And, now, I turn my eye to Marvel's July covers. There are so damn many of them. Thankfully, I don't do these posts in one go or, by the end, I'd be insane and writing nothing but gibberish peppered with the odd f-word. Actually, that sounds much easier than trying! Hmm...

As I mentioned in my post on DC's July covers, my format is to tell you what comic the cover is for, who drew the cover, the cover itself, my comments with a top five at the very end. I'm also using the same order as the actual solicitations, which is an odd mix of grouping titles by imprints, characters, overarching stories, and alphabetical. I can't quite figure it out, but who cares?

Halo: Hell Jumper #1 by Eric Nguyen



That spaceship on the left just does not fit into the verisimilitude of this picture, which is pretty decent. It doesn't blow me away, but it does the job.

Dark Tower: The Fall of Gilead #3 by Richard Isanove



Isanove's art here has a "Jae Lee lite" quality and the computer colouring isn't too intrusive like a lot of Isanove's colouring can be. The image itself draws attention and catches the eye.

The Stand: American Nightmares #4 by Lee Bermejo



A horror comic with a horrific cover. This cover doesn't immediately jump out, but when you actually look at it, there's a lot of elements that really give it a sharp edge like the man eating the rat and the lighting.

All-Select Comics #1 70th Anniversary Special by Russ Heath



I'm not familiar enough with old covers to know if this an homage to a specific cover, but I'm not sure it works otherwise. Or, at the very least, this cover needs some text. The inset of the male character is a nice touch, but without text, it just looks odd.

USA Comics #1 70th Anniversary Special by Clint Langley



A striking image, but I really don't like this sort of colouring. For a nostalgia book, it doesn't fit. Though, I do enjoy that it looks ready to jump off like that were the top rope.

Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse -- Necromancer #4 by Ron Lim



Ron Lim trying to imitate Brett Booth to maintain an artistic consistency is admirable, but misguided since this art style is godawful, ugly shit.

Riftwar #3 by Jason Chan



Minimal, but effective. I really like the composition and how the background figures blend into the darkness.

Pride & Prejudice #4 by Sonny Liew



Rather boring, but I'm also not sure how one could make a Pride & Prejudice cover exciting. This looks very much like one would expect a cover for this comic to look, so... no real complaints, I guess?

The Trojan War #3 by Dennis Calero



Very striking and designed well. The focus is clear and the drawing itself is engaging.

Daredevil: Noir #4 by Tomm Coker



Good use of shadow and light with a moody, dark composition.

Wolverine: Noir #4 variant by Dennis Calero



The use of black and white is a nice callback to the era with the use of yellow an allusion to Sin City, another noir comic. The image itself is dynamic. If I had to choose between this and the regular cover, I'd have a hard time.

Scourge of the Gods -- The Fall #1 by Aleksa Gajic



Not bad. The art is clean and nice, and I like the colouring. The composition is decent.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #8 by Scottie Young



Scottie Young has really become one of the cover artists I look for in each month's solicitations as his covers are always unique, dynamic, and wonderfully drawn. This one is no exception.

Ultimatum: Fantastic Four Requiem #1 by Pasqual Ferry



The "end of the school year" vibe works well since Ultimate Fantastic Four has always been the smart teenagers comic. While it may not match up with what's been going on, symbolically, it's the right way to end the book.

Ultimatum: X-Men Requiem #1 by Mark Brooks



And, going the other way is this perfectly acceptable but utterly boring cover by Mark Brooks. "Oooh! Wolverine, Cyclops and Jean Grey in action -- kind of! Haven't seen that before!" At least it doesn't have the horrible colouring that early Ultimate books used on their covers.

Dark X-Men #1 by Jae Lee and Uncanny X-Men #513 by Terry Dodson





I've grouped these covers, but they pretty much have the same concept, just executed differently. Both do nothing more than illustrate the new Dark X-Men group. Both demonstrate the differing styles of Lee and Dodson, but aren't that spectacular in their own rights. Thankfully, neither artist did an homage to Giant-Size X-Men #1.

