History Main / CoversAlwaysLie

* The fanfiction [[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/7290687/1/ Pataki Magi Helga Magica]] (a crossover between [[WesternAnimation/HeyArnold Hey! Arnold]] and [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]), judging by the title name, many people would expect Helga [[ActionGirl to become an awesome Puella Magi]] [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower who fights for love and justice]]. [[spoiler:Not only she never become an active Puella Magi at all, she eventually make a wish to Kyubey so that [[RetGone she would never exist in that world]] to undo all the bad things that had already happened.]]
* The cover art for a crossover fanfiction [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7981588/1/Wishes-of-a-Different-Sort Wishes Of A Different Sort]] features [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Homura Akemi]] and [[Anime/DragonBallZ Frieza]]. While Homura is the main protagonist of the story and Frieza plays important roles as a threatening villain, [[spoiler:[[TheDreaded Ultimate Kriemhild Gretchen]] is the true BigBad of the story, making Frieza [[EvilerThanThou pale in comparison]].]]

* The fanfiction [[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/7290687/1/ Pataki Magi Helga Magica]] (a crossover between [[WesternAnimation/HeyArnold Hey! Arnold]] and [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]), judging by the title name, many people would expect Helga [[ActionGirl to become an awesome Puella Magi]] [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower who fights for love and justice]]. [[spoiler:Not only she never become an active Puella Magi at all, she eventually make a wish to Kyubey so that [[RetGone she would never exist in that world]] to undo all the bad things that had already happened.]]
* The cover art for a crossover fanfiction [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7981588/1/Wishes-of-a-Different-Sort Wishes Of A Different Sort]] features [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Homura Akemi]] and [[Anime/DragonBallZ Frieza]]. While Homura is the main protagonist of the story and Frieza played important roles as a threatening villain, [[spoiler:Ultimate Kriemhild Gretchen is the true BigBad of the story, making Frieza [[EvilerThanThou pale in comparison]].]]

* The fanfiction [[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/7290687/1/ Pataki Magi Helga Magica]] (a crossover between [[WesternAnimation/HeyArnold Hey! Arnold]] and [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]), judging by the title name, many people would expect Helga [[ActionGirl to become an awesome Puella Magi]] [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower who fights for love and justice]]. [[spoiler:Not only she never become an active Puella Magi at all, she eventually make a wish to Kyubey so that [[RetGone she would never exist in that world]] to undo all the bad things that had already happened.]]
* The cover art for a crossover fanfiction [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7981588/1/Wishes-of-a-Different-Sort Wishes Of A Different Sort]] features [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Homura Akemi]] and [[Anime/DragonBallZ Frieza]]. While Homura is the main protagonist of the story and Frieza played important roles as a threatening villain, [[spoiler:Ultimate Kriemhild Gretchen is the true BigBad of the story, making Frieza [[EvillerThanThou pale in comparison]].]]

* The fanfiction [[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/7290687/1/ Pataki Magi Helga Magica]] (a crossover between [[WesternAnimation/HeyArnold Hey! Arnold]] and [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]), judging by the title name, many people would expect Helga [[ActionGirl to become an awesome Puella Magi]] [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower who fights for love and justice]]. [[spoiler:Not only she never become an active Puella Magi at all, she eventually make a wish to Kyubey so that [[RetGone she would never exist in that world]] to undo all the bad things that had already happened.]]
* The cover art for a crossover fanfiction [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7981588/1/Wishes-of-a-Different-Sort Wishes Of A Different Sort]] features [Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Homura Akemi]] and [[Anime/DragonBallZ Frieza]]. While Homura is the main protagonist of the story and Frieza played important roles as a threatening villain, [[spoiler:Ultimate Kriemhild Gretchen is the true BigBad of the story, making Frieza [[EvillerThanThou pale in comparison]].]]

* The fanfiction [[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/7290687/1/ Pataki Magi Helga Magica]] (a crossover between [[WesternAnimation/HeyArnold Hey! Arnold]] and [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]), judging by the title name, many people would expect Helga [[ActionGirl to become an awesome Puella Magi]] [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower who fights for love and justice]]. [[spoiler:Not only she never become an active Puella Magi at all, she eventually make a wish to Kyubey so that [[RetGone she would never exist in that world]] to undo all the bad things that had already happened.]]
* The cover art for a crossover fanfiction [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7981588/1/Wishes-of-a-Different-Sort Wishes Of A Different Sort]] features Homura Akemi and Freeza. While Homura is the main protagonist of the story and Freeza played important roles as a threatening villain, [[spoiler:Ultimate Kriemhild Gretchen is the true BigBad of the story]]

* The fanfiction [[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/7290687/1/ Pataki Magi Helga Magica]] (a crossover between [[WesternAnimation/HeyArnold Hey! Arnold]] and [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]),judging by the title name, many people would expect Helga [[ActionGirl to become an awesome Puella Magi]] [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower who fights for love and justice]]. [[spoiler:Not only she never become an active Puella Magi at all, she eventually make a wish to Kyubey so that [[RetGone she would never exist in that world]] to undo all the bad things that had already happened.]]

