April 3

It is Good Friday. Last night, I came back from buying my comics in the Quad Cities, and I drove through a shelf cloud. It was something I had never experienced before. It was clear and then it was as if I had hit a wall as the rain fell. I can go a long time without doing that again.

Also-Rans: Tyler Rake: An Extraction Story #1, Wonder Man #1, Alien: King Killer #1, and venom #256 (B cover).

Bronze Medalist

Daredevil #1

Cover art by Lee Garbett

The brand new Daredevil series kicked off with a great A cover and a bunch of blind bag variants. The variants I have at this point do not match up with this classic DD cover from Lee Garbett.

Silver Medalist

Kilroy is Here #1

Variant Cover B

Cover art by Brian Bolland

The variant cover for the new one-shot featuring Kilroy is a beautiful black and white version with our returning character. It is a compelling cover for a fun issue.

Gold Medalist

Narco #1

2nd Printing

Cover art by Daniel Hillyard

Typically I do not worry about picking up 2nd printings of comics, but this cover just was so awesome that I had to have it. This second printing of the Narco #1 cover is better than the original.

March 19

I am on time this week! YES!

It felt like a lighter week, book wise, but I do have several of the also-rans to get into. I thought there were some really good. Interestingly enough, all cover As this week. No variants.

Also-Rans: Cyclops #2, The Lucky Devils #7, Marc Spector: Moon Knight #2, Absolute Flash #13, Captain America #8, The Mortal Thor #8, Lobo #1, and Leprechaun Horror Comics #1.

Bronze Medalist

The Sentry

Cover art by Alex Maleev

What a cool cover for the new The Sentry series. The shadowy hand that Sentry is looking at is clearly a reference to the Void, which is a clever and awesome image. I also love the colors of the cover, with the bright gold feeling around Sentry with the blackness around it.

Silver Medalist

Dead Teenagers #1

Cover art by Naomi Franq

The new hot book of the week is Oni Press’s Dead Teenagers and I love how we get the images of the teens in the cloak of the Grim Reaper. Of course, I have always loved the black background and the entire image makes this cover pop.

Gold Medalist

The Infernal Hulk #5

Cover art by Nic Klein

You do not usually see this kind of brightness on a comic cover, especially in an Infernal Hulk series. Infernal Hulk looks fabulous on the cover and, despite the colorful cover, there is a fearful feel to this cover.

March 15

It’s the Ides of March and I forgot to do this column this week. I had parent/teacher conferences on Thursday so it changed up when I picked up my books. I never even thought about it until about five minutes ago.

So here are this week’s belated Favorite covers of the week.

Also-Rans: Crownville #5, X-Men United #1, The Exorcism at Buckingham Palacce #1, Alias: Red Band #1, Space Ghost #9, Bleeding Hearts #2, and Transformers #30.

Bronze Medalist

Mark Spears Monsters #9

Variant Cover C

Cover art by Mark Spears

I do love evil clowns, especially those drawn by Mark Spears. There is a rolling pin in the middle of the page.

Silver Medalist

Ordained #2

Cover art by Jorge Fornes

We have been waiting for Ordained #2 for a long time. It was worth the wait. The bloody gun in the hand of Father Craig as he peaks around the corner of the brick wall really gives a strong story about what this issue is about. I love the darkness and how Craig’s clothes blend into it.

Gold Medalist

Mark Spears Monsters #9

Variant Cover D

Cover art by Mark Spears

Mark Spears art with 3D. Is it a little gimmicky? Sure. However, how can you turn down out favorite monsters with 3D glasses on their faces? This is a lot of fun and grabs mark Spears another gold medal.

February 19

Two variant covers in the medal winners stand out this week. One Marvel, One DC, and one independent. That is fun.

Also-Rans: The End of Life #1, White Sky #1, Smile For the Camera #1 (Foil), Amazing Spider-Man #22, Ultimate Spider-Man #24 (Cover E), X-Men #25 and Fantastic Four #8.

Bronze Medalist

Batman/Superman World’s Finest #48

Variant cover B

Cover art by Mark Spears

Last year’s cover champ returns for a Bronze Medal with the first time Mark Spears draws The Joker. As always, he brings a gravitas to the covers.

Silver Medalist

Smile: For the Camera #1

Cover art by Skylar Patridge

Dark ID has come out with a new story set in the Smile universe. Smile is one of the creepiest and scariest horror film franchises and now, looking at this cover, perhaps Smile is going to make this one of the best horror comics around. The scissors on this cover with the blood dripping from them… frightening.

