Community Spotlight: Blank Cover Original Art

Variant covers are here to stay. Once thought of as a marketing ploy in the 1990’s to drive sales and bring in speculators, variant covers continue to be a constant in the comic book publishing industry.  3D covers, pencil covers, cut out covers, holographic foil covers, variant artist covers, baby covers, the list of what publishers will do to get retailers to up their orders is varied. Now, there is one variant cover that is of particular interest to me, the blank cover.

Blank covers are exactly what you expect them to be. It’s the same issue you would normally buy with a stark white cover and only the title, issue number and credits printed on it. They are meant to be taken to artists and made into unique works of art to add to your collection. I would have never thought, as a long time comic collector, to EVER write or draw on a comic in my collection. This makes it okay.

I recently was asked by a fan/collector, Neil Martin, to sketch on one of his blank Batman #0 blank variants. Neil has a pretty impressive collection of this issue, with art by some of the top names in the industry. To say that I was honored is an understatement.

Take a look at Neil’s set (not all the covers are posted here) including my addition (Mr. Freeze).

Head on over to our Facebook page (don’t forget to Like and Follow us) and post your blank cover variant art. I know I’d love to see them.

Carlos Cabaleiro

Carlos Cabaleiro

Carlos Cabaleiro illustrator+designer+storyteller I grew up just outside of New York. The eldest of three talented siblings; fascinated by my imagination and superheroes. Relocated to Florida and attended Miami International School of Art and Design. Worked as a freelance graphic designer to pay the bills. Somewhere along the way, I ended up taking a detour and now I'm back to making a living from my talent. Back and better than ever, I'm making my way in the world armed with my imagination, skill, talent, determination and the love and support of my fiancee, Kristina, and my family and friends. I now reside in Central Florida and share my studio with my sidekick, Grayson the dog wonder (he doesn't draw but he likes to keep me company). I am influenced by Bruce Timm, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Michael Golden, Egon Schiele, Leonardo D'vinci, Alex Ross, Wally Wood, Carl Banks and Don Newton. I focus primarily on illustration dealing with all things fandom, with a strong focus on sequential storytelling (storyboards, comics). I've worked for clients such as Ocean Drive magazine, Bacardi advertising and High Impact Comics. A HUGE Batman fan. I get excited for DC Comics, anything by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, James Robinson, FX's Justified and really cool action figures. I love to read and mostly lean towards fantasy or classics. Some favorites are: Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, anything by Edgar Allan Poe, Raylan Givens short stories by Elmore Leonard and my all-time favorite, Dracula by Bram Stoker.