Judging (DC's June) Books By Their Covers

DC's June Solicitations are up, so now is as good a time as any for us to make prejudgements based just on the covers (as we all love to make prejudgements, don't we? And DC's covers are at least detailed enough that we CAN make prejudgements based on them!).

Let's begin!
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I love Simone Bianchi and all...







But it's getting kinda monotonous, no?
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This is certainly a different approach by Adam Hughes.



I like it.
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Jock is incapable of drawing a bad cover.



I think I will get that tatooed somewhere.
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I like Patrick Gleason, but this cover looks way too busy.



Unless it will look better in color, maybe?
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Mike Huddleston is a great artist.



I'd like to see him on something better than Man-Bat, though.
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My theory is that Lee spent all his time making the Joker look kinda decent that he forgot he needed to draw more.



Yikes, that is one piss-poor background.
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Sam Kieth has been breaking out some interesting covers for this series so far.


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I cannot believe how dorky that crystal-monster looks.



Yikes.
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So dorky, it's even dorkier than this Action Comics cover!!


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Well, this Superman/Batman cover will certainly draw attention...whether it be the right kind or the wrong kind.



Also, Kevin Maguire is drawing the interiors, but you don't let him do the covers?!?
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Hal is lucky, he doesn't have a girlfriend at the moment.



But, just to be on the safe side, Carol Ferris should stay away from any refrigerators.
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This WAS a cool cover...until you see the Spectre's goatee.



LAME!!
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Look!



Even Wonder Woman is embarrased by this cover!!
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52 JG JONES COVERS!!

I hope these foreign heroes will be as popular as all the Planet DC characters!



Wait, what am I saying?!?! That's impossible!!

This is a pretty boring cover, considering the previous Booster Gold cover.



This cover make me want to look for the Union label.


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John Cassaday ruined a lot of artist's good time when he added the detailed chainmail on Captain America's costume.


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It's kinda cool that Oracle is now so well-known that just her symbol is enough.



Congrats, Kim Yale and John Ostrander, on a job well done!
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Strong, if not a bit by rote, cover from Byrne.


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BRIAN HURTT COVERS!!

I love Brian Hurtt so much.

However, this Birds of Prey cover is pretty weak.



Luckily, this Hard Time cover is so awesome that the average score of the two covers is still good.


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ARIEL OLIVETTI COVERS!!

First, a really strong one from Legends of the Dark Knight. How can you NOT want to read this comic after seeing a cover like that?



Next, a less awesome, but still strong cover for DC's new 99 cent comic book, Brave New World...


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This reminds me of the only non-dreadful Michael Turner Flash covers.


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Mojo appearing would make ANY cover better, don't you think??


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Man, Checkmate sure looks like a cool movie, no?


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Strong work by Stelfreeze for Firestorm...



But I think it may be a bit much for a book like Firestorm.
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McDaniel has been, overall, impressing me with his cover layouts for Green Arrow.



This is another good one.
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Gibbons writing.

Gleason drawing.



And no Geoff Johns anywhere to be seen?

Green Lantern Corps should be good.
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What is there to be said for this Justice cover?



Anyone? Any opinions? I can't muster up anything here. Help me out.
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Who is David Michael Beck?



His Jonah Hex cover is good and all, but I can't figure out why I'm supposed to know the name.
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You gotta admit, these covers are clever!



RIGHT out of 1984!

Still can't believe that's Mike Zeck and not Val Semeiks.
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Well, we can at least scratch off "the coloring" from possible reasons why Paul Gulacy's art isn't that great anymore.


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I think a problem with this piece is that we have seen Kingdom Come pieces for sooo many years that I think we have lost a little bit of the majesty of the whole thing.


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What else has Stephane Roux done?



I enjoyed Roux's work on this Manhunter cover a lot.
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I love how later writers sometimes just latch on to an idea an earlier writer did, and harp on it well after that writer left.


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That's one badass Secret Six cover by Karl Kerschl.



How come he isn't drawing Robin like it was said at first?
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At least from the covers, Shadowpact looks like a fun book.


