Comic Book Resources

Oh no, Brian, have you never seen Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends? It's great!

"This one, featuring Grace, is okay…" - Nothing featuring Grace can ever be said to be okay.

I suppose someone has to make the obvious comment about that Power Girl cover:

"It's even lit like it's softcore porn."

That is all.

I must say that i would have ranged the wetworks higher and dropped that Superman/Batman and Faker down to the rest of the bad covers.

That Alex Ross Green Arrow/Black Canary cover isn't original. It's a copy & paste from a JLA poster he's done a while back. Here:

http://www.superherostuff.com/OtherItems/Images/jla_oversized_alex_ross_poster_2.jpg

On the Cartoon Network Block Party cover, that would be Bloo, as Cayman pointed out, from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, easily one of the best cartoons you've obviously not seen. SHAAAAAAAAME.

Got to agree with Cliff Chaing's TEAM 13 cover. Its nothing short of brilliant. To round out my Top 5:
2. Jonah Hex (Noto's interiors are just as wonderful)
3. Welcome to Tranquility (Shame that Googe is stuck on a crap book and not a higher profile book)
4. Exterminators (Best Phil Bond cover to date. So twisted!)
5. Highwayman (Love when Stelfreeze does covers)

I have seen that Spirit cover a zillion times & only just now realised the broken wood posts spell out "Spirit". I feel awfully stupid now.

I agree with all your Top 5 choices. Especially the Flash, and the Team 13. Gorgeous and joyous respectively.

When they were talking about the new cover artist on Jack of Fables, I immediately assumed it was Bolland. I mean, they made such a big deal about it, and there aren't THAT many super-great cover artists.

I'd like to bring the snark, but even though I don't like the Alex Ross posing covers and the lighting is bad, Power Girl looks GREAT on that cover. Like, you know, an actual woman.

Power Girl snark: That would be an awesome cover if she was just doing Superman's laundry.

-- A lot of homage covers this time around. The Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis image seems to be a retake of the cover of issue #18 of the Peter David series, and the Green Lantern cover by Kubert is at least a thematic or conceptual variant of the cover of GL #52 by Gil Kane. And then there's Team 13....

-- I guess I've always liked Braithwaite better than most comics readers, but yeah, that Flash is a standout design, right down to the consistency of perspective.

-- Heh. The Grace/WW cover is actually built on the premise that Grace sucks.

-- Amazons Attack would have stronger covers bt for that goofy "stage curtain" frame gimmick.

-- Power Girl JSA cover snark: "No, I will NOT pose for Michael Turner again!"

-- Wow, I never thought I'd see a weak cover on a Cooke Spirit issue. ;Luckily the HC cover more than makes up for it.

-- I have to say, I like that Birds of Prey cover quite a lot; Roux does very expressive faces, and the cheesecake is suitably restrained and "machofied."

-- I don't know what Faker's about, but I must buy it based on th3e two covers seen so far.

-- Re: Brave and the Bold: Giant eyeballs make for good comics. Just ask Seaguy!

-- Simone Bianchi's Batman ure has a purdy mouth. Seriously, he looks like he's considering making out with one of those Scarecrows.

-- That Blabbermouth image makes me and

-- I like the Booster Gold cover...but why playing cards?

Gotta love Nightwing: looks like he brought a stick to a gun fight.

I assumed the playing cards on the Booster cover was a "52" reference.

Umm, how come Cliff Chiang’s Team 13 trade cover, made #1? I think it dosen't look nearly good enough to make #1

Then again, I suppose Turnbull’s work does evoke A sensation…maybe not a GOOD one, but it’s something, I suppose.
Like a burning sensation….

Why the Turnbull hate, man? He can't draw hands, but his art isn't that bad by any means.

An odd decision by Darwyn Cooke for this Spirit cover.
Why, exactly, is he showing us how Michael Jackson first met Emmanuel Lewis?

HA!

Another badass Green Arrow Year One drawing by Jock that doesn’t exactly lend itself to being a cover of a comic book.

Judging by the ashcan, the trade dress is going on the bottom of the covers. Is Green Arrow iconic enough for that to work? Out of costume?

