The Cool Kids Table: Art Attack: July 2012's Coolest Covers

-I like to think Mark Bagley’s cover to Avengers Assemble #5 is a bit of an homage to both Darick Robertson on New Warriors #39 and himself on Thunderbolts #30. In my world it is.

-Longtime readers (as well as listeners of This Week in Marvel) know that Kalman Andrasofsky is one of my very favorite cover artists, so him drawing Batroc on Captain America & Iron Man #634 is like chocolate and peanut butter for me if I wasn’t lactose intolerant.

-Anybody more artisticially clever than me (most people) probably took far less time to pick up on this, but the way Paolo Rivera has barbed wire standing in for radar sense on the cover to Daredevil #15 is pretty darn brilliant. Also, this is my current desktop background at work.

-Terry Dodson does one of my favorite renditions of Iron Fists’ white and gold costume, seen this go around on Defenders #8. He’s also selling me on Carol Danvers’ new Captain Marvel costume on Avenging Spider-Man as well as her own book. He gets my nod for cover artist of the month as well as a dude who knows how to make style work.

-The busier Philip Tan’s work is, the more I like it; that’s not a truism for all artists, but check out Demon Knights #11’s cover.

-Perhaps only Adam Hughes can make negative space so attractive, as seen on Fairest #5. Also, a polar bear!

-Francis Manapul’s talent is growing at such an exponential rate that he may have to be stopped.

-That John Carter: Gods of Mars cover from Julian Totino Tedesco would not look out of place in a gallery, I daresay (good book, too, check it out).

-Very different kind of Scarlet Spider piece from Ryan Stegman this time out, as he continues to experiment and stretch his style. Very intrigued and excited to see him transition to Fantastic Four where he’ll have so much to play with.

-I want to read a book drawn by Tony Moore that is entirely about the Venom symbiote trying to get away from its host. Also, grotesquely huge Toxin can be the ongoing villain. And kudos to Rick Remender for continuing to utilize the B-list bad guys he brought back during his Punisher run like Human Fly and Megatak.

-We so rarely see folks outside of Charlie Adlard drawing Walking Dead, then when somebody whose work is as distinctive as Marc Silvestri does it, it stands out for sure.

-It took me a few looks to realize Sabretooth is actually ripping Wolverine’s face off his own on Simone Bianchi’s cover to Wolverine #310 because the art on its own was that good.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #5 by Mark Bagley