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Now, a Sergio Aragonés SOLO, we KNOW will be fun!



Very nice cover.
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Ha!



Very clever cover concept from Barry Kitson!!
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Can you believe this is Doug Mahnke?



Must have been fun for him to mess with his style to make it look different.
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...Huh?! Wha?!? Oh, man, sorry about that. This Teen Titans cover must have put me to sleep.
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This is a nice surprise! DC rarely does new covers for their trade collections of ongoing titles.



How is Jerome Moore a fan-favorite, by the way? I remember he once drew an issue of Valor, and the promo for it was "art by fan-favorite, Jerome Moore?" and I remember, at the time, being all, "How can I not be familiar with the guy if he's a fan-favorite?" Is it just from drawing some Star Trek comics?
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I DO like Bart Sears' new style.

Well, more than his old style, at least.



Too bad Warlord is not that good.
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Is there a better artist out there than Walt Simonson at drawing old-timey weapons and armor?



I say thee NAY, varlot!
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Ty Templeton has impeccable cover layout sense.


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BEAST BOY SHOULDN'T GNAW AT HER LEG! HE IS A VEGETARIAN!!!



THAT'S IT! I AM GOING TO MAKE DEATH THREATS TO J. TORRES!!!
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Strong cover by Georges Jeanty of American Way...really draws the reader into the comic.


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Meanwhile, this Albion cover...does the exact opposite.


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Is there like, a cover crib sheet out there somewhere or something?



Because it looks like Dustin Nguyen got this Manifest Eternity cover out of a "Standard Cover Designs" book.
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Isn't, like, the LAST issue a bit of an odd time to first let Giuseppe Camuncoli do the cover of the book?


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Cool Tony Harris cover for Ex Machina.


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CRAPPY CLAW COVERS!!

Ain't alliteration awesome?

1.

2.
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FILL IN COVER ARTISTS ON BOOKS FRANK QUITELY HAD TO STOP DOING COVERS FOR BECAUSE HE WAS SO FAR BEHIND ON ALL STAR SUPERMAN

1. Joshua Middleton on American Virgin



Middleton does a nice job capturing the sorta vacant stare that makes this cover stand out.

2. Howard Chaykin on Bite Club



Chaykin's cover looks like he pencilled it in 10 minutes, but I think it is forceful. Good work.

Both better than Igor Kordey's fill-in work.
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How cool would it be if Dave Johnson ever drew comics again?



The answer is "very cool," by the way.
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Some very clever covers from Testament.


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Frusin's work is often drowned in color, so it is nice to see this Loveless cover in just pencils.



Good stuff.
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Massimo Carnevale certainly has brought an air of style to his Y the Last Man covers.


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Great Christopher Moeller cover.



Goodbye, Lucifer, we will miss you!
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Philip Bond sure knows how to grab the audience's attention, doesn't he?



Funny cover.
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I think this is one of the stronger DMZ covers so far, and there's been some real good ones (#1 and #4, in particular).


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TOP FIVE COVERS OF THE MONTH (in another fairly weak month for covers)
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5. Eric Powell has been doing a steady, excellent job on his Swamp Thing covers since he took the assignment, but generally, there are stronger works in the particular month. The last two months? Not so much.


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4. Perhaps I am just in awe over no more Lauren and Bradstreet, but this Lee Bermejo Hellblazer cover, I thought, was very good.


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3. Man, Miller certainly has a flair for the dramatic, doesn't he?



I think it really works on this cover.
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2. I have long-felt (well, for the last few months, at least, as I have noted here) that James Jean's Fables covers have lost a little impact.

Luckily, with a hint of whimsey, DC avoided that with this, the 50th issue.


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1. Another artist I've been tough on has been Joe Kubert, as I have not enjoyed the repetitive nature of his Sergeant Rock: The Prophecy covers.

He went in a different direction this month, and man, is it a great cover.


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Okay, that's it for me, folks!

Feel free to share YOUR prejudices (and YOUR top five)!!

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