Cover Fire 5/3/2023

The Most Fire Cover From This Wednesday’s Releases
5/3/2023
In the same vein as my weekly Cover Tunes articles. Pi cks in Cover Fire will be “A” covers or regularly-priced alternate covers and will all be available during the current week for cover price. Don’t forget to check out The Wednesday One  and  Rumor Has It   to round out your Wednesday Warrioring!
NO INCENTIVE VARIANTS OR STORE EXCLUSIVE VARIANTS ARE COVERED IN THIS ARTICLE. THIS FEATURE IS ABOUT COVER AESTHETICS, ONLY, AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SPEC. Don’t forget to check out The Wednesday One,   NCBD (Rumor Has It)  and  Indie Spotlight   to round out your Wednesday Warrioring!
HOWEVER… For this week’s INCENTIVES and EXCLUSIVES needs, check out the weekly “COVER LOVERS” podcast with TEAM NERD HERD and me, RIGHT NOW!

Weekly Rundown…
Welcome back to Cover Fire, ladies and gents! Lots of good covers this week and as such, I had to knock some decent ones off the list to make room. I hope you dig my choices. Here are a few quick notes before we roll:

It was nearly impossible to pick the winner, this week. As you’ll see, I struggled between the “it” cover and covers that were better from an art perspective.
It’s a very light week for the indies.
DC is yet again the big winner of the week.
Lots of trades, premium versions and signed stuff getting released this week.
The Lando one-shot from Ryan Brown looks like the head was pasted on. Weird.

That’s all I’ve got… let’s head into the list…
And this week’s winner is…

Batman & The Joker #7e
PUBLISHED: DC – 5/2/23
ARTIST: Jock
For the record, I do NOT think this is the best cover of the week, but I do think it will be the most popular. Thus, I hesitated to make it the winner. I actually think all of the runners up and stiff competition covers are better, artistically. However, this cover just has the “it” factor.
For some (me included), the Jock “Thing” is a little played out; there is after all only so many times an artist can go successfully to the same well. However, this particular one hits in that creepy way that I wish many of his past attempts had done. It ain’t no ‘Tec 880, but it’s still pretty darn cool and I assume it will be enormously popular this week.
*****
RUNNERS UP
*****

Poison Ivy #12b
PUBLISHED: DC – 5/2/23
ARTIST: Jenny Frison
Another gorgeous Frison with some really weird (and cool) details. The fungus and seemingly “living” costume send it over the top for me. Many of her covers for this series have looked the same, but this one is a standout and a really cool rendition of the character.
 

Peacemaker Tries Hard #1c
PUBLISHED: DC – 5/2/23
ARTIST: Kris Anka
I absolutely love this cover and I prefer it over the version that doesn’t have all of the cool poster-esque additions. This does EXACTLY what it’s supposed to do and on the right book for the right character. Great colors, too.
 

Barbarella: Center Cannot Hold #3b
PUBLISHED: Dynamite – 5/3/23
ARTIST: Celina
I am running out of amazing things to say about Celina’s style. Here we have yet another gorgeous and masterful rendition of Barbarella. Finally too, we get a little environment rather than just a blank backdrop. Celina’s faces are what really make these incredible. They just draw you in. That and her attention to detail (especially in the hair). Astounding stuff… always. If you’re like me and love this as much as I do, there is a virgin incentive of it.
*****
STIFF COMPETITION
*****

Batman #135d
PUBLISHED: DC – 5/2/23
ARTIST: Gabriele Dell’Otto
Beautiful colors and a lovely layout. While this has the look of really early Dell’Otto, it is missing a little of the panache of his prime period. Still, for a cover-priced book, it’s tough to go wrong with a cover this masterful.
 

Batman #135e
PUBLISHED: DC – 5/2/23
ARTIST: Stanley “Artgerm” Lau
A good and graceful ‘Germ, and while it may not be his best, it is nice to see a cover that is a little more than just a bust-up shot of a female character. There is also great emotion on her face and in her eyes. It’s the subtle things that make Artgerm a genius.
 

Immortal X-Men #11a
PUBLISHED: Marvel – 5/3/23
ARTIST: Mark Brooks
A beautiful Storm cover (nice to see her getting more love, lately). Brooks give her his ubiquitous “shiny” treatment which is why it isn’t the winner, but it still solid, nonetheless. Great hair and backdrop details which provide excellent depth.
*****
WORTH A 2nd LOOK
*****



Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #3b – Zu Orzu – DC – 5/2/23

I love Orzu’s style and while this might not be the best example, it is still a solid example of a cool impressionistic painting style. I also love that there’s some background happening in this one.

Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #7b – Simon Bisley – DC – 5/2/23

Biz’s style is certainly a love/hate thing. Folks who recall his covers in the 90’s will likely love the colors and manic feel of this cover. Folks who have never seen his work may hate this one. I’m in the former camp and happen to love this. NOTE: Bisley has the ‘C’ cover as well, but it isn’t nearly as good as this one.

Poison Ivy #12c – Xermanico – DC – 5/2/23

Beautiful detail and colors on this one. It doesn’t quite hit like the Frison does, but it’s still pretty awesome.

Carnage Reigns: Alpha #1c – Kendrick Kunkka Lim – Marvel – 5/3/23

I cannot tell if I love this cover or hate it. For now, it’s down in this section since I can’t decide. Either way, it is a striking cover.

Cult of Carnage: Misery #1a – Skan – Marvel – 5/3/23

These symbiote one-offs have been done to death and I’m sure many of you are like me and think they all start to look the same. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the artistic prowess on this one. Great detail and some creepy choices.

Cult of Carnage: Misery #1c – InHyuk Lee – Marvel – 5/3/23

Repeat of almost everything I said above. The difference here is that there are some very different choices made for the design of this character. It almost seems like Marvel wasn’t sure what she should look like and let artists have their way with the design.

Immortal X-Men #11d – Stephanie Hans – Marvel – 5/3/23

A cool rendition of the character in a very stylized way. Great colors as per usual from Hans, too. This has an incentive feel to it. I wish it wasn’t riddled with little logos everywhere.

Scarlet Witch #5d – Dustin Nguyen – Marvel – 5/3/23

Gorgeous colors and amazing flow to this one. It feels a touch unfinished, though. I do like the watercolor aesthetic of it, however.

Lamentation #1c – Kyle Hotz – Oni – 5/3/23

Wow! Holy detailed linework, Batman! The girl’s face is a little smooshed, but still worth taking a closer look at a cover with this much amazing work put into it. This will also likely be very difficult to locate.

*****
Again, a really good week with some wonderful covers. As I mentioned earlier, because there were a lot of good-not-great covers this week, I was really picky about what made the main list. I hope you like the choices. Yet again, I had to drop a few decent ones off, so drop a comment and tell me what I missed that you dig. Until next time, stay cool, be good to each other, thanks for reading and happy hunting.


*****
NOTE: All products, pictures, names, descriptions and logos are property of their respective copyright and trademark holders. No items are listed for sale. All information is for educational purposes, only.
*****
 
 

 
 
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