Anyone fans of "Poser" covers...... not me 0

[Brian Peck]

I have been collecting comic art for almost 40 years, which included interior pages, pinups, splashes and cover. I prefer interior pages since it tells the story and they are what draws me to much of my collection, the stories I read as a kid.

I own around 200 covers, most are pre-2000. Like the interior pages I prefer the cover that relate to the story inside and have background. Not all covers have background but many are still great images. I have found more and more in the last 15-20 years that a good number of covers for comic books are just of the characters posing. Not fighting, saving someone or doing some other action or task. Just standing there like they are a runway model. 

While I do own a few cover that are just the characters standing or posing, most are related to the interior story and show characters in action or convey where is the story inside.

The "Poser" cover to me are just pinups used for the cover, I have nothing against pinups but not on covers. Covers used to be used to sell the story inside, now many are just the hot artist and their poser/pinup artwork. Many of the "Poser" covers could be used for many issues so long as those characters appear in the comic.

What has happened to the classic covers that told a story? 

Anyone else sick of "Poser" covers over running the industry?

 

I used to own this cover, bought it when the original X_men were brought back, first I thought Stuart Immonen art was a wraparound, then found out it was a wraparound and another single cover. I went on a big Immonen buying spree, owned 5 covers by Stuart now down to just two. I sold this one off, since I got the cover from issue 5 which I love a great composition cover

 

 

Still own this Pacheco House of X #1 cover. I love this art but it leaves me wanting. It could be a cover to many x-men issue featufing the X-Men.

Edited March 31, 2023 by Brian Peck

[gumbydarnit]

I’m with ya, I like the cover to depict a scene    from the story. If I see a bunch of heroes standing around posing, I figure the story is about heroes standing around, I can pass on that comic… no need to pick it up and look inside.

No way I could walk by this one without picking it up!

Edited March 31, 2023 by gumbydarnit

[MAR1979]

Not saying I prefer them but for many posed covers and splashes make for frame and display pieces.

Yeah comics today seemingly contain only single or double page splashes with maybe 7-10 words per page.

[The Voord]

Totally agree, Brian, a good cover design should be intriguing . . . wanting you to read the story behind it

Superheroes standing round, not doing much . . . doesn't do much for me.

Yeah, I get that they make nice display pieces for art collectors of . . . superheroes standing around, not doing much.

[Bronty]

On 3/30/2023 at 10:19 PM, Brian Peck said:

I have been collecting comic art for almost 40 years, which included interior pages, pinups, splashes and cover. I prefer interior pages since it tells the story and they are what draws me to much of my collection, the stories I read as a kid.

I own around 200 covers, most are pre-2000. Like the interior pages I prefer the cover that relate to the story inside and have background. Not all covers have background but many are still great images. I have found more and more in the last 15-20 years that a good number of covers for comic books are just of the characters posing. Not fighting, saving someone or doing some other action or task. Just standing there like they are a runway model. 

While I do own a few cover that are just the characters standing or posing, most are related to the interior story and show characters in action or convey where is the story inside.

The "Poser" cover to me are just pinups used for the cover, I have nothing against pinups but not on covers. Covers used to be used to sell the story inside, now many are just the hot artist and their poser/pinup artwork. Many of the "Poser" covers could be used for many issues so long as those characters appear in the comic.

What has happened to the classic covers that told a story? 

Anyone else sick of "Poser" covers over running the industry?

 

I used to own this cover, bought it when the original X_men were brought back, first I thought Stuart Immonen art was a wraparound, then found out it was a wraparound and another single cover. I went on a big Immonen buying spree, owned 5 covers by Stuart now down to just two. I sold this one off, since I got the cover from issue 5 which I love a great composition cover

 

 

 

Still own this Pacheco House of X #1 cover. I love this art but it leaves me wanting. It could be a cover to many x-men issue featufing the X-Men.

Its bugged for me 30 years.    In this example we have most of the male heroes apparently just standing around flexing.   

If you want to draw a cover where people stand around, fine.    But how stupid is that they are standing there posing - look at the tensed arms / bent wrists on cyclops, iceman, even wolverine.     They end up looking like a Chad checking himself out in a mirror at the gym.   

They look ridiculous.   And there are far worse examples of course.

Edited March 31, 2023 by Bronty

[KirbyCollector]

On 3/31/2023 at 10:41 AM, Bronty said:

And there are far worse examples of course.

[Bronty]

On 3/31/2023 at 11:03 AM, KirbyCollector said:

 

[The Voord]

On 3/31/2023 at 4:03 PM, KirbyCollector said:

Guaranteed to get thousands of views on CAF . . . *

 

*  It's NOT called a joke.

[RBerman]

The purpose of covers has radically changed since the days of spinner racks. Originally, a cover was supposed to advertise the action inside the issue so an eight year old boy would part with his dimes to buy a comic book instead of a candy bar. Check out all the "Don't miss this one! It's the one you've been demanding!" hype text cluttering the art. 

With the rise of comic book stores, an older readership was placing orders for upcoming issues, sight unseen. The hype text becomes worse than superfluous; it became a detriment to enjoying a piece of art which was selected from an inventory of striking pieces that needed to be able to go on top of any particular issue in the series. Marvel started doing this a lot in the mid 80s; here's the last issue of that same title for comparison.

The preference for "action scene reflecting the interior" vs "Well done portrait" partially reflects childhood familiarity with the interiors of the particular issue in question.

[Brian Peck]

On 3/31/2023 at 8:03 AM, KirbyCollector said:

These woman have really bad back issues.

[Brian Peck]

What got me thinking about this was the cover I recently acquired by Alan Davis. The cover gives you most of what is going on in the story, Its a Nightcrawler story, in a place where nature has taken over, two old teams-mates appear and you see some of the villains and its a bit of a mystery. Granted Alan drew the interiors so he has an advantage over over artist who just draw covers. No action but a great use of light and shade plus conveys the story.

 

[Axelrod]

It's all McFarlane's fault, right?

I'm kidding, except not really.  I feel like generic dramatic poses was kind of his thing.  

[-m]

Love that MTU #1 cover. Read that book so many times! 

[gumbydarnit]

On 3/31/2023 at 12:36 PM, RBerman said:

here's the last issue of that same title for comparison.

The preference for "action scene reflecting the interior" vs "Well done portrait" partially reflects childhood familiarity with the interiors of the particular issue in question.

Not even Spidey can stand to look at poser covers:

[JC25427N]

I like em 

 

probably another topic with a  generational divide 

[redrighthand]

Given the preponderance of variant covers, you'd think at least one of each issue's 3,721 covers could be a story action cover.

Even when they are story covers, they're still pretty staid. Thinking recent Batman covers, for instance. While there's story content, they seem more like movie teaser posters.