Robot 6
Straight for the art | The new Invincible Iron Man trade dress
The Invincible Iron Man #20-21
If you’re not familiar with, and a fan of, the design work of Rian Hughes, it’s probably because you’re not paying attention. Perhaps best known for his collaborations with artist Dustin Nguyen on the imaginative covers to Wildcats Version 3.0, Hughes’ recent comics projects include the logos for Archaia and the new Batman and Robin series, and the cover design for Captain America: Reborn.
Now add to that list the new trade dress for The Invincible Iron Man, beginning with November’s Issue 20. Writer Matt Fraction over the weekend unveiled the complete covers for the “Stark: Disassembled” storyline, by Salvador Larroca, Frank D’Armata and Hughes, and they’re (unsurprisingly) stunning. Sleek and modern, just like an Iron Man cover should be.
13 Comments
Matt Spatola
October 5, 2009 at 8:38 am
Yeah these are awesome.
Wraith
October 5, 2009 at 8:53 am
What? You mean there’s another graphic designer in the world besides Chip Kidd??? This is astounding!
(Seriously, I applaud publishers for placing value on design, and also for branching out a bit… finally.)
alex
October 5, 2009 at 10:44 am
Realy awesome!!!!
Cisco Kid
October 5, 2009 at 11:06 am
Interesting that the arc numbering Stark Disassembled x of 5 is more prominent than the issue number. Took me a few minutes to find them down by the barcode.
artiepants
October 5, 2009 at 11:41 am
Wow, this guys work absolutely destroys the crap Chip Kidd (whom i have enormous respect for in general, but who’s Trinity “logos” shouldn’t have made it past concept) has been doing for DC recently.
Ike Iszany
October 5, 2009 at 11:42 am
Call me old fashioned but I wouldn’t even open those books. First I’d have to look at them long enough to register that they are Iron man comic books. Looks like a corporate report. Very nice corporate reports. But they sure as s*** don’t say “comic books” to me.
artiepants
October 5, 2009 at 11:54 am
they are styled like 70s/80s scifi book covers…
…and i’d argue not looking like everything else on the stands ought to help them stand out more…
Agent_Torpor
October 5, 2009 at 11:58 am
Brilliant, and infinitely better than the work inside the covers.
Mark Kardwell
October 5, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Those look like real books. I hate real books. Burn all real books!
Carroll
October 5, 2009 at 5:53 pm
They look so good they make me want to throw done money to see if the story lives up to the cover.
Simon DelMonte
October 5, 2009 at 6:18 pm
It doesn’t tell you a thing about what’s inside. Isn’t that what a good comic book cover is supposed to do?
Kris
October 6, 2009 at 1:56 am
” It doesn’t tell you a thing about what’s inside. Isn’t that what a good comic book cover is supposed to do? ”
No actually it’s not. A good cover will make you stop and notice it among all the other books on the stand. Perhaps make you curious enough to pick it up and see what’s inside. I’d say these covers succeed in drawing attention to themselves. Or are you saying you want the cover to tell you what the books about because your to damn lazy to pick it up?
Shaun
October 6, 2009 at 4:08 pm
I agree that they should stand out on the shelves… And for those who are wondering, like Carroll, if the story will live up to covers I think they will. I started reading IM thanks to Civil War, followed the “Director of SHIELD” title over to the “Invincible” title, and it’s easily become one of my favorite reads. I was disappointed to see the Knaufs leave, but Fraction’s been every bit as good and I enjoy his work almost as much as I’ve enjoyed reading Brubaker’s stuff. That’s about as high a compliment as I can give. Looking forward to Stark Disassembled!