This page covers the Marvel comicbook concept Homage Covers . If this is not the page you were looking for check here.

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Introduction

The comic book cover is created to draw attention so it's up to the cover artist to create a striking image so that maybe the customer will purchase the comic after just seeing the cover art. Sometimes a cover becomes so iconic that other cover artists feel that they must pay tribute by making their own version of the image. Or maybe it's just an easy way out when inspiration and creativity is lacking. Who knows?

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Homage Covers

The first section is called Homage Covers and will be the biggest part of this page. It covers plain comic book cover homages and unintentionally alike covers. Thanks to Arthur Suydam. Whithout him this page would be about half as big.

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Uncanny X-Men 136/Crisis on Infinite Earths 7

The 'Stand with a dead loved one in your arms expressing grief to the sky' cover.

A really iconic cover and perhaps the most homaged one of all. Neither Uncanny X-Men #136 nor Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 is the first of this kind, there's been countless variations as far back as the 1950's, but I've listed those two covers first because they're two of the most recognizable homages.

It's probably impossible to determine which was the first, there's not that many ways to stand with a dead person in your arms. Some say that the inspiration is the Pietà statue. In my opinion the Pietà isn't that much alike, there's other covers that is much more similar which is why it has its own section.

As the story goes the resemblance between the two and any of the ones before is completely unintentional. Believe it if you want.

Space adventures #24 is one of the first comic covers with this motive and Lois Lane #102 is also an early one. By the way: When you're dead, you're dead!

Superman seems to kill Lois an awful lot. Maybe it's because he's a dick.

Also a popular cover to make parodies of.

The cover for X-Men: Phoenix Endsong #4 is clearly a homage to Uncanny X-Men #136 and the cover to Firestorm 21 is also quite clearly an homage to Crisis on Infinite Earths #7.

See this gallery for more examples.

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Giant-Size X-Men 1

The 'The new team leaps through the page to the amazement of the old team' cover.

Another very popular cover to homage is Giant-Size X-Men #1 by Gil Kane featuring the all-new X-Men team literally ripping through the cover and through the classic x-men team. This image has became a symbol of change, and has been homaged many times. Often when it's time to introduce a new team, new writer or new artist. There has also been several variations of this cover where the characters just jumps through a generic cover.

The cover to X-Men: Deadly Genesis 1 is interesting as it features (personal interpretation) zombified versions of the X-Men and it predates Marvel Zombies 1 by one month. It may be a bit to close to say that it influenced Arthur Suydam in creating his popular zombie homage covers. Coincidence or not? You tell me.

Also note that Thunderbird is missing on the Deadly Genesis cover. Too dead to be a zombie i guess.

The cover for Uncanny X-Men Annual #10 featuring the New Mutants as the "New" X-Men because all of the X-Men had been turned into babies by Mojo and Spiral. And the cover to Uncanny X-Men #254 features the temporary Muir Island X-Men team. Perhaps because you demanded it.

Woohoo!! A Futurama cover. Naturally Leela replaces Cyclops and Bender replaces Wolverine. Fry replaces Colossus, but with Jean Grey's costume. And this comic is graded 11.5 on the CIC.

More variants in the gallery.

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Amazing Fantasy 15

The 'Spider-Man swings around with some guy under his arm' cover.

Amazing Fantasy #15 contains the first appearance of Spider-Man, and is perhaps Marvel's single most important comic book Evar! As such it has been homaged many times, not because the cover is especially iconic, it's more because of the iconic character.

The cover for Marvel Zombies #1 by Arthur Suydam is noteworthy because it was the first of his famous Marvel Zombies homage covers, each of which homages a classic marvel comics cover, only with zombified versions of the characters.

Amazing Fantasy #15 is also a popular cover to make parodies of as the covers for Amazing Spider-Girl #0 and Deadpool #11 (above) shows.

More variants of this cover here.

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Action Comics 1

The 'Superman smashes up a car just because he can' cover.

