Welcome to the Best and Worst Comic Book Covers of the week of November 30, 2022! We take a look at the nominees for the best and worst comic book covers from three categories: DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Indie comics publishers. We then crown the best cover and worst cover of the week for each of the three categories.
A comic book cover is vitally important and often overlooked in a title’s success. An effective comic book cover can lead to new readers giving a title a try and boosting sales numbers. There are two main ways a comic book cover can generate interest in the title among new readers. The first is for the comic book cover to deliver poster-quality artwork. These are covers that may not really have anything at all to do with the story inside the issue. However, the cover’s art is so phenomenal that it is worthy of being made into a poster and hung on a wall as art. The second approach is for the cover to effectively convey to the reader what type of story they can expect to get inside the issue.
No matter which approach is taken, the primary objective of a good comic book cover is to grab the consumer’s attention. The comic book cover should dominate the shelf space and help the issue stand out among all of the other comic books lining the shelf space at a local comic book shop. That cover should be able to drown out all of the competition on the shelf and command the reader to purchase the issue.
Let’s check out the nominees for Best and Worst comic book covers for the week of November 30, 2022!
DC Comics
Worst
Nominees
Blue Beetle Graduation Day #1 delivers one of my least favorite styles of covers. It is one where we get an overload of multiple different small panels crammed full of a bunch of random characters that a new reader is never going to recognize. It is an uncreative and boring approach. This cover is topped off with a generic pose of the titular hero in the middle of the cover. It also does not help that the art itself is rather average looking.
This cover sports some more average artwork. But, it is the little details that drive me nuts with this cover. We are led to believe that Nightwing is unconscious. After all, the villain appears to be holding Nightwing up by grabbing Dick’s hair. However, this unconscious Nightwing still has his staff gripped in his hand. In general, the overall design of the cover and the positioning of all of the figures just look odd to me.
This is another generic style of cover that is employed by cover artists who are fresh out of any interesting or creative ideas. This gives the reader the standard issue cover approach of putting the titular hero in the center of the page and charging forward. Then the rest of the heroes are charging out from both sides of the titular hero in the center. It is so boring and uncreative.
It is also sad to see that the DC editorial staff is still trying to make Nubia a thing. It has been a struggle for Nubia’s titles to even crack into the Top 200. Nobody cares. And yet, here we are with DC Comics placing their flagship franchise in second place to a character that nobody cares about. I am sure not even the Justice League will help this title sell at all.
Winner
Blue Beetle Graduation Day #1 takes the crown for the worst DC Comics cover of the week. This cover is not awful, it is simply dull and offers mediocre artwork. DC Comics had a bunch of good covers this week so this cover just did not stand a chance.
Best
Nominees
This might be the only time you see me saying anything positive about a comic book written by Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad! Batgirls may be a bad read, but this is a great cover. The artwork looks fantastic. I love the design and how the four characters are framed with the lightning bolt running down the middle of the cover. The badass-looking Batman at the bottom of the cover above the clocktower is the cherry on top. This cover is good enough to get me to open the book and check it out. Which is the goal of any good cover.
Look. Batman is just cool. He looks incredible and is always going to make for an excellent cover. You can’t beat his dark and brooding motif. Detective Comics 2022 Annual delivers an interesting Elseworlds-looking Batman. I love the cold colors and the dark winter vibe of the cover. This cover would absolutely get me to pull it off the shelf and check it out.
Christmas is easily my favorite time of the year. I love anything related to Christmas. So a good Christmas-themed cover? Yes, please! Grifter Got Run Over By A Reindeer #1 is a silly and fun-looking cover. The art has a wonderful cartooney vibe. The general silliness of this cover is a good match for Harley Quinn’s character. Grifter is also a character that can play well with comedy. This is a cover that immediately puts a smile on your face.
This is a solid cover. It gets the job done. It offers a quality level of artwork. But, it just lacks that something special. It feels a bit soulless. I do like that the cover effectively tells the reader what they can expect if they buy this issue. Having the JSA members in the sky with their weapons or helmets on the ground among a destroyed JSA roundtable tells the reader that our beloved JSA members are dead or in deep trouble. Having Huntress standing tall in the center of the cover tells the reader that Huntress is going to be the main character and implies that she will be tasked with rescuing the JSA members.
Ah, there he is. Superman. THE Superman. The one and only Superman. The hero that everyone loves. Look at Superman flying over the Earth with that classic kind and confident smile on his face. This is what readers want. It is about damn time, DC Comics. This cover immediately gives the reader warm fuzzies. This cover also clearly conveys to the reader that this issue is going to deliver the triumphant return of Superman.
