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Judging by the Cover – 10/30/19 new releases
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Comic Books

Judging by the Cover – 10/30/19 new releases

Nathan, JJ, and Chris share their favorite covers from this week’s new comics.

Most comic book fans have a pretty good idea what they’re going to buy every week when they visit their local comic shop. With that said, there’s still a lot of fun to be had just glancing at the week’s new releases and taking a chance on a book that looks promising. That’s where covers come in. A fantastic image can make the difference between trying something new or saying, “Nah, not this week.”

In that spirit, here are the covers that captured our attention this week, with entries from writer Nathan Simmons, event coordinator JJ Travers, and comics editor Chris Coplan.

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Nathan’s Picks:

Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer #1

Cover art by Bisquis Evely

Judging by the Cover – 10/30/19 new releases

DC

Not only does this cover have a very classic Hellblazer feel to it, but fans of the character and the circles he travels in will likely be able to pick up quite a few hints to the future of this new series. Most notably, the appearances of the other leading characters of the Sandman Universe titles are on the tarot cards that John couldn’t care less about, the ones that he lets fall from his open hand. His full, fiery attention is on young Timothy Hunter, the protagonist of Books of Magic. It’s a gorgeous cover that also makes its lead character’s intentions deadly clear.

James Bond 007 #12

Cover art by Dave Johnson

Judging by the Cover – 10/30/19 new releases

Dynamite

COOL GUYS DON’T LOOK AT EXPLOSIONS. This isn’t the flashiest of covers, but it says so much about James Bond and Oddjob as they’ve been portrayed in this series. They’re a perfect match for one another, both in skills and intention. They also tend to leave everything a fiery mess in their wake.  Whether or not things turn out this happy when “Goldfinger” concludes remains to be seen, but it’s nice to see the two of them sharing a drink and a pat on the back over a job well done. The embers in front of the two are a nice touch, and it’s hard not to think of gold flakes when seeing them.

The Last God #1 (Cover B)

Cover art by Riccardo Federici

Judging by the Cover – 10/30/19 new releases

DC

The main cover for this book is no slouch, but there’s something about this variant that gets my pulp fantasy lovin’ heart a-pumpin’! I’m already getting a major Robert E. Howard vibe from DC’s latest Black Label title, but the almost Frazetta-meets-Wrightson look of this cover is what I imagine God would have painted on the side of his custom van. In other words, it’s metal as hell and I’m here for it.

JJ’s Picks:

The Plot #2

Cover art by Josh Hixson

Judging by the Cover – 10/30/19 new releases

Vault Comics

Knee-jerk reaction? Welp you’re f*cked. You don’t have to have read the first issue to feel how utterly bleak and terrifying the situation is. One look into the face of this person and you’ll feel it down to your core. I really dig the blue and purple colors that work their way into the title and across the victims face to reinforce the sense that you’re being swallowed up while you drown. And those claws. Man, they’re delightfully creepy.

Contagion #5

Cover art by Juan José Ryp

Judging by the Cover – 10/30/19 new releases

Marvel

Uh oh. Did the bad guys from The Last of Us invade Marvel comics? You can barely recognize the heroes beneath whatever the fungus-like infection they’re all sporting is. It’s unnerving to see our beloved Avengers in this state, slowly being consumed by digestive enzymes and stomach churning growths. Has a cover ever felt more apt for a book’s title? These characters are the embodiment of a contagion.

Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader’s Castle #5

Cover art by Francesco Francavilla

Judging by the Cover – 10/30/19 new releases

IDW – Disney

Is Vader ripping off Swamp Thing’s look? I think he is! But I’m very cool okay with that. I know Francesco Francavilla is a mega horror fan and it shows with his spooky spin on Vader and the ominous supporting players looming beneath him. There’s a very classic horror feel in the slightly messy shading work and I love the red on green. The cover feels like you pulled it out of an ’80s bin and I dig me some nostalgia-style. And nothing says scary bad guys like glowing red eyes.

Chris’ Picks:

Silver Surfer: Black #5

Cover art by Tradd Moore

Judging by the Cover – 10/30/19 new releases

Donny Cates may have gotten heaps of attention for making Carnage relevant, or straight murdering Lockjaw, but his Silver Surfer: Black series has been extra solid. It’s been a way to delve past the liquid metal exterior of one Norrin Radd, to get at the heart of the dude whose ridden for and against Galactus and what sort of person that existence has forged. And you don’t even need to read the book to get that thanks to Tradd Moore’s excellent cover. You can feel the ache and longing in the jagged, uneven muscles of the Surfer, as if the weight of the universe has bent his very frame. Yet he remains fluid and somehow graceful, ready to ride the cosmic winds toward whatever’s next.

Marvel Zombuies: Resurrection #1 (Cover B)

Cover art by Junggeun Yoon

Judging by the Cover – 10/30/19 new releases

I’ll be the one to say it: even as a true zombie fan (I have a giant bite tattoo on my leg), the Marvel Zombies series has been hit or miss. It’s been a case of taking a good thing and stretching it in weird directions until it’s almost too awkward to exist. But I have some hope with the Resurrection title, which promises to be something of a reboot for the whole series/line. And based solely on Junggeun Yoon’s cover, hopefully it’ll be dark and twisted and deeply visceral, less about the silly storylines and more about the physical and emotional carnage a mass zombification might present. At least a boy can dream.

SfSX # 2

Cover by Tula Lotay

Judging by the Cover – 10/30/19 new releases

To some degree, I mostly picked SfSx #2 because I really like the series. It’s this wonderful and witty tale of a world where sex has become another muted task in our grey bureaucracy, and how queer folks are fighting back against the oppression. Tula Lotay’s doesn’t tell you much about the story, but it does make for an effective tease. The cover feels sort of like some ’40s poster for women’s shoes mixed with socialist propaganda, a vintage Playboy, and some Judge Dredd comics. And I mean that in the best way possible; this cover screams for attention, and the story does the rest in hooking readers. Do it, SfSx!

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