THE MODERN AGE 2011-Present
In 2011, DC initiated their most radical reinvention yet, restarting their entire line – something not even Crisis on Infinite Earths had done – in the shape of the New 52. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of DC’s Super Heroes underwent seismic changes, overseen artistically by Jim Lee, and were revised again in 2016 in the Rebirth initiative, hewing closer to classic interpretations. Concurrently, variant covers exploded, allowing newer artists like Jock, Amanda Conner, Jenny Frison, and J. H. Williams III to showcase their talents. But though there was a greater diversity of styles and techniques than ever before, covers still fulfilled the same purpose in the modern, digital age as they had at the birth of the medium: to convince readers to buy that comic – to read, to collect, to treasure – whether as a download, or in the printed, stapled format that had started it all.
BATWOMAN #0 January 2011
Artist: J. H. Williams III
Originally introduced in the 52 series in 2006, the new Batwoman – alias heiress Kate Kane – was moderately redesigned by J. H. Williams III when she starred in Detective Comics in 2009. After she got her own series in 2011, Williams, now co-writer, created an extraordinary run of complex covers, combining brilliant design with exquisite draftsmanship.
BATWOMAN #1 November 2011
Artist: J. H. Williams III
Though he also uses digital techniques, J. H. Williams III prefers working traditionally in the first instance, embracing the process’s inherent risks. This cover was created in black-and-white with ink, marker grey tones, and ink wash, then coloured digitally; the artist added green mist to enhance villain the Weeping Woman’s ghostly quality.
BATWOMAN #8 (variant cover) s December 2017
Artist: Michael Cho
Shortly after Batwoman gained a new series as part of the Rebirth initiative, Michael Cho began a run as variant cover artist. His pared-back style, achieved with brushes, ink, markers, and gouache, reflects both his background in book cover design and the influence of Golden and Silver Age artists.
BATMAN INCORPORATED #1 January 2011
Artist: J. H. Williams III
Writer Grant Morrison’s high concept for the 2011 Batman Incorporated series was Batman establishing a global crime-fighting franchise, training heroes around the world. On the first issue’s cover, J. H. Williams III finds a novel way to encapsulate Morrison’s notion, placing Batman on a background of flags to denote the various nationalities of the Dark Knight’s new army.
BATMAN INCORPORATED #4 April 2011
Artist: J. H. Williams III
While J. H. Williams III had depicted Batman and Batwoman on covers before, this was the first time he portrayed them together. To illustrate the wary distance between the two characters – who had rarely interacted – the artist positions them at different heights. The Rian Hughes-designed logo is incorporated into the artwork in a typically innovative fashion.
ALL-STAR BATMAN #13 October 2017
Artist: Rafael Albuquerque
Launched in 2016, All-Star Batman saw writer Scott Snyder collaborating with several different artists. The final arc was illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque, who had previously worked with Snyder on American Vampire. His penultimate cover shows a stunning, lightning-lit rooftop battle with a logo turned into pink neon signage.
SUPERGIRL #61 April 2011
Artist: Amy Reeder
Getting her start at DC in 2008 as artist on Madame Xanadu, in 2010 Amy Reeder began a year-long run of Supergirl covers. On this cover, Reeder’s background in manga can be seen in her figure work, composition, and arrangement of sound effects, the latter of which recalls Mike Sekowsky’s Justice League of America #46 cover.
SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1 August 2013
Artists: Jim Lee and Scott Williams
With his Batman run gaining praise and plaudits, in 2013 writer Scott Snyder teamed up with Jim Lee for the high-concept Superman Unchained. Lee had redesigned Superman’s costume for the 2011 New 52 relaunch, dispensing with the red shorts and introducing a segmented appearance; here, he conveys a sense of the character’s unbridled strength.
BATMAN/SUPERMAN #14 December 2014
Artists: Jae Lee and June Chung
Batman and Catwoman have frequently been featured together on covers, but Superman and Catwoman is a more unusual pairing – one made more amusing here by Batman’s intruding hand. Jae Lee gained fame for his dark, brooding work in the 1990s, but had adopted a more minimalistic approach by this point.
