I haven’t read it, so I can’t comment on the writing, but I think the cover is very informative. Witch Doctor’s cover does a very good job of marketing itself to prospective readers that would be interested (although I’m probably not one of them).  Even the logo is eye-catching.

• The character’s personality comes across in his appearance.
• I like the twists on actual medical symbols (Caduceus’s snakes become demonic leeches, the medical staff is replaced with a bloody sword, and even the Red Cross gets subverted).
• The red, white and black color scheme is striking.
• The art is actually similar to what you’ll see inside the book.  One thing I find annoying is when the cover looks really solid but the art inside is at best mediocre.
• The cover gives me a very good idea of what the series is about.

As if the nipples on the Batsuit weren’t bad enough.  To be fair, though, it was the 1950s (Detective Comics #241).

DISTINCTIVE:

TOO BLAND:

2. To stand out to prospective customers in a comic book store, it needs to be easily readable at 10-15 feet. If that sounds difficult, look at some of the following logos after walking to the other end of the room. Even at these shrunken sizes (50-75% smaller than they would appear on a real cover), the good ones are legible.  Be sparing with unusual font selection and text effects, because these can limit readability.

LEGIBLE (at a quarter of its actual size!)

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

3) Don’t use too many colors. I would recommend limiting the logo to two.  First, that will make it easier to color-coordinate the covers of subsequent issues with the logo.  Second, having too many colors may make it look garish.

SICK (AWESOME)

SICKLY (EWW)

4) Generally, I think it’s easier to read title text that is lighter text on a darker background (or outline). Note: this is virtually the ONLY time it is acceptable to use light text on a dark background!

HARD ON THE EYES (AND NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE APES)

MORE LEGIBLE (AND APE-FREE)

6.  Don’t use objects to box in your text. If you let the text overrun the background object, it’ll create an impression of depth and will draw the reader’s eye to the title text, which should usually be the focal point.

AWKWARD/BOXED IN:

BETTER:

(Also, the color selection on the JLA logo is significantly better).

Thanks to Joe Acevado and Joe Klein for gathering these logos.

2.  It needs to stand out at a distance of 10+ feet.  The single most important audience segment for most comic book covers is prospective readers browsing through a comic book store.  Before they examine the product, you have to grab their attention.  Bold color combinations are one effective way to do so.  I find that scenes involving motion (particularly extraordinary motion, such as a Batman karate leap) tend to be more eye-catching.  Obviously, it helps if something interesting and/or unexpected is  happening.  More on that here.  Finally, the title/logo should be legible across the room (at least 10 feet). 

3.  Focus on what’s different or unusual about your series.  One recurring type of awfulness is a pointless closeup on something mundane.  For example, if you do a closeup on a character’s face, show something unusual about him.  For example, if you’re doing a G.I. Joe-style story about a macho soldier, instead of just zooming in on his face, maybe he’s facing the reader with a smile while an enemy in the background is taking aim at him.  Depending on the level of extraordinariness, maybe you’d have the soldier shooting at the target without even looking that way.  Also, even if the character looks deliberately generic like Peter Parker, use elements like emotion, pose, lighting, perspective and setting/scenery to make the shot memorable.   

4.  If possible, work in what’s at stake.  For example, place a character in danger.  Depending on the plot, that might be physical danger or the risk of losing something (s)he values.  For example, a romance might show the two characters breaking up and/or bitterly fighting, which would be more interesting than just seeing them enjoying 100% happy, conflict-free love.  Save “happily ever after” for when the story is over. 

5.  Assume that the typical prospective reader knows nothing about your work, especially early on.  (A lot of readers jump in a series at some point other than issue #1).  Is it an effective introduction?  Does the cover make sense to somebody that didn’t know the characters and story beforehand? Is it easy to discern the gist of the series from the cover?

Bonus #6: Put some thought into the perspective. Ground-level, head-on shots are rarely the most interesting way to show something happening.

As far as supernatural fantasies starring teen heroines go, this is pretty close to perfect.  But red-blooded Americans of the non-girl variety would probably like this better.  The bloody handprints were a cheery touch.

And here’s probably the funniest Hitler-themed video I’ve seen in, umm, ever.

