By 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.
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!
Scarlet Witch #3, by David Aja. (Marvel Comics)
Deeply set in dark reds, pitch blacks, and stark whites, David Aja’s cover to Scarlet Witch #3 is a captivating image of serenity much as it is one of startling omens. Wanda Maximoff plucks away on a harp in order to bring harmony to the world, all the while the grim raven perches overhead, there to remind us all that preparation against the dark should always be at the forefront of our thinking. Also, it would make for a killer debut album of classical odes. What do you say, Wanda? Time to reconsider your vocation?
Love and Rockets: New Stories #8, by Gilbert Hernandez. (Fantagraphics)
Wherever Gilbert Hernandez goes, I follow. And if that place should be an open area where four beautiful women do dwell, under a twinkling night sky draped in velvet, so be it. Any time Love and Rockets returns to us is a cause for celebration. Here, Gilbert Hernandez strives to beguile us in the wondrous world contained within. It’s only polite that we allow him that courtesy.
A-Force #2, by Jorge Molina. (Marvel Comics)
The presence of Singularity is a frightening one, to be sure. It posits the sort of questions that would keep anyone with a sound mind awake well into the grim, low hours of the morning. How could an entire universe, just like the one in which we find ourselves, walk around smiling, loving, and laughing like she does? And if an entire universe were to consume an eel roll, where, exactly, would that roll end up? In a nebula? Consumed by a star? Would that eel roll cause a calamity within an unsuspecting galaxy, causing every sun, planet, and moon to collapse upon itself? Jorge Molina’s cover to A-Force #2 says chill out on all that. Even for the universe it is time to eat as well.
Action Comics #49, by Aaron Kuder. (DC Comics)
Nobody draws action quite like Aaron Kuder. His cover to Action Comics #49 is a brilliant moment captured in time, where a few quiet beats lie between heavy rain drops, where mighty thunder is but a millisecond away from being drowned out by the collision of titans. Superman may not have the powers he once had, but in Kuder’s capable hands, The Man of Steel still convinces us of his considerable strength.
Howard the Duck #4, by Shirahama Kamome. (Marvel Comics)
Oh, ducks. Oh my, ducks. Plush ducks. Wolvieducks. Deadducks. Hulkducks. Spider-Ducks. Grucks. Iron Ducks. We could squeeze them, love them, and keep them all, couldn’t we, Kamala? Even the Captain Duck demands immediate attention. But no. All the super-ducks in the world wouldn’t be enough to eclipse our love for the only duck that counts — Howard. Shirahama Kamome’s cover displays a lovely sentiment and a remarkable tribute to two of Marvel’s finest: Ms. Marvel and Mr. The Duck.
Amazing Forest #2, by Ulises Farinas. (IDW)
If splendor had a Facebook page, this would be its profile picture. Ulises Farinas’ mosaic of snarling shell-dragons, bulbous blaster-robots, muscle-bound, hover-skiing polar bears, and soaring watermelon slices is a testament to all things weird, wild, and wonderful. Even if you had no prior knowledge of what Amazing Forest could be, Farninas’ cover is more than enough to lure in anybody with curiosity on their mind, adventure in their heart, and a passion for absorbing a fully-realized work of art. Now. *cracks knuckles* Where’s Waldo…
Invincible Iron Man #6, by Michael Cho. (Marvel Comics)
If you didn’t know already, we’re pretty excited for Michael Cho right now. And with a new comic book day comes the first wave of Cho’s mighty Marvel variant covers — Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange, Howard The Duck, Cho’s running the gamut. But it’s this stoic, iconic study of Ol’ Shellhead that sets me upright in salute. Well done, Mr. Cho. We’ll see you next week.
The Sheriff of Babylon #3, by John Paul Leon. (Vertigo)
It’s a beautiful display of affection, reverence, and respect. A routine, one that takes place just late enough in the morning that the sun pours through the windows to ignite everything in brilliance, fine china glinting back its rays. A cat scampers blithely past, unaware of the weapon dangling precariously over the day’s effects. The hair is braided tightly, but with care; in between sips of chai there are dire things to consider, things that hang so darkly in the shadows that even the lamps cannot illuminate them. John Paul Leon’s gorgeous cover to The Sheriff of Babylon #3 is candid as it is chilling. A fitting cover to an incredible book.
And that’s it! Don’t forget to share your favorite covers from this week’s releases in the comments section below!