SUPERMAN #18 February 2020
Artists: Ivan Reis and Joe Prado
When writer Brian Michael Bendis took over Action Comics and Superman in 2018, he was joined on the latter by Ivan Reis, their run reaching a peak with Superman revealing his Clark Kent identity to the entire world in this issue. Reis’ cover mirrors Kerry Gammill and Brett Breeding’s 1991 Action Comics #662 cover (p.172), and displays the influence of John Byrne and George Pérez.
DETECTIVE COMICS #27 (variant cover) March 2014
Artist: Frank Miller
Frank Miller’s artwork has become more stylized in recent years, and especially so on his covers. This anniversary variant, showing a crouching Catwoman in an unconventional costume, was originally intended for Miller and Jim Lee’s All-Star Batman and Robin series. The purple background recalls the colour of the character’s traditional garb.
DETECTIVE COMICS #880 September 2011
Artist: Jock
Directly preceding writer Scott Snyder’s celebrated New 52 Batman, in 2011 he and artist Jock completed a run on Detective Comics, crafting a sequence of dark, psychologically complex stories. This unforgettable cover from that run has been hailed as one of the greatest covers ever – much to the surprise of Jock, who was concerned that it was “boring” and “too safe”!
DETECTIVE COMICS #1000 May 2019
Artists: Jim Lee and Scott Williams
Much like Action Comics #1000, Detective Comics #1000 featured multiple stories from multiple creators, with Jim Lee and Scott Williams providing a wraparound cover. The pair took the opportunity to depict Batman and his allies in the moment after they have quelled an attack on the Batcave, complete with visual gags such as Nightwing enjoying a post-battle snack!
ZATANNA #15 September 2011
Artist: Adam Hughes
Having twice depicted Zatanna on Catwoman covers in 2006, Adam Hughes got the opportunity to portray the magician again on a handful of covers for her own series in 2011. This, the penultimate one, demonstrates the artist’s mastery of light and shadow; Zatanna’s gloved hands seem to float against the black background, while the bright logo almost glows.
DEATHSTROKE #9 July 2012
Artist: Rob Liefeld
Originally working for DC as artist on Hawk and Dove in the late 1980s, Rob Liefeld achieved stardom at Marvel and Image before returning to DC in 2009 as both writer and artist of Deathstroke. Liefeld’s hyperkinetic style was the perfect match for the New 52 iteration of mercenary Slade Wilson, as demonstrated by the cover for his first issue.
CYBORG #10 June 2016
Artist: Guillem March
Spanish artist Guillem March began working for DC in 2008, after meeting a DC editor at a Barcelona comics convention. March’s detailed, flowing artwork, with its preoccupation with the human form and body language, is influenced by Neal Adams, European artists like Jean-Pierre Gibrat, and here, on March’s sole Cyborg cover, Ghost in the Shell creator Masamune Shirow.
SHADE THE CHANGING GIRL #1 (variant cover) December 2016
Artist: Tula Lotay
While many artists have broken into comics by showing their work at conventions, British artist Tula Lotay did so as a result of setting up her own convention, the UK’s Thought Bubble festival. Her symbolically rich, digitally created variant for Shade the Changing Girl #1 was inspired by one of her favourite covers, Duncan Fegredo’s cover to 1996’s Shade the Changing Man #68.
BATGIRL #1 November 2011
Artist: Adam Hughes
Having spent 20 years as the paraplegic intelligence specialist Oracle, in 2011, as part of the New 52 relaunch, Barbara Gordon was restored to full physical vitality, and to the guise of Batgirl (complete with a new costume). Adam Hughes captures the revitalized exuberance of the character on the cover of the first issue of her new series.
BATGIRL #35 December 2014
Artist: Cameron Stewart
Cameron Stewart’s first issue as cover artist of the New 52 Batgirl was also his first as writer. Stewart and interior artist Babs Tarr injected an enhanced sense of fun and adventure into the title; in redesigning Barbara Gordon’s costume, they took inspiration from the 1960s Batman TV show, but added a contemporary fashion twist.