If Amazing Fantasy #15 is Marvel's most important comic book Evar! then Action Comics #1 is DC's and comics in general's most important comic book. As you know it features the first appearance of Superman, superhero comics most iconic and recognizable character. I haven't read the story so i don't really know why Superman is busting up that car but i can't say that i wouldn't do it if i was him.

Marvel made an homage of Action Comics #1 fifty years later in 1988 with Amazing Spider-Man #306.

Action Comics #800 depicts the scene from Action Comics #1 from a different perspective. Also if you have seen Superman Returns there's a recreation of the cover, if someone has a pic feel free to upload it in the gallery.

Check the gallery for more.

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Fantastic Four 1

The 'Giant monster attacks from underground' cover.

Fantastic Four #1 is also an important issue since it marks the beginning of the modern marvel universe. It's kind of goofy, though.

Another Zombie cover pictured just because i like them.

Hey, i didn't know his name was Larry.

More covers here.

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Uncanny X-Men 1

The 'X-Men fails to kick the crap out of Magneto' cover

I know it says The X-Men 1 on the cover, but the name has since then changed to Uncanny X-Men 1. It probably has something to do with time-travel.

Is Angel going to bash Magneto on the head with a steel pipe? Not the greatest plan if you ask me.

Another zombie cover, note that Iceman is throwing an ice skull. That is all.

As usual see the gallery for more covers.

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Superman 1

The 'Superman can jump' cover

The cover for Superman #1 doesn't have the most dramatic composition but it has been homaged many times anyway.

All in full color? That's really something

Superman 1 gallery.

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Incredible Hulk 1

The 'Watch out! There's a Hulk behind you!' cover

The cover from Incredible Hulk #1 shows the gray Hulk. From issue 2 and onward he would be colored green.

In Incredible Hulk 324 Hulk returns to his grey-skinned self. (Note - needs better cover scan.)

Incredible Hulk 474 is the last issue before the relaunch, Also: more zombies.

More Incredible Hulk 1 covers.

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Amazing Spider-Man 50

The 'Spider-Man No More!' cover

Amazing Spider-Man #50 is interesting, because not only the cover, but also the interior art has been homaged many times. A really great cover image.

Amazing Spider-Man 392 does a great homage but reverses the roles.

This powerful interior art from Amazing Spider-Man #50 shows Peter Parker walking away from a garbage can where he just threw away his Spider-Man suit, deciding to quit as Spider-Man. It is perhaps more homaged than the cover, and was even recreated in the second Spider-Man movie. (need picture)

The variant cover from Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #17 is a great variant as it replaces Peter Parker with Spider-Man in his black suit.

More in gallery.

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Wonder Woman 240

This is the typical "Wanted" poster. Perhaps this is a homeage to the Pre-Crisis times of Wonder Woman as the one on the right is done by George Perez. He had been the one responsible for relaunching Wonder Woman's second volume in 1987.

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Uncanny X-Men 141

The 'Days of Future Past' cover

If it ever was a comic book that would make you buy it just after seeing the cover it was Uncanny X-Men #141. Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Angel, Iceman and Beast all dead! How did this happen? Is it really true?

The fact that Days of Future Past is a really great story makes it even more popular to homage as shown:

On the cover for New X-Men #26 Wolverine and Shadowcat is replaced by X-23 and Hellion. An appropriate cover since dozens of mutants is killed in the storyline.

Surprise! More zombies. Here the cover to the first issue in the unlikely crossover Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness. Click on it to see the image without logos and see if you can spot the spelling mistake. The Star Wars cover is another personal favourite. Note that Obi-Wan's face picture is at the same place as Wolverine's in the original.

More to see here.

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Justice League 1

The 'Group Shot' cover

I'm sure that the cover for Justice League #1 wasn't the first with this composition since it's a pretty generic design but it has spawned many similar covers. All of them can't be said to be homage covers but i'll put them here anyway.

The history of the DC universe is must reading.

