CBR: EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: Marvel's 50th Anniversary Variants

**CBR News** · 07-18-2011, 08:58 AM

Marvel has provided CBR News with a [em]first look[/em] at variant covers for "Avengers" #18 and "Uncanny X-Force #16, part of the publisher's October 50th Anniversary celebration.

Full article here.

**Brother Justin Crowe** · 07-18-2011, 09:15 AM

Aw, the Avengers think they're the X-Men and X-Force thinks they're the New Avengers.

**Songbird/Diamondback** · 07-18-2011, 09:30 AM

No Thunderbolts?
No Avengers Academy?
BAH! It's always the books I don't buy!

**artiepants** · 07-18-2011, 09:54 AM

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/excl...=Google+Reader

Newsarama's got Xmen as FF and Deadpool as Ultimate Spidey, these are great...

**coconutphone** · 07-18-2011, 10:11 AM

Ooh I like the concept! Flipping the teams with iconic images from another is great. Those look really cool.

**oogyboy** · 07-18-2011, 10:13 AM

They celebrated their 70th anniversary in 2009 w/ the character framed covers & now they're doing 50th?

**beserkerclaw** · 07-18-2011, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by oogyboy

They celebrated their 70th anniversary in 2009 w/ the character framed covers & now they're doing 50th?

Now that u mention it that does seem odd

**semicyon** · 07-18-2011, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by oogyboy

They celebrated their 70th anniversary in 2009 w/ the character framed covers & now they're doing 50th?

Just in case this is a serious inquiry: 70th Anniversary was for Marvel Comics #1 which was published in 1939 by Timely Comics, the precursor to Marvel. The 50th Anniversary is for Fantastic Four #1, when various changes in ownership, branding, and distribution led to the establishment of a line of books with shared continuity. Yeah, there were some crossovers in the Golden Age between Cap/Human Torch/Sub-Mariner, particularly once they became a part of the All-Winners Squad but Fantastic Four #1 is the start of the modern Marvel Universe. Still, with the various stuff published since the 1990s (Invaders, the Twelve, All-Winners Squad, Captain America/Bucky, V-Battalion), the distinction between the Golden Age and the rest of Marvel's comics is not as clear as it was 20 years ago.

**Rheged** · 07-18-2011, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by oogyboy

They celebrated their 70th anniversary in 2009 w/ the character framed covers & now they're doing 50th?

Exactly my thought. And in 2014, we'll be treated to 75th Anniversary covers, I'm sure. Make up your mind, Marvel.

Originally Posted by semicyon

Just in case this is a serious inquiry: 70th Anniversary was for Marvel Comics #1 which was published in 1939 by Timely Comics, the precursor to Marvel. The 50th Anniversary is for Fantastic Four #1, when various changes in ownership, branding, and distribution led to the establishment of a line of books with shared continuity. Yeah, there were some crossovers in the Golden Age between Cap/Human Torch/Sub-Mariner, particularly once they became a part of the All-Winners Squad but Fantastic Four #1 is the start of the modern Marvel Universe. Still, with the various stuff published since the 1990s (Invaders, the Twelve, All-Winners Squad, Captain America/Bucky, V-Battalion), the distinction between the Golden Age and the rest of Marvel's comics is not as clear as it was 20 years ago.

Marvel was already celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the FF, with covers. Now saying it's Marvel's 50th Anniversary (while technically correct), is confusing and another variant cover money grab.

**semicyon** · 07-18-2011, 10:34 AM

I like the X-Force team better in that New Avengers pose: considering that Uncanny X-Force has such a dark mission, this pose seems to stylistically fit them better.

Funny enough, I didn't initially read that Avengers picture as standing in for X-Men (first series) #1 since Avengers (first series) #1, which was released the same month has almost the same general layout: Back of the sinister villain in the foreground to the left and squaring off against the team of five heroes, further back to the right.

**semicyon** · 07-18-2011, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by Rheged

Exactly my thought. And in 2014, we'll be treated to 75th Anniversary covers, I'm sure. Make up your mind, Marvel.

Marvel was already celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the FF, with covers. Now saying it's Marvel's 50th Anniversary (while technically correct), is confusing and another variant cover money grab.

Sadly, I have to agree. The Golden Age stuff has been almost as well incorporated into the Marvel Universe History as the FF's space flight so, for the average (even for the voracious) reader, there's little difference to when the story of the Marvel Universe started publishing. However, I guess the FF flight is the start of Marvel's sliding timescale whereas the Golden Age stuff remains firmly fixed from 1939 to early 1950s.