My favourite covers: Leinil Francis Yu

Leinil Francis Yu shares his favourite covers with Wizard Universe:


MY FAVORITE COVERS: LEINIL FRANCIS YU
The New Avengers artist calls out 7 unforgettable images

By Jake Rossen

Posted November 12, 2007

Preacher #1
(Glenn Fabry, 1995)
“‘Beautiful drawings of ugly people.’ That’s how my friend, Gerry Alanguilan, describes Glenn Fabry’s covers. It’s easy to see why I over-render my women, how my men look emaciated and tired, and why everyone has eye bags and wrinkles. Yep, it’s Glenn Fabry’s fault. I just can’t help myself.”

The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch (Dave McKean, 1994)
“Buying a Vertigo comic book is like entering the lottery. Every single cover looks amazing but the interiors are, most of the time, the extreme opposite. They always, always, always look good—too good. I always wanted to peek inside a Vertigo book when I was a kid, only to see how the interiors pale in comparison. So this is a nod to Dave McKean, who influenced the covers to most Vertigo books and sold a boatload of them.”

Prophet #4 variant (Stephen Platt, 1994)
“Stephen Platt is probably the most influential artist in proportion to the very meager amount of work he’s done. I think his covers are some of the most striking and memorable I’ve ever seen. It’s mainly his radical renderings: his blotty inks, crazy anatomy, insane amount of veins, and simple but effective layout. They all come together perfectly. Owning the very few comics he has ever done is one of the best memories I’ve had as a collector and as an artist.”

Wildcats [Vol. 2] #1 (Travis Charest, 1999)
“Travis Charest is one of my favorite artists ever. This is quite obvious—you can see it in my work. He has produced a lot of amazing pieces and it would be a shame to pick just one. I chose this particular cover because it has both a close-up and a detailed team shot…okay, I’m making it up. I love all his covers and I will buy everything he will ever produce.”

Wonder Woman [Vol. 2] #189 (Adam Hughes, 2003)
“Adam Hughes’ line art was awesome from the get-go, but when he started coloring his own work, he took it to a stratosphere which very few artists can call their home. It’s amazing how he can have such a realistic look while still maintaining that really distinctive style. He usually draws full body shots of Wonder Woman, so this close-up stands out from the rest. It’s a really beautiful and striking shot that makes you just want to pick it up.”

Kingdom Come #1 (Alex Ross, 1996)
“Alex Ross draws heroes and villains magnificently, and it couldn’t be any better than Kingdom Come #1. I love the dark tone of this cover as well as the facial expressions of the villains themselves. Alex’s work is the best example of the proper usage of models. They all look drawn instead of copied or traced, yet he benefits from the kind of lighting and coloring that can only be achieved with photo referencing. Not only does he draw the biggest DC characters, he does it with a look that makes you realize that men in tights in real life could look great. They may look like aerobics instructors, but still great.”

X-Men [Vol. 2] #1E (Jim Lee, 1991)
“Jim Lee is one of the greatest artists ever. This cover is probably as memorable for me as it is ubiquitous. The way Jim uses depth of field in this cover is the backbone of how I design my covers and even interiors. Not only do the individual pieces stand on their own, but putting them together is even more marvelous.”

Leinil Francis Yu’s credits include Superman: Birthright and Wolverine. He’s currently the regular artist on New Avengers.

The extended fold-out cover to X-Men #1 is one of my favourite covers EVER as well. It was just so beautifully drawn I love fold-out extended art!