Cover of the Week 30/9 – The Sandman Overture #6 by JH Williams III

I did wonder when I last chose this title as my cover of the week and as I dug into the archives: it was issue five! Though it was back in May and as I looked even further back, the first issue was actually released in 2013. The complexity of the artwork as demonstrated by this cover is the potential reason why these delays may have occurred. The interweaving of ideas and concepts make the book truly unlike any other and you have to let go of what you know to truly absorb the beauty. As with all abstract works, covers like this, require time. You take different aspects of the page as you looker deeper but ultimately it is whether the flowing of patterns and colours merging into recognisable or unrecognisable shapes is appealing to your eye. The fluidity of the page is beautiful as it whirls around the two central characters of Dream and Hope. To the left of Dream are remnants of broken buildings or sculptures simulating death and to the right are blossoming flowers that appear to represent birth. The whole page could be taken as the circle of life revolving around hopes and dreams. Even the lowers half around Hope features quite vascular structures and less developed shapes, which may depict development. Even if you choose to see it in a completely different way the art still has an incredible aesthetic. That openness to interpretation is a valuable facet to JH Williams III’s work and to this particular cover. There are a couple of subtle aspects of the page that I particularly enjoy, more traditional art if you will. There is a dichotomy at play between the two characters, with Dream looking quite miserable but then Hope appears more pensive. It is interesting to see such characterisation in almost complete abstraction. There are subtle shapes that provide countenance to the image with circles around the title and creators but smaller more regular shapes around a central column. This creates a structure amongst seeming chaos and diverts attentions to the middle parts of the art. Overall this is such a wonderful page and is worth investing your time and imagination to.