Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • Cast Your Vote for the President's Vampire!

      Ace Masters
      March 1, 2011
      Busted Knuckles
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Exclusive Marvel Preview: "Kanan" #12

      Ace Masters
      March 10, 2016
      Marvel Comics, Previews
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • 4.0

      Micro Review: Port of Earth #1

      Ace Masters
      November 13, 2017
      Image, Indie, Reviews, Top Cow
    Recent
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 4.0

      Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Review

      Ace Masters
      November 27, 2012
      Reviews
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • 2.3

      Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

      Daniel Gehen
      February 16, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Tim Bradstreet: Bringing Yourself into Your Art

      Ace Masters
      August 28, 2013
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Classic Comics Cavlcade: Neil Gaiman's 'Death: the High Cost of Living'

      Ace Masters
      June 26, 2015
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Kim Thompson, 1956-2013

      Ace Masters
      June 20, 2013
      News
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Preview: 'An Unreliable History of Tattoos' from NoBrow Press

      Ace Masters
      March 30, 2016
      Books, News, Previews
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia
  • Collecting Profile: Kraven the Hunter
  • Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good
  • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY
  • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN'S UNIVERSE
  • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Columns

A Matter of Attention

Ace Masters
August 8, 2012
Columns, The Burning Mind

 

What does the cover look like on your favorite title that came out this week? NO PEEKING! Think, what does the cover look like?

I bet you’re not sure – but you’re sure the title character was on the cover. If you remember the cover vividly, good for you. If you looked, shame on you.

Okay, now you can look. Guess what? I bet you were surprised. If you weren’t sure what the cover was, you’re not alone.

I have written a couple of columns in the past bemoaning the importance of the cover of a comic book – what makes a good cover, bad cover and what exactly a cover should do. The main point of a cover is to get attention.

This whole thought came to mind a couple of weeks ago when I got home one Wednesday afternoon, sorted through my couple of dozen titles and it dawned on me: I never really looked at the covers while in the store. I just made sure I got my normal books and didn’t miss anything.

The only covers I did look at in the store were of new titles that launched, to see if anything got my attention. A couple did, most didn’t.

I came to the realization that 9 times out of 10, I don’t pay any attention to the covers of the titles on my pull list. I pay attention to the fact that I GET the titles on my pull list.

The only time I really pay attention to the cover is when I am looking for new titles I am interested in, usually after reading about them and seeing the cover art in advance.

I thought I might be alone in this, but I found out I am not. I talked to a few fellow readers at my local comic book store (Drawn to Comics), and a good chunk of them  – including owner Ken Brown – thought about it and realized the same thing: They really don’t look at the cover until they read the book.

I also talked to a few of my friends who don’t go to my comic book store. The results were the same. It turns out that 7 of the 10 people I talked to paid more attention to the getting their regular monthly titles than the the cover.

What about you? Can you say that while in store you pay attention to the cover of every title you get?

Does this speak of the fact that the covers aren’t doing their job? No. It speaks to the fact that we are creatures of habit – for that time we are in stores we are probably more concerned with making sure we get the new issue of Spider-man, Batman, Walking Dead, Morning Glories, than we are with the cover.

The cover’s job is to get attention and to mostly get attention from people who may not normally get the title or who are new to comics. If you have been reading Batman for 20 years – you’re already hooked. A great cover is nice, but odds are you’ll be reading even if the cover was sub-par.

Take the relaunch of Valiant for example. The covers look great so far, and the released cover art for upcoming titles looks good too. I know that I, and many others, don’t care about how good the covers are. We just care that Valiant is back.

Speaking of Valiant, I eagerly anticipated Bloodshot #1. After getting my books that week and heading home to sit down and read, I finally looked at the cover. I never noticed until that point that the red dot on Bloodshot’s chest bleeds into the old glory (This is the regular cover, not the incentives).

An ever better example of this is Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who – Assimilation 2 #3, Cover A. How many people noticed this cover in store? It’s a Next Generation/Eleventh Doctor crossover comic book, but Kirk, Spock and the Fourth Doctor are on the cover!

There is also an issue here, we all may be hooked on our favorite titles, creature of habits driven to make sure we get each issue. That also means we probably take it for granted. We expect each issue to be on the self, and we expect great art for the cover. Or at least we expect competent art.

Let’s try this next Wednesday. Go to your store, get your books, make sure you don’t miss an issue – but then stop. Take a moment to go through your titles. Check out the cover of each one. Then scan the new comics rack, even if there is nothing else you may pick up, just check out the covers.

Take a moment to appreciate them.

I know I will.

Ace.

Ace MastersThe Burning Mind

Share On:
Tweet
Idolized #1
Kevin O’Neill: A Film Worth Traveling Far and Wide to See

About The Author

<a href="http://comicsbulletin.com/byline/ace-masters/" rel="tag">Ace Masters</a>
Ace Masters

Andrew Tan is a writer for Comics Bulletin

Related Posts

  • The Last Column

    Ace Masters
    August 29, 2012
  • A Touch of Dementia

    Ace Masters
    July 25, 2012

Latest Columns

  • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

    Daniel Gehen
    February 8, 2021
  • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

    Daniel Gehen
    December 4, 2020
  • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

    Daniel Gehen
    October 30, 2020
  • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

    Daniel Gehen
    October 27, 2020
  • What Looks Good for the Week of 10/14/2020

    Daniel Gehen
    October 12, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders