Some Thoughts About A Cover

I like the cover for Young Allies #6. Really, it's Emma Frost that I like, because the way Emma Rios drew Frost sums her up perfectly to me. She's calm, confident, she's provoking a reaction in someone else while remaining in control herself, and of course, she's looking down her nose at Firestar. Arrogance, composure, mind games? That's pretty much Ethe White Queen to me. I know there's more than that, but those have been the dominant traits in most of her appearances I've read, besides "evil" and/or "inexplicably attracted to Cyclops".

Maybe it's just me, but her face is drawn more sharply than Firestar's. Certainly in the noses, Emma's comes to a point, while Angelica's is more rounded. Someone who didn't know the characters might not read it this way, but the fact Frost's nose looks like it could stab an eye out works for a character who is very good at cutting with words. OK, "cut" and "stab" aren't precisely the same, but they're both methods of hurting others. Even though Firestar's the one who looks ready to attack, Emma Frost is the one who seems more dangerous. She's unfazed by Firestar's anger, standing there waiting for something to happen. She's daring Angelica to try something, because she's got things in hand, and that gives her control because she'll use that to her advantage. There's a hardened edge to her that Firestar lacks.

Also, I like that both characters' hair is blowing backwards. It implies the clash of their personalities, the conflict between them creating a noticeable blowback.