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.
We Are Robin #4, by Lee Bermejo. (DC Comics)
JJ: One thing I love about the concept of the Bat-universe is how elemental the outfits are. It doesn’t matter if Robin is wearing elf-boots and speedos or military-grade clompers and goggles, so long as the ‘R’ is where it should be and the colors are there, that’s Robin. That’s what makes We Are Robin work so well: a group of kids want to take on injustice wrapped in the yellow, green, and red of the Boy Wonder, not just to prove a point, but to honor a legacy. Lee Bermejo’s cover to the awesome issue #4 proves that point succinctly by throwing Riko in with Barbara Gordon as they cascade over Burnside rooftops, and it looks like they’ve been hanging out for years. Stupendous.
1872 #3, by Francesco Francavilla. (Marvel Comics)
MJ: Francesco Francavilla is excellent at creating images reminiscent of classic film posters–the pulpier the better–and he’s created just such a variant for 1872 #3. His heavy colors, evocative lettering and pronounced inks create the perfect homage to Western one-sheets of yore.
Gotham By Midnight #9, by Bill Sienkiewicz. (DC Comics)
JJ: Are you on the Midnight train? You ought to be. Easily one of the spookiest, most well-crafted books on DC shelves these days. Don’t let this nightmarish imagery by Bill Sienkiewicz put you off; instead, let the shimmering light at the center of this demonically well-designed cover hypnotize you into a sense of eerie comfort, and heed the words you’re now hearing: “buy this book. buy this book. buy this book.” That’s it. Now go.
Inhumans: Attilan Rising #5, by Dave Johnson. (Marvel Comics)
MJ: Few things are more unsettling than a puppet-master shrouded in shadow, but when that murky figure is none other than Doctor Doom? Well, let’s just say it makes for a memorable cover. Dave Johnson brightly colors Medusa–and her puppet strings–in the center of the black-and-white image, displaying his keen eye for contrast and chiaroscuro.
Grayson #12, by Mikel Janin. (DC Comics)
JJ: Coming home is never easy. This month, Dick Grayson is finding that out the hard way, as Agent 37 finally returns home to Gotham City (you can read my 10/10 review of the bittersweetness here). And while it’s apparent that Dick must miss his family terribly, Mike Janin’s gorgeous, characteristic cover paints an even bigger picture here than you might anticipate. (Hint: look who’s taking up most of the image.) It’s a lovely — and somewhat sad — cover that conveys the real heartache found inside. As a cover, it tells a story more so than any other image on stands this week. Top-notch.
Red Sonja #18, by Jenny Frison. (Dynamite Entertainment)
MJ: Jenny Frison has been lending her sizable artistic talents to Dynamite’s Red Sonja since its relaunch in 2013, and each and every cover has been notably lovely. This issue has Frison framing the piece with a beautifully illustrated art nouveau sword motif, and matching the design’s vines and leaves with the foreground’s lush forest greenery. Sonja’s trademark red locks pop amid the sedate and twilight-soft coloring.
Batman ’66 #27, by Mike Allred. (DC Comics)
JJ: I can’t help but feel that — by seeing a Mike Allred-rendered Bane — that my life as a Batman and a Mike Allred fan has somehow come full circle. It’s almost as if I don’t know where to go from here. Welp. I’ll just let Allred lead the way to another fantastically silly issue of Batman ’66, which has also hit an apex of its own by implementing the Santa Priscan backbreaker into the West/Ward universe. Will wonders ever cease.
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!