Formerly Known As The Justice League is great. Starfish attached to your face, not so great.

Madrox does it by himself.

Yes, there's zombies in the gallery.

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Avengers 4

The 'Captain America Lives Again!' cover

The Avengers #4 was the issue that Retcon Captain America back into modern comics.

Captain America Lives Again!

Captain America Zombie Again! What would this page be without zombies?

Blah, blah, blah gallery.

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Spider-Man 1

The 'Spider-Man's tangled web' cover

The new Spider-Man title Todd McFarlane got to do to ensure His staying at Marvel a little while longer. Spider-Man #1 supposedly sold 2,500,000 copies, but it also had several variant covers.

Todd McFarlane recycles this cover for Spider-Man #13.

Todd McFarlane recycles this cover again for Spawn #8.

Another Marvel Zombies variant cover. Note the little heroes trapped in Zombie Spider-Man's web. And the cover for Ant #5. Note the interresting anatomy on Ant. Lack of belly, but no lack of breasts.

See more variant covers here.

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Uncanny X-Men 138

The 'Screw you guys, I'm going home!' cover

The cover for Uncanny X-Men #138 shows Cyclops quitting the X-Men to never be seen again.

[Insert funny Rob Liefeld joke here.]

Hah! No-one is sad to see Wolverine go.

Here is a gallery.

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Batman: the Dark Knight Returns

The 'Batman jumps over lightning bolts' cover

Another classic story. The cover for Batman: the Dark Knight Returns is a quite simple image with a Batman silhouette in front of a lightning bolt and dark background.

The Flying Fury Fights Alone.

Not all covers in the gallery is direct homages, but i've put them up because they're close enough.

More in the gallery.

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Journey Into Mystery 83

The 'Thor smashes rock guys' cover

Thor made his Marvel debut in Journey Into Mystery #83, borrowed from norse mythology. The same year as Spider-Man and Hulk was introduced. How about that!

The most exciting super-hero of all time!! Who can argue when there's two exclamation marks. In Uncanny X-Men Annual #9 the X-Men and the New Mutants are in Asgard having fun... or getting killed, i can't remember.

Thena is a better name than Thor Girl i suppose, but Thordis is just wrong.

It's Hammertime.

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Amazing Spider-Man 39

The 'Spider-Man on the ropes' cover.

In Amazing Spider-Man #39 we learn the identity of the Green Goblin. It's shocking, i promise.

I don't remember the story of Sensational She-Hulk #53, but that goblin looks stupid. And how about She-Hulk's pants?

Oooh! More zombies. And there's Hobgoblin 2211 on the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man cover.

Spidey and Green Goblin unmasked.

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The Man of Steel 1

The 'Shirt-ripping' cover.

The cover of Man of Steel #1 features classic image of Superman ripping his shirt open and revealing the S logo and there's a variant cover that has a close-up of the scene. This iconic image has often featured inside the comics, but this is the first cover.

I think this also is in all Superman movies (need pic).

The cover for Supergirl #51 reverses it by having Supergirl ripping her costume open, revealing the shirt from Supergirl #1.

Mmm... boobs...

No zombies...

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Fine Art

The second section is the Fine Art section. It covers (haha) covers that homages traditional art, paintings, sculptures and so on. By definition this section should also contain music and movie homages, but i will place that in a separate section.

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The Pièta

The 'Jesus Christ!!1' cover.

A Pièta is a painting or in this case a sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding a dead Jesus in her arms. The most famous Pièta is the sculpture pictured below by Italian renaissance artist Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni.

The cover for Deadpool #63 has Marvels version of Death holding Deadpool. This is quite obviously an homage to the Pièta sculpture unlike the Uncanny X-Men 136/Crisis on Infinite Earths 7 covers (first on page).

The cover for Deadpool 63 is also quite similar the cover for The Death of Captain Marvel since it also has Death, here holding a dead Mar-Vell. Also: Zombies.

More variants

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