** On a cover of ''Robin'':

* Music/TheMelvins, a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot progressive psychedelic grunge/punk/metal]] band, use this as a RunningGag.

* Fanfic/HowIBecameYours not only has scenes that don't happen on the cover, but it also has several fabricated positive reviews.

* YouTube allows you to upload a photo of just about whatever you want if you decide not to use a still from the video for its thumbnail. This has extremely predictable results.

** In the same series, there was a comic where [[RealityWarper Mr. Mxyzptlk]] shows up and says that the [[RentAZilla Giant Superman]] destroying Metropolis probably didn't happen inside but with him around, you never know.

** In the same series, there was a comic where [[RealityWarper Mr. Mxyzptlk]] shows up and says that the [[RentAZilla Giant Superman]] destroying Metropolis probably didn't happen but with him around, you never know.

* There's a FilkSong that parodies the phenomenon: "There's a bimbo on my cover".

Popular characters who appear in little more than a [[TheCameo cameo]] on the inside can be larger than the main character on the cover. A quiet, contemplative issue can be made to seem like an action-packed frag-fest, and vice-versa. The cover can push for an entirely different {{demographic|s}} than the rest of the work. This is often done intentionally so customers will purchase the product assuming that it relates to their interests in [[CopycatCover a visual version]] of FollowTheLeader.

* The cover for the ''Manga/KOn'' Palcomix comic "On This Day" has Rio and Mitsu posing very suggestively and looking at the camera. But the sex actually isn't [[TearJerker the]] [[HappilyMarried big]] [[{{WAFF}} thing in]] [[GrowOldWithMe the story.]]

* In ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' Greg's mom puts the kibosh on his book club selection because she doesn't like the scantily clad warrior woman on the cover. Greg notes that there are no women in the book's entire series and wonders if the cover artist even read the book.

* ''Film/NationalLampoonsVacation'' has a cover that parodies ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'', with the family patriarch presented as a FrankFrazetta beefcake who is [[StabTheSky stabbing the sky]] with a tennis racket and has [[LegCling leg clinging bimbos]].

* One of the most common fake-out covers is the image of all the heroes lying dead in a pile while the issue's villains stand triumphant. A JusticeLeagueOfAmerica issue spoofs this by having one of the villains say to the reader, "We don't ''really'' beat them...but it's a heck of a cover, isn't it?"

* the original cover of RiftsRPG depicts a Splugorth Slaver and the Altara Warrior Women. The Splugorth only got a brief mention from Erin Tarn and the Slaver+women didn't get stats published until sourcebook 1 / world book 2.

* The ''Film/ScaryMovie'' series did it twice: [[http://www.impawards.com/2000/scary_movie.html the poster for the first movie]] makes it appear as though Shannon Elizabeth is the star (not [[SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer Anna Faris]] - the DVD cover [[http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5123WET5P4L._SS500_.jpg adds her]] for justice). [[http://impawards.com/2006/scary_movie_four_ver4.html The fourth]] has Film/KingKong, who doesn't appear in the movie (a spoof).

* Ernie Kovaks parodied this trope with a series of "more sex and violence" book covers, showing ''Little Women'' as ladies of ill repute, ''Peter Rabbit'' as a gangster, and a Webster's unabridged dictionary with a picture of a silhouette of a lady behind a window blind, with blurbs all over the cover such as "Unexpurgated!", "Four Letter Words!", and "Nothing Left Out!".

** ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': In one episode, Candace immediately dismisses books based on their covers; when Linda, her mom, says not to judge a book by its cover, Candace argues that books have covers to capture people's interest, and then asks why she picked these books. Linda begrudgingly admits that it was because they looked interesting, and leaves.

* The cover (and title) of Throbbing Gristle's [[http://brainwashed.com/common/images/covers/ir0008.jpg 20 Jazz Funk Greats]] says it all.
* Music/TroutMaskReplica by Music/CaptainBeefheart: Beefheart wears a carp's head on the album cover, not a trout's one.
* Music/WereOnlyInItForTheMoney by Music/FrankZappa: From judging the album cover and the art work within you might expect this album to be an entire musical and lyrical parody of Music/TheBeatles' ''Music/SgtPeppersLonelyHeartsClubBand'', but it's not. The only real similarity is that ''A Day In The Life'', just like ''The Chrome Plated Megaphone Of Destiny'' are both the closing track, both closing on one note slowly fading out at the end.