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

“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.

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?

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.

“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.

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).

letting the days go by, water flowing underground…

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

-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

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.

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.