• For example, someone would look pretty mundane smoking a cigar, but what if he were smoking right next to a corpse?  Probably much more interesting.
• Holding an iPod is boring, but Thor holding an iPod raises an interesting contrast between tradition and modernity.
• Many badass detectives and criminals carry guns, but it’s distinctly more disturbing if it’s a kid holding a massive sniper rifle… with a Kennedy campaign button.
• A guy holding a briefcase is the epitome of dullness.  But a guy handcuffed to a briefcase or a mutant alligator holding a briefcase is more striking.

Combat

• Usually the protagonists are depicted as losing the fight (or right before the fight starts).  It wouldn’t look as threatening or exciting if the good guys were winning.
• Try to present it in an unusual angle or perspective.   For example, it probably wouldn’t be too interesting to see a soldier milling about as a terrorist is setting up an ambush around a corner.  If it’s a “war is hell” story, I’d add more terrorists to increase the danger level and give the soldier a decidedly peppy German shepherd and use huge letters to display a creepy title like THE DOG DIES FIRST.
• I don’t think that combat covers are as prevalent as they used to be.

Text portrayed in an unusual way.

• Words scrawled in blood.  This is cliche but could be effective.
• An advertisement for a product or campaign.  I believe in Harvey Dent!
• A message formed with letters cut out of a magazine, like an old-school bomber or terrorist would use.
• Alphabet soup would probably offer a quirky, offbeat style.
• Spray-paint and/or graffiti are gritty and urban.
• A street sign– I was toying around with an idea like 2600 Pennsylvania Avenue for a somewhat realistic detective story set in one of Washington’s worst areas.  Since I figure that most people will see “Pennsylvania Avenue” and think of the White House, I hope that the visual of the slum ten blocks away would be very striking.  (PS: If you ever get me inebriated, ask me about the time the Secret Service burst out of a wall to detain a wildly stupid tween).

Strike a pose!

• A character (usually the hero or villain) does something that looks cool.  Sometimes the action in question is really important to the plot, like Captain America decking Hitler in the face.  But it doesn’t have to be.  In The Dark Knight Returns, it’s not particularly important where Batman is jumping.  It just looks helluva cool.
• Unexpected emotions often make for cool poses.  For example, grimly looking at a person you just killed probably wouldn’t look too engaging.  But cheerfully smoking a cigar would probably interest more readers.  There’s obviously some overlap between striking a pose and unexpected actions.

Faceless characters

• Removing the face tends to make a character more iconic.  It lets readers fill in the individual details on their own.  Also, faceless characters may be more mysterious and/or kickass.
• These hoodlums look much, much more awesome with obscured faces.  (For additional examples, please see pretty much any issue starring The Hood).  

Characters using a superpower

• This can be an effective way to establish the tone of the series in an eye-catching way, particularly if the superpower makes use of striking colors (such as Cyclops’ eye-beam or the Human Torch setting himself on fire or Ironman firing his lasers).
• I would recommend using the power to put a character in danger and/or suggest what’s in store for the characters this issue.  For example, if the protagonist is on a stealthy infiltration mission and can go invisible, you could create a gritty and creepy effect by having him choke a guard with only part of his arms visible.

Cities in danger (or destroyed)

• It’s more conventional to show the city merely endangered, but either one is a good way to show what is (or was) at stake for the heroes.
• I would highly recommend against depicting events that don’t actually happen in the book.  (For example, one popular trope from decades past was to show something really exciting or sensational happening on the cover and then revealing in-story that it was just a dream or computer simulation.  Use your discretion on time-travel and imposters).  The point of the cover is to attract readers that will enjoy the product.  If you show something that doesn’t actually happen, your cover will attract readers that are not well-suited to your product.  For example, if you show a city cratered, you’re suggesting a rather gritty tone and will scare away ungritty readers.  If your series is relatively ungritty, that’s absolutely a mistake.

Seriously wounded or dead people

• This conveys a sense of urgency/danger and usually presents a visually striking image.
• For a more somber and less violent feel, you might use a coffin and/or scenes from a funeral instead.  (One of my favorite covers is from the perspective of a body being interred, looking up at a set of crying characters in funeral garb).

This is obviously not a comprehensive list.  What are some elements of the comic book covers you’ve enjoyed most?

Also, I recommend looking at Comic Book Resources’ list of the 50 best comic book covers of 2009.  I had only seen four of them!

GREEN LANTERN COVER by *JoeJusko on deviantART

For example, let’s say we have two covers that use the world as a soccer ball. (The issue’s title is Americans Don’t Play Soccer, and the issue is about Darfurian genocide and other things very far removed from the typical American’s life.  For ideological balance, we might add a thinly veiled Obama vis-a-vis the Iranian democracy movement).

