Marvel’s 85th Anniversary Variants Pay Tribute to Classic Comic Covers

The homage variants will cover issues of Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and more.

July 14, 2024, 9:45pm

Marvel Comics 85th anniversary variants.

Decades before the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and the Avengers ushered in the Marvel age of comics, 1939’s Marvel Comics #1 featured the golden age adventures ofthe Human Torch, Angel, Namor the Sub-Mariner, the Masked Raider, and Ka-Zar the Great. Despite its title, the 65-page publication was the first superhero comic from pulp magazine publisher Martin Goodman’s Timely Comics — the predecessor of what would later become Marvel Comics.

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85 years later, Marvel is celebrating its milestone anniversary with a new series of variant covers paying tribute to the original Marvel Comics (retitled Marvel Mystery Comics with issue #2). The homage covers — which recreate key issues of the Timely-published Captain America Comics, All-Winners Comics, and Sub-Mariner Comics — will adorn upcoming issues of Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Venom, Incredible Hulk, and the newly-relaunched X-Men.

The just-revealed Marvel 85th Anniversary Homage Variant Covers (below) include Fantastic Four #23 by Elizabeth Torque (Uncanny X-Men), Venom #36 by David Yardin (Daredevil: Woman Without Fear), and Incredible Hulk #16 by Jan Bazaldua (Winter Guard). Two more covers to be revealed at a later date are from artists Paco Medina (Spider-Boy) and Joelle Jones (Mockingbird), and will pay homage to 1941’s Captain America Comics #3 and 1946’s All-Winners Comics #19 — the debut appearance of Marvel’s first superhero team, the All-Winners Squad.

In August, Marvel will publish the Marvel 85th Anniversary Special, a 72-page one-shot set in the far-off future of the Marvel Universe: the 85th century.

Featuring new stories written by Ryan North (Fantastic Four), Alan Davis (Captain Britain), Christopher Priest (Black Panther), Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant), Sabir Pirzada (Spirits of Vengeance), Steve Skroce (Clobberin’ Time), and Yuji Kaku (Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku), with art by Stephen Byrne (Marvel’s Voices: Pride), Joshua Cassara (Avengers), Carlo Pagulayan (Star Wars), and more, the anniversary special goes on sale August 28th.