Ungoliantschilde

Herculoids #1 (Dynamite, February 2025) variant cover by Mike Mignola

Metamorpho: The Element Man #1 (DC, December 2024) variant cover by Ian Bertram

Sabretooth: The Dead Don't Talk #1 (Marvel, December 2024) variant cover by Frank Miller

I really like this. Frank’s covers for Marvel as of late have been hit and miss, but I like this one. Great use of his design sense. I wish it was colored with power dots, but it still works.

This is a variant cover for Knight Terrors: Green Lantern #1 (DC, July 2023) by Mike Deodato Jr.

Invincible Iron Man #1 Variant Cover by John Romita Jr. and Frank D’Armata

John Romita, Jr.’s pencils:

And My Inks, from August 28, 2015:

Action Comics #1050 (December 2022) variant cover by Jim Lee

Inks by Scott Williams.

Richard Isanove colored these. They were published as the first 6 issues of New Avengers. (Written by Brian Michael Bendis & Pencilled by David Finch) Vol. 1,  & as Thunderbolts #s 110-115 (Written by Warren Ellis & Pencilled by Mike Deodato, Jr.)

They were the Variant covers, and were published like so:

New Avengers #1 (Spider-Man) pencils by Steve McNiven

New Avengers #2 (the Sentry) pencils by Trevor Hairsine

New Avengers #3 (Wolverine) pencils by Olivier Coipel

New Avengers #4 (Ronin) pencils by Jim Cheung

New Avengers #5 (Luke Cage & Spider-Woman) pencils by Adi Granov

New Avengers #6 (Captain America & Iron Man) pencils by Bryan Hitch

Thunderbolts #110 (Venom) pencils by Leinil Francis Yu

Thunderbolts #111 (Bullseye) pencils by Ariel Olivetti

Thunderbolts #112 (Penance) pencils by Pasqual Ferry

Thunderbolts #113 (Songbird & Swordsman) pencils by Billy Tan

Thunderbolts #114 (Radioactive Man) pencils by Clayton Crain

Thunderbolts #115 (Green Goblin & Moonstone) pencils by Simone Bianchi

As previously stated, the aforementioned artists were cover pencillers only. Richard Isanove digitally painted over the pencils. 

I looooove John Romita Jr.  I’ve long considered him one of my all-time favorite artists working in super-hero comics.  His run on Amazing Spider-Man with Roger Stern was the first comic book I regularly collected.  Shit, I even got him to draw Spider-Man’s eyes on my arm at a WizardWorld con several years back which I promptly went and had permanently tattooed in!

But these covers…

They look great at first glance, but…

They’re all basically the same layout.  I didn’t notice it  at first, seeing them one at a time here or there, but seeing them all collected together, it really sticks out to me.

Still want to get them all…

I agree that the layout is similar across the multiple covers, I also think they all work quite well for what they are. Each shows the full characters in their current costumes.

More than anything, all of the covers make you want to see where the characters are going, or what they are looking at. That is why the jumping or looking from left to right thing works: because western comics read left to right.

These images convey each character uniquely, and I do not know what else I could ask for from Johnny. Seriously.

I love them, and I respect your opinion on it.

I do understand the left-to-right sight-line and movement concept and certainly understand what he (and other artists) are relaying when using that layout, and that’s not really my beef.  My problem with most of the images is the stock layout itself.  And the real reason it gets under my skin is because I know he is capable of so much more.

John Romita Jr. can portray power on the page better than any other artist currently working in the business.  Hands down.  His action covers, when he does them, pop off the stands.  I love ‘em!

I think my frustration with these might lay also with DC editorial.  For at least a year now they have been doing either theme or artist driven variant covers every month.  I would bet that who ever set this up at DC told him to do an “iconic” cover shot of the main character for each book.  We’ve all seen the John Romita Jr. iconic cover shot.  He usually does one on either the first issue of a new series, an anniversay issue or when he takes over as the regular artist.  It’s great see his variation on character in one of his iconic poses once or twice in a run on a book.  It usually becomes a “classic.”  Then the rest of his run of covers usually refer to an action scene inside that issue.  This is the same for most artists.  My issue is with seeing two dozen of them coming out at once.  It waters it down for me.  They’re still beautiful, but they tend to lose their uniqueness when they’re all dropped at once.  That’s all i’m trying to say…

I fully agree with you on it being an editorial call. If one of these came out each month for a year, instead of ONE month full of them, they would have much more impact. Taken on their own, each image is exactly what you said: iconic.

DC has a history of treating their veterans with less respect than they should. I am sorry, but it is true. Ask Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Greg Rucka, Walt Simonson, and the list goes on. DC always looks for who is hot and trendy, without allowing for guys like Johnny to do what they do best.

Sal Buscema would not have had the career he did if he were at DC. Mark Bagley did a weekly series, Trinity, for DC.

One artist drew a 17 pages per issue of Trinity. Trinity was a year long, weekly book. 17 pages for each of the 52 issues.

And yet DC let Mark go back to Marvel.

If I were DC, I would have fought tooth and nail to keep Bagley happy.

A year of weekly books without missing a beat, and they hit every deadline. Trinity was not a huge hit, but Bagley did a hell of a job.

So why am I talking about Bagley on a John Romita Jr. post? Because it illustrates my point. DC has a thoroughbred in their stable, and they let him leave in favor of whoever followed Bagley (and who is no doubt great).

Johnny will get tired of being treated like that. I hope.

Adam Kubert did a year to a year and a half at DC, all told. It got spread out over a lot, but he basically did some covers, a few one shots, and a Superman arc.

Johnny did Superman, and now he is doing Variants while working on his DK3 one-shot with Frank Miller. When the dust settles, I’d like Johnny to get either Doctor Strange -which is what he has wanted to do- or the Fantastic Four. Either one will make me happy.

In the meantime, I am enjoying the Art he is doing for DC, and I am crazy stoked for his Batman book.

Come to think of it, Johnny would kill on any book for any for any publisher. Imagine JRJR on a Hellboy book? Or some Dark Horse Presents covers? John Romita, Jr. drawing Alien Vs. Predator or something? Or Valiant or Image, or you name it.

I don’t think he will stay at DC for long. The Superman cover he did where it is just Superman in a tshirt with smoke coming off of him?That cover pretty much showed me how much Johnny’s initial enthusiasm for the DC Stable had faded. Thankfully, he gets to work on DK3 (which ANY artist would kill for).

So, we got a solid, memorable Superman run. He is doing a prestige format Batman with Frank Miller as well as a mini comic or something. That leaves Wonder Woman to close out the Trinity. He did memorable Iron Man, Thor, and Cap runs for Marvel.

Truth be told, I want him on Detective. Give Johnny Detective Comics with a writer of his choosing for a year. That would sell like hot-cakes.

John Romita Jr. variant covers for DC Comics in April 2016 via IGN

Wonder Woman #51

Action Comics #51

Sinestro #22

We Are Robin #11

JLA #10

“Forse, non tutti sanno che…”

Leia in action. These five covers are designed as a unique sequence. Enjoy it!

Looney Tunes variant covers

Dang, even the Looney Tunes Justice League got rebooted in the New 52

Okay, most of these are more clever than I thought.

Seriously: this is a GOOD idea.

the Secret Invasion variant covers, by Leinil Yu.

DC Comics’ variant cover theme for July is “Teen Titans GO!”  I had fun.