Gold Medalist

It’s Jeff! Meets Daredevil #1

Variant Cover C

Cover art by Nic Klein

Some of my favorite covers recently have been horror movie homages, and last year’s cover of the year was a Jaws metal cover from the Mark Spears Monster run. This cover has the same pieces to it and I just love DD as Jaws coming up under Jeff. Those giant fangs and wide open mouth of Daredevil makes this one of the best variants of the year so far.

February 5

Back on time on a Thursday night!

An intriguing week with a couple really great covers, but not as deep as some weeks. I had a hard time choosing the top three, but it was not as deep of a week as usual.

Also-Rans: Superman: Chains of Love #1 (C cover), Twilight Zone #4 ( A cover), Twilight Zone (B Cover), and Ripcord #1.

Bronze Medalist

Sam and Twitch Case Files #21

Cover art by Van Randal

I find this awesome cover a little creepy. I will say that this guy made me think of Muse from Marvel. The black and white always makes me happy and the red hands is even creepier.

Silver Medalist

War Wolf #4

Cover art by David Talaski

War Wolf #4 has a really cool cover that makes me feel like an old time newspaper, especially like a tabloid newspaper. I find this a clever use of the cover to help make me more excited for the book.

Gold Medalist

Uncanny X-Men #23

Cover art by David Marquez & Matthew Wilson

A great shot of the Uncanny X-Men cast in the darkness. I love this cover. It truly stands out making these characters look bad ass.

January 31

I am a couple of days late for this column this week. I think the biggest issue has been the Genre-ary, which has been going on every day this month. It has been busy so this post just never crossed my mind until tonight as I was reading these books. With the Genre-ary done until 2027, hopefully this will get back on track.

Also-Rans: Survive #5, Malevolent #1 (sketch cover), Do Not Disturb #1, Iron Man #1, Sonja Reborn #1, Spirit of the Shadows #1, and DC’s Supergirl Next Door #1.

Bronze Medalist

Feral #20

Variant Cover B (Halloween H20 homage cover)

Cover art by Tony Fleecs, Trish Forstner & Allen Passaloqua

The horror movie homage covers for Feral has been consistently sensational. This is one I recognized immediately as the Halloween H2O poster is the homage here. I love these homage covers.

Silver Medalist

Conan the Barbarian #28

Cover art by Gerardo Zaffino

This is a beautifully brutal cover with the blood running down Conan’s head. The black and white cover with the red blood is very striking.

Gold Medalist

Dust to Dust #7

Cover art by JG Jones

Dust to Dust is back after quite a layoff, with its fantastic covers jumping right back into the medal rounds. The beautiful image of the fire in the background makes this cover pop. JG Jones has been a regular in this column with Dust to Dust, and the Image book is right back into the race.

January 22

It’s a cold, cold night… and the wind was blowing through the poplar tree…

That was something my dad would say on cold nights. And we are in a stretch now that is really cold. So cold that school has been canceled for tomorrow. That gives me a chance to get these new comics read. Since I got new comics the last two days, it is time for the Favorite Comic Covers of the week!

Also Rans: Terrorbytes #4, Bloodland #1, The Beauty #3, The New Avengers #8 (VARIANT), and Rogue #1.

Bronze Medalist

Mortal Thor #6

Cover art by Alex Ross

Alex Ross is a former winner of the Comic Cover Artist of the Year and he has consistently given us class covers, such as this Thor cover with the Cobra on it. It is a classic Alex Ross cover!

Silver Medalist

Amazing Spider-Man #20

Amazing Vision Variant

Cover art by Lee Bermejo

This a cool cover (even though Juggernaut is not in this issue). Bermejo has become one of the best Spidey variant artist around as this is a beautiful action moment between the two characters.

Gold Medalist

Captain America #6

Variant Foil

Cover art by Ivan Tao

I have been ignoring foil covers lately, but I could not pass this one by. It is so beautiful, especially the big, silver star on the chest of Captain America. This foil is a masterpiece.

January 15

A busy week with some good comics, but honestly, not as many comic covers this week as some have been. Most of them are good, but few that really pop out among the others.

Also Rans: The Monster and the Wolf #2 (Cover E)- Last week I got these early, but this week I picked up cover E with Creature of the Black Lagoon on it. It just fell short of being the first variant to metal in consecutive weeks. The Ultimates #20, Uncanny X-Men #22, Space Ghost #7, and Like A Bell in the Month of May #1 (a comic from local creators in Davenport).

Bronze Medalist

Wonder Woman Black and Gold 2026 Special

Cover Art done by Cliff Chiang

The coloring of this book is what makes it the bronze medalist this week. I love the gold and black with Diana in the middle. Really stands out.