Artist: Greg Capullo
Of all the New 52 titles launched in 2011, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman was arguably the most acclaimed. Former Spawn artist Capullo’s best covers for the series were dark, stripped- back affairs. Typically they featured a memorable central image, as here, where the shadow-wings and egg symbolize Batman’s ongoing confrontation with the Court of Owls.
BATMAN #48 March 2016
Artist: Greg Capullo
Influenced as much by MAD cartoonist and caricaturist Mort Drucker as by classical comic book artists like John Buscema and John Romita Jr., Capullo wasn’t afraid to contort Batman on covers when a story demanded it. Here, for a tale featuring his and Scott Snyder’s villainous co-creation Mister Bloom, Capullo depicts Batman literally drowning in flowers.
BATMAN #26 September 2017
Artist: Mikel Janin
Relaunched in 2016 as part of the Rebirth initiative, the third volume of Batman, written by Tom King, featured Spanish artist Mikel Janin as one of its main artists. Janin – who cites among his influences European artists like Moebius, Milo Manara, and Hugo Pratt – works almost entirely digitally, allowing him to create jolting effects such as this jigsaw of The Joker.
BATMAN #47 (variant cover) July 2018
Artist: Amanda Conner
Primarily known for her Harley Quinn comics, Amanda Conner used this textless variant as a rare opportunity to draw a Batman cover. Humour often plays a part in Conner’s work; with Batman and Catwoman’s nuptials impending (or so it seemed), Conner wittily depicts them on a movie date, surrounded by cosplayers (including some inspired by the 1960s Batman TV show).
BATMAN #64 (variant cover) April 2019
Artist: Sean Murphy
This landscape-format textless variant was originally created in 2008 as a piece of concept art, and displays both the influence of European comics artists Sergio Toppi and Jorge Zaffino and Sean Murphy’s interest in vehicles. Murphy has worked at DC since 2005, but in recent years has gained his greatest acclaim for his Batman:White Knight series.
BATMAN #50 (variant cover) September 2018
Artists: Jim Lee and Scott Williams
Given that the long-trailed wedding of Batman and Catwoman in Batman #50 ultimately proved abortive, Jim Lee and Scott William’s textless variant cover is entirely apt. With writer Tom King’s story dealing with Bruce and Selina’s heartbreak, Lee and Williams depict the pair in a deluge, the raindrops on their faces indistinguishable from tears.
BATMAN #67 (variant cover) May 2019
Artist: Dave Johnson
The remarkably photographic appearance of this Dave Johnson textless Batman variant is easy to explain: it’s (mostly) a photograph! During 2018’s New York Comic Con, Johnson took a number of photos of NYC from a hotel balcony; when he returned home, he decided to add the figure of Batman to one of them. The result: instant cover classic.
SANDMAN: OVERTURE #1 (variant cover) December 2013
Artist: Dave McKean
When Neil Gaiman returned to The Sandman for the six-issue Overture in 2013 – a decade after his The Sandman: Endless Nights graphic novel – his original cover collaborator Dave McKean joined him on variant covers. McKean confessed to feeling “stagefright” after so many years and with such high fan expectations, but Gaiman noted he got the same thrill at seeing the artist’s covers.
BLACK CANARY #1 August 2015
Artist: Annie Wu
In 2015, writer Brenden Fletcher and artist Annie Wu injected some rock ‘n’ roll energy into Black Canary, making Dinah Lance the lead singer of a band in a new series. Wu drew on her love of music, performance, and fashion when coming up with a look for the character, riffing on Black Canary’s classic fishnets appearance but with punky flourishes.
DOOMSDAY CLOCK #10 (variant cover) July 2019
Artist: Gary Frank
A sequel to Watchmen, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Doomsday Clock adopted the same cover styling as its forebear, with the logo placed down the side and the image acting as the first panel of the story. For the variant covers, Frank highlighted how Watchmen’s characters had permeated the DC Universe, in this case by showing Dr. Manhattan on the cover of All Star Comics #3.
