RED SKULL #1Media Release -- Marvel is pleased to present your first look at superstar artist David Aja's stunning covers to Red Skull! Before his first clash with Captain America, the Red Skull was the Third Reich's own unholy super-soldier, the product of a warped training regimen designed by Hitler himself. From New York Times Best Selling writer Greg Pak (X-Men: Magneto – Testament) and breakout artist Mirko Colak (Secret Warriors), chart the horrific ascent of Johann Schmidt from his days as starving urchin in the streets of pre-war Berlin to his transformation into the ultimate embodiment of evil.

"Due to the nature of the story, I wanted to portray the historical aspects on the covers," said Aja. "In doing so, I approached the covers as if they were real posters, newspapers and Nazi propaganda from that time, kind of in a documentary style. To make it work, I utilized different typographic techniques for each issue, emulating different typefaces in real work; so I needed a uniform tone, technique and color in the finished art to identify all the covers as a whole collection."

"Red Skull was never intended to be one of our typical super hero comics, so it shouldn't have anything like typical cover art," said series editor Alejandro Arbona. "We knew David would invest the thoughtfulness and deliberation to capture the complex and difficult ideas of this story. In short, his covers say 'This is what we're doomed to watch Johann become,' and his imagery – war, conquest, cruelty, a great evil – springs from the same tragic well. It's a disturbing set of cover images, for a dark and disquieting story."

Where do the true roots of the Skull's depravity lie? Was this monster made – or born? And what did he sacrifice in his Faustian pact for power? Discover the definitive origin of the Marvel Universe's greatest scourge for the very first time. This summer, prepare to confront the true face of the Red Skull!

RED SKULL #1 (of 5) (MAY110626)
Written by GREG PAK
Art by MIRKO COLAK
Cover by DAVID AJA
ON SALE THIS JULY!

RedSkull_2_Cover.jpgRedSkull_3_Cover.jpgRedSkull_4_Cover.jpgRedSkull_5_Cover.jpg