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After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better Hulk writer than Peter David. His decade-long run redefined the Hulk for a whole new generation, running from 1987 to 1998. Midway through this magnificent feat, David paired with another well-regarded comics creator, George Perez, to produce a two-issue mini-series pitting the current Hulk (in his Professor Hulk state of being) against the Maestro (a future version of the Hulk who has taken control of the world – and not in a good way). The only hope the future has against the Hulk is … the Hulk!

Marvel celebrated this mini-series (who’s significance was felt longer after its release) by publishing the story in a prestige format with embossed covers. Playing off of the duality of the two main characters, Perez used a reverse-swipe method for the cover art. (I’ve got the second image flipping horizontally so you can see how close the images actually line up)

the Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect December 1992 George Perez

the Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect January 1993 George Perez

On Ebay: Hulk | Future Imperfect | George Perez | Peter David

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

Jim Shooter launched the Valiant Universe with three golden-age heroes (Turok, Magnus & Solar) as well as his own creations. One of these new creations was X-O Manowar, a centuries-old Visigoth named Aric Dacia, armed with a living armor that was taken from an alien spacecraft. Eventually, he gifts the armor to his friend Randy and it takes over her. Swiping the cover of issue #5 seemed like a great way to mark this event.

And, when something sells well (as X-O Manowar initially did), it’s only natural that a parody of it will come along. With that in mind, Spoof Comics published OX, Cow o’ War and used this issue as the basis of their cover swipe.

X-O Manowar #5 June 1992 Barry Windsor-Smith	X-O Manowar #21 October 1993 Jim Calafiore
Ox, Cow of War July 1992 Mike Halbleib

On Ebay: X-O Manowar | Barry Windsor-Smith | Jim Calafiore

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

There are few beings in the Marvel Universe as powerful as Galactus. And, his appearances are normally marked as important events that make readers take special notice. In Fantastic Four #243, The FF teams up with Doctor Strange, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and the Wasp to accomplish a rare sight. They actually manage to defeat Galactus in battle!

Married With Children was a very popular TV show that lasted for eleven seasons from the late 1980s into the mid 1990s. Capitalizing on its success, NOW Comics licensed the show and began publishing comics based on it. As sales began to fall off, NOW experimented with some strange stories. One such spin-off was Married With Children: the Quantum Quartet, which re-invisioned the cast of the TV show as super-heroes based on the Fantastic Four. It didn’t last long. In fact, issues #3 and 4 were never published. But, a while later, those final two issues emerged, combined within this Big Wrap-Up special. As always, there’s no better way to begin a spoof comic than starting off with a cover swipe.

Fantastic Four #243 June 1982 John Byrne

Married With Children: the Quantum Quartet: the Big Wrap-Up Fall 1994

On Ebay: Fantastic Four | Justice League | Married With Children

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

After a seemingly fatal plane crash into Jamaica Bay, Jean Grey erupted out of the waters … reborn as the incredibly powerful Phoenix. Dave Cockrum‘s cover to Uncanny X-Men #101 captures the scene as the other X-Men look on in shock. Years later, Hawkeye and Spider-Woman (II) of the West Coast Avengers, squared off against Pele and Sunfire in an oceanic battle off the coast of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Cover artist, Tom Morgan, felt this heated combat was a good opportunity to pay homage to another fiery (and much more well-known) female. I find it interesting, that just one year later, Tom Morgan swiped the cover of the previous X-Men issue (this swipe was exposed last week).

Uncanny X-Men #101 October 1976 Dave Cockrum

Avengers West Coast #71 June 1991 Tom Morgan

On Ebay: X-Men | Dave Cockrum | West Coast Avengers | Tom Morgan

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

In the mid-1970s, an all-new team of X-Men took over the series starting with Uncanny X-Men #94. Soon enough, it seemed like a great story idea to have the new team square off against the original team. Providing the cover art (and interiors) to this landmark issue, I doubt Dave Cockrum even considered how iconic this cover would prove to be!

In a unique move, Marvel Comics presented their early-1990s quarterly investment reports in the format of a comic book. And, at a time when the X-Team split up into two teams (X-Men Blue & X-Men Gold), it seemed an opportune time for Tom Morgan to utilize the groundwork already laid by Cockrum years prior to display the two teams on the cover of their second quarterly report of 1992.

