Dave 'DevilPig/Reverend' Johnson was a bit of a revelation to me as a comic reader. Covers can always be hit and miss, and the industry impetus has invariably been to make everything bigger and bring the characters to the forefront - often times this can lead to same-y covers with too much going on, as if they've been drawn by someone with ADD. For this reason, 9/10 I would ignore comic covers (reading trades exclusively this is sometimes easier than it should be), that is until Dave... Dave Johnson's covers are very much of the minimalist variety, bringing the concept or overarching narrative of the issue to the forefront, stating them implicitly with his covers without hitting you over the head. I first became aware of him during his work on
100 Bullets and having recently reread the 13 volumes of that epic series ahead of the Brother Lono miniseries, it was pretty amazing and inspiring seeing his ideas and style and confidence grow over the course of the series 100 issues. Below are a few of my favourites from that run:
10. 100 Bullets Issue 92:
I always felt there was something biblical about this and I can't say why. I love the motif of execution under the tree and how the roots of that tree are built on death, I also love the ever present and ominous Trust insignia faded and in the background of the Minutemen silhouettes and the colour contrasts are perfect. As a result of this cover I went into the issue with a real feeling of ominous dread.