s absurd. It’s just that she doesn’t have a hole cut into her top to really highlight how silly she looks.

There’s something kind of creepy about Land’s figure work on that Satanna cover. His artwork always looks really nice at first glance, but when you actually start looking at it in some detail, you see some atrocious use of perspective and anatomy. The main thing that sticks out to me on that Satanna cover is how ‘straight’ her abdomen looks. Someone else commented that he must have traced, er I mean drawn her while looking at a model up against a wall. He legs look too skinny as well…

Anyway, enough negative comments. On the positive side, I LOVE that Runaways cover. One of the most striking covers I’ve ever seen. Seriously. It’s clever and unexpected, and yet totally in keeping with the tone of the series in the way the characters are dressed and positioned. I love Molly in the sailor suit. I would buy that cover as a poster.

The Art Adams Avengers cover is good too. Adams is sorely under used in comics, I really wish he would draw more.

That X-Men: Endangered Species cover is striking because if you told me that was Silvestri, I wouldn;t believe you. I did a double take when I saw the signature on the cover. I’m so use to his Top Cow-style artwork, that seeing something kind of stylish is a pleasant surprise. From what I’ve read, that cover totally fits with the tone of the issue as well.

Lastly, my top 5 would also include the She-Hulk cover. I appreciated it because Stu is the name of a close friend, so I had a good laugh at his expense. Plus, it’s a fun tip of the hat to Howard The Duck and also the Byrne She-Hulk issues were very irreverant and self-referential.

“also the Byrne She-Hulk issues WHICH were very irreverant and self-referential.”

Fixing my own grammatical mistake.

For whatever it’s worth, I – a guy born in 1984 – instantly recognized the Pretty in Pink homage. I think that poster was the cover for the VHS release too.

Too bad the X-Factor cover doesn’t have the classic, “C’mon, mess with us–make our day.

Of course, the Marauders did mess with them, and mess with them pretty seriously at that. And it didn’t make their day.

In fairness, that “panel cover” for New Avengers is at least homaging a fairly famous panel….

re Silver Surfer Requiem: where’d Spidey get the 70′s TV show costume?

re New Avengers #31: geez, that’s on the cover?
y’know, ridiculous poses, fisticuffs, life-threatening situations … these are all things I can expect to get me to at least look thru a comic. A blatant murder, with gobs of blood, makes me wish the Comics Code were still doing anything. I’m actually offended.

Somehow the Mythos cover tickles me no end. “Spidey SMASH!!!”

(The Sensational cover is nice, too, and – despite the odd costume choice, the subdued Requiem one. Nice mood established there.)

The Uncanny X-Men cover is amazing art, but it’s too cliched an image to get where it wants to go, I think.

Agreed that the novelty value on the Zombie homage covers is way, way over.

I recognized…not the Pretty in Pink poster exactly…but some sort of famous-movie-poster-I-should-remember-as-a-good-GenXer homage, before reading the text.

How much of my appreciation for the New Warriors cover is the art and how much is aggravation at Civil War, I don’t know…but I do agree with the comments above, it gets the point across.

“Also, the FF Adventures book, with Johnny going through all of the realities? I don’t see “Too cartoony” at all.”

They all look to short; almost like mego dolls. Look at how small The Thing is! They look like adolescent versions of the FF.

That Runaways cover really is gorgeous. I’d also defend the Larocca Storm cover for Uncanny (even though the composition means the logo almost has to be at the bottom of the sheet, which is…an interesting choice, considering that means it’ll essentially be displaying without any visible title at all in many shops, which may be a little counter-productive, but…hey, I’m no marketing guy, what do I know?), as well as the New Warriors cover (for the reasons stated). I’m liking Maleev’s Last of the Mohicans cover, too.

Count me in among those who don’t think that FF cover is too cartoony. It’s quite brilliant actually, and belongs among the top 5. Now that McGuiness Hulk cover? THAT’S too cartoony. And how big is the Hulk these days, he isn’t still 7 feet tall anymore I guess? In that picture by McGuiness, he looks like he must be 15 feet tall just based on the size of his heads and hands

Why is Frank’s Hulk cover a “nice fight scene,” while the New Avengers cover is “looks like a panel from the comic” cover (and you don’t like those)? Sometimes I really don’t understand your critical terminology, Brian.