AQUAMAN #49 (variant cover) s August 2019
Artist: Joshua Middleton
Joshua Middleton originally worked with pencil and digital colouring in the early 2000s, but after a period working in animation he began experimenting with traditional painting. Using pencil, ink, watercolour, and gouache acrylic, latterly he has been painting vivid, breathtaking variant covers, making the most of DC’s textless initiative, such as this wonderful painting of Aquaman on the wild ocean.
HARLEY QUINN #1 February 2014
Artist: Amanda Conner
Of all the characters Amanda Conner has worked on, Harley Quinn has become most synonymous with the artist, as Conner’s vivacious interpretation helped elevate Harley to superstardom. Already redesigned as part of the Suicide Squad at the outset of the New 52 relaunch, Harley was again revamped by Conner, who took her inspiration from female roller derby players.
HARLEY QUINN #30 September 2016
Artist: Amanda Conner
Harley’s look had been tweaked further by this issue, the last in this volume of Amanda Conner and co-writer (and husband) Jimmy Palmiotti’s run. Notably, Conner has stated she likes to keep in mind what will work well for cosplayers. The clever integration of Harley’s name into her arm and leg also gives a glimpse of Conner’s keen design sensibilities.
HARLEY QUINN AND POISON IVY #1 (connecting variant covers) November 2019
Artist: Stanley “Artgerm” Lau
Established during Conner and Palmiotti’s tenure, the relationship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy has become an increasingly important aspect of their story. Late in 2019 the pair were launched into a miniseries, with textless connecting variant covers by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau – an artist from Hong Kong who combines Eastern and Western styles in his digitally created work.
HARLEY QUINN #50 November 2018
Artist: Amanda Conner
Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti continued as artist/writer on Harley Quinn into the third volume of the series, but moved on after issue #34. Conner returned for this 50th issue cover with an entertainingly original spin on the “infinity” effect, each comic in Harley’s hands depicting a different era of the character.
MODERN AGE ARTISTS
GREG CAPULLO
A relatively recent addition to DC’s pantheon of artists, Greg Capullo (1962–) has been working professionally in comics since the late 1980s. His first major work was on Marvel’s Quasar and X-Force in the early 1990s, but it was when he moved to Image Comics in 1993 to take over the art on Todd McFarlane’s Spawn that his star began to ascend. Capullo drew the title for the next seven years, his style developing into an amalgam of the McFarlane/Image hyperkinetic approach and earlier, more classic influences like John Romita Jr. and John Buscema. After a pair of miniseries starring his own creation, the Creech, and a run on McFarlane and Robert Kirkman’s Haunt, in 2011 Capullo teamed up with writer Scott Snyder to relaunch Batman as part of the New 52 initiative. Their work on the character has defined the Dark Knight for the Modern Age, Capullo’s covers drilling down to Batman’s core, recalling the pared-back brilliance of early Bob Kane.
BATMAN #37 February 2015
JIM LEE
Since the late 1990s, Jim Lee’s name has been synonymous with DC. Lee (1964–) first shot to fame as artist on the million-selling X-Men, before he and a group of like-minded, stylistically simpatico artists struck out on their own and formed the revolutionary Image Comics in 1992. Six years later, Lee sold his Image imprint, WildStorm, to DC, and became a key creative figure at the company. Since then, he has worked on most of DC’s icons, bringing his detailed, kinetic style to bear on Batman (the acclaimed “Hush” storyline), Superman (“For Tomorrow”), Justice League, Suicide Squad, and more. Besides guiding the DC Universe as co-publisher – both visually (overseeing character revamps such as 2011’s New 52 initiative) and in terms of storylines – Lee has produced countless memorable covers across DC’s entire line. As shown by covers like the paired Batman #608, and Superman #204, he has the ability to encapsulate the essence of a character in an iconic pose.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 October 2011
JOCK
Like the British Invasion creators who made their mark on comics in general, and DC in particular, a generation before him, Jock (born Mark Simpson, 1972–) got his start professionally on UK sci-fi anthology 2000 AD. From 1999 to 2002 he drew a succession of Judge Dredd and Lenny Zero stories, creating the latter with 2000 AD’s then-editor Andy Diggle. In 2003 the pair made the jump to the other side of the pond, conceiving an adults-only action-thriller update of The Losers for DC’s Vertigo imprint. Off the back of that, Jock branched out into the DC Universe, working with Diggle again on Green Arrow: Year One, and forming another creative partnership with Scott Snyder on Detective Comics, All-Star Batman, and The BatmanWho Laughs. His jagged punk rock style – in which can be seen the influence of Frank Miller, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Glenn Fabry – and remarkable design sense have resulted in some unforgettable covers, exemplified by Detective Comics #880 .
