My Top Ten (Marvel May) Covers

CSBG Archive

April 21, 2009 @ 08:06 AM

Okay, a bit of a change of plans from here on out. Chad was talking with me recently, and we agreed that he’s now going to handle the Judging Books By Their Covers feature for DC and Marvel Comics. I couldn’t totally leave it behind, of course, so I’ll still be doing remarks on the solicits via this new “My Top Ten Covers” feature (plus, time willing, perhaps something else).

Okie doke, so here are the Marvel solicits for May, and here are my Top Ten covers for the month!

10. I guess this Deadpool cover by Jason Pearson is a pretty standard face-off cover, but…

A. It is a Jason Pearson-drawn face-off cover, so it’s really cool looking

and

B. It’s a really great face-off (so great that you notice Marvel is using it for their house ads – usually a good sign that a cover is a good one).

9. Dennis Calero manages to achieve one of the things I always love to see on covers – show action without actually showing the heart of the action scene – always try to depict the action directly PRECEDING the real conflict. That gives the reader the reason to want to see what happens next, rather than show what is happening before you even open the comic.

And, it’s a cool looking cover anyways.

8. I love the angle approach Joe Quesada uses on this Amazing Spider-Man cover. It really makes it pop.

7. I think Alex Ross does a really nice job here making these villains look suitably spooky.

6. It’s Fin Fang Four returning AND it’s a cool cover by Roger Langridge?!?!

What more could a guy possibly want?!?!

MID-WAY POINT, SO I CAN MAKE FUN OF ONE COVER!!

That has to be one of the most suggestive mystery space ever!

I wonder what other covers could look sordid if you added mystery spaces to them?!?!

Why don’t you folks send me some examples and I’ll post my favorites (bcronin@comicbookresources.com)!!!

5. Damn, I haven’t seen an artist draw animals this cool since Frank Quitely in We3!!

Well done, Karl Kerschl!

4. Dave Johnson continues his strong design style on these Six Hours to Kill covers for Punisher.

3. I really can’t say that a Wolverine: Noir comic book interests me a whole lot, but damn, that’s a striking Dennis Calero variant cover!

2. A great cover set-up by Steve Epting for this Captain America #50 cover.

Did Epting draw all those Buckys?

1. It’s dynamic, it’s clever, it’s character-based, it’s using negative space…this Skottie Young cover for Wonderful Wizard of Oz #6 is most of the things that I want to see in a comic book cover!