Well, yeah, Brian Denham did indeed work from my breakdowns for the cover, but he did a damned fine job on the finished piece, so what does it matter?

No judgments there, just a question of curiosity.

Why is Frank’s Hulk cover a “nice fight scene,” while the New Avengers cover is “looks like a panel from the comic” cover (and you don’t like those)?

Because it doesn’t look like a panel from the comic.

-New Avengers-When is Elektra going to stop falling for that move?

-Nice Jae Lee Dark Tower cover

-Horrible Magik cover. Does she play poker now?

-the Pretty In Pink thing. Yeah I recognize it, but do these things ever mean anything in regards to the story?

weak crop of covers this time around

John Hughs is still as popular as he ever was.

That New Warriors cover would work as one of those full page house ads that Marvel used to run in their books. But I agree that it’s not a particularly effective cover for a first issue.

Anonymous said:
“John Hughs is still as popular as he ever was”

letting the days go by, water flowing underground…

Sorry, for some reason that quote got Once In A Lifetime stuck in my head…

My thoughts on a few covers:

LONERS #3: Very clever. We would’ve gotten it even if you hadn’t mentioned PRETTY IN PINK. I think most people remember that movie, but it’s still a cool choice for a parody cover.

IRON FIST #7: Possibly the best monthly Marvel is putting out these days, and great covers to match. Everbody should buy this book.

PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #8: A lot of people seem to be lamenting the choice of Frank Castle as the new Cap. Don’t you get it? It’s all being done for a laugh. Fraction is too creative/zany/funny not to see the comedic opportunites available in that. The character design and this cover are hilarious and I simply refuse to believe that concept is anything but a joke. I mean, look at it!

LEGION OF MONSTERS: SATANA: That’s a damn hot cover. I don’t know why you complained about proportion, anatomy, and perspective. It’s downright realistic, especially compared to the artwork of guys like Liefeld and Turner. It’s just hot. Plus it involves Satan worship, and that’s just wholesome fun.

NOVA #3: Adi Granov is one of the best cover guys in the business. I’ve been a fan of his since the “Extremis” run on IRON MAN. Outstanding as always.

LAST OF THE MOHICANS #2: I’m shocked you picked this ultra-cheesy cover as one of your Top 5. It looks like a particularly bad Choose Your Own Adventure book that you might have read in second grade. Marvel should have gone with a classier approach, instead of a cut-rate Drew Struzan-knockoff. I also expect better from Maleev, who is one of my favorite artists.

MYTHOS: SPIDER-MAN: I feel like a dork for caring, but I hate it when you can see Spider-Man’s feet. He should be wearing boots, not socks. Every time he has visible toes, it makes it look like he has footy pajamas. If not heavy construction-work style boots, then at least soled bottoms for his feet… I just can’t picture fighting people in my socks.

NEW WARRIORS #1: PERFECT image. It properly conveys the core theme of the book, looks great, and makes a statement all in a single snapshot. This idea behind this new version of the New Warriors sounds awesome, and this cover makes that case. Quesada has said that this team is supposed to completely embody the spirit of rebellion in the new post-CW Marvel Universe. Very cool concept. That being the idea, this is actually the best cover for a number 1 issue I could imagine.

DAREDEVIL #98: This would have been my choice for the best cover of the lot. It’s intense, ferocious facial expression, the image isn’t cluttered, the simplicity belies the power behind it, well-conceived physics and anatomy, great background, and outstanding coloring. I would buy this if they offered it as a poster. I don’t mind the Affleck-costume. The movie wasn’t horrible (it wasn’t great, either) and the costume was one of the least offensive aspects of the film. I think the fact that it’s reddish-brown leather instead of the standard aerobics-instructor spandex is really cool and fits the character well (no pun intended), given his personality and the atmosphere and world he inhabits. This is, in my opinion, one of the more definitive Daredevil shots in recent history (certainly better than anything Quesada drew).

“Why is Frank’s Hulk cover a “nice fight scene,” while the New Avengers cover is “looks like a panel from the comic” cover (and you don’t like those)?”

“Because it doesn’t look like a panel from the comic.”

Sorry, I don’t know if you’re being serious, being difficult (presumably because you thought I was being obnoxious – which I can somewhat understand), or what. But personally, I can imagine that Hulk cover as a panel, whereas that’s not true of the vast majority of the other covers. So your description just seems very subjective to me.

Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Iron Man.

Sorry, I don’t know if you’re being serious, being difficult (presumably because you thought I was being obnoxious – which I can somewhat understand), or what. But personally, I can imagine that Hulk cover as a panel, whereas that’s not true of the vast majority of the other covers. So your description just seems very subjective to me.

Nah, it’s cool. I guess I can see the confusion. I just don’t think that cover looks like a panel from a comic.

Just take another look at it…Hulk and Hercules are poised for battle, but not actually IN battle – that is the key thing for most “fight scene” covers (you can see a whole pile of them most any given month – this month, there’s at least a dozen – like Nova’s cover, Blade’s cover and Wolverine’s cover). The reason you show them just ABOUT to punch is because the actual fight itself is INSIDE, and that’s what the cover is trying to draw you into.

Where inside a comic would you find a full page panel devoted to two guys ABOUT to punch?

Would almost never happen (tossed in an “almost,” because you should never ever use absolutes…hehe).

A full page panel with someone stabbing Elektra?

Clearly (as it HAS happened before) you would see that happen.

The X-Factor 20 cover is an homage to the Lost Boys movie poster.

Why does everyone seem to hate Turner so much? I really like his work, especially on that FF cover. The Sub-Mariner cover has a bit too much going on in it for me and I’ve never been a fan of the character, so it doesn’t do much for me.

But seriously, every time I read one of these things there’s someone bashing Turner and/or Ramos. I understand people have opinions, but can anyone explain to me why it seems (at least to me) that these two artists are so universally reviled?

“Just take another look at it…Hulk and Hercules are poised for battle, but not actually IN battle – that is the key thing for most “fight scene” covers (you can see a whole pile of them most any given month – this month, there’s at least a dozen – like Nova’s cover, Blade’s cover and Wolverine’s cover). The reason you show them just ABOUT to punch is because the actual fight itself is INSIDE, and that’s what the cover is trying to draw you into.

“Where inside a comic would you find a full page panel devoted to two guys ABOUT to punch?

“Would almost never happen (tossed in an “almost,” because you should never ever use absolutes…hehe).”

Thanks for clarifying, Brian. I’m not as sure of your generalization about inside/outside moments as you are (even with your qualifying “almost”) – I can imagine the Hulk cover as a panel following, for example, a panel in which the Hulk and Hercules are in a not-yet-violent standoff, and then Hercules says something that sets the Hulk off. In other words, this “panel” would depict the action not of the Hulk being “about to punch” Hercules, but the action of the Hulk charging into Hercules starting from a standstill. (If people still wrote narrative captions, it might carry the words, “And with that remark, the Hulk has had enough!” or some such.) But at least I now understand the distinction you see between the two covers.

extremely fantastic the x-men!!!!

Blimey! What a strong month!

Honourable mentions:

Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born 5 – like the composition here, slightly off centre and the unlikely choice of cover star adds to the pleasure
Legion of Monsters: Satana – she looks hot, do I need another reason?
Loners 3 – another great movie homage
Ms Marvel 16 – unusual angles ahoy! But it works.
New Warriors 1 – I think it’s funny. I like it.
Omega Flight 3 – another strong Omega Flight cover, moody and sensitive
X-Men 200 – what a month when Finch’s superb X-Men wraparound doesn’t make the top five but what an effort.
Last of the Mohicans 2 – gosh, I miss Maleev
Punisher 48 – when Bradstreet moves away from chunky Frank Castle portraiture, he can create a stunning cover.

Top Five

5 Exiles 95 – brilliant and idiosyncratic and very, very simple

4 Uncanny X-Men 487 – I think Larocca has done a stunning job here with Storm, captures her grace and power

3 Iron Man 19 – great, funny, simple and the head coming clean off makes it top drawer

2 Runaways 27 – gorgeous groupshot in a pioneer style by the irrepressable Jo Chen

1 New Avengers 31 – because you can barely believe it. That’s two in a row for Yu – whattaguy

cielos, no se como describir con palabras el arte que yace en cada uno de las obras maestras de esta pagina, simplemente maravillosas.

I dont know who runs this site… the person giving comments to these covers is a bit of an ass. You sure take it to a whole new level of cock suckery.