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #14 August 2014
AMANDA CONNER
It is not uncommon for creators to profoundly connect with particular characters. Such is the case with Amanda Conner (1967–) and Harley Quinn, to whom Conner has brought a playful sensibility that has resonated with fans (and cosplayers) worldwide. After studying at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, Conner began her comics career as an assistant to Bill Sienkiewicz before gaining work at Marvel, Archie, and others. She initially began working for DC as an artist in the 1990s, but it was in 2005 that she came to prominence, drawing the Power Girl-starring initial story arc of JSA Classified. Teaming up with her husband, inker Jimmy Palmiotti, Conner began writing as well as drawing comics, culminating in the pair taking charge of the second volume of Harley Quinn in 2014, which featured covers by Connor. Since then, her cover work has exploded, her bold stylings and instinct for comedy much in demand on the likes of Supergirl, Starfire, and, of course, Harley.
HARLEY QUINN #34 March 2018
GRAYSON #1 September 2014
Artist: Andrew Robinson
In 2014, Dick Grayson, the original Robin, left behind his Nightwing identity to go undercover in covert organization Spyral. Interior artist Mikel Janin designed Grayson’s look for the new series, while Andrew Robinson created the first cover; combining traditional pen, brush, and ink techniques with digital colouring, his shocking pink hues signify the new chapter in Grayson’s life.
NIGHTWING #44 (variant cover) July 2018
Artists: John Romita Jr. and Danny Miki
In 2014, artist John Romita Jr. signed with DC, bringing his distinctive talent to high profile projects like All-Star Batman and Superman: Year One, as well as a variety of covers. On this Nightwing variant, his and inker Danny Miki’s expressive line drawing is lent a moody depth by Tomeu Morey’s colours.
THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS #1 (variant cover) February 2019
Artist: Greg Capullo
Debuting during the 2017–2018 Dark Knights: Metal event, the Batman Who Laughs is a twisted fusion of Bruce Wayne and The Joker hailing from the Dark Multiverse. Created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, the character’s signature mask and teeth are used to nightmarish effect by Capullo, who shows him looming out of the blackness on this variant for the character’s own miniseries.
BATMAN: KINGS OF FEAR #6 March 2019
Artist: Kelley Jones
One of the premier chroniclers of Batman in the 1990s, with a Bernie Wrightson-influenced, exaggerated style that helped define the look of the Dark Knight during that decade, Kelley Jones returned to the character in 2019 with the Batman: Kings of Fear miniseries. Jones’ stylized Batman draws on the artist’s interpretation of the character as a merciless night terror.
WONDER WOMAN #4 October 2016
Artist: Nicola Scott
Following her three covers for Wonder Woman ’77 Special, in 2016 Nicola Scott joined writer Greg Rucka on the Rebirth relaunch of the Amazon’s own title. Alternating on issues with artist Liam Sharp, Scott illustrated a “Year One” story that retold and revised Wonder Woman’s origin; Scott’s cover for her second issue captures the character’s optimism and innocence as she leaves Themyscira.
WONDER WOMAN ’77 SPECIAL #1 July 2015
Artist: Nicola Scott
WONDER WOMAN #51 (variant cover) September 2018
Artist: Jenny Frison
Jenny Frison has been crafting distinctive Art Nouveau-influenced variant covers for Wonder Woman since 2016. A fan of the character since she was given the storybook and tape set Cheetah on the Prowl as a child, Frison cites Brian Bolland’s iconic cover for Wonder Woman #72 as a touchstone, echoes of which can be seen in this carefully arranged composition.
