Cover Fire 5/24/2023

The Most Fire Cover From This Wednesday’s Releases
5/24/2023
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…
Luckily, we can take a bit of a breather this week. Most of the covers are mediocre and/or downright poor. Luckily, there are a few bangers that stand out. Thus, a shorter list than normal, but still a good one. I don’t really have any notes, so let’s just dive right in…
And this week’s winner is…

Vampirella Vs. Superpowers #1a
PUBLISHED: Dynamite – 5/24/23
ARTIST: Sozomaika
It has been a minute since I’ve featured Sozo on this list, but she comes back with a bang! Sozo’s style is perfect for characters like Vampi and while this one might not have the … ahem… proportions of her Vampi Valentine’s Special cover, it still… ahem again… pops. Granted, this one looks a lot better without the trade dress (and since this is Dynamite, of course there’s a virgin incentive version of this), but it is still super-sexy and a great launch for this title. This is the clear winner for a slower week.
*****
RUNNERS UP
*****

Neighbors #3b
PUBLISHED: BOOM! – 5/24/23
ARTIST: Inhyuk Lee
I love this departure for Lee and what a wonderful departure it is! Wicked Witch eat your heart out. This has all of the elements I want in a cover like this. It is gritty and dark and creepy with awesome attitude and excellent attention to character details. This was my surprise “wow!” of the week.
 

Warlock: Rebirth #2c
PUBLISHED: Marvel – 5/24/23
ARTIST: Phil Noto
Noto continues to be one of those artists who get very little love, but he reminds us why his covers are great. This one is really dynamic, has great movement and wonderful color. This is Marvel’s best cover for the week.
 

Harley Quinn #30b
PUBLISHED: DC – 5/23/23
ARTIST: Jenny Frison
Not as earth-shattering as her past few Harleys, but still incredible work. She has really figured out how to capture Harley’s crazed and simultaneously fun personality in a way that few (if any) other artists have. Jenny’s coloring style is also perfect for Harley books.
*****
STIFF COMPETITION
*****

Frank Frazetta’s Dawn Attack #4a
PUBLISHED: [PUBLISHER – DATE]
ARTIST: Patrick Reilly
I love the Frazetta aesthetic of this cover and the action and movement are great, as well. Really striking colors and a great layout also help. I feel badly not choosing the actual Frazetta cover for this issue, but this cover is frankly much better (I know, I’m waiting for lightning to strike me for saying that out loud).
 

Storm #1c
PUBLISHED: Marvel – 5/24/23
ARTIST: Stanley “Artgerm” Lau
A mediocre Artgerm is still a good cover any day of the week. One of his weaker entries of late as there is great detail in some spots and other areas looked phoned in. Either wayit will be a good seller.
 

Action Comics #1055a
PUBLISHED: DC – 5/23/23
ARTIST: Sebastian Fiumara
Fiumara’s work continues to blow me away and this cover is no different. Fantastic detail, perspective and rendering on this Action book. Whether it is or isn’t actually painted, it certainly looks as though it is. I wish DC would stop cluttering up covers with useless additions to trade dress, banners, etc. They take away from the art in an almost unrecoverable way. And, of course, the version that has all of that removed is a foil which destroys the art in an entirely different manner. Sigh!
*****
WORTH A 2nd LOOK
*****



All Eight Eyes #2a – Piotr Kowalski – Dark Horse – 5/24/23

Wow! The linework alone on this cover is astounding. Not sure I’m a huge fan of the color choices, but the pencils make up for that.

Sandman Universe: Dead Boy Detectives #6b – Alex Eckman-Lawn – DC – 5/23/23

Some really cool (and macabre) stylistic choices, here. Eckman-Lawn’s style is extremely striking and is a nice mixture of Sienkiewicz and Maleev with a little Stephanie Hans thrown in for color.

Unstoppable Doom Patrol #3c – Dennis Culver – DC – 5/23/23

This one ACTUALLY works as a foil since the character is metal. A bold and simple cover that just works.

Hallows Eve #3c – Skottie Young – Marvel – 5/24/23

Fun

Hellcat #3c – Betsy Cola – Marvel – 5/24/23

Noto style + JTC negative space = this cover. Cool, but not unique. I do like yellow covers, though.

Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White and Red #2a – Adam Kubert – Marvel – 5/24/23

Cannot tell if I absolutely love the manic style or hate it. Hmmm. What say you?

Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White and Red #2b – Salvador Larroca – Marvel – 5/24/23

So photo-realistic that I wonder if it is a retouched photo. If it isn’t, this is astounding. Even if it is, it is still excellent even if it isn’t terribly original.

X-O Manowar Unconquered #3a – Liam Sharp – Valiant – 5/24/23

H.R. Giger meets Valiant on this awesome Liam Sharp cover. It gets a little busy in spots, but the art is amazing!

*****
This week won’t break any bank accounts, but there are definitely some great covers to hunt. I’m sure I missed something, so drop a comment and tell me what I missed and what you plan to snag. 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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