Shadecraft, the latest collaboration between writer Joe Henderson, artists Lee Garbett and Antonio Fabela, and letterer Simon Bowland, is due out from Image Comics at the end of this month. The next book from the Skyward creative team follows Zadie Lu, a teenage girl who experiences something unbelievable when an apparently sentient shadow tries to kill her. Is she losing her mind, or are the shadows in her small town actually alive? And what connection do they have to her? Today The Beat is pleased to reveal a pair of variant covers for the first two issues of Shadecraft, featuring artwork by Jock and Tula Lotay, respectively.

Along with the reveal of the variant covers, Henderson and Garbett both expressed to The Beat their enthusiasm for having Jock and Lotay help bring their characters to life:

“When I first saw Lee’s art for Zadie, an old friend who had only existed in my head was brought to wondrous life. And when I first saw Jock and Tula’s renditions of her, it was like she became her own person outside of us. That’s what I love about variant covers; you get to see masters of the craft take your character and bring their own voice to them. And look how beautiful these covers are!!!” —Joe Henderson

“When you contemplate who you could possibly hope to get to do a variant cover you immediately think of the best in the business. If you’re lucky enough to have two of the very best in the business being your best pals, you’re in a good spot. Am I above using and abusing said relationships? Absolutely not. I knew Jock and Tula would deliver something wonderful for us but I didn’t realise just how special the images would be. Both have absolutely captured the mood and feel of our book from very different angles. One leans into the horror, the other into the emotion and isolation. Both are absolutely stunning!” —Lee Garbett

The first issue of Shadecraft is a moody, down-to-earth suspense story that brings readers into the world of the series expertly. Jock and Lotay’s variant covers for the first two issues are incredibly striking, and perfectly capture the vibe of the series and of Zadie in their own unique ways.

Check out the variant covers for Shadecraft #1 by Jock and Shadecraft #2 by Tula Lotay, as well as a four-page preview and the main cover for the first issue, below. Published by Image Comics, the first issue of Shadecraft goes on sale on Wednesday, March 31st. Preorders for the main cover, the Jock variant cover, and a blank sketch variant are open until next Monday, March 8th.

Shadecraft #1 Cover B by Jock
Shadecraft #2 Cover B by Tula Lotay