Interestingly enough, Dave Cockrum swiped himself when asked to provide the cover art to Justice League Quarterly #8. Five years later, the Troublemakers also paid homage to this cover with issue #8, when their publisher (Acclaim Comics) decided every book it published that month would have a cover swipe.

Uncanny X-Men #100 August 1976 Dave Cockrum	Marvel Quarterly Report 1992 #2 June 1992 Tom Morgan
Justice League Quarterly #8 September 1992 Dave Cockrum	Troublemakers #8 November 1997 Kontbal

On Ebay: X-Men | Dave Cockrum | Justice League | Troublemakers

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

Marvel Comics’s Civil War split its super-hero community down the middle. It made them choose between registering their superpowers and identities with the U.S. government, or becoming an enemy of the state by keeping that information to themselves. On the one side, were the Mighty Avengers – pro-SHRA (Super Human Registration Act) heroes led by Iron Man. Opposing the SHRA were the New Avengers (or Secret Avengers) who rallied around Captain America and stood by their belief that the government had no right to pry that far into their lives.

The comic shown here features a secret meeting that took place between Iron Man and Captain America, where they discussed the legality and morality of the SHRA. Over the course of the issue, the debate heats up and turns into a fight between the two long-time Avengers. The book was published with two variant covers, each featuring a different potential outcome of the battle.

Civil War: Casualties of War February 2007 Jim Cheung

Civil War: Casualties of War [variant] February 2007 Jim Cheung

The cover on the right will flip horizontally to better show you how close the two images are.

On Ebay: Civil War | Captain America | Iron Man

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

In 1995, Marvel Comics made a bold move by temporarily cancelling all of the then-current X-Titles (their best-selling comics). Each series was replaced by a four-issue mini-series showing what that team would look like in the Age of Apocalypse alterniverse. Prior to these series hitting the market, X-Men: Alpha presented a first look at this strange, new world. To celebrate this momentous occasion, Marvel hired mega-popular Joe Madureira to provide the cover art for the book and gave it an enhanced cover, as well.

Years prior to this, Marvel had an ongoing series entitled What The –?! that spoofed on themselves as well as other comic companies. It lasted for 26 issues and was canceled in 1993. However, in the same vein of this canceled parody series came 1995’s Marvel Riot, a one-shot special with an all-new target to poke fun at: the Age of Apocalypse! And, what better way to kick off the fun-poking than to start off with a satirical cover swipe?!

X-Men: Alpha #1 February 1995 Joe Madureira

Marvel Riot #1 December 1995 Hilary Barta

On Ebay: X-Men | Age of Apocalypse | Joe Madureira | Marvel Riot | Hilary Barta

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

Stephen King’s Dark Tower series of novels has an enormous following, so it was with much excitement that Marvel Comics acquired the license to publish comics based upon the books. The writing chores for the series were confidently handed over to Peter David. And, a year and half later, when IDW published a comic series based on David’s Sir Apropos of Nothing series, it seemed only fitting that the cover pay homage to the cover of the first Dark Tower comic.

the Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born #1 April 2007 Jae Lee

Sir Apropos of Nothing #1 (b) November 2008 Robin Riggs

On Ebay: Dark Tower | Sir Apropos of Nothing | Jae Lee

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

Kaare Andrews devised these back-to-back face shots of the Abomination and the Hulk to kick off an all-new storyline called Dark Minds, Dark Hearts that pitted the two gamma-irradiated monsters against each other.

the Incredible Hulk vol. II #50 April 2003 Kaare Andrews

the Incredible Hulk vol. II #51 May 2003 Kaare Andrews

On Ebay: Hulk | Kaare Andrews

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

1979 saw the release of Francis Ford Coppola‘s Vietnam War film, Apocalypse Now, starring Marlon Brando and a host of other movie stars. After the success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, many “rip-offs” began to crop up in the mid 1980s. The most successful of these imitation books was the Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters. Spinning out of their main title, came the two issue mini series Clint. Both issues featured a “swipe” cover, the second one biting off Apocalypse Now. And, In 2002, continuing with his experimental art style, Kaare Andrews payed tribute to the film with his cover to the Incredible Hulk vol. II #46.

Apocalypse Now 1979	Clint #2 January 1987 Ken Meyer
the Incredible Hulk vol. II #46 December 2002 Kaare Andrews

On Ebay: Hulk | Kaare Andrews | Black Belt Hamsters