Dark Avengers #7 by Mike Deodato



Osborn and Frost as the minds behind the fight below? Effective concept and well executed.

X-Men: Legacy #226 by Terry Dodson



I imagine this comic is about Rogue, Gambit, and Danger. Not really dynamic or interesting, but Dodson sure can draw a nice looking picture.

New Avengers #55 by Stuart Immonen



A pile of Avengers... whenever I see an image like this, I always hope that, in the comics, the heroes will get beaten and, then, th villain(s) will gather them up in a pile like this. But that never happens. THAT NEVER HAPPENS, SO DAMN YOU, IMMONEN FOR MAKING ME HOPE IT WILL HAPPEN THIS TIME! GAH!

Secret Warriors #6 by Jim Cheung



The design for Secret Warriors covers is pretty good. The connected Jim Cheung covers have worked out well, too -- especially since he hasn't had any problem depicting the same characters multiple times despite the covers forming one larger image.

Dark Reign: Elektra #5 by Lee Bermejo



Well drawn, solid concept, that's about all.

Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5 by Pasqual Ferry



Wow, this version of the Fantastic Four sure doesn't look that different from the one in Ferry's Ultimatum: Fantastic Four Requiem #1 cover despite one group being teens, the other being adults. Oh, except Reed's hair has that white streak here. Totally different. I was wrong.

Dark Reign: Hawkeye #4 by Clint Langley



Very striking and eye-catching. I like it.

Dark Reign: The Hood #3 by Marko Djurdjevic



Thanks to writing a review of Thor #601 earlier in the week, I can now spell Straczynski and Djurdjevic without looking. I thought that fact may be more interesting than this cover. I was right.

Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #2 by Tommy Lee Edwards



I love Tommy Lee Edwards's art. This cover is pretty standard, but his art is fantastic. I do hope this fight between the Williams ends with one saying "I quit." Superhero fights need more 'I Quit' resolutions.

Deadpool #12 by Jason Pearson



Cute.

Dark Reign: Young Avengers #3 by Mark Brooks



Well drawn, kind of cliched concept, but not bad.

Dark Reign: Mister Negative #2 by Jae Lee



Nicely drawn, but not that interesting.

Black Panther #6 by J. Scott Campbell



Um, what is up with these poses? Very odd.

Agents of Atlas #7 and 8 by Leinil Francis Yu





The foreground/background disparity on issue seven's cover is bothersome, especially because the drawing isn't that dynamic. Issue eight is put together much better.

Dark Wolverine #76 by Leinil Francis Yu



The Thing looks PISSED OFF. I like the composition here and the continued playing with shadows to suggest the similarity between Logan and his son.

Dark Wolverine #76 variant by Mike Choi and Sonia Oback



Bloody and boring. Very, very boring.

Dark Reign: The Goblin Legacy by Kalman Andrasofszky



I like that they coloured the line surrounding Osborn green. Other than that, it's very typical.

Skrull Kill Krew #4 by Mario Alberti



Interesting, but not well executed. The animal-tinged villains are interesting, especially the Galactus in the background.

All-New Savage She-Hulk #4 by Stephane Roux



The look on Ms. Marvel's face is perfect. The faded, muted colours is a great way of suggesting the dust and dirt in the air as a result of the fight. Rather good.

Ms. Marvel #41 by Sana Takeda



Not to my taste, but not bad. A little too posed.

Invincible Iron Man #15 by Salvador Larroca



This should be intriguing and dynamic, but it isn't. Something about Larroca's style makes images like this fall flat and seem lifeless.

Thunderbolts #134 by Francesco "Matt" Mattina



Energetic and moody. Good use of light and shadow.

Amazing Spider-Man #599 by Phil Jiminez



Solid composition. Nicely drawn. Definitely not a bad cover, but not really great either.

Amazing Spider-Man #600 by Alex Ross



The blank background really hurts this for me, as does the all red colouring. The image itself is very nice.

Amazing Spider-Man #600 by John Romita, Jr. (click for larger)



A standard Spider-Man shot. Well drawn. But so very mediocre in conception.

Amazing Spider-Man annual #36 by Olivier Coipel



Fun, standard, I like the suit on Spider-Man.

Amazing Spider-Man Family #8 by Nuno Plati



I really like the effect of the symbiote taking over Spider-Man. The background is awful, but that central drawing is rather good.

Avengers: The Initiative #26 by Matteo de Longis



Mediocre propaganda-tinged image. Not nearly as dynamic or original as other covers in this vein.

Astonishing Tales #6 by Kenneth Rocafort



I like the art style here, but the montage concept is weak. I understand that this is an anthology book, but a stronger central image would work better.

Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #2 by Patrick Zircher



The Silver Surfer doesn't quite look himself. Otherwise, I like this image. A classic mid-brawl bit.

Captain America #601 by Gene Colan



I can't explain why exactly, but I really like this. The combination of images and the paint... lovely.

Captain America #601 variant by Marko Djurdjevic



Nice drawing. Boring otherwise.

Captain Britain and MI:13 #15 by Mico Suayan



Nice image, nice concept, well drawn... overall, pretty good.

Exiles #4 by Dave Bullock



Solid cartooning. Every character has a unique look/feel.

Fantastic Four #569 by Bryan Hitch (click for larger)



Looks good, but is so very boring and uninteresting.

Franklin Richards: School's Out! by Chris Eliopoulos



Wow, the larger version of this cover did not turn out well. But, looking past the poor resizing, it's a good concept and very well executed. Eliopoulos does some very good work here. It's a shame we get a horribly resized image.

Fantastic Force #4 by Bryan Hitch



This looks rushed, not up to Hitch's usual standards. The concept isn't bad, but the execution isn't great.

Incredible Hulk #600 by Alex Ross



I don't know what to say. This cover isn't that bad, but there's nothing about it that I really like. Angry Hulk coming at us with angry Rulk and mushroom cloud in the background. Yeah... I don't know. Let's just move on.

Incredibe Hercules #131 by David Williams



Very static despite the emotional undertones.

Mighty Avengers #27 by Marko Djurdjevic



USAgent's curled fingers is a nice touch in an otherwise serviceable cover.

Immortal Weapons #1 variant by David Aja



No regular cover given, and this one is rather boring with the characters just standing around. But, still, it's David Aja, so at least they're standing around looking very good.

Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #3 variant by Nico Henrichon



I love the art here. Very sketchy and whimsical.

Iron Man: Armored Adventures #1



This advertises the contents ably enough.

Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #53 by Scottie Young



And this cover seems like the partner to the Iron Man: Armored Adventures #1 variant by Young. Poor Tony couldn't outrun Peter. HA HA! This cover works more when put next to that one.

Marvel Adventures The Avengers #38 by Casey Jones



Not sure why some of these heroes look scared. This doesn't quite work, but isn't bad.

Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #13 by Patrick Sherberger



The art isn't the best, but something about this just makes me laugh. It's so absurd and funny. And weird. Heh.

Marvel Divas #1 by J. Scott Campbell



OH MY GOD NO NO NO NO NO HORRIBLE FUCKING COVER DIE RIGHT NOW

Marvel Zombies 4 #4 by Greg Land



That woman's face is freaking me out. She is enjoying her magic a little bit too much. Awful.

Marvels: Eye of the Camera #6 by Jay Anacleto (and black and white variant)





Very good (albeit brainless) concept and well executed. The black and white variant spotlights Anacleto's gorgeous pencils.

Punisher #7 by Mike McKone



Very striking and strong.

Son of Hulk #13 by David Palumbo



A little mysterious, nicely drawn... pretty tame, but still nice.

Kid Colt #1 by Luke Ross



A great action shot. Who is Kid Colt shooting at? I want to know.

Runaways #12 by David Lafuente



Cute, but kind of blah.

Thor #603 by Marko Djurdjevic



Doom looks like an evil robot. Still, I like this cover.

Thor & Hercules: Encyclopedia Mythologica by Mico Suayan



A bunch of mythological characters standing around... what else would you want from a cover to a book like this?

War Machine #8 by Francesco "Matt" Mattina



This image tries to be energetic, but it's very static and lifeless.

Timestorm 2009/2099 #3 by Piotre Cielinski



Very static despite this image obviously being the middle of a fight. The art itself is really energetic. I like the sketchy look.

War of Kings #5 by Brandon Peterson



I like the energy in Black Bolt. Very nice.

War of Kings: Ascension #4 by Brandon Peterson



*yawn* I already passed over this for the next cover on the rack.

War of Kings: Warriors #1 by Paul Renaud



Simple, but effective. Striking and very focused. Lovely.

Guardians of the Galaxy #16 by Salvador Larroca



Meh. But that could be because I miss the old Drax and Warlock. Or it could be because this cover isn't very good. Whichever reason makes you feel better.

Nova #27 by Daniel Acuna



Good design, nice use of colour to bring one character into focus while not distancing him from the background too much.

X-Force #17 and "bloody" variant by Mike Choi and Sonia Oback





I like the drawing and the pose, but there's not really anything to this cover. Either of them.

Cable #16 by Dave Wilkins



That kid has GIANT EYES. I like the concept, but it's a little empty. Doesn't anyone do background anymore?

New Mutants #3 by Adam Kubert



Hey! A background! And a compelling image! Nice!

Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #1 by Arthur Suydam



Okay, it says this is by Arthur Suydam, but it doesn't look like his work. Neither does it quite have the quality of Ed McGuinness who does the variant cover. *shrugs* Again, where's the background? Nice enough drawing.

Genext: United #3 by Alex Garner



Oh, those colours are just fucking horrendous. The image is okay.

X-Factor #46 by David Yardin



I like the close-up nature of this image. It focuses on the rage and energy of the fight without going for a "cat fight" feel. Well done.

Deadpool: Suicide Kings #4 by Mike McKone



No more goddamn homages to Amazing Fantasy #15! Or Action Comics #1! Or any of those cliched, over-referenced images! It's lazy! Create your own epic, memorable cover!

Wolverine: Origins #38 by Doug Braithwaite



This image looks familiar... another homage? Or is it just another Wolverine fighting someone cover?

Uncanny X-Men: First Class #1 by Roger Cruz



No background. Characters standing around. I don't care.

Wolverine: First Class #17 by Cameron Stewart



Heh. I like this. The body language, the composition, the actual drawing... really, really nice.

X-Men: Forever #4 by Tom Grummett



BORING BAD NO BACKGROUND NO MORE

Punisher: Frank Castle Max #72 by Dave Johnson



Johnson working the title of the storyarc into these covers has been really nice. A very design-oriented cover, but not that striking.

Terror Inc. -- Apocalypse Soon #4 by Marko Djurdjevic and Jalena Kevin Djurdjevic



Whatever.

Destroyer #4 by Jason Pearson



Nice use of colouring and dynamic image. Great facial expresson on the soldier.

Kabuki Reflections #14 by David Mack



Gorgeous, typical Mack.

And, now, the top five!

5. Incognito #6 by Sean Phillips



A great call-back to the second printing cover for the first issue. Very direct and grabs the attention.

4. Dark Reign: The Sinister Spider-Man #2 by Chris Bachalo



BACHALO! EATS HACKWORK! CRAPS OUT BRILLIANCE! BACHALO! CRAZY VENOM TONGUE! DYNAMIC ANGLE! BACHALO!

3. Woverine: Noir #4 by C.P. Smith



An old trick of using Wolverine's claws to reflect another person's face, but the way that Smith breaks the woman's face up is fantastic. As is the darkness on Logan... very evocative.

2. Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #3 by Karl Kerschl



A really interesting cover. Great conception, great execution, all around a great cover. I like it a lot.

1. Iron Man: Armored Adventures #1 variant by Scottie Young



Goddamn, Young is good! Everything about this cover works. It's cute, funny, energetic, beautiful. Well done, sir.

That's it until next month. What do you think?