Comments on: Judging (DC's July) Books by Their Covers

By: AMP

AMP — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:57:25 +0000

WOW - I just became a fan!

By: Hal Turner

Hal Turner — Sat, 16 May 2009 20:49:01 +0000

Scott Gross, thanks for the revised image. A very nice Looney Tunes cover, by the way.

I usually like Lopresti's work but this month's Wonder Woman looks fuzzy in a bad air-brushy kind of way. And why is Black Canary floating in the air behind WW?

Love the Chaykin cover and I'd have made that #2 this month. Don't love the Action Comics cover that you placed at #3...unless, of course, Nightwing is supposed to be drunk or stoned. If so, the artist totally sold it.

By: Scott Gross

Scott Gross — Mon, 11 May 2009 05:50:26 +0000

I was VERY VERY disappointed to see how the colors looked on the image you received for LT 176. It makes *ME* look like an F!#%ing idiot for having submitted a piece of DAYGLOW DREK that looks like that.

I can assure you all, I didn't. I'm not sure why the image that you got is so oversaturated and horrible. That's now how I submitted it. If you want to see the original, I uploaded it to my website:

http://www.nickel-dime.com/LT_WacingWascals_final_sm.jpg

Some day,

-Scott Gross

By: Tekende

Tekende — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:50:15 +0000

I have to disagree on one point. That Super Friends cover is absolutely awful. The Flash spitting out sand is a cute idea, yes, but it's horribly drawn. Green Lantern's hands don't look like they connect to his arms in any way. Superman is missing the lower half of his body. Wonder Woman looks like a dwarf...actually, they all do, and it's not just because of the "Super Friends" style. I'd say it's the worst cover of the whole lot.

By: C. Adams

C. Adams — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:55:07 +0000

I can't hardly ever bring myself to say something is necessarily "bad art" because it is far beyond my ability most of the time. I will say however, people like Frank Quietly are just not my favorite. Does it mean that it is "horrible" art like some throw around at some of these artists? No, it just means YOU don't like it. I personally think the Benez covers are representational of what is actually happening in the comic itself. The only thing that would make them better for me is if they added in the 80s style "hype" on the cover.

By: Eliot Johnson

Eliot Johnson — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:48:43 +0000

That Alberti Brave & the Bold cover is an homage to an old issue of Detective Comics.

By: Ian A.

Ian A. — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:19:36 +0000

Just wanted to reiterate that I dig this take on "Juding Books by Their Covers" and add that that's a solid top five. Bisley's Hellblazer is the right kind of off-putting. He should never stray too far from Vertigo.

By: Brad Curran

Brad Curran — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:11:03 +0000

I do love being pandered to.

By: Chad Nevett

Chad Nevett — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:09:56 +0000

Wrestling references in the Marvel post just for you, Brad.

By: Brad Curran

Brad Curran — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:01:23 +0000

I always thought that Gears of War needed a redheaded girl on the roster. Hope she makes it in to part 3 as a playable character. I mean, if I have to view the characters from the third person perspective anyway...

Oh, and good debut, too, even if you aren't wearing your wrestling fandom on your sleeve like I do (c'mon! Force some references to WWE, man! I did it in every post for like a year!). Appreciate the credits and the more critical analysis.

By: Rebis

Rebis — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:11:35 +0000

It take s a lot to make my eyes bleed ... but Ed Benes manages to pull it off, almost without fail. Those covers are enough to turn people away from what could even be some good reads inside. Why not let Mahnke draw them?!

By: Ike Iszany

Ike Iszany — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:25:54 +0000

When you have a pin up shot of Supergirl flying or Batman's face covered in goo that doesn't make me want to open the book and see if I want to buy it (unless I'm dying to know what that goo is!). To me the cover should be by the same artist as the interior and it should be related to the story inside. The cover is like a movie trailer. "Oh Spider-man is fighting Firelord while Doc Ock marries Aunt May?!? Let me see what that's about!"

By: Bat2supe

Bat2supe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:36:40 +0000

Hey, Chad !!

Sorry, i got you confused with Brian, heck the "in your top tens"

No problem, the JLA thing isn't that important, just noticed it.

By: Chad Nevett

Chad Nevett — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:25:52 +0000

Bat2supe--Regarding Alex Ross... Normally, I'm not a fan, but this Astro City cover is pretty good. I didn't do those other top tens, so...

But, you are right about that Justice League cover... the solicits said Benes and, SOMEHOW, I missed the signature. Because I pay attention.

By: Tom Fitzpatrick

Tom Fitzpatrick — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:23:35 +0000

Never thought I'd live long enough to see Hellblazer make the number 2 spot.

Now, I can die happy.

By: Bat2supe

Bat2supe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:07:46 +0000

Nice thing to mention the artist name after the title.

I 'm not that much with the new arsh way, it ends up being boring at some point.

"Despite not liking Ross’s work usually". Hmmm ?!! he's featured 3 times in the top tens you've posted theses days & even here you liked the cover.

Eddie Barrows is the cover artist of the JLA issue.

Hey, nothing about Starfire on that ugly Titans cover, the poor she's drowning only to offer us...

The Action Comics seems bland to me, Nightwing fist is raised but he's regard is absent. What are they looking at ?!!

What's going on with Wonder Woman is she wearing diapers ?

The Super-Friends cover is too much static for me even if there's spirit.

JH Williams is a great artist & i'm looking forward for the new Batgirl serie but is that the better covers to attract readers.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:29:38 +0000

Nice to have a cover judge that knows how to use the word creepy properly.

By: Omar Karindu, with the power of SUPER-hypocrisy!

Omar Karindu, with the power of SUPER-hypocrisy! — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:36:39 +0000

The JSA cover with the team in Mr. Terrific's "egg" is an homage to a 1940s JSA cover, All-Star Comics #33. On that one, it's Solomon Grundy holding the team in a globe of Green Lantern energy, ready to crush them.

By: Brian Cronin

Brian Cronin — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:29:11 +0000

Nice write-up! And I love how you now give identifying info for every cover. It always drove me crazy having to guess before.

You did not have to guess before.

That said, this certainly IS clearer, no doubt about that.

By: Brian Cronin

Brian Cronin — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:27:34 +0000

You know, I have no clue why your always so down on Benez. His art harkens back to when comic books were “comic books” not “mini pieces of art as some seem to think they are now a days.

"His art harkens back to when comic books were “comic books” not “mini pieces of art as some seem to think they are now a days." is probably the worst argument in favor of bad art that I can recall seeing (don't get me wrong, I'm sure someone else out there has done worse, I just can't recall offhand).