WONDER WOMAN #75 (variant cover) September 2019
Artist: Jenny Frison
For 2019’s “Year of the Villain: The Offer”, DC rolled out a series of line-wide portrait variants. Like all Frison’s work, this close-up of villain The Cheetah was created by combining traditional techniques like graphite and chalk with digital colouring.
It recalls José Luis García-López’s 1997 cover for Wonder Woman #128, a formative influence for Frison.
A fan of Wonder Woman since childhood, Australian artist Nicola Scott’s passion for the character was ignited not by comics but by the 1970s TV show starring Lynda Carter. Scott had drawn Wonder Woman a number of times since beginning to work for DC in 2007, but this cover allowed her to pay homage to the version that first captivated her.
NIGHTWING REBIRTH #1 (variant cover) September 2016
Artist: Babs Tarr
Following Nightwing’s red-accented costume of the New 52 era, for Rebirth, Javier Fernandez reworked his outfit, reinstating the previous blue accent with some subtle updates. On the cover of Nightwing’s Rebirth relaunch, Batgirl artist Babs Tarr makes a feature of the new DC logo, which was redesigned by Pentagram to recall the classic DC bullet.
GREEN LANTERNS: REBIRTH #1 (variant cover) August 2016
Artist: Emanuela Lupacchino
DC’s newest Green Lanterns, Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz, debuted during the New 52 era, and were later forged into a team in a Rebirth special. For the variant cover of the first issue of the ongoing Green Lanterns (plural) series, Italian artist Emanuela Lupacchino focuses on a space-bound Cruz.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: VIXEN REBIRTH #1 March 2017
Artists: Ivan Reis and Joe Prado
Conceived by Gerry Conway in the late 1970s, the animal-powered Vixen was intended as DC’s first female African character to star in her own series. Though that ultimately didn’t come to pass, in 2016, after decades as a member of the Justice League and Suicide Squad, Vixen gained more prominence as part of Rebirth. She is captured here in thrilling fashion by Ivan Reis.
MISTER MIRACLE #10 October 2018
Artist: Nick Derington
With so many powerful takes on Darkseid over the years – from Jack Kirby’s original to Keith Giffen’s Legion of Super-Heroes version – finding a fresh way to interpret the Lord of Apokolips isn’t easy, but Nick Derington’s cover succeeds with aplomb. Derington created it by drawing the portrait in blue pencil, then inverting it in Photoshop to produce a negative image.
SHAZAM! #2 (variant cover) March 2019
Artist: Chris Samnee
In 2019, Chris Samnee returned to DC for a series of covers, this Shazam! textless variant being his first. Counting Batman artist Jim Aparo and Terry and the Pirates strip cartoonist Milton Caniff among his influences, these days Samnee only pencils loosely, doing most of the work in ink to achieve chiaroscuro effects, as seen here.
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: MILLENNIUM #1 / #2 (connecting variant covers) November 2019
Artist: Bryan Hitch
Bryan Hitch is known for his intricately arranged images of multiple heroes leaping and swooping majestically through the air. Drawn on one 17 x 22-inch sheet, his connecting variant covers for this Brian Michael Bendis-written Legion of Super-Heroes relaunch are the culmination of previous multi-character covers, from The Authority to Justice League.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #8 (variant cover) November 2018
Artists: Jim Lee and Scott Williams
When Scott Snyder, Jim Cheung, and Jorge Jiménez launched a new Justice League series in 2018, Jim Lee and Scott Williams created a succession of character spotlight covers. Foregrounding each member of the League in turn, for the Legion of Doom-focused eighth issue Lee and Williams switched focus to The Joker, creating a sublimely malevolent extreme close-up.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #10 (variant cover) December 2018
Artists: Jim Lee and Scott Williams
Redesigned by Brad Walker for 2016’s Rebirth, Aquaman’s new look was along the lines of his classic Silver Age appearance, and by this point he had once more adopted a beard. As DC’s co-publisher, Jim Lee is involved in the look of every character, but for Lee, their poses and gestures are just as important for keeping characters relevant, as seen on this textless variant.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #21 (variant cover) June 2019
Artists: Jae Lee and June Chung
When drawing multiple characters on a cover, Jae Lee’s instinct is to simplify the composition as much as possible, eliminating any visual noise. That approach is seen here with this Justice League inter-team brawl. Drawing traditionally in pencil, Lee no longer inks his work, instead turning his tight pencils over to his wife, June Chung, who inks and colours digitally.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #25 (variant cover) s August 2019
Artist: Jim Cheung
Having last worked for DC in 1996 at the outset of his career, Jim Cheung returned in 2018, becoming lead artist on Justice League.
