Welcome to Cover Girls. Each month, we gather a team of WWAC contributors to analyze a new and notable comic book cover featuring one or more women. This month Masha, Latonya, and Wendy look at the cover of Phantom Thief Jeanne Volume 1 by Arina Tanemura.
What is your initial reaction to this cover as a piece of comics art?
Wendy Browne: It’s got that cute, magical girl vibe down, but everything around her is chaotic to the point of overload. I do like the perfectly circular shapes and the sense of everything swirling out of some sort of moon flower void.
Latonya Pennington: When I first saw this cover, I thought it was stunning. I still like it, but wish there weren’t so many flowers. Like Wendy said, it’s a bit much.
Masha Zhdanova: It’s cute! Reminds me of my childhood. I like the sparkle effects and the repeated circular shapes lead the eye to the character’s face very effectively. I’m not a big fan of the color choices for the character, though. The white chess piece on top of a white-gloved hand with a billowing white sleeve behind it is difficult to parse.
What do you think the artist is trying to achieve?
Wendy: “How much symbolism can I fit in one cover…?”
Latonya: “Isn’t this magical girl totally cute and sparkly?”
Masha: “Look at this plucky heroine! What are her secrets.”
What does this cover tell you about the story and/or the character?
Wendy: She looks all happy and cute, but looks can be deceiving. That white knight implies that she’s a good guy here to save the day, but a chess piece also implies strategy and I’m not sure if she’s going to be using her powers for my benefit or her own or those of her evil overlord.
Latonya: She looks so innocent, but I do think the chess piece implies that there’s something else going on that she isn’t aware of. If she is holding a white knight, is she one herself? Or a white pawn in something bigger?
Masha: The chess piece is implying her to be part of a larger game or conspiracy, but on the surface she seems cute and cheerful and ready to save the day. I wonder what that fan is for.
