When ResurrXion hits Marvel Comics in April, not only will the publisher’s X-Men line be revamped and expanded, every one of the mutant-led titles will find its cover graced by the return of the corner box art.
Now, this isn’t the corner box art of old. Artist Leonard Kirk and colorist Michael Garland have updated the classic rectangle to fit nicely in each title’s new X-icon, situated right behind the logo or, in some cases, as part of the logo.
RELATED: Marvel, Joe Jusko Team for Corner Box Variant Cover Program
A staple of comic book companies for decades, Marvel Comics took the idea of corner box artwork to new heights, using the small piece of cover real estate to add jokes, tease secrets and just generally add some additional character to its covers. In time, the rectangle, usually located in the upper-left corner of the cover, became an iconic aspect of Marvel’s monthly releases. Oftentimes, it was used to give readers a shorthand roster of who they’d find inside their team books, or to show which member of the Avengers, X-Men or other team would be the focus of that issue’s story. Other times, the corner boxes would tell a (very basic) story of their own, unfolding across multiple issues. (CBR’s Brian Cronin wrote up an excellent historical look at the corner box.)
Though once ubiquitous corner box faded away, to the point where you’d now be hard pressed to find one at all on current comics, fans have long loved the uniquely comic book artwork. They remain such a popular aspect of the medium that Marvel recently launched a variant cover program in which acclaimed painter Joe Jusko has been recreating classic corner box artwork as full-sized variants. As part of the series, Jusko has reinterpreted the works of Jack Kirby, John Buscema and more. But aside from that, the corner box has remained a relic of the past — until April, that is, when Marvel will bring them back in a big way as part of the publisher’s soft-reboot of its X-Men line.
Thinking Outside the Corner Box: An Appreciation of Corner Box Cover Art
Check out the gallery below for every one of Kirk and Garlad’s new corner box designs, as well as how examples of how their art will look on the first Resurrxion issue of every X-title available in April.
