Incredible Hercules and Fables took our top honours for Cover of the Week this week. Hit the jump to see why.Matt & Kirk's Cover of the Week - Incredible Hercules #136
Kirk: This cover pretty much speaks for itself. You've got Thor and Hercules wearing each others costume, both locked in combat and it's stunningly depicted by Rafael Albuquerque. Does exactly what a cover should do - get you exicted and wanting to read more about the issue while still being relevant. Now, all that's left is for Marvel to release a poster of this one for me to own.
Matt: I believe we have been raving about this cover ever since it appeared in the previews months ago, but goddamn if that is not one awesome cover. Totally eye-catching, iconic, and extremely well done. Albuquerque has been hitting all the right notes with his Herc covers.
Ryan's Cover of the Week - Fables #89
Ryan: James Jean had a few bold, disturbing covers during his tenure as the cover artist on Fables, but few were quite as memorable as this creepy image from Joao Ruas. This is one captured my attention right away and has haunted me ever since.
Runners-Up: Secret Six #14, Nomad: Girl Without a World #2 & Anna Mercury 2 #2
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9 comments:
Nomad and Hercules hands down. both are awesome in their own ways, whether for colour choice or sheer epic value
Fables covers are in a league of their own. They should probably just get a lifetime achievement award in recognition of their consistent ridiculous quality, so that other books can have a chance to get some praise.
@Klep - I like Fables covers, but not as actual covers. I don't think a Fables cover has ever sold a comic to me or made me go, "I need to read this issue" or any other similar thought. They are beautiful and I love the James Jean Fables Cover collection, but just for the art, not because they were covers of Fables.
To me, a cover tells a story about the comic and draws a reader in. Fables, for the most part, look leagues better, artistically, than other comic covers, but only have those artistic merits to their credit. There's no story or life to them that draws me to the comic on the whole, which makes them failures as covers for me (some exceptions, of course).
Comparing the Incredible Herc cover above to the Fables one, I *need* to read that Herc vs Thor fight. There's power and energy there and it tells a story in a single image that makes it impossible to ignore with the vibrant and energetic image.
The Fables cover accomplishes a great deal more in terms of technique, style and composition, but doesn't tell me a singel thing about what that issue is about and without the trade dress, I couldn't honestly tell you waht that comic is about or even what book it belongs to.
That, to me, is a failure as a comic book cover. More artistic merit and beautifully rendered, but does not accomplish the goal of a cover. Your mileage may vary.
That Herc cover does look dang spiffy. Guess I 'll pick that up tomorrow :)
That Nomad cover really is fantastic.
If I'm not mistaken, Rafael Albuquerque was responsible for the NOMAD cover as well as the HERCULES one. I've admired his work for a while and would love to see him on some interiors at Marvel. His BLUE BEETLE was outstanding but he has yet to really become a presence at Marvel.
@Kirk - When I look at that Fables cover I may have no idea what that's about, but I do know I want to find out.
@smkedtky: It indeed is another Albuquerque cover. The guy gets around a lot, but he is currently working on Superman/Batman, isn't he?
@Matt: I believe he is. Unfortunately, I buy about 60 titles a month now. I recently cut a bunch, believe it or not, and SUPERMAN/BATMAN was one of the ones to go. I like his art but it isn't enough when the stories are both out of continuity and, less than, decent.
I might have, actually, picked up NOMAD (I was on the fence on that book) if he were doing the interiors.
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