Worst Comic Book Covers of 2014

Last time I talked about the Best Comic Book Covers of 2014… now let’s talk about the worst comic book covers of 2014. Some of these were just very bland. Many of them just made poor decisions. Sadly, this year I found some of the worst and most controversial covers since I began making these lists.   10. Batman/Superman #14—Jae Lee Jae Lee’s artwork feels like an acquired taste. It may have perfectly suited the tone of comic books like Before Watchmen: Ozymandias but his recent covers with DC have felt… awkward. Many consider them fantastic and some are, but when I saw this on a “Best” list I felt compelled to disagree and put it on a “Worst” list instead. Especially this one. It’s funny to see Batman reached over to tap Superman but other than that I don’t really like this cover. Catwoman’s feline friend pushing on her butt feels very bizarre and I don’t really like the line work on Superman’s costume. Most of Jae Lee’s other covers are far superior to this one.   9. Psychonaut #1—Kevin L Kuder This guy needs to have his eyes checked. The awkward lining around this spaceman’s eyes make him look like he has a horrible case of crow’s feet. The decision to add red and white stripes in the background instead of the more atmospheric space setting that is peeking out of a sliver wasn’t the best choice either.   8. Sons of Fate (Origins) #2—Jean-Paul Deshong This cover is too dark… literally. The colors are very unappealing and the abundance of lines reminds me of the overlining back in the 90s that I’d rather forget. Then there's the boring white background.   7. Gods & Undergrads #2—Monica Gallagher The artwork here leaves something to be desired. The close-up of the character is very basic. Her features are too simplistic and the scar under her eye looks like scribbles. The attempt at drawing details in the characters in the background backfires and they look a little sloppy.   6. Female Force: Activists #1—Rafael Cordeiro This trade paperback makes Melinda Gates, Gloria Steinem and Arianna Huffington look like they are ready for their caskets. The artist’s wrinkle work has not served any of them well. Then there is Angelina Jolie. While she remains untouched by wrinkles, I couldn’t even recognize that she was supposed to be Angelina Jolie!   5. Dark Anna and the Pirates of Kadath #0—Kevin Stephenson This cover is extremely cramped. It’s hard to see where one figure stops and the next starts. The task is made all the more difficult by keeping this cover in black and white and overshadowing many parts of it.   4. Garcia Brothers #1—L. W. Allen The artwork on this cover is pretty poor… the lines and colors are very dark. It looks like they were done with dry erase markers. The background is also neglected with only a couple of black lines.   3. The Gospel of Carol #6—John S. Troutman I have a feeling this cover is going to piss some people off. It looks like a rejected porn parody. Other than the awkward position and creepily child-friendly looking artwork, the subtitle looming above—“The Untold Story of the Daughter of God”—makes me cringe.   2. Pregnant Bitches of War #3—No Artist? This is the epitome of laziness. Plus that title isn’t helping matters. According to the description of the issue found on Comic Vine: “Look, no self-respecting artist would draw the cover for us. This issue is just that effed up.” I don’t think they’re even joking.   1. Spider-Woman #1—Milo Manara This cover was so bad and controversial that it was pulled from ever being released... what more reason do I need to place it on this list anyway? The pose Spider-Woman is in has to be one of the more ridiculous of female poses and there are a lot of those. It's like Catwoman #0 all over again...   These are some of the worst 2014 had to offer. Hopefully 2015 will be a much better year for comic book covers.