The original lineups of the Avengers and the X-Men are returning in a new form, just in time for their 60th anniversary. The two franchises, arguably the pillars of the Marvel Universe, both turn 60 in 2023, and to celebrate, the publisher is bringing back its classic corner boxes in a series of variant covers. Once a staple of American comics, Marvel will be resurrecting them, featuring all-new art from superstar artist Mark Brooks, with the first two revealed on social media.Marvel artist Mark Brooks' tweet gives fans a glimpse at the first two corner box variant covers. Using the hashtag “#letmarkcornerbox,” Brooks revealed that these two were only the first in a series that will be running through 2023 - the 60th anniversary of both the Avengers and the X-Men. The first two corner boxes feature headshots of the classic lineups of the two venerable teams; the X-Men features Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Iceman and Angel along with Professor X, while the Avengers art features the founding members plus Captain America.
Marvel's Fan-Favorite Corner Boxes Are Back
In addition to the characters themselves, the corner boxes feature the logos of each team, along with mock issues numbers. Finally, the box features Marvel’s classic logo, creating a nostalgic blast from the past. Brooks has campaigned in the past for the return of comic corner box art; a beloved artifact of when comics were sold everywhere - often on magazine spinner racks, where clear, dynamic art was needed in an environment where covers were often packed together and obscured. Once a staple, these corner boxes faded by the mid-1990s, but their memory has never gone away for comic fans - especially Brooks, who has created corner box art in the past just to show fans what modern versions would look like.
Like the Avengers & X-Men, Corner Boxes are Classics
In bringing back these corner boxes of old in new variant covers, Marvel is also giving them a modern twist by having superstar artist Mark Brooks infuse the two teams’ classic line-ups with his distinctive flair. The Avengers and the X-Men have helped define the Marvel Universe for 60 years; the two teams’ influence stretches beyond comics and into pop culture as a whole. Feature films based on these franchises have grossed billions of dollars, and once-obscure heroes like Iron Man and Cyclops are now household names. Marvel's corner boxes return to a world that's drastically different to when they went away - one more in love with the X-Men and Avengers than ever.
Corner boxes added a fun layer to classic comic book covers, giving books, team rosters, and comic eras an enduring sense of identity. Based on their success with fans, these new variant covers could be the prelude to their return. If so, there is no better person to helm them than Mark Brooks, as seen in his corner box variant art for the 60th anniversary of the Avengers and the X-Men.
Source: Mark Brooks