Marvel Debuts X-Men and Avengers Corner Box Variant Covers by Mark Brooks

An iconic Marvel Comics tradition is returning, courtesy of artist Mark Brooks. Corner Boxes use to be a staple of Marvel covers, with floating headshots of their favorite superheroes. In celebration of the 60th anniversaries of the Avengers and X-Men, Marvel is bringing the corner box back through a special variant cover program illustrated by Mark Brooks. The announcement was made at the ComicsPro retailer summit in Pitsburg last week, and the first two covers will be displayed in May on Avengers #1 by Jed MacKay and C.F. Villa, and X-Men #22 by Gerry Duggan and Joshua Cassara.

The Corner Box variant covers will depict lineups from throughout Avengers and X-Men history, starting with their original Silver Age rosters. The Avengers Silver Age corner box shows the original lineup of Captain America, Ant-Man, Wasp, Thor, Iron Man, and Hulk. As for the X-Men, the Original Five (Cyclops, Jean Grey/Marvel Girl, Angel, Iceman, and Beast) are joined by their mentor and the team founder, Charles Xavier. 

“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 in a statement. “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!”

Marvel Reveals Alex Ross Avengers and X-Men Commemorative Covers

ComicBook.com exclusively shared the X-Men and Avengers 60th anniversary variant covers by artist Alex Ross, which were revealed at ComicsPro. They both commemorate the X-Men and Avengers 60th anniversaries and will also serve as variant covers for upcoming issues this year. Both harken back to the past of both franchises, with the X-Men cover homaging Jim Lee’s gatefold cover of 1991’s X-Men #1 with Chris Claremont. The X-Men team of Cyclops, Wolverine, Iceman, Rogue, Psylocke, Gambit, Colossus, Beast, Archangel, Storm, Jean Grey, and Professor X are shown attacking Magneto.

As for the Avengers cover, it features Earth’s Mightiest Heroes assembling, with just about every member of the Avengers from the ’80s and ’90s depicted, with Captain America leading the charge. Along with mainstays Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk, we have Black Panther, Monica Rambeau in her Captain Marvel costume, Black Knight, Starfox, Mar-Vell, Falcon, Moondragon, Giant-Man, She-Hulk, Hercules, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Namor, Tigra, Stingray, and many more.