A variant for the upcoming Superman '78 series has been revealed by artist Mico Suayan. This cover pays homage to Jim Lee's iconic art from Superman (1987-2006). This is the second Jim Lee homage that Suayan has done for the latest Superman and Batman series that pick up where films left off.
Mico Suayan is a Filipino artist who has worked with DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Valiant Comics. He has done variant covers and artwork for Ninjak, Moon Knight, Absolute Carnage, Marvel's Alien, and BRZRKR, among many others. Jim Lee is the current publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics, though he is best known for his award-winning art.
On Twitter, Mico Suayan shared his latest variant cover for DC Comics. This new variant for Superman '78 #1 mirrors the cover that Jim Lee did for Superman #204 in 2004. Suayan's cover maintains the setup of Lee's original cover, placing Superman on the left side atop an eagle, looking towards the right, with Metropolis in the background. However, since this series takes inspiration from Richard Donner's 1978 Superman film, the titular hero is drawn as Christopher Reeve's portrayal of the character.
Suayan's cover places Christopher Reeve's Superman on a golden eagle in Metropolis, with the Daily Planet in the background. It makes a few changes, such as placing the Daily Planet higher in the background and moving it over, and it turns the eagle gold where it was silver before. These changes distinguish it from the original and provide a heightened realism that is more reflective of the inspiration the new series takes from the original film. It also gives Superman's cape a different level of dimension, further channeling the realism of this iteration. Additionally, Suayan's signature is in the same location as Jim Lee's on the original work.
Superman #204 was the beginning of the arc "For Tomorrow," which had the hero dealing with the fallout of a million people suddenly vanishing. This arc dealt a lot with faith and Superman's sense of responsibility to the world - pushing the boundaries of what he felt he should do to protect people versus if it was actually beneficial to them. Jim Lee's cover for #204 mirrored the cover he did for Batman #608 in 2002, which began the "Hush" arc. That cover has Batman atop a birdlike stone gargoyle with Gotham in the background. Suayan also did a version of that cover, starring Michael Keaton's Batman for the series Batman '89. The covers for Superman #204 and Batman #608 are some of Jim Lee's most iconic work, making Suayan's take on them a perfect blend of comic and film iconography.
Superman '78 #1 - which has the creative team of Robert Venditti and Wilfredo Torres - releases on August 24, 2021.
Source: Mico Suayan