Color me a bit naive, but when I’m buying a comic book named after a particular character, I usually expect that character to be on the cover. You know. Just as a general rule.
Yes, Alex Ross is a talented artist and this cover is pretty gorgeous. Yes, at least the main cover prominently features our girl Leia, and yes, there are examples of comic book covers that don’t feature the character on them—like when Marvel decided to let Guardians of the Galaxy’s Groot and Rocket Raccoon take over the covers of every title, for example.
But still, there’s something super jarring to me about a cover that boldly announces “PRINCESS LEIA” on the top and then doesn’t even have her on it—or a single female character at all, for that matter, which I think is what’s really bothering me. There have already been so many opportunities for the men of Star Wars, after all (and as a side note, this cover would have worked so much better as a variant for Star Wars #1 or Darth Vader #1). Why not throw Mon Mothma up there instead? Or… uh… okay, I guess Mon Mothma’s it for now, canonically. Think maybe Disney will let Winter Retrac be in the regular non-expended Star Wars universe, too?
That kind of drives the point home though, doesn’t it? She’s one of two women in main Star Wars canon, she’s got her very own title, and then she’s omitted from one of the covers entirely? Couldn’t we just scooch Luke over a bit and squeeze her in there? At least Ross’s other variant for Princess Leia #1 actually, y’know depicts Princess Leia. And it’s pretty awesome, too:
Well, at least we can take comfort in the knowledge that Ross’s other cover isn’t going to turn off some poor little girl at the comic book store—it’s appears to only be available at AlexRossStore.com as an exclusive. Still, Ross, c’mon. Way to miss the point of why people wanna read that comic, bro. We know you can do better. Mon Mothma better. Think about it.
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