How’s the archery, archery folks?

Dunno. His right hand's obscured.

I am sorry, Kalman Andrasofsky, but I really do not understand why you keep getting cover assignments.
Maybe you are a really good interior artist! Let us see more Kalman Andrasofsky on interiors, to see if that is where his talents lie - because cover art is not it (remember his awful Ion covers? Yuck).

I actually dig Adrasofszky's covers, for the most part. His work on Ion was a bit hit and miss, but the cover to #3 was pretty damn good. His cover art for Infantry (from Devil's Due's defunct superhero line) was exceptional. And, if you haven't seen his variant for Bio Boy, click the link; it's impressively dynamic.

That Checkmate cover is lousy, though. No two ways about it.

As for the quality of his interiors, here's a sample from the Sgt. Kabukiman story (written by B. Clay Moore!) in the upcoming Troma Anthology. Andrasofszky's also pencilling the lead story in Marvel's Legion of Monsters: Satana, out next month.

For the Alex Ross PowerGirl cover: "Hey, didn't he sing 'Runaway Train'?"

That batman statue looks like he's rocking the mic.

I'm surprised Mr. Terrific hasn't changed his look by now... I mean, is there anyone who doesn't think of him, "cool character, but what's the deal with the big T on his face?"

The Power Girl statue is exactly as stupid-looking as it's supposed to be, which I guess has to be considered an accomplishment.

I'll have to agree with Greg B. that Power Girl looks really good on that Alex Ross cover. He manages to draw her outlandish proportions without making them look, well, too outlandish. Still, for snark:

P.G. snorts, "You think my THIGHS are too big!?"

Kudos to Simone Bianchi for sneaking in some gratuitious Batman beefcake with that ass shot. (He's even drawing extra attention to it with his oddly-placed signature box.)

I can't complain about the Team 13 cover — I love it — although it works only because it's mopping the Super-Friends design for such an absurdly twisted homage. I'd put it in the Top Five, but argue for others ahead of it. Especially that awesome Flash cover, which makes me want to BUY the Flash. (Well, that and I suddenly hear good buzz now that it's got a new writer.)

Finally, special kudos to Brian for that hilarious Michael Jackson/Webster line. One of your best "judging books by their covers" cracks ever.

- The trouble with the Cowan Batman Confidential cover is how does a shadow have lighter teeth?

- The mouth on Bianchi's Batman really bugged me too. Too luscious. Nifty scarecrows, however.

- I gave up on Outsiders. Have they revealed whether Grace is an Amazon or a Furie yet?

- Love the colour work on the Middleton cover. And I don't like pastels.

- Very curious about the Hex card on the Booster cover. Fun cover.

- Zatanna's shirt totally looks like skin. Fabric doesn't do that.

- That CP Smith Programme cover looks like a Winter Men cover. Which is a compliment. Did that ever finish?

- The Alex Ross Power Girl doesn't bother me at all. (Which is a nice change from the screaming heebie jeebies of Steel.) She looks real. That statue, on the other hand, reinforces my theory that they're starting to play up the Starbuck resemblance. It would be smart enough marketing.

- JSA cover snark: "Look, when I stand like this and flex my biceps, my boobs look even BIGGER!"

And is just me, or does Ross look like he stopped drawing after he got to her waist...?

- Nightwing: So, Vigilante pulls a gun and Nightwing pulls...a billy club? To paraphrase Sean Connery in Untouchables: "If he pulls a billy club on one of yours, you pull a gun on one of his."

- Catwoman: No, it's not the most dynamic cover, but DAMN is that a nice drawing of Selina by Hughes. That goes in my Top 5. I figure we'll see a poster of that a few months down the road...

- Teen Titans: That is a nice cover, but two things stick out that bother me. 1.) I know there's supposed to be some sexual tension between Robin and Ravager, but does he have to thrust at her head like that?, 2.) Blue Beetle's fingers just look creepy in that picture. If this were a 3-D cover, I expect they would be reaching out towards you...*shudder*

- JLA: Eric Wight also contributed to the JLA #0 issue. Turned in some nice work too.

