Book Cover Smackdown! ‘That Hellbound Train’ vs. ’20 Years Later’ vs. ‘Double Dead’
It’s time once again for another Book Cover Smackdown!
Here are today’s contenders…
\Your Mission (should you choose to accept it): Tell us which cover you like best and why.
Books shown here:
- Robert Bloch’s That Hellbound Train by Robert Bloch & Joe R. Lansdale & John L. Lansdale & Dave Wachter (IDW Publishing) [Artist: Menton3]
- 20 Years Later by Emma Newman (Dystopia Press) [Artist: Unknown]
- Double Dead (Tomes of the Dead) by Chuck Wendig (Abaddon) [Artist: Pye Parr]
NOTE: Bigger, better cover art images are available by clicking the images or title links.
I have to go with THAT HELLBOUND train because of the power of the image itself, but 20 YEARS LATER is a really nice use of typography as design. DOUBLE DEAD doesn’t look like my kind of book.
So if this is about the covers, where are the artists’ names?
carmen
I usually do print the artists’ names, but in this case, I don’t know who they are. Please enlighten me!
Double Dead looks like the cover for a graphic novel. Is it one? If so the cover is perfect. But since its probably not…
That Hellbound Train is pretty interesting and unique. I give them credit for going with that art. Bold choice.
But for me, 20 Years Later is the best cover. I just think it really stands out. It’s pretty basic, but I think it works. I’d pick it up and flip the book over for more info.
Double Dead has a very atractive illustration, good constrast, but a poor typography choice.
The same for 20 Years Later, awesome colors, awesome texture, not a very good typography.
So I’m going to vote for That Hellbound Train. Great illustration, followed by a neat composition and a typography that fits perfectly.
“20 Years Later” – it has a decaying and ominous feel to it
Hmm. I used “Look inside” on Amazon and THE HELLBOUND TRAIN lists something that looks like MENTON 3, which appears, from a Google search to be Menton Matthews III. However, Google also reveals that’s vol. 1 of a 3-volume graphic novel, each with a different cover, but I think the other versions had different artists. 20 YEARS LATER credits Soro Design for the cover, rather than a person. DOUBLE DEAD isn’t out yet and has no sample or Look inside feature; I had to Google to find that the artists is Pye Parr.
Thanks, Carmen. Post updated. Much appreciated.