Covers of the Week 01/02/13

It is time for the best covers from the week that was. A quick reminder: only comics that I personally have purchased qualify for this piece. If a title contains more than one cover, only the one I own is taken into consideration. Starting this week, Covers of the Week is now expanding to five selections, though I’ll still only be commenting on the Top 3. Now without further ado:

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Fifth PlaceBatman: The Dark Knight #15
Cover Artist: David Finch
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Fourth PlaceBatman Beyond Unlimited #11
Cover Artist: Dustin Nguyen
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Third PlaceSuperman #15
Kenneth Rocafort delivered one brilliant cover this week in his depiction of Luthor and Superman. Lex Luthor is drawn with a completely different attitude than is normally associated with him. Usually he is seen as a slick, smug businessman with an evil grin always curled on his lips. Here he is more deranged, verging on being creepy, and stands defiant despite his hopeless situation. He comes across like the DC equivalent of Hannibal Lector which I’m sure was the intention. I also love how we can see Superman’s figure reflected in the glass as he delivers a browbeating to his arch-nemesis to no effect. A reader takes a look at this image and wonders why a man known for his smarts is being held in such excessive physical restraints? Why are there scars on the side of Luthor’s face? What would drive Superman to confront his incarcerated foe? It compels you to open the book up for answers and like I always say…that is what truly makes a great cover.
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Second PlaceAll-New X-Men #5
Stuart Immonen is the runner-up this week with this beautiful cover featuring Jean Grey’s eventful history. Immonen produces a terrific montage of scenes, the comic book equivalent of a visual “This Is Your Life” segment. We have Jean Grey in her green and yellow Marvel Girl outfit, we have her confronting an Aztec-looking villain from her early days whose name escapes me, we have her dressed in her Black Queen Hellfire Club phase, we are shown the happy day of her wedding to Scott Summers, and we have the iconic shot of her nobly sacrificing her life in order to stop the Phoenix Force as Scott watches on. At the same time, the image of the Phoenix looms over the entire cover, a dreadful and defining period in her life. To complete the cover an extreme close-up of Marvel Girl’s face in her original outfit rests near the bottom as if to say that the time-displaced  X-Woman is being shown all these images somehow. Overall, the images are iconic, they blend into each other seamlessly, and they produce one dynamic cover.
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First PlaceNew Avengers #1
And here is the Cover of the Week by Jock for this series’ grand re-debut. Where to start on this phenomenal cover? How about the logo which sits in the background, weathered and worn, yet making its’ presence known especially with the issue number etched into it? How about the smart choice of having the various characters in black silhouette form, only adding enough lighter accents to aid the reader in instantly recognizing each one’s identity? How about their poses creating a foreboding and yet epic scene at the same time? How about the wise choice of limiting the colours used to create cohesion amongst this team from the different corners of the Marvel Universe? It’s an image that has gravitas to it and sets the tone for the journey you are about to go on with this series. With that said, Jock, I award you the first place crown this week. Congratulations!
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So those are my favourites and it’s a victory for DC with a three-to-two showing against Marvel, though Marvel did manage to capture the Top 2 spots. What’s your personal favourite covers from the week that was? Comment below!