The best thing about this cover is that it has nothing to do with the inner storyline. This is all the evidence that exists of Zatanna's entanglement with the bookshelf squid monster. It's got a Mysteries of Harris Burdick quality to it. From just this painting you can imagine the entire story: Zee finds a book she's never seen before, she finds the contents very interesting, the book does something to make tentacles start coming out of her wall...what happens next? You're already deciding on your own and making your own tale...that's the magic of this cover.
The show never looked this cool.
One of the reasons most people have a hard time taking comics seriously is because of the famous "POW! BAM! ZAP!" bubble letters that are still flagrant throughout the medium. But one of the hardest things to do in a comic book is suggest a loud noise without writing it out in big letters. I've seen very few that managed to do it. This is the noisiest cover I've never heard. It's an abstract image (obviously Amethyst never found herself in this situation or she'd be dead) but it's very striking and attention-grabbing, which as I said before is the most important job a comic cover has. It also looks like it was a nightmare to color, but all the work paid off. All that shattering glass is deafening. My ears hurt.
Nemi's had a lot of great covers, but this sci-fi homage is my personal fave.
Here's another great, striking cover image...never mind how doofy Parker turned out, he's with Mary Jane at the needlepoint of a skyscraper surrounded by giant spiders. He could have a clown face and it'd still work. But you know what really grinds my gears about it? This is a story where MJ gains superpowers and fights alongside Spider-Man. Do you know how long I waited for that to happen in the continuity where they were married? Do you know how many frickin' years they wasted having her mope around the house, cry, and get kidnapped? They could have done this at any time! But they had to wait until the comic was ruined!
This isn't one of the picks...it's just here to illustrate my point. It's from the "trick people" era. This never happens in the comic.
I've had these curious "Papyrus" covers on my hard drive for a few years now. They drive me crazy, and it's about time I shared the insanity. These are all fascinating covers, and they're from a European comic that's barely been translated (only four are in English, and only sold in England). I want to read this badly...and I want to share my misery with the rest of you.
In Europe this has over 30 volumes and a two-season animated series. What I just did was mean to you all, but it had to be dod. Is it good? Is it bad? Just like Ariel caught in the fishing net, it'll keep you up at night, because you'll never know! THIS is the power of a good cover! YOU'LL. NEVER. KNOW.
I just had to put it here. |
