The Big Apple is home to some marvelous characters — and that isn’t changing anytime soon.
As a way to pay homage to its hometown, Marvel Comics is releasing 15 special “variant” comic-book covers of its most powerful protagonists enjoying the city that never sleeps.
“New York has always been home for the Marvel Universe,” Axel Alonso, Marvel Comics’ editor-in-chief, told The Post. “We were born here 75 years ago. We’re proud to be New Yorkers and we just thought that this was a way to underscore that.”
The variant covers come as Marvel’s rival, DC Comics, packs up their publishing headquarters to hunker down in Burbank, California — where the rest of DC Entertainment is stationed.
“Superman lives in Metropolis. Batman lives in Gotham,” Alonso said. “But Spider-Man is from New York and lives in Queens. Our characters have always had an intimate relationship with the city.”
Marvel reached out to various comic-book artists months ago to start working on the new covers, which include fan favorites like the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spidey, Ms. Marvel, Daredevil and Ant-Man.
Alonso said all the covers tell a story that is uniquely New York – with the Hulk sunbathing in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow, Ant-Man ordering a hot dog from a street cart and the Agents of SHIELD gathering at the Statue of Liberty.
Nick Bradshaw created the cover for the Guardians of the Galaxy, which features Groot and Rocket Raccoon underground trying to catch a subway.
“They’re squabbling about which subway to take, Alonso said. “Who hasn’t been there? Even the best bromances break down when you’re trying to figure out how to connect to some corner of Manhattan you’ve never been to before.”
The Guardians of the Galaxy #20 will hit comic-book stands May 20. The rest of the covers, ranging from $2.99 and up, are slated to be released throughout May.
