Each Monday, staff writers Kevin Melrose and Steve Sunu discuss their five favorite covers from the previous Wednesday's new comic releases, selecting from among them CBR's Cover of the Week. Then, at the end of each month, they choose from the weekly winners -- you guessed it! -- a Cover of the Month.

This week sees a racing Goon, a flying owl demon, a dissected astronaut, a creepy Sith Lord and a bleeding Comedian.

Keep reading for Kevin and Steve's favorites from the week July 25, and then discuss your choices in the CBR forums.

"B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism" #2, by Viktor Kalvachev (Dark Horse)

A favorite around these parts for his work on Image's "Blue Estate," Kalvachev journeys into the Hellboy universe with a pulpish cover that pits B.P.R.D. agent Ashley Strode against an owl demon. Seriously, an owl demon. -- Kevin Melrose

"The Goon" #40, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)

Powell's "The Goon" covers are always a pleasure, especially when they manage to tell a story: Goon races his car above the title, and you can see the same car race actually using the title's text as a ramp. The three menacing figures at the bottom stare angrily at The Goon's Evel Knievel-type jump, making it seem as though The Goon was on the run from them the entire time. -- Steve Sunu

"Spaceman" #8, by Dave Johnson (Vertigo)

Dave Johnson's cover is an incredible exercise in creepiness. An astronaut getting dissected like a frog in science class would be disturbing enough, especially considering the detail Johnson puts into the astronaut's stoic expression and skin flaps, but nestled inside his ribs is a sleeping human being, blissfully unaware of where she is.-- Steve Sunu

"Star Wars: Darth Maul - Death Sentence" #1, by Dave Dorman (Dark Horse)

For the return of Darth Maul, Dave Dorman delivers an intense, and terrifying, close-up of the Sith Lord that's an unsettling blend of rage and joy. It's difficult not to be drawn in by the details of the image, from the bloodshot eyes to the gnarly teeth. -- Kevin Melrose

COVER OF THE WEEK: "Before Watchmen: Comedian" #2, by J.G. Jones (DC Comics)

From Y: The Last Man to Wonder Woman to 52, J.G. Jones' covers seldom disappoint. So why should Before Watchmen: Comedian be any different? For this issue of the prequel, set during the Vietnam War, Jones gives us a wonderful shot of the Comedian casually wading through water in the jungle, trailed by -- here's the terrific part -- a pool of blood shaped like Vietnam. It's clever and effective. -- Kevin Melrose