By Molly Jane Kremer and Jarrod Jones. Undercover is our opportunity to lovingly gaze upon gorgeous works from magnificent artists. Each week, we single out the most striking covers that grace comic book stands and gush all over them.
Oh, and do you like free stuff? Well, keep reading! Details below.
Weirdworld #3, by Tradd Moore. (Marvel Comics)
MJ: Tradd Moore’s imaginatively dynamic art is never anything less than captivating, and that makes him a perfect cover artist for a comic as, well, as weird as Weirdworld. Moore is able to loose his imagination here, in an armada of llama-dragons, a blinged-out furry bird-turtle (birtle?), and a melty tower of faces, dogs, and big purple eyes. It’s surreal and funny, and you can stare at it and keep on finding more tiny, amazing details amid the craziness. (Matthew Wilson’s gorgeous color art is mesmerizing as well.)
Superman/Wonder Woman #21, by Paulo Siqueira. (DC Comics)
JJ: There are two reasons why I’m kind of in love with this busy Paulo Siqueira cover. First, it prominently features Steel, a character woefully underutilized in the DC Universe (which is a perplexing thing to consider, especially when he’s a visually arresting character and he’s just generally cool as hell). Secondly, it takes the disorienting “Alienation” covers running through most of the Superman books this month and makes it work. (So it wasn’t a complete waste of time.) Pool these two positives together and I end up forgiving that Superman totally looks like a throbbing Ed Skrein right there. (Don’t tell me he don’t.)
Archie #2, by Fiona Staples. (Archie Comics)
MJ: Fiona Staples is the perfect artist for the Archie reboot, and her cover for the second issue proves it just as much as the interior art does. She perfectly encapsulates tomboy Betty agonizing over which dress to wear (a dilemma I think most of us have experienced at least once in our lives, if not once a day). The snapshots and mementos on Betty’s mirror, and her soulful eyes, communicate a timeless yet modern sweetness that is the essence of this comic.
Star Wars #8, by Stuart Immonen. (Marvel Comics)
JJ: There’s a slight sting that comes with John Cassaday’s departure from Marvel’s flagship Star Wars title, but the presence of former All-New X-Men artiste Stuart Immonen is the perfect balm for any creative discomfort. Immonen is so good at recreating the halcyon days of A New Hope that it’s almost creepy: just look at the model-perfect approach to Mark Hamill’s cherubic face, and try to deny that you all of a sudden have a crush on Mark Hamill. Immonen should draw everything, always.
Black Canary #3, by Dave Bullock. (DC Comics)
MJ: Dave Bullock’s variant cover to Black Canary is an arrestingly well-designed front, with one of the best organic uses of its logo, possibly ever. The coloring is sketchy, and looks to have been done entirely in pencil (or digital pencil, most likely) and the pink highlights on Canary’s cheekbones and sternum add a subtle bit of soft beauty, while the spiked choker and leather jacket carry on the book’s killer rocker aesthetic.
Wolf #2, by Matt Taylor. (Image Comics)
JJ: Swathes of purple and blue paint this ludicrously stunning cover to Ales Kot’s Wolf #2. I can’t help but stare at Matt Taylor’s formal quality (“swathes of purple and blue” is otherwise known around DoomRocket HQ as “Jarrod’s Kryptonite”), as he provides a vulnerability to his subject through a vivid phosphorescence, the only light in the enveloping darkness. Or something like that. It’s just a gorgeous image.
Secret Wars: Secret Love #1, by Dave Nakayama. (Marvel Comics)
MJ: An adorable homage to the old Kirby romance comic covers, with Ms. Marvel front and center in the midst of the Secret Wars’ incursion, Dave Nakayama even uses to zipitone dot coloring for that uber-retro feel. It’s melodrama to the max–as a romance comic should be–and cleverly done, to boot. (But waitasec…Kamala Khan and Robbie Reyes…? That’s both unexpected and alliteratively adorable.)
What are the covers that float your boat this week? We want to know! Tell us about them in the comments below, and the best response gets a DoomRocket sticker/button combo sent to their door. Get to it!
