These days, it sure does seem like variant covers are the way to go. In my opinion, they can often feature artwork even more gorgeous than the standard covers, or even offer an alternate take on iconic characters we can’t see anywhere else. When it comes to the exhibits presented today, both of those statements may wind up proving true.
As you may have heard, one of Marvel’s first major story arcs kicking off early next year is that of Iron Man 2020, which will see Arno Stark inherit the armor from his brother, Tony. What happens to the original Shellhead remains to be seen, but my gut tells me it won’t be pretty.
In celebration of this tale, the House of Ideas allowed for various illustrators to reimagine how some of their most popular characters appear on a number of variant covers to drop over the next few months. Those seen in the gallery below look to hit shelves this December, but we can’t be too sure if any will see a delay.
Regardless, here they are for your viewing pleasure:
For a full rundown of the participating titles and the corresponding artists, here’s the info Marvel has supplied:
- AVENGERS #28 2020 VARIANT by EMA LUPACCHINO with colors by JASON KEITH
- BLACK CAT #7 2020 VARIANT by OLIVIER VATINE
- BLACK PANTHER & THE AGENTS OF WAKANDA #4 2020 VARIANT by PASQUAL FERRY with colors by CHRIS SOTOMAYOR
- DAREDEVIL #14 2020 VARIANT by SKAN
- DOCTOR DOOM #3 2020 VARIANT by PATCH ZIRCHER with colors by MORRY HOLLOWELL
- GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #11 2020 VARIANT by DAVE JOHNSON
- IMMORTAL HULK #28 2020 VARIANT by DALE KEOWN with colors by JASON KEITH
- SPIDER-MAN #4 2020 VARIANT by WILL SLINEY with colors by DAVID CURIEL
- VALKYRIE: JANE FOSTER #6 2020 VARIANT by DAVID NAKAYAMA
Now, it’s important to note that these redesigns may not carry over into the interiors themselves, but you never know what will stick if it catches on with the fans. That aside, we can guarantee that some other books not mentioned here will weave into the Iron Man 2020 narrative, with those being Force Works 2020, Machine Man 2020, Iron Age 2020, Rescue 2020, Ironheart 2020 and a title yet to be revealed.
Do note that Marvel promises more variant covers of this sort are on the way, so it’s advised that you keep watching this space.