Cover of the Week 22/4 – Velvet #10 by Steve Epting

I wanted to highlight once again the incredible balance between pencilling and colouring with the Cover of the Week. There are few comics that allow each to have very distinctive roles in presenting the message on every page. This cover is actually representative of the whole book as well as the current storyline. Velvet is running forward casting a glance backwards at an unknown assailant, who is only lit by the the dimmed circular lights around him. The murky green blue colours of the background represent the rain that is pouring around Velvet and masking the gunman, and the only details penetrating through the fog are the headlamps of vehicles around, or the flash of the gunshots aimed towards her. The whole scene is clouded and very purposely so. The ambiguity of the covert spy is certainly the single most important aspect of this book and whilst Epting draws a beautiful protagonist, it is his colouring that provides the contrast and depth to the scene. Velvet is coloured impressively, with her characteristic grey band and her wonderfully lit skin tone but her raincoat creases are what really stands out. The attention to detail is made all the more important with the lack of it around her, the blurring of the rain, light and villain. We can visualise the threat towards her but have almost no idea who poses it and how imminent it is. It is the exceptionally detailed pencilling of Epting that clearly express the danger but the colouring adds that air of mystery and escalates the threat. You will see more and more examples of this wonderful relationship in every issue of this book, and I must insist you  go and pick it up.