Fasole's "Cyperpunk Samurai"

Snow Crash fanart by Fasole (paradanmellow). Click thumbnail to view larger image in artist's gallery. Finally, a quality Hiro portrait that actually respects the author's character description. ;-) (Snow Crash is a cyperpunk novel by Neal Stephenson. The protagonist is of African American and Korean descent.)

Has anyone noticed that most of the official Snow Crash covers with Hiro on them show either a silhouette or back view? And the few covers that have Hiro in profile or three-quarter view portray him with Caucasian features. One Hiro illustration, which made it into Spectrum some years ago,  didn't even get the hair right. (That particular illustrator portrayed Hiro as someone with white skin, European features and lank hair.)

This isn't an issue unique to Snow Crash covers. Another example is the treatment of Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books. As the author herself describes in Slate article A Whitewashed Earthsea, publishers seem to go out of their way to avoid showing non-white faces on book covers, out of fear that doing so might hurt sales.

Occult Crimes Taskforce graphic novel

In Occult Crimes Taskforce (O.C.T.), New York policewoman Sophia Ortiz (modeled after co-writer Rosario Dawson) and her teammates fight supernatural criminals with their own magical arts. Artwork by Tony Shasteen. Co-written by Rosario Dawson and David Atchinson.

Sanjay Patel's "Ramayana: Divine Loophole"

Sanjay Patel's retelling of the Hindu epic Ramayana contains more than a hundred illustrations. Click thumbnails to visit Divine Loophole gallery on artist's site:

Todd Lockwood's cover art for the Dark Elf Trilogy

Mass market paperback covers for the Homeland , Exile and Sojourn. Click on thumbnails to view full size images on artist's site:

Homeland

Exile

Sojourn

Haroon Rashid's Burka Avenger

In this animated series conceptualized by pop star Haroon Rashid, the superhero battles corrupt politicians and misogynistic extremists in a fictional Pakistani city.

Jia teaches at a girl's school by day and fights injustice as a burqa-wearing action heroine by night.

More about Burka Avenger:

• Burka Avenger: Pakistan's cartoon superhero battling for girls' education (TheGuardian.com)
• Burka Avenger, Pakistan's Newest Female Superhero, Set To Debut In GeoTV Cartoon Series In August (HuffingtonPost.com)

Claire Hummel's "Pele" and "Hatshepsut"

Paul Davey's "Wild Remote" and "Thieves in the Night"

Click on thumbnails to view images in illustrator's deviantart gallery.