- Countdown: Yes, Shane Davis did draw Zatanna showing much more cleavage. I don't know which version is the "final" cover, but you can see the "sexier" version over at Davis' blog. I've seen it and it's actually not that bad. I prefer it over this one only because the coloring just looks awkward where they tried to give her a little "modesty"

- Outsiders: Katana/Shazam: *Spoiler* I buddy of mine who's done some work for DC told me that this special was actually supposed to end with Katanna dying (hence the hari kiri on the cover), but they changed their mind at the last second and kept her alive. Thankfully. I'm sick of all the pointless deaths in DC's books.

- I actually like the Batgirl statue.

- Dr. 13 cover: DAMN good cover too. I'm buying the trade just based on Chiang's artwork and the write-up the series got here a few days ago. Nice choice for first.

RE: Batman & The Outsiders cover.

Dug out my issue from the boxes and flipped through it. No reason inside why the black cat is there. The issue deals with the team getting their butts handed to them by a hokey villain named the Cryonic Man, who freezes the team and tries to use them as lab rats while in suspended animation. Then again, I guess a cat would get spooked if a superteam came busting through a brickwall like that (for no apparent reason...).

The Power Girl-cover is good! One of the best covers by Alex Ross I`ve seen in a while. Power Girl is cool.

Oh, and Booster Gold`s feet are seriously ugly! What`s up with comic book artists and feet?

That Kubert Batman statue is nice, but he totally looks like he's about to start singing.

Karaoke Batman!

Anyone catch that Chiang's Team 13 cover was a homage to the Superfriends?:

http://theages.superman.ws/superfriends/friends.jpg

Ramona Fradon did that pic, right?

Ramona Fradon did that pic, right?

Alex Toth. Expect a bit on that picture later this week.

Oh no, Brian, have you never seen Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends? It’s great!

I FIGURED that was what it was, but I thought perhaps it was some new show.

That Alex Ross Green Arrow/Black Canary cover isn’t original. It’s a copy & paste from a JLA poster he’s done a while back.

Thanks, Jeff.

BLAST YOU, DC!!!

When they were talking about the new cover artist on Jack of Fables, I immediately assumed it was Bolland. I mean, they made such a big deal about it, and there aren’t THAT many super-great cover artists.

Yeah, I thought Bolland, too, if only because he was the only possible artist who could THEORETICALLY be an improvement over Jean, but still, I don't think the surprise was handled too well.

— I like the Booster Gold cover…but why playing cards?

As someone else mentioned, it's probably a reference to 52.

However, I bet the Royal Flush Gang also make an appearance. Jurgens seems to enjoy them.

Why the Turnbull hate, man? He can’t draw hands, but his art isn’t that bad by any means.

I'll admit, it was the "sensation" thing. I likely wouldn't have commented besides "Bad cover" if not for that. So I apologize, Koi Turnbull, for perhaps excessive teasing of you!

I also think I was a bit put off at the depreciation of talent on Superman Confidential. Boy, didn't take DC long to make Superman Confidential just a junk book, did it?

Legends of the Dark Knight took, like, 100 issues before it became a junk book!

I actually dig Adrasofszky’s covers, for the most part. His work on Ion was a bit hit and miss, but the cover to #3 was pretty damn good. His cover art for Infantry (from Devil’s Due’s defunct superhero line) was exceptional. And, if you haven’t seen his variant for Bio Boy, click the link; it’s impressively dynamic.

Fair point, Ian. Those covers for the other companies ARE pretty good.

JLA: Eric Wight also contributed to the JLA #0 issue. Turned in some nice work too.

And he did part of the cover for #7, but I liked it better when I pretend that this is the first I've heard of him doing the title. It allows for me to be all "this name does not belong here"!!

That outsiders cover is one of the worst cover's I've ever seen - what does it have that is supposed to attract readers to it?

The Crossing Midnight cover makes me laugh - on JH Williams could have pulled it off - young girl at crotch level of a guy, sucking on a lollipop... I dare Micheal Turner to try and pull that off.