This is a great cover. The artwork has incredible detail. I love the sharp contrast between the overall dark colors of the cover with the splashes of red from Grifter and Zealot’s costumes. The monster in the background with its shadow casting upon the wall hints at the impending doom our heroes will encounter in this story. This is a cover that effectively sells the issue and gets the reader wanting to read the issue.
Winner
This was such a tough choice! There were so many excellent covers from DC Comics this week! But, in the end, Superman – Kal-El Returns Special #1 immediately put a massive smile on my face and warmed my heart. That is the power of a good cover.
Marvel Comics
Worst
Nominees
Marvel Comics’ Unlimited Infinity comics have the worst covers. Always. That is because they are digital-only covers and Marvel Comics feels that a quality cover is not needed in order to get the reader to read one of these digital comics. I hope when the day comes when monthly print floppies stop being made in favor of monthly digital comics that we do not lose the artistry of the comic book cover. The quality of the art is meh and the overall design is dull.
This is such a painfully generic cover. The art is average. It does not impress nor offend. The layout of this cover is uncreative. The cover has no story at all. It does not tell me at all what I can expect from this issue. Nor does this cover give me a reason to pick up this book and check out what is inside.
Talk about boring covers. This one does nothing for me at all. If you are a new reader I have no idea why this cover would entice you to pick up this issue. A new reader is not going to recognize any of these characters. So, if you have a bunch of unknown characters then the cover had better show them doing something dramatic, exciting, or interesting. Strange Academy – Finals #2 has these characters all assembled to…clean. Yippie. I am walking right past this issue when perusing the crowded new comics shelf at my comic book shop.
It is a Marvel Infinity Comic. Low-quality art and a boring look. Move on.
Again, a Marvel Comics Unlimited Infinity comic. There is nothing to see here. Move along.
I am not a fan of this style of this artwork at all. The cover does effectively convey that the heroes will be battling random civilians as vampires. I have no idea who the blonde lady is shooting at. X-23 is swinging her claws and not making any contact with the vampire, but the vampire is reacting as if he got hit. I am not sure what the heroes are standing on. Is it a bus? A train car? The entire layout of the cover is a total mess and the art just looks dull.
Winner
Look, I am not going to give the crown to an Unlimited Infinity comic because it is obvious that Marvel Comics is not even trying with the covers. So, the crown for the worst comic book cover of the week goes to Captain America – Symbol of Truth #7. This cover is just aggressively generic.
Best
Nominees
Yes, this cover absolutely lacks creativity. This is one of the most over-used styles of covers by having the entire team assembled and charging off in one direction. But, look at that quality of artwork! It is gorgeous! So, yes, the layout of this cover may be uncreative. But, good lord! The artwork is beautiful! There is so much gorgeous detail to soak up.
Okay, this is obviously a cover of a kids comic book. But, look at how cute it is!! Spider-Man and Miles Morales look adorable in chibi form! And those little creatures that our heroes are chasing? Cute, too! If this cover does not make you smile then you might have been born without a heart!
Do you know what I love? The retro approach of putting a small circle on the cover with the face of a character that will also be featured in the comic book. Fantastic. Planet Hulk – Worldbreaker #1 is not the most creative layout, but the quality of the art is impressive. Hulk looks so badass. I love all the detail that is backed into this cover. This cover certainly makes me interested in what is inside this comic book.
Wow. Just…wow. This cover is phenomenal. I love absolutely everything about it. The profile of Darth Vader looks cool. The cold-colored background and Darth Vader’s black helmet and armor give an eerie tone to the cover. You feel like Darth Vader is surrounded by a mist at night. This is nicely contrasted with the vibrant red in the scene that takes place inside Darth Vader’s helmet. This is an excellent color scheme. The layout of the cover is fantastic. The scene playing out on the side of Darth Vader’s helmet is so unique and looks incredible. I love absolutely everything about this cover. This is poster-worthy.
This is a great cover. I am an absolute sucker for the effective use of negative space on a comic book cover. Strange #8 uses negative space to form the outline of a human body. I love the flowing shape of Clea’s cape as it billows across the entire cover. The cape looks organic and alive. This is some excellent artwork.
Winner
The crown for best Marvel Comics cover of the week goes to Star Wars – Darth Vader #29. I cannot say enough about this cover. The mood, tone, colors, layout, and quality of the artwork are amazing.
Indie Comics
Worst
Nominees
I am not a fan of this artwork at all. It is a crude style that does not appeal to me. It is also rather dull looking. This cover does not tell me what I might get in this issue and it does nothing at all to get me interested in picking up this issue and checking it out.
