There are covers that whisper “dystopia.” There are covers that roar “apocalypse.” And then there’s Day One: Tales of the Scour: Book One, which sort of mutters, “I downloaded three free fonts and a stock sunset, please clap.”
Let’s start with the title: “DAY ONE” splattered across the top in faux-distressed stencil, like a knockoff Army surplus logo from 2002. It’s not mysterious, it’s not threatening — it’s the kind of font you’d expect on a clearance bin T-shirt that says “NO FEAR” in a gas station. Below that, the subtitle Tales of the Scour: Book One politely reminds you this is, in fact, a book, in case you were about to mistake it for a construction safety poster.
And the imagery? Oh, it’s a feast. A lone silhouette strolls casually into a giant orange basketball sun, flanked by two oil tankers that look squeaky-clean enough to star in a Shell advertisement. Apparently, the end times will be sponsored by the petroleum industry. All of this is framed inside a glowing, jagged oval portal ringed with clip-art lightning — because why bother with atmosphere when you can paste in a Windows 98 screensaver effect?
Finally, the author’s name: “BLAZE WARD,” presented in green serif with a tasteful drop shadow straight out of PowerPoint: Extreme Mode. It clashes gloriously with the angry-red background, the stencil title, and the general vibe of design chaos. Nothing says “serious sci-fi” like typography that looks like a middle schooler’s book report title slide.
Verdict: Day One is less “Tales of the Scour” and more “Tales of the Stock Photo.” It’s mismatched, muddled, and manages to make the apocalypse look like a lukewarm stroll past a refinery. In short: a Horrible Cover masterpiece.