Sure you do! That's the cover of What If? v.2 #25, "What if the Marvel Super Heroes Had Last Atlantis Attacks?," which we looked at together a couple days ago. The more I looked at it, tho', the more it became familiar to me. No, it didn't remind me of that time seven giant snakes with Cyclop's optic blasts came bursting out of Lake Placid...it's really the surrounding frame which caught my interest, because it reminded me of this:
Remember those? That's the Marvel 25th Anniversary frame, which adorned every Marvel (and Star) Comic cover-dated November 1986, to celebrate a quarter-century of Reed Richards crashing rocket ships into the ground. All that month, this multi-character frame penciled and inked by John Romita Sr. surrounded a headshot portrait of the comic's star or one of the co-stars. Take yourself a gander or goose at some of them right now!
That wasn't the last time Marvel used that motif, of course! Recently through 2009 and 2010, a newly designed frame debuted:
They were used on issues to commemorate both the 70th anniversary of the debut of Timely Comics and The Year of the Marvel Woman. Hey, who let Sentry on there? Well, you can blank him over with some White-Out. That's exactly what Mike Nesmith's mother had in mind when she invented it, you know!
Which got me thinkin'...Marvel shoulda used the frame from the cover of What If? #25 on a whole new series of comics! Since they're all looking so shocked and stunned, they could frame a special crossover event in which everybody dies! And I think it would go something like this:
You could use it to re-tell recent big event deaths like Captain America, or flash back in time to revisit the classic deaths of yesteryear!:
Eh, don't worry; she'll be back. And hey, my idea would be perfect for this summer's big Death of Spider-Man event! Because this time it's for sure!
Of course, when you're killing off Spider-Man, it's always helpful to start thinning out the ranks of his supporting cast as well.
Yes, in the Death of Spider-Man cross-over, no-one is safe!
Just to make sure nobody's coming back, we've hired a consultant to help keep this crossover kicking the bucket with every issue!
Spoilsport.
Now, make your own! Remember, it doesn't count if you don't see the body!
Bully, you are the master of the alt comment! I may have to read your blog from the very beginning because I just can't get enough (I just can't get enough, ...).
ReplyDeleteYou do this everytime! Now, once again, you've reminded me of another crossover. Remember when the JLA and JSA teamed with the All Star Squadron and each cover was frammed like this too? Heck, I think they came up with the idea first. Could we see those? I'd love to see the alt text for those!
ReplyDeleteThat cover of The New Mutants at the top of this post; is that supposed to be Uma Thurman?
ReplyDeleteRemember: it's not seven giant serpents, it's one giant serpent with seven heads.
ReplyDeleteGreat work, Bully! I loved it when DC and Marvel were regularly framing scens in the Bronze Age, often the art really benefited.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Scott's question, I've a fridge magnet commenorating some 19th century Paris art expo and it's so like the JLA/JSA crossovers it's uncanny.