Cover Talk: February 27, 2018

The best cover of January 3, 2018 is: Batman: White Knight #4 by Matt Hollingsworth and Sean Murphy

Is there anything that Sean Murphy can’t do? His writing is top notch. His art is top notch. His “Twitter game” is top notch… I’m not going to lie, I’ve got a bit of a man-crush! Anyway, this cover is in desperate need of a poster-sized printing so people can proudly display it on their walls. I love the imagery of how Napier’s rise coincides with a brutally beaten Batman. It’s a perfect tease of what you’ll get in the issue, and Hollingsworth’s colors/ filter wash adds a nice depth and timelessness to the cover. The real win here is the life that Murphy breathes into the city itself. From the citizens to the cityscape, you get a clear sense of identity with a style that pulls heavily from Batman’s history – especially Batman (1989) to Batman: The Animated Series. 

The best variant cover of January 3, 2018 is: The Shadow/ Batman #4 by Philip Tan

I’m going to be honest, I expected a The Shadow/ Batman cover to advance, but I didn’t think it was going to be Philip Tan’s. Not to knock this cover, I just assumed that Brandon Peterson’s cover would be the standout. There are two qualities that I love about this cover, and that’s the split-screen look and the color choices. Yes, there’s the surface-level idea that the Shadow and Batman are both titular characters, so they’ll share the cover. Yeah, we all get that, but I feel like there’s more to the cover than that. We know that the Shadow actually trained Batman, so when I look at this I get the sense that Shadow is very much a part of Batman because Batman is a product of the Shadow. There are still glaring differences though, and that’s displayed by the bright fissure dividing the characters. Then there’s the colors – or the lack thereof. The color story here is simple: black and blue with incredible, dramatic red accents. Plus, Batman looks intense “AF”…

And Batman #38 by Olivier Coipel & Dave Stewart

There’s something about Olivier Coipel’s covers that are striking. He manages to draw Batman with this, “I’m a badass” awareness to him, and I love it! Look at his face in this cover. At first glance, you’d think Batman has his usual scowl, but if you look closely, it’s the (very) slightest bit of a smirk. I bet it’s the Bat Pod. I’d be grinning from ear to ear like an idiot if I were on the Bat Pod, but Batman has to keep his composure… Because he’s Batman!

Along with Justice League #36 by J.G. Jones advancing as a Wild Card.

I love this cover! JG Jones captures such a striking and shocking image here that really nods toward the current political climate. It’s drawn beautifully and can be interpreted many ways. In fact, when I first saw this cover, I let out an audible, “Whoa.” and took a few minutes to really examine the piece… That’s art, people!

The best cover of January 10, 2018 is: Suicide Squad #33 by Eddy Barrows, Tony Salvador Daniel, Adriano Lucas, Danny Miki, and Tomeu Morey

Eddy Barrows won major points by recreating the classic cover from Suicide Squad. The story was awful, but the nostalgic vibes coming from this book, and a nod to Ostrander’s run defintely helps make-up for the lack of quality inside!

The best variant cover of January 10, 2018 is: Titans #19 by Dan Mora

Dan Mora’s covers always look stellar. The sharpness of his pencils and overall design is top-notch, and when he crafts a scene like he does above, it’s golden! When I look at this cover, all I see are iconic characters! When I look at this cover, I want to buy this book!

Along with Detective Comics #972 by Rafael Albuquerque advancing as a Wild Card.

Rafael Albuquerque is one of the best cover artists in the industry! There’s always a certain moodiness to his art, and when tied to the appropriate project, that quality works perfectly. His depiction of Clayface looks terrifying, and it kind of makes me wish we could get a horror themed Clayface story with Albuquerque doing internal art.