Marvel Comics has announced a collection of “Lightning Bolt” variant covers for its upcoming future-set limited series Avengers: Twilight. These covers pay homage to Frank Miller‘s seminal DC story The Dark Knight Returns.
At this time, Marvel has revealed the Lightning Bolt Variant Covers for January’s Avengers: Twilight #1 and April’s Avengers: Twilight #5. The Lightning Bolt cover for issue #1 comes courtesy of none other than Frank Miller himself — and depicts the main hero of the piece, Captain America. Meanwhile, the Lightning Bolt variant for issue #5 comes from Ben Su. Su’s cover not only depicts Hawkeye, but also bears a striking resemblance to Miller’s iconic cover art for 1986’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1.
In the coming months, Marvel will reveal the Lightning Bolt Variant Covers for the remaining four issues of Avengers: Twilight. The upcoming covers feature artwork by Phil Noto, Sara Pichelli, Carmen Carnero, and Declan Shalvey. In the meantime, check out Miller and Su’s covers below:
What is Avengers: Twilight about?
Avengers: Twilight hails from writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Daniel Acuña. The entire six-issue limited series features main cover art by Alex Ross. The comic itself promises to “[explore] the complex nature of being a super hero through the lens [of] an aged Steve Rogers.”
Conceptually, Zdarsky and Acuña’s dystopian Avengers tale is not dissimilar to The Dark Knight Returns. The upcoming series centers on an older, broken-down Captain America who comes out of retirement in an attempt to save the world — and salvage the Avengers‘ tarnished legacy. In this dark version of Marvel’s future, many of Steve’s friends and allies are long dead. In their place stands an all-new team of corrupt “heroes” (some of whom have direct ties to the Avengers of old).
Avengers: Twilight #1 goes on sale January 10, 2024 from Marvel Comics.
