Help me brainstorm? lol...

Hi! So, uhm... lol I kinda wanna ask for help with something SPiKE related. It is a really weird "problem" to have, I feel, cause... Ok, let's just cut to the case first:

There's a seasonal sale's pitch at the publishing company that's due soon, in which I have been requested to feature the cover for SPiKE Volume One.

Thing is, like... and this is where I feel this is such a weird problem to have XD I mean, I have no problem coming up with drawings that represent certain scenes or feelings or characters of the story, but for some reason I cannot for the life of me come up with a satisfying idea for the cover of SPiKE vol.1... And the cover deadline is April 12th.. XD

The reason why I'm reaching out this late is that I am kinda desperate for some input, brainstorming etc... anything to get the creative juices flowing. I have so many drawings that could work as chapter dividers, but covers? Whoof! That shit's hard! *tries to summon Drew Struzan*

Especially since this is a cover that is not supposed to represent the entire story, or even an entire arc, but a part of a part of the story, so to speak XD

Therefore I am kinda breaking the rules here and leaking some minor spoilers for volume one. But, you know, I need input from someone who knows the story, knows the characters, but also has the luxury of seeing it from a viewer/reader's perspective and someone who isn't burdened (lol) with too much knowledge of the characters for it to cloud their view XD

So, basic plot of volume one is sort of like... the first few chapters of the novel up until the first day of school. Just different XD  The focus - which is more important than the technicalities - of the first volume, is to introduce the readers to Sam and Spike's friendship, and touch on the contrasts in their lives; it is revealed, visually, that Spike lives with his uncle Charles who abuses him, but that the extent of the abuse is unknown. Volume one reveals psychological abuse, neglect and hints strongly towards physical abuse with Sam's discovery of Spike's scars in the swim scene being the cataclyst of that. It is also shown that Sam knows more than the other characters about Spike's conditions at home, and his evident avoidance of the highly uncomfortable topic. Sam is generally more focused on hanging out with Spike and having a good time, which to some might be very obvious to see is because Sam has a crush on Spike, but then others again might be as oblivious to it as Spike and only see Sam as someone with an unquenchable enthusiasm and energy level.. >u> lil' bean..
But after seeing the scars, Sam wants Spike to open up about what is really going on, but Spike distracts him and avoids the topic. Sam later on talks to Terrance about it (Terrance being his personal Google browser, as unlike Saunders, Terrance doesn't filter his information and just straight up answers everything). Sam asks Terrance about scars, different types, and how they're caused, and stuff like "how hard would you have to hit with a belt to cause large scars?"
The latter is what has Terrance's internal alarm bells go off. He gets what Sam is asking about, why he is asking about it and why he is being so "discreet" about his reasons for asking. Terrance strings together an undeniable pattern, and carefully talks to Saunders about his concerns.
Sam's focus the entire book/volume had been to make the most out of the last precious days of the summer before school starts, and to hang out with Spike as much as possible. Charles gets very little focus in this first volume and is essentially "just a bad guy" (don't worry, he gets plenty of focus later on as the story progresses). Saunders and Terrance are portrayed more as supporting characters, parents basically, but still being their goofy old selves with hopefully enough "sneak peeks" layered out for people to want to know more about them too.
But the main focus throughout the first volume is Spike and Sam's friendship, with undertones of the more-than-friends feeling building up in Sam, and how they each deal with the aftermath of the reveal of Spike's scars as the final realisation/conformation for Sam that Spike really is being abused by Charles, and that it was not just a hunch.
The book sort of ends on Spike and Sam meeting up to go to school together on the first day of the semester. On the way there, Sam suggests to Spike that maybe they should tell his dad about the beatings. Spike panics and in response threatens Sam to promise he'll keep it a secret, to not tell anyone - not even Saunders. Sam protests, insists, but eventually gives in; promises he won't tell anyone.
They proceed to go to school together, and the last panel is supposed to reveal the schoolground ahead of them with some "new" characters there to peak interest and sort of hint towards stuff coming up in volume two.

So - lol... how to sum all of this up in an A5 ish sized book cover? XD omg...

Any pointers? Ideas? Suggestions?

I don't really have any requirements, but my thoughts so far have been to use some color symbolism at least, or just light/dark or warm/cold contrasts, with the focus on the light and warm stuff but with some cold darkness lurking ominously in the periphery, so to speak.
I also love the idea of covers that are subtle and show a scene and an atmosphere/emotion more than just BAM! Big closeup of the characters staring directly at you, or super splashy colors etc... But my publisher insists that we get to see the characters' faces on the cover. At least Spike and Sam.
I also wanna keep in mind what the age of the target audience is. The publisher suggested rating it as R or PG-13, and I definitely support that (also lol it's legit the first time I've heard of an R-rated comic in Norway..). I know from deviantart that SPiKE has readers as young as freakin' 11(!), and I know from personal experience that the worst is authors who underestimate their readers/viewers, ugh... So I don't wanna be the author who's like "oh this is too much for my delicate little viewers", but like, dude.. I'm an almost 30 year old woman. I wrote this shit when I was sixteen and back then didn't think it was dark ENOUGH, but maternal instinct now is screaming like "omg everyone under 23 are kids, protect them from the horrors of reality!", so there's undeniably a lot of inner conflicts of writing a story aimed at sixteen-year-olds when I'm closing in on the age where everyone around me has like three kids and look at me like I'm failing as an adult for NOT being married and having kids, a mortgage and a car, but instead someone who is instead single, has a dog instead of a kid, prefers to rent a small apartment due to reverse claustrophobia (lol is that even a thing?) and technically can drive but still prefers paying for bus tickets rather than a driver's licence, like.... part of me feels I should be embarrassed about the life I live, but at the same time I am fucking happy as can be in my minimalistic bohemian style of living XD I guess it's the alleged Gypsie blood in me that has me perpetually too restless and adventurous to just, you know, settle down. One location, one pattern, one monotonous day after the other. No thanks, tbh...

lol trailing off, as per usual (speaking of patterns lol)

But yeah..

Book covers, how to they even xD

Another personal preference and approach I like to continue regarding the SPiKE series is a little note I wrote to myself back when I was sixteen (srsly, I went through my "archives" today, and I had literally written this to myself): 

"Treat every comic panel as a piece of storyboard for a movie."

And I personally   L O V E  thinking in terms of cinematography when making these comics. In my head I have always envisioned the scenes as films. Like, not as envisioning them to someday BE films, but more like I am watching a movie in my head, you know? I visualise the characters in real time, so to speak. The comic panels are basically just stillframes of what's projected inside my head (now do you get why the scenes with Charles and Spike were always the most painful ones to write? *shudders* The fact that I have the type of brain that always visualises everything is more a curse than a blessing sometimes. Seriously, I can not turn my visualisation off, so no matter what people tell me or what I read or what I think about, I see it. Vividly. With in certain cases when you are also an empath can literally be vicariously traumatising. Lol how am I still alive even...)

Whoa, another digression? Omg I've never done one of those :p 

Back on track:

Cover.

Plz halp.

Would be cool if it was sort of movie poster inspired, but also symbolic or at least capturing the feeling you'd get from reading the first volume as well as hinting towards things that is yet to come, so that when you first look at the book you don't get what's going on but it intrigues you,  and then when you look at the cover after you've read the book it's like 'wtf that wasn't in the book what does it mean will we see that in the next book' like a stealthy cliffhanger you only notice on the outside of the book you just fininshed reading >u>

Yeah; cliffhangers. I'm still being an asshole with those XD sorry..
But at least this time you won't have to wait like 8+ years for the next chapter lol XD
I mean, the plan is to publish one volume a year, with each volume around 250+ pages, so I think you'll be pretty satisfied >u>
Especially since even though the first three volumes will cover chapter 0 to 16 in its rewritten form, but drawn, and with loads of foreshadowing and little hidden easter eggs you'll notice the second time around.
I've worked over ten years on this story, continuously. Like, not to boast, but I'm honestly starting to feel pretty confident that you guys will be pleased with the result. And more than anything I am super excited to show it to you all OuO *internal screeching*

ok, enough rambling XD

Thanks for reading/enduring this post ^^;