DC Comics Best Covers of the Week: November 28, 2018

Mark Brooks - boy this is sweet

The Fifth Week of Bounty

Sorry I missed last week's installment of Best Covers, folks, I had a lot to get done before heading to my in-laws for Thanksgiving, and this list was one thing I could not get to. Let's just assume last week's covers were all terrible! Now we're in a fifth week, which normally results in a bunch of Annuals and a few special one-shots, and now a whole lot of covers to choose from. But this time, there's like a skillion, billion books! Not a lot of great covers, but I was able to squeeze out five, plus a bonus one you can gawk at right here!

 Batgirl #29 variant

Joshua Middleton

Here's the second of some super-realistic variant covers for Batgirl, but I like this one best because it looks like some painting you'd find over a hearth in a creepy mansion. The kind of painting where the eyes follow you wherever you go in the room. Maybe behind it is a secret passage? Go and look, you'll probably get your head lopped off for the trouble.

 The Flash #59 variant

Howard Porter

This manga-inspired cover tickles me because...well, because it's manga-inspired. A good take on it, too, I'd be fooled that this was from an actual comic. The ben-day dot effect does some of the work, but really it's just a nice example of the form.

Batman Beyond #26

Viktor Kalvachev

This evokes a classic Golden Age cover...or even a Bronze Age homage to a Golden Age cover. This specifically reminds me of Batman #251, which I'm sure it's meant to evoke. This thick, painterly style is nicely done, too. Digital painting has really kicked comic book cover into the next level.

 

 Wonder Woman #59 variant

Jenny Frison

Whenever Jenny Frison does a cover, it's great. Most weeks, it gets crowded out by other offerings. Not this one. Wonder Woman's pose is perfect, both coiled with potential energy, and somehow relaxed and resolute. I love the coloring she uses on these variants, too. Coffee table book next, please.

Action Comics #1005 variant

Francis Manapul

Superman spreading holiday cheer might be an old trope, but it works. It's the forced perspective and the flatly-colored Superman that really makes this thing pop. I didn't even really notice the children or the sack of gifts at first, just a glorious image of Superman, floating down from Heaven.