The Fearless Defenders #5 by Mark Brooks
Ah, this cover brings back some awesome memories from my childhood. Arriving over at Paolo’s house on the weekends, putting in Street Fighter, and playing for the rest of the day. Since I wasn’t very good, I would always play as Blanco and try my best to electrocute my opponent to death. Sure it was a cheap move, but Paolo didn’t mind because he was able to kick my ass with every character. Oh, I also played Vega a lot. I could never tell if he was a guy or a girl. Speaking of women, it’s nice to see the women of the Marvel Universe featured on this cover. Now to play ‘Marry, Fuck, Kill’ as they fight to the death.
Fairest #16 by Adam Hughes
Not only do I love the use of warm and cool colors in this cover, but I absolutely love that explosion of sand from the horse’s hoof. It feels like this duo escaped in the middle of the night, and are still on the run in the desert while the sun is just rising over the sand dune over yonder. This cover could be a movie poster for a romantic drama with the right title; Desert Desperation, or maybe Sin & Sand. Whatever you’d want to call it, it’s a gorgeous cover, and definitely something I’d love to frame and hang on my wall.
Polarity #3 by Frazer Irving
A nice modern twist on the classic M.C. Escher piece Drawing Hands, Irving presents us with a magnificently creepy yin and yang with this cover. Who is drawing who? This is like an eerie version of Harold and the Purple Crayon for a more mature audience. I do like the sketchbook types of drawings surrounding the main character, and the use of pink in the overall design. I guess you could say that the tiny triangles tickle me…pink.
Red She-Hulk #66 by Francesco Francavilla
Someone needs to inform She-Hulk that is not how you perform the Heimlich maneuver. Isn’t Man-Thing going to do something about it?! As a matter of fact, what is Man-Thing doing here? Is it the support group for superheroes who have a hyphen in their name? Surprised Spider-Man isn’t there, but then again knowing Peter; he probably forgot to bring the cookies this week and instead just called in sick to avoid the embarrassment. Oh, and another dazzling cover by Francavilla.
Swamp Thing #21 by Jock
Wait, what’s Man-Thing doing in this cover too? Oh wait, my bad. I always get confused with who came first. I do like Jock’s stylized take on the jolly green giant, with the layered multicolored ivy being a nice touch. Sharp contrast with the kneeling girl makes for some aesthetically pleasing imagery, and all together a great cover to look at. The stoic look on Swampy shows that he knows pain, yet endures. He’s to be respected, yet feared. Kids, eat your goddamn veggies or else Swampy will find you.
Winter Soldier #19 by Declan Shalvey & Jordie Bellaire
This is my favorite cover of the week, hands down. Since this is the final issue for the series, it only makes sense to go out with a major bang. The blinding white light from the explosion mixed with the rain of shrapnel makes this cover gripping and action-packed, drawing every wandering eye in the store to behold all its glory. Hell, even the title got rocked! This cover is sizzling with awesomeness, and I’ve come to expect nothing less from the dynamic duo of Shalvey & Bellaire. I can’t wait to follow them to their next series.
