Does it bother anyone else when a different artist does the interior then the cover?

[random_havoc]

I'm kinda sick of having cover artists at this point. Instead of getting to enjoy actual full issues with some excellent artists all I get are them being used for covers to shill out issues by (usually) inferior interior artists.

Take Dell Otto for example. He put out, what, one actual comic issue last year? Meanwhile he's got covers on all kinds of stuff. For example he's doing the cover on an upcoming issue of Thor, that's drawn by Pasqal Ferry. Talk about bloody different art styles. I love DellOtto, just can't look at Ferry's art. My point being, I guess, that having one consistent art style inside and out avoids having a jarring difference.

Or take Dodson for another example. LOVE his stuff. In fact I almost bought the new Defenders despite hating most of the characters based on the fact that he's the artist alone. And now with the preview of #4 they ALREADY have him off the book and he's only doing the frigging covers! Talk about a bait and switch. Put an A-list artist on then switch him off the book but keep him on the covers for a bit.

And then there's the opposite problem, when the interior artist is better than the cover artist. This is what's going on in my opinion with Ultimate Spider-Man right now. Pichelli is rocking the art on that book, but I've found Kaare's work on the covers lackluster by comparison (check out her cover for the upcoming "Scorpion" issue for example). Just let Pichelli draw her own covers! She's clearly awesome.

I realize there's a certain amount of subjectivity of course, but those are my opinions. What are yours?

 

[CConn]

Sometimes, but not always.

For instance, I always think it's dumb when you have a A or B list artist on a title, who does awesome covers in their own right, and for some dumb reason you get someone else do to covers for their issues. Like, on JLI right now, you have Aaron Lopresti doing the interiors (and he can do some awesome covers), but David Finch doing the covers. It's pointless.

However, when I look over at Vertigo and what they did with 100 Bullets and Fables having their own amazing cover artists for all of their issues...which really gave the series a unique and impressive style to grab new readers...I'm don't mind it.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Not really. I mean, sometimes I see a situation like that and think 'Oh, I wish the cover artist did the art', but that's really about it. I don't think I've felt bothered about it at all.

 

[Themanofbat]

I do find it misleading... Brian Bolland would make awesome covers at DC in the late 80's/early 90's and the interiors would be ****e... but this practice has been going on for a long tim... I remember the 70's with Romita Sr. covers on ASM but Ross Andru interiors... of course, they were similar in style and both awesome artists, so I didn't care...

 

[runawayboulder]

Different artists....? No, not really. I'd like to see a return to the covers reflecting what actually goes on inside the book, not just a generic pose.

 

[random_havoc]

I do find it misleading... Brian Bolland would make awesome covers at DC in the late 80's/early 90's and the interiors would be ****e... but this practice has been going on for a long tim... I remember the 70's with Romita Sr. covers on ASM but Ross Andru interiors... of course, they were similar in style and both awesome artists, so I didn't care...

Now that's a key point to me. If they're both really similar in style I have no prob with it. Problem is though that's rarely the case. Instead there's A-list artists on the covers with (comparatively) subpar artists inside. And I've noticed with Marvel anyways they are increasingly doing the bait and switch I mentioned above with Dodson. They did it with the last (short) punisher volume near the beginning, I think they did it with Vengeance of the Moon Knight if I'm remembering correctly, and I wouldn't be surprised if they did it with the current Cap volume now that McNiven is leaving it without having even bothered to finish the last issue's full art (switched to another far inferior artist like 8 pages in).

 

[Tron Bonne]

I guess for me, really, since I've been reading comics regularly, the cover is essentially just a small poster to caught your attention that rarely (and often never) really has a damn thing to do with anything. So, the fact that they aren't doing the interiors doesn't really register to me.

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

Covers are how I used to judge what extra comics I'd grab off the shelf, so yes, I hate when the cover doesn't match what's inside. I especially hate when it's the crappiest artist imaginable on the inside with a gorgeous cover. And that goes for content as well: what's on the cover should be what's in the book. Cover artwork is a lost art.

As to the why this happens, sometimes it's name grabbing, other times it's because the artists are great at pin-ups but can't do sequentials to save their lives.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Tim Bradsteet cover -

Steve Dillon interior art -

So yes, it bothers me in certain situations. I know Bradstreet doesn't do interior, but I don't like to be fooled like I was with Welcome Back, Frank. I figured the interior art would be awesome to match the cover. How wrong I was.

 

[runawayboulder]

Tim Bradsteet cover -

Steve Dillon interior art -

So yes, it bothers me in certain situations. I know Bradstreet doesn't do interior, but I don't like to be fooled like I was with Welcome Back, Frank. I figured the interior art would be awesome to match the cover. How wrong I was.

How could you have possibly been fooled? The relaunch was highly publicized at the time. It was the red hot Preacher team coming over to Marvel to handle the Punisher. You'd had to have been living under a rock.

 

[WalkingDeadMike]

Not really. I mean, sometimes I see a situation like that and think 'Oh, I wish the cover artist did the art', but that's really about it. I don't think I've felt bothered about it at all.

This.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I never mind different cover artists and interior artists. Remember what your mom always said about not judging books by their covers?

 

[THANOSRULES]

Only if the art inside is bad.

end thread

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

How could you have possibly been fooled? The relaunch was highly publicized at the time. It was the red hot Preacher team coming over to Marvel to handle the Punisher. You'd had to have been living under a rock.

Nah, I was 9 and didn't read comics at the time.

 

[runawayboulder]

Nah, I was 9 and didn't read comics at the time.

Ah. Well, for the record Steve Dillon is awesome.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Says you. Enjoy your bug-eyed crap.

 

[random_havoc]

Says you. Enjoy your bug-eyed crap.

hear hear

 

[CConn]

No, Steve Dillon's pretty awesome.

 

[Will Nolte]

How about when J Scott Campbell was doing Amazing Spider-Man covers and John Romita Jr was doing the interiors? Both are good artists in their own right, but their styles are extremely different...

 

[random_havoc]

How about when J Scott Campbell was doing Amazing Spider-Man covers and John Romita Jr was doing the interiors? Both are good artists in their own right, but their styles are extremely different...

Even if I liked them both (I don't) the vast VAST difference in styles would be an irritant.

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

I think I dont mind it when the cover is painted. Also, some artists, even if they are good, make boring covers.

 

[Splat]

It used to but now I'm so used to cover art being done by a different artist it's no big deal.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, it's pretty much the standard at this point. I'm actually surprised when I open a comic and find the same art inside as I saw on the cover.

 

[random_havoc]

It used to but now I'm so used to cover art being done by a different artist it's no big deal.

See, now I think this touches on a BIG point though. When studios are supposedly trying to reach new readers so much, think of readers who AREN'T used to it, and WON'T get used to it, because they pick up a comic or two that they like the covers of and find (relatively) crap art inside, and walk away. I speak to this somewhat from experience because when I stopped reading comics for a decade or so, there were a couple times where I picked up an issue off a rack, opened it up, and put it back down.

 

[runawayboulder]

Well, most comics do put the creator credits on the covers now in bold white font.