Cover #1:  On a soccer field, the villain is standing next to a globe.  In the background, the hero is the only thing between him and the net. The villain’s pose would probably look lifeless, like these.

Cover #2:  On a soccer field, the villain is doing an insane flip as he punts the world at the hero.  The cover would probably look a lot more energetic and stylish.  This is particularly important because the cover will probably show the villain from the back.  It’s quite hard to strike an immobile pose from behind.

It would probably also help if the hero/goalie had some action. Bracing himself for impact is a little bit banal, so I’d like something that’s striking and makes it clear that this comic isn’t really about soccer. So let’s say the hero is bracing himself behind a transparent SWAT shield.

(Picture taken courtesy of The Baltimore Sun; you can read their review here).

This novel has been published by Harper-Collins, so I’m sort of surprised by how unappealing the cover is.  It looks like it’s been slapped together for a self-published novel.  There’s a typo on the cover. (“a terrific send-up not only superheroes in general” is missing the word “of”).

What do you think?  What worked and what didn’t?  What would you have changed?

UPDATE: The author of this book has contacted us, saying that the cover is an “uncorrected draft.”  Erm, the book has been out for two months.  Isn’t it well past time to correct it?  Moreover, what were the circumstances that led a publisher to rush out a book that didn’t have a good cover ready?

Version 1:

Savior 28 cover B by ~jxdrawingstuff on deviantART

Version 2:

Savior 28 cover A by ~jxdrawingstuff on deviantART

I’d say this isn’t even close: version 2 is far more distinct and interesting. Also, spraying the blood across “We can save the world” is a neat touch that suggests the writing has at least some style. In contrast, the first version is an unacceptably bland fight between a Superman-knockoff and a faceless Nazi. It’s hard to imagine a more forgettable way to introduce a series. Finally, I’d say there’s a problem because these two covers do not seem to be selling the same series. Version 1 looks like it’s ok for kids, and version 2 obviously does not.

What do you think?

Well, at this point, hopefully the art can stand on its own without explanation.  Here are some impressions I had.  What do you think?

• The characters seem too tall relative to the water-cooler and rocket launcher.
• I’ll probably end up replacing the logo’s color gradient with a straight blue.
• I can replace the reptile’s suitcase with a badge that he’s showing off.  Right now, I think the large size of the seal on his suitcase is a bit distracting.  We could mount the seal on the back wall.

There are still a few changes in store.

• The art needs to be cleaned up, particularly along the edges.  (The top of both characters, the bottom of Agent Black’s pants, the bottom-right of Agent Orange’s suitcase, etc.)
• A rocket launcher will be propped against the water cooler.
• Right now, it looks like the background may distract too much from the characters.  I will probably move the water cooler farther away and to the left, and move Agent Orange towards the center.
• The logo is getting better but still needs a bit of cleanup.

What do you think?

1. Fleshing out our cover.  The concept was that Agent Black would be flummoxed by the utter wackiness of Agent Orange’s presidential bobblehead collection.  This was our first draft of the concept.

In hindsight, I think this wouldn’t work for prospective readers. It’s not clear enough what’s going on. Too many questions, not enough answers. So I decided to overhaul the concept.  (I describe the overhaul below).

2.  We were also designing the head of Agent Orange, the wacky mutant alligator.  As you can see above, he looked really cartoony on the first go.  We had made some headway toning that down, but it has still been a difficult, draining and (so far) not particularly successful process.

So what I decided to do was to go with a cover design that wouldn’t use Agent Orange’s head.  A.O. doesn’t appear in the first five pages, so cutting his head out of the cover means that we can put off designing him until we get published.  )Our submission will include the cover and first five pages, so he won’t be depicted in the submission).  If we design his head after getting published, the advantage is that we’ll have editorial feedback and a larger budget.

However, I still want both main characters in the cover.  How can I do that without using their heads?  I envision that it’ll look something like this.

A few things have to be smoothed out, though.

1. We don’t have a background yet, but we will eventually. That awful light blue screen won’t appear in the cover at all.
2. The art is choppy in a few places.  (Look closely at the suitcase, particularly at the bottom-right corner, etc).
3. In the logo, the colored spaces will be expanded to make the letters easier to read.

What do you think?  Better, worse, the same?  What could we use for a background in that space?  (Ideally something that suggests this is a comedy). Is the logo effective?