“Fantastic Four 73” reimagined cover (2008)
by Steve Rude (1956-)
17 x 28 in., pencil and ink on board
Coppola Collection

One of the classic comic book cover designs is the team-to-team face off, and you see it reflected right through the staging of the airport battle in the 2016 “Captain America: Civil War” movie. One team faces off against the other. The cover to Fantastic Four #73 (April 1968) is a good example among many. Clean and crisp, it can be read from a distance while on a newsstand and you know exactly what is going on. In this case (as with Civil War), the added attention-getter is that the heroes are facing off against the heroes.

Steve Rude re-imagines the battle in this piece, placing the three battles in context with one another. And while it is great, it does not eclipse the original cover in its stark composition and representational style.