In the interests of actually hitting a few deadlines around here, I’ve decided to abandon “The Good, The Bad and the Pretty” and break it down into its composite parts. Well, aside from the bad. I reckon there’s enough negativity out there about comics without me adding to it, so from now on I’m only going to focus on the good stuff.  Hooray.

So this column has a fairly simple premise, which I’m sure you can work out for yourselves. A few “honourable mentions”, followed by the cover I think is the most impressive of the week. Simples. Feel free to disagree, or suggest covers of your own for the top spot. Conversation and debate is the key to any good comic page, although – unfortunately- if you’re disagreeing with me, chances are you’re wrong.

Heh.

Anyway, let’s get this show on the road with some of the best of this week’s covers…

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The Movement #4 (DC Comics)

‘Mouse’ is a genius creation, and his rat-like tendencies (including the overwhelming urge to eat his deceased “offspring”) are brilliantly well observed. This cover sums up his awesome appeal perfectly as he unleashes his minions on the Coral City Police Dept. Great use of colour, and the rat at the bottom of the page leaping towards us with his defiant glare pretty much seals the deal for me. Awesomeness.

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Transformers: Robots in Disguise #20 (IDW Publishing)

Everyone’s favourite Transformers character (surely?) looking absolutely bad-ass.  What more can you ask for in a cover?  Robots in Disguise has been absolutely amazing to this point, focusing on the political machinations in the wake of the near-destruction of Cybertron.  And as the dust settles, King Starscream stands at the top of the pile.  A cracking rendition of a classic character, and that subtle smirk simply oozes awesome.  Just a great image.

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All-New X-Men #15 (Marvel Comics)

There’s just so much potential material to delve into with this title that Brian Michael Bendis must find himself spoiled for choice.  A top quality character-focused book, All-New X-Men has been one of the undeniable highlights of Marvel Now in the eyes of, well, pretty much everyone.  And this cover provides a shocking, attention-grabbing premise delivered in classic movie poster style.  I particularly love the use of the font on the caption to hammer home the kitsch appeal.  A great comic, and a brilliant cover.

Which leads us to…

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Cover of the Week

Ten Grand #4 (Image Comics)

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Ben Templesmith’s artwork on this series has been nothing short of stunning, and the fact that this cover is a perfect representation of the type of artwork you’re going to find inside the comic is something that we all need to take a moment to appreciate.  Watching Joe Fitzgerald diving headlong into hell itself to save his late wife is brilliantly depicted, and the glorious contrast in colour sets the whole thing off beautifully.  Buy this comic.  NOW!

And that’s all, folks.  Feel free to agree, disagree or suggest covers of your own.  And I’ll see you kids next week for another round of comic book eye candy.