IDW’s Transformers: Shattered Glass, Pitre-Durocher Issue #5 Retailer Incentive Cover Art and Series Covers Sketches - Transformers News - TFW2005
Jezzus that is a boring cover. There\'s precisely NOTHING going on in it. How TF does IDW stay in business?
Simple. I'm an avid and loyal Transformers fan, and I'm using my voice. I actively want to spend my hard earned money on nice things. That cover is not nice things. It's trash. I'm providing free consumer insights to IDW.
I mean, I get it. you dont have to like everything, but this really isn't insight since nobody gained any deeper understanding or new information out of this opinion. there is clearly a reason why IDW stays in business and that is because many people enjoy the comics and stories and art inside them.
You do raise a good point tho. I shall explain my opinion on why that is a very poor cover. You would likely agree that comics are a visual medium. You would also likely agree that a comic book cover is meant to grab a viewers attention from a veritable sea of of competing covers on comic stands. Perhaps a cover could propose a scenario (Batman being eaten by sharks?! Wolverine stabbed Xavier?! Speedy is junkie?! Optimus surrendering?!) Perhaps you could agree that a comic cover is meant to entice people into purchasing a book. Okay. What does this close-up, side profile of Jetfire do? It takes up the entire page. The drawing is pure tumbler - journeyman level at best. It doesn’t tell a story. Speaks nothing to what’s inside the book... And yet, even if it was poorly drawn - that’s fine (Liefeld)... This cover has committed the cardinal sin of all comics: it’s boring. Why would I pay $$$ for such meh?
Now i can get behind this opinion. Im just used to people on this website just saying something sucks and leaving it at that. I agree, I do like those old marvel comic covers, and the Optimus Prime comic covers were always amazing
Like "Optimus Prime - Autobot Killer!" I mean... come. On. How could a kid in 80's not pick that up to see what the hell was going on? I'm dating myself here, but... meh.
I've enjoyed my fair share of earlier IDW Transformers comics (Last Stand of the Wreckers) but it has been years since I felt persuaded to read the material. Your criticism isn't off base at all. I don't see how this cover composition, or the variations of head shots by the same artist, is compelling. A bigger question I have is how the editorial team thinks this cover should be greenlit for publication.
That's fine and I'm not opposed to anyone liking the cover and I'm not talking about action or lack thereof. I'm simply in agreement with @Dire 51 that the composition of the cover is lackluster. I'm looking at it from a graphic design perspective.
So you are advocating that close up profile images are good or competent compositions for comic book covers? That this Jetfire cover is "good" from a graphic design perspective?
Maybe so. Almost all old TF is riddled with tiny flaws. I'm personally quite forgiving of such things as the art must be taken as a whole, you know? But where I believe that cover succeeds (as with #5 "are all dead") is in creating an exciting image which compells a passer-by to pick up the book and investigate.