Third Place
Rocket Raccoon #4
Skottie Young certainly delivered one awesome cover this week to take the third place spot. Here we have a fun yet intense cover that also has a terrific homage to it as well. It is the confrontation we’ve been waiting for as Rocket faces off against Faux-Rocket, the creature who has besmirched our hero’s good name and framed him for murder. Faux-Rocket, being a mysterious fellow, is enveloped in a cloak, unleashing a hailstorm of bullets from his enormous gun all the while shouting at the top of his lungs. Opposite of him is Rocket, leaping through the air, ready to deliver a lethal blow to his opponent using an immense wrench. The backdrop features an orangey hue, a giant lightning bolt crashing though the centre of the cover. It is with this lightning bolt and our leaping hero that we get the aforementioned homage, an homage to Frank Miller’s classic cover to the first issue of the Dark Knight Returns. Homage aside though, the kinetic action that is unfolding before our eyes enthralls us and makes us want to buy the issue to relish in this epic battle for ourselves. Who will win? What is the origin behind this Faux-Rocket? It compels us to open the book up for answers and like I always say…that is what truly makes a great cover.
________________________________________________________
The Speech Bubble 
My gold medal goes to Earth 2: World’s End # 1. I love the fact that we’re seeing some bats flying away from Batman’s mantle… and then you give those bats a closer look, and you realize that actually they’re men wearing a winged armour. I also love the threatening pose Batman assumes in this image.
Silver medal for Rocket Raccoon # 4: a giant gun, bullets flying all over, a wonderful background… all these awesome details led this cover very, very close to the 1st prize.
Bronze medal for Batgirl # 35, because it shows a marvellous slice – of – life scene, with Babs taking a picture in the bathroom a disco, while some other girls are tidying therselves up in front of the mirror. The artistic choice of showing us this scene as if we were right beyond that mirror is a stroke of genius that deserves a medal alone.
“My gold medal goes to Earth 2: World’s End # 1.”
The amount of detail and work that went into crafting that image was excellent. I love the orientation of the characters and the way the fires emerging from the planet blends into the image of Batman. A terrific choice that came oh so close to making my Top 3.
“Bronze medal for Batgirl # 35, because it shows a marvellous slice – of – life scene, with Babs taking a picture in the bathroom a disco, while some other girls are tidying therselves up in front of the mirror. The artistic choice of showing us this scene as if we were right beyond that mirror is a stroke of genius that deserves a medal alone.”
I went back and forth between Hawkeye vs. Deadpool and this cover. It was such a close decision. Looking ahead, I can see that Batgirl is going to be a permanent contender on this feature each and every time it comes out.
Thanks for sharing your Rankings!
Thank you as well for your replies! : )
That Hawkeye/Deadpool cover really highlights Deadpool’s overzealous nature when he gets serious about fighting. Dead serious Deadpool is terrifying even to otherwise fearless people like Sabertooth. Even jokester Deadpool still often carries more weapons than he really needs.
Personally, I’d choose either Batgirl’s cover or Death Vigil’s for first, with Hawkeye/Deadpool close behind them, but with this strong selection of covers it’s sometimes hard to pick between the best.
Also, it looks like you were right about Wolverines being $4 each. I get that inflation exists, but a $4 weekly series seems a bit excessive. I’m still giving it at least a few issues, but I’ll likely have to drop a few other books if I stick with it.
And it’s a shame that both X-Factor and She Hulk are being cancelled in the same month.
“Also, it looks like you were right about Wolverines being $4 each. I get that inflation exists, but a $4 weekly series seems a bit excessive. I’m still giving it at least a few issues, but I’ll likely have to drop a few other books if I stick with it.”
I’ve never been so sad to be right. Marvel asking $16 a month for this new series is beyond my grasp and I for one will not be picking it up out of principle. They see this work and next you know it will become a pandemic. I’ll look forward to your reviews though and will experience the series through them. 🙂
“And it’s a shame that both X-Factor and She Hulk are being cancelled in the same month.”
As if X-Factor going wasn’t bad enough but when I saw She-Hulk as well? Why Marvel why? The series got better numbers than other series in their line so I really question where they are going here. Possibly a relaunch with a new #1? I hope….
Well, there are lots of comments online from She Hulk fans who just can’t get past the art, so maybe they plan a relaunch with more conventional art after a few months break (personally I enjoyed the art though). One can hope anyway.
Don’t know if you saw this or not but Soule opens up about the series ending: http://charlessoule.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/case-closed-on-the-end-of-she-hulk/
I didn’t see that, but I did see the Comicbookresources interview with Axel that mentioned it was originally just going to be a 12-issue arc, and Axel did say “end of volume 1”. One can hope that means we’ll have another series after a short break. If not, I still can re-read Soule’s run, along with Dan Slott’s, and the Sensational She-Hulk run that I now have issues 1-50 for (trying to complete it.)
I’ve yet to have the pleasure of reading Slott’s run. Something for me to look forward to. 🙂
“Personally, I’d choose either Batgirl’s cover or Death Vigil’s for first, with Hawkeye/Deadpool close behind them, but with this strong selection of covers it’s sometimes hard to pick between the best.”
The thing that made Hawkeye vs. Deadpool take the prize over Batgirl was the way it parodied that Hawkeye cover. If I had never seen that issue of Hawkeye before then the result would have been completely different.