Awesome Cover Friday goes to Astro City!
Astro City is Kurt Busiek's playground where he gets to tell all the stories he's ever wanted to. Sometimes it's a post-modern critique of comics tropes. Other times it's a beautifully-illustrated love letter to what makes comic books cool. Either way, it's always a great read. Alex Ross's covers are wonderful to look at. Here are some of the most awesome:
#3 (1996 series)
Sometimes it's the simple things that grab me. This prosaic image tells me what the issue is about while raising so many questions I want to see what's going on inside. Well played, cover. Well played.
#10
Here's another one which raises all the proper questions. What's going on here? Why does that old dude have all that money. Is he Richie Rich as an old man? What's with that clock? How much does this issue cost?
The look of joy on the guy's face is one of the best things I've ever seen on a cover.
#3 (1995 series)
Holy Crap! Do. Not. Fuck. With. This. Dude.
Jack In The Box is my favorite Astro City character and he appears to be one of Busiek's favorites, too. The character design is outstanding. I mean, look at him!! Also, he's just a very cool hero. He's a toymaker who uses his inventions to kick serious ass. He's like FAO Schwarzenegger!
If you like Jack In The Box this is the cover for you! Check out that little dude with the knives! Man!
3 comments:
One of my favorite subtle touches in Astro City involved Mock Turtle, a British super villain you couldn’t help liking. In the last scene of one issue he is drinking with his new American friends and life is finally going his way. The very first scene of the next issue is a chalk line where they had found his body. Some days are diamonds, other days not so diamondy.
Fred
My favorite is the trade cover for "Tarnished Angel", it's all done up like an old dime-store pulp novel. But they're all so good. It's too bad that Ross can't seem to inject the same "life" into the rest of his covers for DC.
Jason, I agree. He's hit or miss. For me, most of them are hits but there are some which fall into the mannequin effect he gets criticized for a lot. When he's on, he's my favorite cover artist, though.
I also like some of the Italian artists who are doing covers now but they tend to fall into the same trap as Ross.
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