New official cover art from Marvel Comics features Storm and Luke Cage showcasing their powers for Black History Month. The two variant covers for upcoming comics have been revealed by artist Joshua Swaby on social media. The most exciting thing is that these are just the first two of several more to come.
This February, Marvel will be releasing six variant covers to celebrate Black History Month. All six covers are being illustrated by Joshua "Sway" Swaby, a comic artist who has provided numerous covers for Marvel, DC, Image, and Dynamite. Luke Cage and Storm are the next gorgeous additions to his growing portfolio.
On Twitter, Swaby shared the covers for both X-Men #8 and Devil's Reign #4. Fittingly, Storm is featured on X-Men, while Luke Cage is on Devil's Reign. The Hero for Hire is part of the ongoing Devil's Reign event from Marvel. Devil's Reign #4 has the creative team of Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Marcio Menyz, and Clayton Cowles. X-Men #8 has the creative team of Gerry Duggan and Javier Pina. The remaining four covers have not yet been revealed, but they'll likely also be stunning considering how incredible Storm and Luke Cage look in their respective covers.
Storm is depicted in her classic X-Men uniform, while Luke Cage is rocking his usual yellow shirt. Neither cover shies away from highlighting these heroes' powers and individual beauty, giving them each the spotlight they deserve to have. Both heroes have a lengthy history and important legacies within Marvel Comics. In additional tweets, Swaby also discussed the artistic aims he had for portraying both of these characters. Regarding Storm, Swaby stated that he "wanted [to] showcase beauty and dominance. I was extremely happy that I was able to do her classic costume bc I wanted to bring my own style to it." Additionally, with Storm Swaby says he, "wanted to focus on her skin, bc it's always so misinterpreted and her features also too . I hope i gave y'all the Classic Storm y'all deserve."
Luke Cage was inspired by a legitimate person, with Swaby revealing that he was "lucky enough to have permission to use an actual person to use for the cover. Once I saw him, it just hit me that he was Luke Cage." This cover art is particularly noteworthy considering Luke Cage's previously announced title was revealed to be cancelled - disappointing many fans of the hero who were looking forward to seeing him in comics again. While he has appeared in several comics alongside other heroes, he last had his own title in 2018.
These covers are both incredible examples of Swaby's ability to blend power with beauty, which was previously seen in a variant cover featuring DC's Nubia for Nubia and the Amazons #1. He has also illustrated covers depicting Black Panther, Black Cat, Red Sonja, and Miles Morales. As previously mentioned, Swaby is providing cover art for a total of six comics for Black History Month. Devil's Reign #4 featuring Luke Cage and Avengers #53 will be the first two comics on sale, beginning February 9. These will be followed by Storm on X-Men #8 and the as-yet-unknown star of Dark Ages #5 on February 16. The last two covers to go on sale will be Iron Man #17 and Captain America/Iron Man #4 on February 23. Fans can pick up their favorite covers - and check out these heroes' latest adventures - next month, celebrating epic heroes Storm and Luke Cage with Swaby's amazing art.