Cover of the Week 17/10 – Minutemen 4 – Darwyn Cooke

Byron Lewis aka Mothman was eventually admitted to a mental institution after finding solace at the bottom of a bottle and on the pavements of New York. I am not a fan of the Before Watchmen series but I do think that Darwyn Cooke has a classic artwork style befitting stories from the 60s. I find this cover very interesting because it shows the demise of Mothman vividly and there are subtleties to be explored. The manhole cover states our location but also is symbolic as Byron is descending to the sewerage depths with his alcohol addiction. The discolouration on his wings show the lack of care and dirtying of his wings which highlights the fact that he is drunk in his superhero outfit. I love the shadows of the stars circling his head which I think is a nice touch and it reminds me of many heroes from computer games who when stunned had a similar effect! It is an excellent cover demonstrating the desperate alcoholism of our hero the Mothman.