Rival:
1 a: one of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess
b: one striving for competitive advantage or
3: one that equals another in desired qualities:
The terms rival and feud almost go hand in hand. A rival, or two trying to obtain one thing and, feud, having it going on for a period of time, are cliches of most comic unverses.
To clarify the definition of a feud according to merriam webster:
Feud:
1: a mutual enmity or quarrel that is often prolonged or inveterate;
We then came to a point where we each asked: "Can one still exist while another has evolved or taken it's place?" Can you still have a rivalry between two or more people when a murder has been committed?
I say yes.
Case in point: Whenever a villain gets the upper hand over our hero and is about to dispatch him, near the end of a battle, the villain always brings up the one or two moments the hero neglected them, got the upper hand in, took something away from them, (like an opportunity), or has some reason to exact their revenge based on some prior circumstance.
Some immediate examples I can think of would be Syndrome from Incredibles, Mr. Fantastic and Dr. Doom starting from their college years, Professor X and Magneto, to Space Ghost and Zorak on Coast to Coast.
Rivalries can evolve from feuds and vice versa. A rivalry can be two friends fighting alongside for a common goal as well.
I present this cover as a great visualization of rivals:
This cover plays to the viewer beautifully. If you know history of the X-Men or not, this cover entices you to rip it open and find out what's happening to Wolvie. The Brood, featured in this and subsequent books, are a vicious alien race that are about dominance and control. This book is about a Brood hatchling and Wolverine fighting over the control of his body unbeknown to the rest of the team until. . . well, I suggest picking it up!
The rich purples and cool blues are complementary to his normal costume colors and play an integral roll in depicting a losing Wolverine. This is a book from Mark Silvestri's run on the series and I believe showcases his greatest work.
This scene does take place in the book and is handled very well.
One trick to a good rivalry cover is to keep ALL the art elements in mind and at your disposal to suggest a "teeter totter"-ing of the cover pitch. Utilize hue, shape, negative space, and temperature to create a slightly imbalanced composition until an edgy suspense is achieved.
Do these things and your only rival will be comic shops charging too little for the book!