Cheung is known for his poised, epic scenes of multiple heroes, as on this textless variant; drawing traditionally, he often uses digital techniques to move elements around until he’s happy with the composition.
ACTION COMICS #1000 June 2018
Artists: Jim Lee and Scott Williams
Action Comics resumed its original numbering in 2016, when the Rebirth initiative succeeded the New 52 era; in 2018 it celebrated the milestone of 1,000 issues with an all-star line-up of creators and a return to Superman’s traditional costume (with a few tweaks).
Jim Lee’s heroic cover perfectly captures the new/ old-look Superman, framed against Metropolis.
ACTION COMICS #1001 (variant cover) September 2018
Artist: David Mack
With former Marvel mainstay Brian Michael Bendis now writing both Action Comics and Superman, his longtime collaborator David Mack joined him for a short run of variant covers on both titles. Taking full advantage of DC’s textless variant format, here Mack uses his trademark acrylic and watercolour technique to craft a transitional portrait of Clark Kent/Superman.
ACTION COMICS #1007 (variant cover) March 2019
Artist: Patrick Gleason
Noted for his powerful, expressive figure work, Patrick Gleason also has a unique design sensibility. His conceit on this cover of composing stars and stripes out of Superman’s speed lines and flecks of cloud in the sky was prefigured a year earlier on the cover of Superman #45, where he created an “S” shield from gaps in clouds.
ACTION COMICS #1004 December 2018
Artist: Steve Rude
Action Comics was one of a number of titles to get foil covers this month. While Steve Rude’s watercolour painting of Superman floating above a flock of geese was lent an added sheen by the foil, his original is a thing of beauty in its own right, from the peaceful blue to the adroit daubs of paint on the clouds.
ACTION COMICS #1013 (variant cover) September 2019
Artist: Frank Quitely
Frank Quitely’s detailed close-up of Lex Luthor – one of that month’s “Year of the Villain: The Offer” textless variant villain portraits – was delicately rendered in blue line, then pencilled in more defined lines before being digitally finished and coloured. Quitely’s original drawing included Lex’s upper body as well, clad in suit and tie rather than the costume seen here.
SUPERMAN’S PAL JIMMY OLSEN #2 (variant cover) s October 2019
Artist: Ben Oliver
Launched alongside the new Lois Lane series, Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber’s Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen adopted the comedic tone of its Silver Age namesake. Working in his trademark photorealistic, painterly style (he counts among his influences Bill Sienkiewicz), British artist Ben Oliver’s textless variant covers capture the often-farcical nature of Jimmy’s existence.
LOIS LANE #1 (variant cover) September 2019
Artist: Jenny Frison
Thirty years on from her last solo series (1986’s two-issue Lois Lane), DC’s Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist – and wife of Superman – began starring in a 12-issue “maxiseries” in 2019. Branching out from her usual Wonder Woman covers, Jenny Frison aimed for a “pulpy spy action” feel on her variant cover, befitting a story of skulduggery and subterfuge.
LOIS LANE #2 (variant cover) October 2019
Artist: Nicola Scott
It’s not uncommon for comics artists to use actors or celebrities as inspiration for characters’ likenesses. Nicola Scott points to Superman movie actress Margot Kidder as “the absolute standard” for Lois Lane, but uses another actress, Rena Sofer, as her “personal Lois muse”. On this textless variant, Scott also includes a possible clue to the series’ central mystery on Lois’ notepad.
DC Comics Cover Art
Written by Nick Jones
Penguin Random House, 2020
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario