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Wallace Sellars
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Posted: 21 September 2017 at 9:14pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

I remember JB saying that he considered adding the same word
balloon to the cover of each issue of ASSIGNMENT EARTH, and being
a little disappointed when he decided against it. I like word balloons on
comic book covers!
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Karl Wiebe
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Posted: 21 September 2017 at 9:18pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

Andrew wrote: "How recently have you looked at comic book covers? The "totally generic cover every single month" trend played out about ten years ago, and apart from #1 issues, most current Marvel and DC books give you a pretty decent guess what to expect on the inside."

I look at comic book covers every week, either at my local store or often online.  I agree with you Andrew, #1 issues are mostly generic (which is OK I guess) and I also agree with you that most current Marvel and DC have SOME attempt at hinting at the plot... but I would contend that there are much more generic covers than back in the 1980s for example. 

Examples (from Marvel Comics September 20 New Releases)

Words?  18 issues: every single one is wordless.

Generic?  18 issues: NOT every single one is generic, but some are:
  • America #7: Bruce Springsteen homage.  I doubt the issue features the Boss teaming up with the lady on the cover (could be wrong!)
  • Star Wars Annual #3: generic shot of Han Solo & Leia.
  • Poe Dameron #19: generic group shot.
  • Venom #154: generic.
  • Venomverse #3: generic.
  • Avengers #11: generic (iffy, but some might think it).

So out of 18 covers this week, 5-6 are generic.  In the 1980s or earlier, you might find 5-6 covers a YEAR that are generic. 

Not saying EVERY cover is generic, just that there is a higher percentage (and sometimes a MUCH higher percentage) and just wondering why.  I appreciate the feedback on the lead times and different artists working on the titles—that makes sense.



Edited by Karl Wiebe on 21 September 2017 at 9:20pm
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Rick Whiting
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Posted: 21 September 2017 at 11:48pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

Years ago, back when Bill Jemas was still calling the shots at Marvel, I recall reading an interview with (I think) Jemas where he said that he wanted all of the covers for Marvel comics to be generic pinup covers like magazine covers because that either helped magazine sales or helped attract a newer older audience (I don't recall his exact words, so I might be completely misquoting him).
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Bill Collins
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Posted: 22 September 2017 at 12:16am | IP Logged | 4 post reply

It would be a start if the cover artist was also the
interior artist,looking at Marvel Previews i find the
cover art attractive but the interior art very much not
to my taste on most Marvel titles.DC seems to have the
same artist do booth,or one of a similar style.
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Trevor Thompson
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Posted: 22 September 2017 at 5:50am | IP Logged | 5 post reply

In the ol' days when the audience was much bigger, the cover would be the main draw (well for me anyway). The audience mainly consists of adults who will get the book anyway (probably out of habit) so I guess there's no real need to make the covers appealing to someone just picking a book up on the whim. 
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Wallace Sellars
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Posted: 22 September 2017 at 6:23am | IP Logged | 6 post reply

It would be a start if the cover artist was also the interior artist...

---

Agreed! It usually feels like the ol' bait and switch is in play when a skilled artist
like Alan Davis draws a cover, but the interior artist doesn't produce anything
nearly as appealing. I am slightly more forgiving when it comes to Dave
Johnson's great covers since I have come to think of him as a cover artist. I'd
still rather see the entire issue drawn by him though.
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Robbie Parry
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Posted: 22 September 2017 at 6:30am | IP Logged | 7 post reply

The audience mainly consists of adults who will get the book anyway (probably out of habit) so I guess there's no real need to make the covers appealing to someone just picking a book up on the whim. 

***

That, right there, is the problem.

Older fans like myself won't be around forever. My 7-year-old nephew is someone they should be thinking about. We were all 7 once. And all I know is that action-oriented covers were what appealed to me.

I did see a Spider-Man cover as a kid which just featured a character pose (can't recall the issue). It was well-illustrated, but it didn't appeal to me as much as, say, one featuring Dr. Octopus trapping Captain America with his tentacles!
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John Popa
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Posted: 22 September 2017 at 7:34am | IP Logged | 8 post reply

Wasn't the old adage that it was gorillas and/or bondage on the cover that sold comics?
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Dave Phelps
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Posted: 22 September 2017 at 8:32am | IP Logged | 9 post reply

It was something like gorillas, the hero crying and maybe the color purple?

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Charles Valderrama
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Posted: 22 September 2017 at 9:23am | IP Logged | 10 post reply

I remember JB saying that he considered adding the same word 
balloon to the cover of each issue of ASSIGNMENT EARTH, and being 
a little disappointed when he decided against it. I like word balloons on 
comic book covers!

••••

ME TOO!!!! How sad that we've gone from this style of cover art:



to THIS:


-C!

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Robbie Parry
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Posted: 22 September 2017 at 9:35am | IP Logged | 11 post reply

The modern cover, Charles, also creates difficulties for me if looking for back issues: have I already bought that comic?

I could quite confidently state I don't have your first choice so if I came across that at a comic con, I'd buy it; but as for the modern cover, it looks like so many other covers from the past 12-15 years, that I'd have to look inside or Google it to be sure.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 22 September 2017 at 10:26am | IP Logged | 12 post reply

Let's face it, art is really about showing off. The artist is saying Look What I Can Do! Even bad artists (who probably don't think they're bad) do this. Neal Adams is saying it, and so is Rob Liefeld. And that's about as far apart on the spectrum as we can get.

The difference that has snuck in over the years is what the "do" represents. Time upon a once, it was Big! Powerful! Exciting! But it has become Photographic and dull. Take those two AVENGERS covers. The second it beautifully drawn, but. . .

I'm reminded of a possibly apocryphal story. When Jack Kirby returned to DC, Carmine Infantino supposedly showed him a cover done by one of their best artists. It was a group of heroes standing at attention, facing the reader. Beautifully drawn, as only that artist could do it. Supposedly, Kirby took one look and said "But shouldn't they be DOING something?"

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