Comic Cover of the Week (1-23-13)

Browsing this week's releases left me without an eye-catching cover image. Now the good news. The show must go on, so I'm switching it up for this week. Instead of presenting you with one cover image, I'm giving you five. But of course I have to give it a twist. So here are five covers showcasing awesome female characters.

Astonishing X-Men #58 by Phil Noto

The Shi'ar warrior featured here is Warbird. Here's a relatively new character who's been receiving a lot of attention not only in this book, but also in Wolverine and the X-Men. Warbird is no stranger to Comic Cover of the Week and she's certainly welcomed back.

Cobra #21 by Antonio Fuso

Yo Joe! Though the book is named after the criminal organization, the overall focus is on a small team of Joes. One of whom is Ronin. Who doesn't love a lady with a sword?

Batwoman #16 by J.H. Williams III

If there's anything you should know about this book it's the amazing visuals that Williams has provided. Here, we see what Batwoman and Wonder Woman have been up to during their team-up.

Winter Soldier #14 by Daniel Acuna

Black Widow. She's one of the deadliest WITHOUT powers. Cool character drawn by an amazing artist. Natasha's stock has risen exponentially thanks to mainstream media focus from her appearances in the films Iron Man 2 and Marvel's Avengers. Sidenote: this is Ed Brubaker's final issue on the title and it's a memorable one. I highly recommend it.

Uncanny X-Force #1 by Olivier Coipel

This final piece drawn by Coipel, who I would certainly love to be doing more ongoing work, features two of not only my favorite X-women, but also favorite characters in general, Storm and Psylocke. Joining them are the six times as deadly Spiral and newcomer Cluster. Spiral has not been seen in a while, so it'll be interesting to catch up with her. If you caught the solicit not too long ago, you were probably wondering who the female Fantomex was. That question was answered at the end of the previous Uncanny X-Force series.

This part may or may not seem confusing but if it does, don't worry, it happens. Fantomex had three brains: one being the Fantomex we've come to know and love, a second being this version known as Cluster and the last one who is a not-so-nice fella. Fantomex died during the "Final Execution" arc. He was brought back at the end of that storyline which was also the end of that book. During his resurrection, his brains were separated and placed into their own bodies. You still with me? Okay, well that's where Cluster comes in and here we are. The final page of this book caught me, and I'm sure many other readers, by surprise. I'm definitely looking forward to the second issue.

Cover of the Week

If you survived the end of the world and you're reading this, good for you. If you didn't survive and you're reading this, I don't really know what to tell you except, well...good for you. In other words, blah blah blah, let's talk comics. It was a HUGE week for releases, due in part to Marvel's double-shipping schedule. But that's a story for another time. Beyond that load of Marvelous titles, a new book caught my eye. I saw the first two issues of Image Comics' Comeback, so I figured I'd check them out.

One of the many books I purchased this week was Astonishing X-Men #57 by Phil Noto. The center of attention is a young star by the name of Warbird.

I can't recall the first time I read a book Noto worked on, but the more I see his work, the more I appreciate it. And I'm getting a healthy dose of it in Dark Horse's Ghost. I am also a fan of Warbird; her character and design. I want to see her kick as much butt as possible. And she does that well. Plus, swords as a weapon of choice don't hurt. The aspect that stands out the most are the eyes. There's a lot conveyed through them here.

Thanks for looking and happy reading. Safe travels to anyone traveling for the holidays.

Cover of the Week

New Comic Book Day has come and gone. I hope it was good for everyone. I picked up a ton of books and can't wait to read them. Two books I ordered didn't come in, but that happens unfortunately.

Now let's get to some serious business. Yes, it's Cover of the Week. Sometimes a cover can sell a book. Sometimes a cover will keep a book on the shelf. But that's pretty rare. Or is it? Check out Phil Noto's cover for Astonishing X-Men #55.

Noto's cover depicts the X-Men as part of the ammo belt for a weapon. That by itself gets my vote. On the belt are Wolverine, Iceman, Gambit, Northstar and Warbird. It does tie into the ongoing story; you'll know how if you're reading this title. I'm curious about the language going down the cover just under the trigger. We'll to just have to read to find out what it means.

What do you think? Do you have another pick in mind? Let the world know. Thanks for looking.