Silver Medalist

Logan: Black, White & Blood #1

Cover art by Alex Maleev

An awesome and brutal looking feral Wolverine. The black and white cover with just a few splashes of red for the blood makes this truly beautiful.

Gold Medalist

Geiger #20

Cover art by Sean Von Gorman

Spotted this variant cover on the stand and I loved it. It is an homage to Wicked, with Geiger playing the role of Elphaba. It works on so many levels, with the green and black and the white cloak on the side.

January 8

Welcome back to the EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week. The more things change, the more they stay the same. You’ll see what I meant by that in a little bit.

Also-Rans: Godzilla Kai-Sei #6 (Superman #75 homage cover), The Twilight Zone #3, Blue Falcon and Dynomutt #5, Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League #6, Absolute Superman #15, Absolute Batman: Ark-M #1, and Ultimate X-Men #23 (B cover).

Bronze Medalist

Amazing Spider-Man #19

Amazing Visions Variant

Cover art by Lee Bermejo

A lovely cover featuring the Punisher. Bermejo really made this epic. Punisher looked unhinged… just as he should look.

Silver Medalist

Batman #5

Variant 1:25

Cover art by David Aja

This is an awesome cover with Batman and a crow (or raven, perhaps) squawking on his shoulder. The expression on Batman’s face is priceless. I have always been a fan of white backgrounds.

Gold Medalist

The Monster and the Wolf #2

Cover B

Cover art by Mark Spears

2026 looks to be just like 2025. Our Cover Artist of the Year for 2025 is back on the top in 2026. Technically, this book shouldn’t be out yet. It is released next week, but Keenspot sent this to me today, so they must have known that Mark Spears was heading back to the Gold Medal stand. This is a really creepy cover with disturbing imagery.

January 1

Happy New Year!

We start off with the 2026 Favorite Comic Cover Artist race. Year one was won by Alex Ross and year two was won by Mark Spears. Will either of them repeat for year three? Spoiler: neither are in the medalists this week.

It is a skip week for DC and there were not very many other books released this week.

Also-Rans: Sorcerer Supreme #1, The Punisher: Red Band #4 (Cover B), The Undead Iron Fist #4,and Escape #5.

Bronze Medalist

Harley Quinn x Elvira #1

Variant Blind Bag Virgin

Cover art by Amanda Conner

This was from the Harley Quinn x Elvira Mystery Variant Blind Bag. It was a virgin cover from Amanda Conner, who did several different covers for the bags. I love the sketch version of the art, though she apparently had a few special, hand-drawn version in the bags. This is not that, but still a cool idea. Blind Bags are all the rage right now.

Silver Medalist

Feral #19

Variant Cover B (Horror Homage)

Cover art by Tony Fleecs, Trish Forstner & Allen Passalaqua

The horror homages from Feral continue to be some of the best covers on the market. This one is in honor of Five Nights at Freddy’s, but this book is much better than that one.

Gold Medalist

X-Men: Age of Revelation-Finale #1

Variant Cover C

Cover art by Marcus Martin.

The big finale for the X-Men event has this awesome Cyclops variant cover, showing off future Cyclops blasting his optic blast into the air. The white with gold is a real standout among a bunch of great covers for the finale issue.

December 27

So we have come down to the final Comic Covers of the year. Of course, these are the lame duck ones, since none of these will go into the vote for Best Comic Cover artist of the Year. We have already given the medals for that, with Mark Spears winning the 2025 Award.

Also Rans: American Caper #2, Event Horizon: Dark Descent #4, Gray Lady #1, The Will of Doom #1, The Lion King #2, and Cloak or Dagger #3,

Bronze Medalist

Hello Darkness #17

Variant Cover B

Cover art by Jenny Frison

A Jenny Frison cover always awesome, and this one is just so with that eyeball lollipop. I love the red in the background as it matches her eyes.

Silver Medalist

No Man’s Land #4

Cover art by Szymon Kudranski

This is actually the first of the four No Man’s Land covers that did not end up with a Gold Medal. It is still beautiful with the snow white on the cover and the blood splatter in the middle. Kudranski wound up with the Silver Medal for the Cover Artist of the Year.

Gold Medalist

DC KO: Red Hood vs. The Joker #1

Variant Cover C

Cover art by Guillem March

This variant cover of the DC KO fight books jumped off the stand as I was looking at the DC books. The veiny arm of the Joker holding that crowbar, which means so much to Jason Todd. It is a stunning piece of art and a fine, final gold medal cover for 2025.

Next week will start the new year’s Comic Cover Artist competition fresh for 2026.