The homage covers are a staple of the modern variants, but are there too many being published?
The cover swipe, the homage cover, the tribute - it does not matter what it is called. They are all the same thing.
For a long time, I enjoyed them when done correctly. My personal favorite is the Silver Surfer #4 variations. The original is one of the most iconic covers ever created, and the action is dynamic against the backdrop of the cosmos and Asgard. When J.G. Jones recreated it for the Dark Silver Surfer’s clash with Cosmic Ghost Rider, I pre-ordered on the first day. It has basically held its value, and that is good enough. Now I feel like every time I check my email, I see another homage cover.
SO MANY TRIBUTES
How many times can the covers for Incredible Hulk #181, Amazing Spider-Man #300, and Incredible Hulk #340 be recreated? Truth be known, I have never thought Hulk #181 had spectacular cover art, though I understand the significance of it and why it is a classic. Then there are the Todd McFarlane covers that are simply brilliant. I can see where these covers would be emulated, but how many times do we need to see the same pose with the same background recreated? When Pickle Rick and Stabbity Bunny are striking the contorted ASM #300 pose, it may be time to give it a rest.
IS IT TIME FOR A BREAK FROM HOMAGE COVERS?
When it comes to overused cover art, I circle back to Hulk #181. I do not see this as a comic masterpiece. Wolverine’s claws look too curved and rubbery, and Wendigo’s expression with his butt-cut hair make him look all too nerdy. Yet, this cover is among the most reproduced artist in the business. Everyone has struck the Wolverine/Hulk pose at one point or another, it seems. Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, Betty and Veronica, and most recently G.I. Joe’s Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow have been added to the Hulk #181 cover tribute.
The McFarlane tributes are so rampant that the Todd Father himself does not autograph them if he had nothing to do with the character or issue. The only two of these recent ASM #300 homages that made sense were Spawn #300 and Venom #1, both with direct ties to McFarlane.
These days, there has been a bevy of New Mutants #98 clones. Even if the artist gives an “after Rob Liefeld,” which is customary nowadays to give credit to the original artist, and rightful so, Liefeld is having none of it. He regularly takes to Twitter to call out his fellow artists for using his work, and he refuses to sign any of the homage covers.
LET IT REST
It is time to give the tribute covers a rest. Create your own masterpieces that fans will fawn over for decades to come. Inspire a new generation of artists to draw homages to your work. For now, stop copying the greats before you. Blaze your own creative trail that others will want to follow. For the love of comics, please do not get caught in the cliche of ASM #300 and Hulk #181 tribute covers.
Now get off this grumpy old man’s lawn.
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