Cover Homages
Cover Homages
Hector Gomez’s cover for the Buffy Wizard Magazine #1/2 issue (1999) contains astounding similarities to Chynna Clugston-Major’s promotional postcard for Blue Monday. The Comics Journal’s Swipe File accused Gomez of ripping off Chynna’s work, but Buffy editor Scott Allie defended the artist, saying that because Gomez lived in South America, it was extremely unlikely he had ever seen or heard of Blue Monday. The similarities were chalked up to coincidence, but the incident was made even weirder by the fact that Chynna’s husband, Guy Major, had colored the Buffy cover.
Georges Jeanty’s cover for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #9: No Future For You (2008) spoofs the poses of Uma Thurman and Ralph Fiennes in the 1998 remake of The Avengers, originally a television series featuring secret agents in 1960s Britain.
The story behind the cover choice lies inside the issue, where in discussing their partnership, Giles asks Faith if she would like to be the Peel to his Steed, referencing the popular British show.
Franco Urru’s cover for Spike: Asylum #2 (2006) references promotional material for The Usual Suspects, a 1995 film written by Christopher McQuarrie, directed by Bryan Singer, and starred Kevin Spacey.
Georges Jeanty based his cover for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #15: Wolves at the Gate (2008) on the poster for Akira Kurosawa’s film Seven Samurai (1954). The choice of this particular film reference is echoed in the comic’s story where one of the supporting characters is killed brutally just as in the film many characters are killed.
David Messina’s Time & Space Toys variant cover for Angel: After the Fall #1 (2007) captured the pose and likenesses of Spike, Gunn, Angel and Illyrias from their final appearance in “Not Fade Away,” the series finale of Angel.
The poses of Buffy and the Scooby Gang from Brian Horton and Paul Lee’s cover to Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Volume 3 (2008) mimics a well-known scene from “What a Night for a Knight”, the first episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Clockwise from top: Shaggy, Fred, Scooby-Doo, Velma, and Daphne.
Alex Garner’s cover for Angel: After the Fall #9 (2008) paid subtle homage to Jack Kirby’s cover for The Incredible Hulk #1 (1962).
Georges Jeanty’s cover for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #17: Time fo Your Life (2008) gives a nod to nod to Akira (1982) with Harth’s concrete throne.
David Messina’s cover for Angel: Smile Time #1 (2008) paid tribute to Bob Larkin’s painting for The Hulk Collection, released sometime in either the 1970s or 80s.
Georges Jeanty’s cover for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #21: Harmonic Divergence (2009) mimics Chris Bachalo’s 1999 cover for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 1 #10.
David Messina’s Angel: Smile Time #2 (2009) cover was inspired by the poster for Fight Club (1999), which starred Brad Pitt and Edward Norton.
Georges Jeanty’s cover for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #25: Living Doll (2009) depicting a smirking Buffy holding a doll-sized Dawn in the palm of her hand is an homage to Jo Chen cover for #4: The Long Way Home (2007), where a giant size Dawn held Buffy in the palm of her hand.
Darick Robertson’s cover to WildStorm’s Prototype #1 (2009), based on the multiplatform Activision video game, pays homage to Franco Urru’s cover for Spike: Asylum #4 (2006).
David Messina’s Angel: Smile Time #3 (2009) cover presents a “Smile Time” puppet take on the The WB network’s promotional campaign for the fifth season of Angel, which featured David Boreanaz and James Marsters.
Sam Shearon’s retailer incentive cover for Angel #25 (2009) was inspired by A Clockwork Orange, a 1971 satirical futuristic film adaptation.
The photo retailer incentive cover for Angel #25 (2009) uses the same stock photo as Dark Horse’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike and Dru TPB (2001).
Geroges Jeanty’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #29: Retreat (2009) pays homage to Marvel Comics’ Sgt. Rock and the Howling Commandos #12 (1963) by Dick Ayers.
Georges Jeanty’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #32: Twilight (2010) pays homage to DC Comics’ Action Comics #1 (1963) by Joe Shuster.
Georges Jeanty’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #33: Twilight (2010) pays homage to Marvel Comics’ Amazing Spider-Man #289 (1987) by Tom Morgan.
Georges Jeanty’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #34: Twilight (2010) pays homage to DC Comics’ Action Comics #568 (1985) by Howard Bender and Jerry Ordway.
Georges Jeanty’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #35: Twilight (2010) pays homage to Marvel Comics’ Uncanny X-Men #138 (1980) by John Byrne.
Georges Jeanty’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #36: Last Gleaming (2010) pokes fun at the film franchise to use the name ‘Twilight’, New Moon (2010).
Cover Variants
The relaunch of Buffy Season Eight and IDW’s various Angel mini-series have seen multiple variant covers for each issue, but Dark Horse’s original Buffy and Angel comic series only had a handful of variant covers that featured new original art.
Jeff Matsuda did a “Tower Exclusive Edition Silver Logo Variant Cover” for Angel Vol. 1 #1 (1999).
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 1 #17 featured a Purple Foil Logo Valentine’s Day edition that connected with the Angel #3 Valentines Day editions (Purple Foil Logo and Red Foil Logo) both drawn by Jeff Matsuda (2000).
Christian Zanier drew variant covers for Angel #7 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 1 #21, which both featured Gold and Red Logo variants (2000).
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 1 #25 (2000) by Jeff Matsuda, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 1 #50 (2002) by Brian Horton and Paul Lee, Tales of the Vampires #5 (2004) by Brian Horton and Paul Lee, Angel After the Fall #7 (2008) by Rebecca Wrigley, and Angel After the Fall #10-11 (2008) by Alex Garner are the only Buffy/Angel related media to feature wrap around covers.
BY THE NUMBERS (Click on the # for Artwork)
43 Covers by Jo Chen
40 Covers by Georges Jeanty
34 Covers by Brian Horton and/or Paul Lee
29 Covers Jeff Matsuda
36 Issues by Joss Whedon
20 Issues by Tom Fassbender & Jim Pascoe
17 Issues by Fabian Nicieza
64 Interiors by Cliff Richards
Links
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