Top Five Wonder Woman Covers: Semi-Final Round #1

UPDATE: The poll is now closed.  The next semi-final vote begins February 1st, and the final vote starts February 8th.

For the past ten weeks, I have posted my top five picks of Wonder Woman covers in various categories, followed by a poll so readers could vote.  Now, with a top ten finalized, we begin the semi-finals!!

The semi-finals will consist of two rounds of five covers each, one this week and then another the next.  The two winners will ultimately go head to head to determine the best Wonder Woman cover of all time.  The two rounds were divided based on rank.  I made a list of all of the winning covers in order of the percentage of the vote they received and, to get the fairest distribution possible, that list was then divided into evens and odds.  This week will be evens, so we’ll have 2^nd, 4^th, 6^th, 8^th, and 10^th face off for a ticket to the finals.  The vote will last for one week, and will close as soon as the odds poll begins a week from today.

Here are your choices for five of the top ten Wonder Woman covers… be sure to vote in the poll that follows:

2^nd Place, 50.9% – Wonder Woman #72 by Brian Bolland:  I had a good feeling that this cover would make it in to the finals.  It’s a very iconic image that captures Bolland’s style well.  It took a while for this cover to take the lead, but once it did the lead grew impressively.

4^th Place, 43.5% -  Wonder Woman #230 by José Luis Garcia-López:  There were some great covers in the “Egregious Snubs” list, but I figured it would come down to one of the Garcia-López covers… the man is just too good.  He’s the only artist with two covers in the top ten, but the other won’t appear until next week.

6^th Place, 35.9% – Wonder Woman #43 by Irv Novick:  To be honest, I was pulling for the cover with the two trains, but this one was definitely by second favourite of the Novick covers.  You really can’t go wrong with Wonder Woman swooping in to take out a submarine.

8^th Place, 30.6% – Wonder Woman #13 by Terry Dodson:  I was hoping that this cover would win the “Best of the Rest” poll, but was worried it wouldn’t… it was up against some serious competition!!  But Dodson won out in the end.  Warrior Wonder Woman is always a good time.

10^th Place, 28.3% – Wonder Woman #25 by Aaron Lopresti: The Post-Crisis poll was close for a long time, and the lead kept changing between this cover and the two J.G. Jones covers.  Any of them would have been great choices, but I quite like the layout of this one.  Plus it’s cute with the little girls.

So there you have it… half of the top ten Wonder Woman covers as voted by you!!  Please vote below to ensure that your favourite cover makes it to the finals:

Top Five Wonder Woman Covers: Post-Crisis Faceoff

UPDATE: The poll is now closed.  The two semi-final votes begin in new threads on January 25^th and February 1^st, and then the final vote starts February 8^th.

Our first six lists featured cover artists with substantial runs on Wonder Woman, but now we move to the intermediate stage.  Instead of instant entry into the finals, three artists must compete and only one will emerge victorious.  This week we have the next three prolific post-Crisis artists after Bolland, Hughes, and Pérez: John Byrne vs. J.G. Jones vs. Aaron Lopresti!!

John Byrne is a comic book legend, known for his runs on Uncanny X-Men, Fantastic Four, Superman, and many other series.  He is now a cantankerous fellow with an unintentionally hilarious message board.  His tenure on Wonder Woman ran from Wonder Woman #101-136, with a couple breaks.  J.G. Jones has drawn such books as Wanted and Final Crisis, as well as all of the fantastic covers for 52.  He did covers for Wonder Woman #200-226, with a couple covers off.  Aaron Lopresti has worked on several series, most recently Justice League: Generation Lost and the upcoming Weird Worlds.  His time as cover artist lasted from Wonder Woman #20-41.

Here are my picks for the top two covers from each artist, with the poll at the end: 

John Byrne

Wonder Woman #117:  To be super honest with you, I find John Byrne’s depiction of Wonder Woman a little odd.  She seems rather mean and intense, with very bizarre hair.  This, however, is a nice cover.  It is strong and iconic, and somewhat of a departure from his usual style with the character.

Wonder Woman #131:  Speaking of departures, this cover is a fun throwback to the old days of the Justice Society in the 1940s.  Byrne successfully adapts his style to both capture the vibe of the old Justice Society and maintain a modern aesthetic.  Plus it’s always fun to see a more old school Wonder Woman. 

J.G. Jones

Wonder Woman #200:  J.G. Jones is a killer cover artist, and his first outing on Wonder Woman was no exception.  It is simultaneously athletic and feminine, and established Jones’ unique style in the wake of the departure of Adam Hughes, one of the most beloved Wonder Woman cover artists of all time.

Wonder Woman #222:  The lasso AND the Cheetah is a damn good time!!  I also enjoy the pose… there is a slight awkwardness to Wonder Woman’s pose that suggests she has just emerged from a fierce battle and that wrapping up the Cheetah like that took some serious effort.

Aaron Lopresti

Wonder Woman #25:  How cute is this cover?  Little girls and Wonder Woman is always a fun combination.  Plus, integrating the title art through the poster is a nice touch… I always dig when artists mix it up that way, as you may have noticed from previous lists.

Wonder Woman #39:  Here we have Wonder Woman channelling some sort of energy, through her bracelets it seems.  It must be static electricity, as her hair is standing up on end.  Anyway, it’s fun… it looks all cosmic and bizarre, and make me curious to find out what’s going on inside the book.

So there are my six picks for Byrne, Jones, and Lopresti… only one will make it to the finals!!  Join me next week for the pre-Crisis covers, and be sure to keep track of any covers you think I was crazy to leave out for the “egregious snubs” list coming up soon.  Also, if you haven’t voted in the other polls yet, give them a look.  Vote in the Byrne vs. Jones vs. Lopresti battle here: