Get it? Blood, because he's a blood spatter expert. Even season 4, arguably it's finest season, can't escape the same uninspired fate.
I don't think these covers offer much beyond a superficial thought. If I didn't know, I'd think Dexter was some gleeful deranged psycho basking in blood from a fresh kill, proud of his senseless murder of innocent people. Some may argue that the subtlety and straightness of these images is the point, but I disagree when there's next to no variation. It's the same crap repackaged in a slightly different box. It's as if the thinking switch was turned off and the art designer/s settled with a random photo of Michael C. Hall, altered it's contrast and called it a day.
Now I could understand if these images were just teaser posters of upcoming seasons but they're the legitimate final stamp of the season.
And I say art direction because this plain style is across the board. Everywhere you see official Dexter themed art, whether game, novel or merch, there's next to no variation. Take a look at some items on show:
T-Shirts and Music.
One reason for this choice of art direction, of lack thereof, could possibly be because of the first two books by Jeff Lindsay that came before the tv-show, namely; Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004) and Dearly Devoted Dexter (2005).
Possible original. Re-release with new logo but character visually different to show.
Perhaps they were trying to keep with the theme of these covers, yet novels very rarely offer much and are inherently basic. There's of course oddities such as teen orientated books, but they usually always walk a fine line between being visually striking and lacking anything beyond text. I tend to think they tried to mimic the design of the books, as the tv-show covers could easily pass off as book covers, it's hardly a stretch to envision.
The problem is they're playing it safe and simply sticking to the source material, however bare-bones it happens to be. There's plenty of room for elaboration and it's not like the fans would throw their arms in rage to a little artistic flair. There's so many possibilities that can be incorporated and shown as evidenced by the 5-issue Marvel comic series released in 2013.
Landscape. Actual landscape.
Written by Jeff Lindsay and illustrated by Dalibor Talajic, the comic-book series basically encapsulates what it should be. With landscapes and more than one idea for viewers to interpret, it's the perfect balance that summarizes a series of events while still maintaining focus on the main character. The blending of images offers a deeper insight into Dexter and offers clues as to what the story inside is all about. After reading it one can reflect on the cover and know it without having to skim through or read a summary. The front cover acts as a story telling device just as the actual panels contained.
When I go to my local DVD and Blu-ray store and see Dexter covers first hand I struggle to buy a copy because I find them bland and uninspired. I'd feel right at home buying an online copy because I feel there's nothing visually significant and appealing about the containers for the tv-show. I simply don't feel I'm missing out by not having a physical representation. And it's a shame because Dexter's art design could have been so much more but it was twarted by safe bets. (Spoilers) Like the opening introduction scene that was only changed for one single solitary episode throughout a 8 season time span, or long running characters that could have been killed off for a more emotionally devastating final season, or Debra's half-baked love affair with Dexter that was ultimately written out due to fans reaction, and ultimately not killing Dexter when it could have saved an otherwise terrible ending.
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