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Last summer, Marvel announced an incredible art campaign: the upcoming wave of #1 issues would feature variant covers inspired by the legends of the hip-hop world.
Typically, comic books have a regular cover and a rarer (and more expensive) variant cover drawn by a different artist. Variant covers are collector's items and are auctioned for hundreds of dollars on sites like Amazon.
The campaign began last October and since then 72 covers have been released.
While the full campaign will feature as many as 80 variants, Marvel gave Tech Insider the first look at two upcoming covers: "Avengers Standoff: Welcome to Pleasant Hill #1," redrawn by Andrew Robinson, and "Mockingbird #1," drawn by Jeff Dekal.
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The variant cover of February's "Avengers Standoff: Welcome to Pleasant Hill #1" is inspired by "Stankonia," the 2000 album from Atlanta hip-hop duo Outkast. Steve Rogers stands to the left, mirroring Big Boi on the "Stankonia" cover, while Sam Wilson holds the same pose as Outkast's Andre 3000. Both stand in front of a black and white American flag.
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The second exclusive cover is for "Mockingbird #1," which will be released in March.
Mockingbird is a highly-trained martial artist and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
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Clik here to view.
The "Mockingbird #1" cover is based on New York rapper Kool Moe Dee's "Knowledge is King," released in 1989. They feature similar fonts and letter spacing and both Mockingbird and Kool Moe Dee stare straight ahead from behind their large sunglasses. Mockingbird even holds her battle-stave in the same way Kool Moe Dee holds his fist.
What do you think of the covers?
Check out: More of Marvel's hip-hop covers
SEE ALSO: Marvel recruited journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates to write the 'Black Panther' comic book
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