Batman: Gates of Gotham #1 by Trevor McCarthy
Apparently no one told me that Cliff Chiang and Dustin Nguyen had a baby, and he grew-up to become Trevor McCarthy. The thing I enjoy the most about this cover is the different line textures, and how they scatter across the page every which-way. Add the infused colors, and it all comes together perfectly. I also think I’m a sucker for beautifully rendered stained glass designs, because I recall highlighting another cover last week that featured stained glass as well. Great stuff.
Rocketeer Adventures #1 by Alex Ross
The first comic book movie I saw growing-up was Disney’s The Rocketeer. True Story. Because of it, I was inspired to follow Dave Stevens’ series when I got older. Back to the cover, this is my favorite cover of the week. Alex Ross is one of the best known cover artists out there, and he did a truly spectacular job going above and beyond with this cover in particular. The shininess of the leather, the reflection in the eye-socket, and the cherry on top being the endless waves of clouds below. Almost brings a tear to the eye, because this cover encapsulates everything that is The Rocketeer. A beyond stunning tribute for sure.
Hulk #33 by Gabriel Hardman
The combination of Hardman’s gritty style with bright vibrant coloring makes the entire image just pop, treating the viewer to another great Hulk cover. Rulk may be down, but he’s definitely not out no matter how many villains seem to be teaming-up to finish him off. The rasping state of the Hulk-busting armor, the Steranko-like design of the siren’s costume; it makes my eyes want to dart all over the image eating every little detail up. Hardman helps convey that while it doesn’t appear to be going in Rulk’s favor, the tables can turn in his favor at any moment.
2000AD #1734 by Garry Brown
I see Jim Steranko influence in this image, as well as Sean Phillips. It doesn’t feel like a swipe at all, but a wonderfully executed image by Garry Brown perhaps tipping his hat to both artists. It’s a very beautiful design, using only whites, blues and violets. The images that speak volumes to me are the ones that use little to no black at all (think Asterios Polyp). The circles almost give her a halo-type visual, perhaps communicating she’s the last hope for Mega-City One? All I know is; I’m intrigued. I’d gladly hang this as a poster in my room if it was big enough.
Batman and Robin #23 by Guillem March
A very nice homage to Frank Quitely’s original cover for Batman and Robin #1 from the series relaunch in 2009. Can you spot the difference? If you guessed dead Batman and Robin by Jason Todd’s hand, you’re right! Now while we don’t actually see Todd as The Red Hood in this issue, I’m still a big fan of his costume design. The elongated shiny helmet, the giant red smoking guns, our fallen heroes slowly dying before him, it all has such a dominating feeling upon first glance. A cover and design so fine, Quitely should feel honored by March, because it’s a very cool cover.