Phoenix And ’80s Avengers Take The Spotlight On July Anniversary Variant Covers
by Scott Redmond
The 80’s are back! At least when it comes to some specific covers from Marvel Comics. Throughout the year artist Mark Brooks has been helping celebrate the 60th anniversaries of The Avengers and the X-Men in special Corner Box Variant Covers.
Utilizing the classic comic book tradition of corner boxes, Brooks depicts lineups and characters from throughout the histories of both teams. Now the publisher has released a look at the two covers that will debut in July, adorning Avengers #3 and X-Men #24.
“For this duo, Brooks takes things back to the ‘80s, a decade that was home to some of the Avengers and X-Men’s greatest stories. On AVENGERS #3’s Corner Box Cover, see how Earth’s Mightiest Heroes expanded in the decade with new faces like Tigra, She-Hulk, and Monica Rambeau. And on X-MEN #24’s Corner Box Cover, Brooks chose to honor the saga that changed the mutant mythos forever by giving Phoenix a gorgeous solo spotlight!”
“There are many reasons why I was attracted to comics as a kid and the corner box was a big part of it,” Brooks explained. “I knew what issue number and who I could expect to see in the issue. It was a little preview to tantalize the reader. It was always heads, a full figure, or a micro-scene. No matter what, it enticed me to pick the book up. It’s why I started the #LetMarkCornerbox campaign in earnest on Twitter. It was primarily a joke to express my love for the corner box. It ended up taking on a bit of a life of its own. When C.B. told me that they’d like this to become a reality, I couldn’t pass it up. I’ve penciled well over 100 heads so far. I don’t plan on stopping until Marvel says ‘okay, that’s enough’- LOL!”
Stay tuned as more of Brooks’ Corner Box Variant Covers will be revealed in the months ahead.
