Marvel Launches New Wave Of Hip-Hop Variant Covers
Following the release of 50 variants as part of Marvel's hip-hop covers initiative, Fuse has announced that the publisher is readying a second wave of comic/hip-hop covers. The initiative will return for a second wave this fall, with variants emerging for some of the publisher's Marvel NOW! line. The first three of many more hip-hop variants all feature homages to more recent albums by younger emcees. Bill Sienkiewicz's "Black Panther" #7 variant is styled after King Mez's "Long Live the King"; Marco D'Alfonso's "Mosaic" #1 hip-hop variant is inspired by Earl Sweatshirt's debut mixtape "Earl"; and Desiigner's "Panda" led to Theotis Jones's "Doctor Strange" #1 variant. You can check out each variant cover and their inspiration below.
“It’s about two creative art forms shouting out to each other," Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso told Fuse in the announce's accompanying interview. "Hip-hop is the backbeat for any number of people who are writing, drawing and editing these comic books.”
King Mez was excited about the "Black Panther" Tribute, telling Fuse, "Growing up a huge comic book fan, it was a dream to come true to even be a part of this. Black Panther at that? Mannn, it was automatic when Marvel reached out. Really cool way to have 'LLTK' immortalized like that. Hope we get to do a variant collab on my new project too."
"Doctor Strange" #1 arrives in stores on September 28; "Black Panther" #1 and "Mosaic" #1 are scheduled to arrive on October 12. October will also see the release of "The Hip-Hop Covers," a hardcover collecting the first wave of covers and featuring a foreword by "Black Panther" writer and National Book Award/MacArthur Genius Grant winner Ta-Nehisi Coates.