The art on this cover is too sketchy and messy for me. I am not sure what hell is going on in this jumbled cover. The colors are way to drab. This is a cover that I am going to walk right past when looking at the new comics shelf.
This is the type of cover that is never going to appeal to me. It has an androgynous character. The character is dressed like someone I would see at the grocery store. There is nothing at all going on in this cover that is remotely interesting. The colors are incredibly dull and boring. This cover is just one big yawn. There is nothing creative, exciting, or eye-catching at all about this cover. It also does not tell me what I can expect in this issue or why I should bother getting it.
Look, I do not like modern art at all. So, this cover just looks like what one of my boys would have drawn in grade school art class. Plus, it literally tells me nothing about this issue at all. Pass.
Incredibly dull colors give the cover a drab look. The artwork looks way too pedestrian. Plus, this cover does nothing at all to sell the issue or get me to want to give it a try.
Another drab cover with muted colors and art that looks boring. What is this issue about? Who cares!
This artwork looks so ugly to me. There is nothing about this cover that looks appealing. I am skipping right past this issue on the shelf of new comic books.
Winner
Damn Them All #2 takes the crown for the worst indie comics cover of the week!
Best
Nominees
This is a pretty badass cover! I love the use of negative space at the top of the cover. This helps balance the oversaturated red that dominates the majority of this cover. This cover gets across to the reader that this issue is going to deliver plenty of kickass action. This cover certainly grabs my attention.
This is such a cool cover! I dig how it is drawn to look like a 1970s movie poster. The extra touch of placing crease lines on the cover is a brilliant detail that emphasizes the vibe that this cover is an old 1970s movie poster. The artwork is well done. The main character looks cool with a mohawk and wielding two automatic weapons. This cover certainly lets me know what I can expect in this issue.
The artwork on this cover is beautiful! I love our heroine. She looks wickedly cool. The fire behind her adds some drama to the cover. The fire also makes this sword and shield fighter look like she is in the middle of a battle. The character’s smile also hints that the issue will have some humor to go along with tons of action.
This cover is phenomenal! You have the torn page from what looks like a fashion magazine. The tear reveals a close-up of a woman’s luscious red lips as she puts on more lipstick. Except, plot twist! The lipstick is a rotted severed finger! This is excellent! You balance something sexual and sensual with something dark and revolting. I love everything about this cover.
Another incredible cover! E-Ratic Recharged #3 delivers eye-catching artwork. I dig the giant demonic creature’s design. He looks badass. Our heroine looks in deadly peril. This cover has good kinetic energy as the scene leaps off the cover at the reader.
It is going to be tough to beat a cover to a comic featuring Hellwitch and Lady Death! If it is a Coffin Comis cover then you know you are going to get an amazing cover! These two badass ladies look incredibly cool. Seeing the two of them locked in combat is enough to get anyone to want to grab this issue and check it out. Also, props to naming this comic “Wargasm.” That might be the best name for a comic I have ever seen. Brilliant.
I love this cover. The artwork is so packed full of detail. The cover conveys the hauntingly creepy story you are going to get in the issue. Death is riding a pale horse straight from the Book of Revelations and he looks so good. I love the design of Death and his pale horse. This is a stunning cover that immediately draws your eyes to it while sitting on the shelf.
This cover is absolutely adorable! Penguina #1 delivers the kind of cute cheekiness that I expect from a manga. This cover puts a smile on my face and makes me want to give it a try.
I love this cover of Rogue Sun #8. The artwork is dynamic and jumps out at the reader. The colors are brilliant and eye-catching. I have no idea what this comic is about, but this cover makes me want to check it out.
The cover of The Dead Lucky #4 is excellent. The strength of this cover is the main character’s design and the color of her costume. I love the striking contrast between the heroine’s bright pink costume and the dark muted colors for the rest of the comic. This draws your eyes to the heroine and lets you know she is special. The heroine’s design is cool. I like her sugar skull-style mask and her costume with a Bret “The Hitman” Hart black and pink color scheme.
The cover for a Vampirella is always going to get nominated for Best Cover of the Week. Always. Vampirella Year One #4 sports some flat-out beautiful artwork. Vampirella’s musculature is incredible. I love the sweeping and flowing action swirling all around her with the leaves below her and to one side and the bats from above. This is a seriously dramatic cover.
Winner
The crown for best cover of the week for an indie comic is Vampirella Year One #4!
All right, that is it for the week of November 30, 2022! We will return next week for a fresh batch of the best and worst covers of the week. Until then stay safe and be good!
