COVER GALLERY: 2001

DAREDEVIL / SPIDER-MAN #1 - 4: This book came from the Marvel Knights imprint, which offered edgier versions of Marvel's superheroes. This 4-issue miniseries was written by Phil Jenkins who revitalized "The Inhumans" years earlier. I haven't read this series so I can't comment on the story but the covers are a real mixed bag; the first 2 issues offer the average superhero poses, #2 being more dynamic and less generic than #1. But the other 2 are just strange, issue 3 is too crowded with information and issue 4 has this anime-like Spider-Man with huge eyes and speed lines plus an odd perspective, it just doesn't look like Alex's artwork and I just don't like them that much, especially this last issue. Plus there was a Dynamic Forces variant cover to issue #1 (left) with pencil art by Phil Winslade and painted by Alex Ross. This is a very hard to find variant cover.


HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE: Written by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, who brought us the Crisis on Infinite Earths, this book explains what happened with all those Pre-crisis notions and tells us where they got shuffled off to, hence the name; this book is a great starting point for new readers. Now the cover is AWESOME! is one of those mural-like compositions that Alex makes, which you know I love. The wraparound cover shows details that tell you each of the character's (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Shazam) origins and on the other side shows more of the DCU, like the JSA, The New Gods, The Green Lantern Corps and even Sgt. Rock. Take a look at the cover in full (below) and tell me it's not magnificent.
SUPER FRIENDS: This trade paperback collects a few of the Super Friends comic books that came out in the 70s while the TV show was still on TV. Now for those who think Alex Ross art is just him copying from a photograph, take a look at this cover in which he paints cartoons to resemble the art of Alex Toth. Also, doesn't this cover resemble the one from the Kingdom Come Comicology #1? Pretty cool how the poses are identical, only the characters change. Gotta' love the "Alexes" (Ross and Toth)
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #58: Another one of Alex's experiments, similar to the Super Friends one, this time, he tries to capture the Bruce Timm-style from the Superman Animated Series, from which this comic book series, sprung out. It's an animated style yet it's still serious and insightful, it's cool how Alex can take what is basically a cartoon and give it that edge.



HEROES #1: The tragedy that took place on September 11, 2001 hit the whole world pretty hard and, in a world where comic book heroes and villains roam free, we got the opportunity to see the real villains and the authentically SUPER heroes. Alex Ross contributed with 3 of these charity books, Heroes was the first one to come out that very same year from Marvel Comics and it also included the works of guys such as Neal Adams, Kurt Busiek, J. Scott Campbell, John Cassaday, Alan Davis, Paul Dini, Evan Dorkin, Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons, Sam Kieth, Adam Kubert, Joe Kubert, Salvador Larocca, Jim Lee, Jae Lee, Todd McFarlane, Frank Miller, Alan Moore, George Perez, Paul Pope, Joe Quesada, Humberto Ramos, Steve Rude, and Kevin Smith. The cover says it all.

IN MY COLLECTION: None of them, yet