The end of the year is a time of reflection in many ways, and that often means thinking about and assessing what the very best releases in any particular medium were. As we prepare to cross the threshold into 2017, we've been collecting some of the best covers of the year by publisher for your perusal, and today we're looking at fifty of the best comic book covers released from Image Comics in 2016.

While Image was traditionally associated with a very specific style in the '90s, these days it's one of the most visually diverse publishers, with everything from Shane DavisAxcend to Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda's Monstress. This year's gallery of the best Image covers really exemplifies the publisher's success at providing comics for all manner of fan with all manner of taste.

Story developments in fan-favorite titles like Saga have allowed creators to do more with their covers, because once readers have an attachment with a title's characters, it opens up new ways to draw attention to your book on the stand. Image has also been embracing the variant cover more than ever, and some of the best covers of the year are variants featuring guest artists putting their own spin on beloved creator-owned titles.

2016 also featured a great number of debut comics from Image, with comics such as Glittberbomb, Reborn and Violent Love exploding out of the gate with striking covers that demand your attention. It's been a really great year for comics in general, and this gallery highlights just a small portion of that and the great work that's been made at Image.

Check Out More Best Covers Of The Year

 

 

 

 

More From ComicsAlliance