11/06 - Dynamiting the Competition

With some delay on my part, here are the sexiest covers of this first week of this tempestuous November. I guess by now it just goes without saying that there's not much to expect in terms of sexy covers from the majors. Just as it happened last week, DC didn't rate a single cover. Shame on them. Adding insult to injury, this is one week that sees the printing of one of Harley Quinn's titles, an (almost) surefire assurance for covers that leave one's libido positively salivating. Maybe next month.

It is also no surprise that in a week that sees both Red Sonja and Vampirella on the stands, Dynamite literally blows the competition out of the water. First and foremost, with the sublime and supinely erotic cover for VENGEANCE OF VAMPIRELLA #2 by Lucio Parrillo. This is an incredibly sensual Vampirella, drawn in such an exquisite way that not even the claw-like hands or the membranous and sickly-looking wings diminish its sinister seduction. And those hypnotically luscious buttocks make sure one hardly notices such aberrant appendages. Buzz's variant cover gives as a blood-clad, blood drained, Vampirella pin-up that wiold look good in any white stucco wall.

As to RED SONJA #10, Joseph Michael Linsner offers us what looks like a zero-gravity Red Sonja, demonstrating one of the most desirable effects of imponderability over the female anatomy.

Absent DC, Marvel takes the chance to present us with three sexy covers (maybe one should say mildly sexy covers, after Dynamite's) the best one being Yoon's cover for WEB OF BLACK WIDOW, at a time when the covers for #4 and 5 are already announced and guaranteed to make the selection here. At a close second comes X-FORCE #1, with two buxomy classic Marvel characters: Domino and Rachel Grey. Last from Marvel comes the cover by David Finch and Frank D'Armata for SAVAGE AVENGERS #7, which I must confess I hesitated before including here. Elektra is one of the sexiest characters from the Bronze Age of Marvel, and her pose here is suitably striking (pun intended)...however, there's something in the proportions of the figure that somehow seem to be a little off. But, hey, boob-lover that I am, I decided to throw the vote in favor of the defendant.

Finally, we have two covers from Valiant's LIVEWIRE #12 - although the main cover is not unsexy, the variant fashion-cover by Kevin Wada strikes a note of unusual exotism that makes it my choice - and one cover each for Zenescope's GRIMM FAIRY TALES 2019 HOLYDAY SPECIAL and Action Lab's AMALGAMA: SPACE ZOMBIE #2, both of which are included with the solely aim of completism, as they are typical products of their respective labels.

Covers for: Vengeance of Vampirella by Lucio Parrillo and Buzz; Red Sonja by Joseph Michael Linsner; Web of Black Widow by Junggeun Yoon; X-Force by Dustin Weaver; Savage Avengers by David Finch & Frank D'Armata; Livewire by Kevin Wada and Stacey Lee; Grimm's Fairy Tales Holyday Special by Geebo Vigonte; and Amalgama by Winston Young.

10/09 - The Wall of Hands

Last week's batch of comic books are a sure sign of the scarcity of sexy covers. This being a batch that includes a Red Sonja/Vampirella title, and these being comic books that in recent times would be totally worthless if not for their cover illustrations. And so, surprisingly (at least to me), the sexiest covers of the week belong to Marvel, that presents us two instances of what I like to call "the wall of hands", probably influenced by my young self's fascination with 1965's REPULSION and 1968's movie poster for NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Even more surprising, the best of the two covers (as it does have some apparent affinity with Romero's zombie film) is the one from THE MAGNIFICENT MS. MARVEL #8, a comic character that I find abysmaly unbearable in her cute caricature way. The other cover - WEB OF BLACK WIDOW #2 -  is not quite a "wall of hands", but the positioning of Iron Man's grasping glove, as if making ready to grab one of Black Widow's boobs, taken along with the other ectoplasmic heroes that surround the Russian beauty, perfectly conveys its essence.

Another Marvel cover worthy of notice comes from GWENPOOL STRIKES BACK #3, with the titular character garbed in a wonderful bikini version of her usual costume, basking on a warm silvery moonlit night and totaly oblivious to a menacing Hulk, whose torn trousers seem to be beging for a sexualy inspired remark (that I will abstain from). The cover illustration by Terry and Rachel Dodson fooled me for a while into thinking it was by Frank Cho.

DC's covers are not only under-represented but barely make it as sexy covers, and I'm posting here two of them simply because any cover featuring Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy is bound to look sexy, and because Zatanna likewise makes any book cover look equaly sexy. In this instance, however, it clearly is a missed opportunity.

The remaining covers are also poor excuses to make into this category. Archie's JUGHEAD: THE HUNGER VS VAMPIRONICA #5 is selected because any vampiress lounging in a short dress amidst the iconography of Halloween is inherently sexy. Valiant's LIVEWIRE #11 (a series I have not read yet) makes it because of the context: perusing the books it doesn't look like the main character usually dresses in slit skirts, so the minimalist cover illustration titillates the reader with the prospect of erotic roleplaying. Finally, Catalyst's NOBLE #19 gets the free pass for the daring way the man's forearm rubs the girl's breast in a loving embrace.

Covers for: Magnificent Ms. Marvel by Eduard Petrovich; Web of Black Widow by Junggeun Yoon; Gwenpool Strikes Back byTerry & Rachel Dodson; Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy by Mikel Janín; Black Hammer & Justice League: Hammer of Justice by Michael Walsh; Jughead the Hunger vs Vampironica by Pat & Tim Kennedy; Livewire by Stacey Lee; and Noble by Khary Randolph & Emilio Lopez.