The Hellblazer cover might not be that strong, but damn the figure work is good - one of the better Constantine pics I've seen.

Power Girl Snark: 'At least there's no bulge... there'.

(The 'there' would work better in italics, but it took me this long to figure out how to quote, so give me a year and I'll do italics!)

The only problem with the JSA Power Girl cover is that, according to the issue blurb, the story inside is all about Liberty Belle, not PG. Otherwise, as Alex Ross covers of people standing around doing nothing go, it's a pretty good one: the confident, slightly hostile expression is very characteristic, and the stationary, crossed-arms pose is a lot more appropriate here than when Ross used it for the Flash.

So why the request for snark?

So why the request for snark?

Because I had nothing snarky to say about it. I figured others might.

Brian Bolland is great - no question. But is he really that much of an upgrade over James Jean?

Yes.

I agree on Bolland being better than Jean. Sorry.

On the AMAZON'S ATTACK finale, it looks like the artist really wanted to have both Wonder Women facing the reader, which is why their sword fight makes no sense. Diana appear to be blocking by swinging her sword backwards, which... seems ineffective to say the least. it would only stop her mother's swing if she was specifically swinging fo Diana's sword, and not to hit Diana herself.

So, why no fuss about the Aquaman tentacle cover? Let's be fair now.

"Why, exactly, is he showing us how Michael Jackson first met Emmanuel Lewis?"
-Cronin

Heh. Very funny. Seriously, though, that SPIRIT cover reminds me of Mignola. Deliberate homage? It's really creepy.

Simone Bianche's 'TEC covers are always awesome, and this one is no exception. Look closely, however: is that a Nike "swoosh" on Batman's boot?

My favorite covers of the month: SCALPED and GAY1 by Jock, DMZ by Wood, PROGRAMME by Smith, and JONAH HEX by Phil Noto. Noto is terribly underrated, and so is JH for that matter. Both deserve much more recognition.

I have to give honorable mention to the SUPERMAN/BATMAN cover, because that depiction of Darkseid is badass.

Out of curiosity: What do you mean when you say "Question rules. I am so glad he's not around anymore"?

JSA: "So, Power Girl, we were thinking about doing something with tentacles for the next cover..."

Out of curiosity: What do you mean when you say “Question rules. I am so glad he’s not around anymore”?

Sarcasm. Just like if a JLU cover featured Blue Beetle prominently (or Elongated Man).

I'd say, "Wow, Blue Beetle sure is cool. It's a really good thing they killed him off!"

GAY1 by Jock

That is a really unfortunate acronym.

GA:YO might be marginally better. Maybe.

That is a really unfortunate acronym.

GA:YO might be marginally better. Maybe.

Yeah, I made sure to point that out last month, when the text for the jpg quite literally was GAY1.jpg.

So, why no fuss about the Aquaman tentacle cover? Let’s be fair now.

It was clearly consensual on that cover.

So why the request for snark?

Oh, by the by, I DID have a good piece of snark that was just too crass to use, so that's also another reason why I asked for others, because I couldn't use mine.

Regarding Bolland and Jean, it's not a question of who's better, because if that was the case, then yes, Bolland is better than Jean.

But my point was rather that there isn't a big enough of a gap for DC to be plugging it as a super special mystery cover artist.

When you are going from, say, Kalman Andrasofsky, to Brian Bolland, then sure, by all means, hype it like crazy.

But it would be like replacing Darwyn Cooke on covers with Frank Quitely. Sure, you've probably improved, but you've just replaced great with great. Not exactly a huge coup there.

Fresh from her latest episode of American Gladiators Powergirl ponders the expanding properties of spandex.

Re: supply your own snark-

"Who knew Katee Sackhoff had her own comic book?"

What is that Shazam/Katana cover a cover TO? Is there a Captain Marvel/Katana team-up coming out, because the fans demanded it?

??

You find the Calero cover, a montage, confusing, the Adam Hughs cover is just okay...and yet the Andy Kubert Batman and the awful Brian Wood cover get kudos?

Sorry man, this month, we part spiritual ways, my brother, lol.

