This past weekend I picked up a back issue for a strange little 70’s monster comic called Creatures on the Loose #13 from Marvel. WHY? Because it featured a shaggy white monstrosity in a gold skirt walking out of a rainbow colored television while scaring the beejeezus out of some square. This monster then loudly proclaims “I-HAVE-COME-TO-TAKE-YOU-TO-KROGARR!!”
Now THAT is a cover you just can’t argue with!
JUDGING BY COVER
So how was this inspiring trip to Krogarr? It was alright, if you like wacky monsters. Personally I can’t get enough of em’, that’s why one of the books to watch this week is DC’s Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE #5. Franky-baby is going to smack around O.M.A.C.: the One Machine Attack Construct who looks more like a One Monster Augly Contest. That was “Ugly” with a silent “A.” They’ll make slappy in the facey until one of them explodes or cries or goes home with a sniffle! YAY!
I took the chance on Creatures on the Loose because of the cover. While you can’t judge a book by its cover for legal reasons, you certainly get first impressions. This can be both good and bad.
For example, I’ve never read Image’s Invincible because it looked like every other comic book on the shelves. IT IS NOT, fellow humans! If you like superheroes at all, go pick up the first trade paperback of Invincible RIGHT NOW. You will wonder where it has been all your life, but I can tell you; It has been hiding behind boring covers that are easy to overlook.
By contrast, the most EYE GRABBING cover of this week goes to Spawn #215 which features Spawn barfing lime green vomit full of cockroaches. As if that’s not enough, the description of the book promises SOMEBODY DIES!
It would take a lot to get me to buy an issue of Spawn, but I can’t say I’m not intrigued…And THAT’S what a good cover can do!
GOOD STUFF
My favorite cover artist (besides Arthur Adams) is probably Dave Johnson who supplies the cover for the new Dark Horse book Lobster Johnson: The Burning Hand #1. The Lobster is a spin off of Hellboy and features the noir hero fighting supernatural creeps in the 1930-40’s who get in the way with his war on normal crime. DH also has out Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 #5 and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: WAR #1 of 5…two books with a built in fan base, so they can skimp on cool covers.
IDW Cobra Annual 2012 The Origin of Cobra Commander #1 rocks a cool cover following the logic that anything with a COBRA symbol is cool looking. Bananas, El Caminos, Bowling Balls….anything.
Amazing Spider-Man #677 and the new issue of Bendis’ and Bagley’s Brilliant #2 could take a lesson from the Cobra Annual 2012.
NEXT WEEK: We examine the love interests of Batman’s umbrella-touting punching bag; the penguin; in a story WE HAD to call GLOP: The Glorious Ladies Of the Penguin.
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More musings from Unkiedev, Earth’s own sidekick, can be read at unkiedev.blogspot.com