Brian - Ah, I see. I agree that the Question is awesome. Unfortunately, the powers that be decided that anywhere between one and a dozen much-loved characters need to die per big event...

no, it doesn't make any sense to me, either.

Ian - GAY1 is awkward, but I still think All-Star Superman has a more troubling acronym... mainly because the creators names are frequently used in conjunction with the title ("Morrison's ASS is incredible!" "Quitely's ASS is visually stunning!")

You find the Calero cover, a montage, confusing, the Adam Hughs cover is just okay…and yet the Andy Kubert Batman and the awful Brian Wood cover get kudos?

Sorry man, this month, we part spiritual ways, my brother, lol.

Didn't I put Calero's cover in the Honorable Mentions? It's not like I'm slagging on the guy. The cover just didn't make sense. What is even going on on that cover? Saturn Girl's chest is glowing...why? It makes no sense.

The Kubert Batman is a good statue. Wood's cover is clever, and Hughes' Catwoman is well-drawn, but not dynamic enough for a cover. A poster, maybe!

Okay, I give, but the top 5 is not that great.

So Brian, did you ever decide on a Snark winner?

puto

i think they r all pretty cool an all u guys are to picky an should so some respect ur so up urself

What have you got against Koi Turnbull?? I personally thought his covers were pretty awesome. He's definitely bringing a more dynamic look to normally boring DC characters.

As I mentioned later, Micah, I did go overboard with the teasing of Koi earlier, and I apologize for that.

Beyond that, while I appreciate the dynamism he is trying to bring, I think he is doing so with a lack of the same structure that similar dynamic artists like Francis Manapul and Zach Howard achieve with their work.

It's certainly serviceable art, but I do not think it is good art. If he improves on his structure and his fundamentals (another commenter mentioned his hands), it will be.

who is reviewing these covers?

power girl doing laundry?
burning sensation?

meh.

even I like some sarcasm once in a while(and some of the covers on these pages are bad)But there are some very decent covers by very talented artists. Upload some of your artwork as well so we can review it. just a thought.

Just like how boxing matches are only judged by former boxers, Roy?

alright, so give a link to some good artists & covers you believe should have high praise. in the mean time, I'm willing to hype up this site (its got potential) if the reviews are funny at times, but also insightful & give constructive criticism.

alright, so give a link to some good artists & covers you believe should have high praise. in the mean time, I’m willing to hype up this site (its got potential) if the reviews are funny at times, but also insightful & give constructive criticism.

This is some weird joke thing, right?

It must be, since I have an "Honorable Mentions" and then a "Top Five" section right there in the piece, so you've got to just be messing around.

That is what I have decided it must be.

ben ten

good

cu

eu quero + ben 10

Some of the comments on these covers are just harsh or plain hateration.

As an aspiring artist I know I can't complain too much about these covers.

Simone Bianchi Detective Comics cover is amazing. The only fault really to me is the angle and the amount of characters in the background is too much. Its a cover not an interior.

Adam Hughes Catwoman cover is good. thats it.

Sam Kieth Batman/Lobo cover is good for this type of book. Its kinda scary and gritty. And his style just adds to it. However I don't think Batman can really grip Lobo like that. Mess around and get his head taken off. lol

Batman Annual cover by Tim Sale is excellent. Dark, gritty, ominous. Dunno if its a reprint, all I know its the first time I've seen it and I'd still buy the book.

Koi Turnbull superman confidetial cover is excellnt. Remeber the Simone Bianchi Detective Comics cover? Well Koi didn't make the same mistake. The background is secondary while the action is in ur face. And so is the other one with Thunder and J'onn

Ale Garza Teen Titans cover is good but I'm not a fan of any thing "teen".

Mike Barr Batman and the Outsiders is a good cover for it's time by todays standards its bland. I'd still buy this book.

Tom Derenick Shadowpact cover is okay Zatanna's clothes are fine who cares if she's wearing too much. I agree the lay out is wack. Cuz all the action is behind Zatanna and she rather be hovering at us.

There is so much good work here and its just been shot down like an endangered Bald Eagle.