Posted in: Comics, Venom, X-Men | Tagged: Armageddon, coverwatch, jim steranko, shield, stormbreakers

Marvel Brings Back S.H.I.E.L.D. With Stormbreakers Variant Covers

Coverwatch: Marvel brings back S.H.I.E.L.D. with Stormbreakers Variant Covers in the style and fashion of Jim Steranko

The upcoming Armageddon series sees the return of S.H.I.E.L.D. led by Nick Fury Jr to the Marvel Universe and ahead of that, Marvel is using their cadre of exclusive artists known as the Stormbreakers to create S..H.I.E.L.D. themed variant covers across their publishing line in April…

"An all-new, all-different S.H.I.E.L.D. recently debuted in the pages of Chip Zdarsky and Valerio Schiti's hit run of Captain America in an arc leading into this summer's Avengers: Armageddon by Zdarsky, Delio Diaz & Frank Alpizar. To celebrate the return of the world's premier intelligence and defense organization, Marvel's Stormbreakers have reimagined Marvel heroes as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the latest Stormbreaker Variant Cover collection. Featured on titles throughout April, the covers see Cyclops, Nova, The Thing, Boom-Boom, Thor, Wolverine, Deadpool, and even Hela suit up for globe-trotting espionage missions! The stunning artwork also emulates the classic style of Jim Steranko's legendary '60s Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. covers."

• On Sale 4/1 NOVA: CENTURION #6 AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. VARIANT COVER BY LUCIANO VECCHIO – 75960620922400621
• On Sale 4/8 KNULL #4 AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. VARIANT COVER BY SIMONE DI MEO – 75960621388700421
• On Sale 4/8 MORTAL THOR #9 AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. VARIANT COVER BY NETHO DIAZ – 75960621284200921
• On Sale 4/15 INGLORIOUS X-FORCE #4 AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. VARIANT COVER BY GURIHIRU – 75960621362700421
• On Sale 4/22 CYCLOPS #3 AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. VARIANT COVER BY ALESSANDRO CAPPUCCIO – 75960621385600321 WADE WILSON: DEADPOOL #3 AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. VARIANT COVER BY GEOFF SHAW – 75960621448800321
• On Sale 4/22 WOLVERINE #19 JUAN FRIGERI AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. VARIANT COVER BY JUAN FRIGERI – 75960620841801921
• On Sale 5/6 FANTASTIC FOUR #10 AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. VARIANT COVER BY JONAS SCHARF – 75960621122701031

The current Stormbreakers line-up of comic book artists, given multi-year Marvel exclusives deals, who will be promoted by Marvel and employed on their higher profile projects, was announced in 2024. The new name for what Marvel used to call Young Guns, the previous Stormbreakers announcement was in 2023. Alessandro Cappuccio (Moon Knight, Ultimate Wolverine), Netho Diaz (Daredevil: Black Armor, X-Men), Simone Di Meo (Champions, X-Men of Apocalypse), Juan Frigeri (Ultimates, Invincible Iron Man), Gurihiru (It's Jeff, Jeff the Land Shark), Jonas Scharf (Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion, Dark X-Men), Geoff Shaw (Red Hulk, Wolverine), and Luciano Vecchio (Spider-Verse vs. Venomverse, Resurrection of Magneto). Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski will officially unveil the class in France at this weekend's Marvel Art Atelier, the annual training program for aspiring Marvel artists hosted at Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel at Disneyland Paris, with Simone Di Meo.

These are the previous creators who have had this status:

• Young Guns, 2004: Steve McNiven, Adi Granov, David Finch, Trevor Hairsine, Jim Cheung, and Olivier Coipel.
• Young Guns Reloaded 2006: Billy Tan, Clayton Crain, Pasqual Ferry, Ariel Olivetti, Simone Bianchi and Leinil Yu. 
• Young Guns 2009: Daniel Acuna, Stefano Casselli, Mike Choi, Marko Djurdjevic, Khoi Pham, Francesco Mattina and Rafa Sandoval.
• Architects, 2010: Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman and Jason Aaron.
• All-New Young Guns, 2014: Ryan Stegman, Nick Bradshaw, Mahmud Asrar, Valerio Schiti, David Marquez and Sara Pichelli.
• Young Guns 2018: Pepe Larraz, Javier Garron, Marco Checchetto, Aaron Kuder, Mike Del Mundo, and Russell Dauterman.
• Stormbreakers 2020: Peach Momoko, Pat Gleason, Josh Cassara, RB Silva, Natacha Busto, Carmen Carnero and Juann Cabal
• Stormbreakers 2023: Elena Casagrande, Nic Klein, Jan Bazaldúa, Chris Allen, Martin Coccolo, Lucas Werneck, C.F. Villa, and Federico Vicentini

Here are the biographies for the current Stormbreakers.

• Alessandro Cappuccio: Italian illustrator Alessandro Cappuccio made his impressive debut in 2021's Moon Knight, redefining the character alongside writer Jed MacKay and immediately establishing him as an artist to watch. After continuing his acclaimed work on the Lunar Legionnaire in follow-up series Vengeance of the Moon Knight and Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu, Cappuccio launched Ultimate Wolverine with writer Chris Condon, currently one of Marvel's best-selling titles.
• Netho Diaz: Netho Diaz has been working consistently with Marvel since early 2022 on select issues of Thunderbolts and Legion of X. Shortly after, he became the series artist on Predator, Daredevil: Black Armor, and X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse—the latter being the project that led him to the flagship X-Men title, where he continues to shape the franchise's current era alongside Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman.
• Simone Di Meo: Simone Di Meo is an esteemed talent known for his work throughout the industry, including Batman and Robin at DC Comics, which earned him the Ringo Award for best cover artist in 2022. Following acclaimed work on Champions as well as various annuals and one-shots, Di Meo makes his grand return this September in the highly anticipated event series X-Men of Apocalypse, where he'll team up with legendary writer Jeph Loeb to deliver the next chapter of the groundbreaking Age of Apocalypse storyline.
• Juan Frigeri: Juan Frigeri's growing list of Marvel credits include collaborations with superstar writers like Ed Brisson on Ghost Rider, Kelly Thompson on Captain Marvel, and Jason Aaron on Avengers. Following his run of Invincible Iron Man with writer Gerry Duggan, Frigeri is one of the visionaries behind the new Ultimate Universe, working with Deniz Camp on one of the industry's most talked-about titles, Ultimates.
• Gurihiru: Gurihiru are a superstar Japanese illustrator duo whose iconic take on Marvel characters delighted fans in books like The Unstoppable Wasp and Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble. Following that, they launched the It's Jeff Infinity Comic with Kelly Thompson, which won them an Eisner Award.
• Jonas Scharf: Jonas Scharf has over 24 issues of creator-owned horror comics under his belt and contributed to the darker, more gritty corners of the Marvel Universe over the years in titles like Avengers of the Wastelands and Dark X-Men. Showcasing his incredible versatility, he launched Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion with writers Deniz Camp and Cody Ziglar earlier this week to critical acclaim.
• Geoff Shaw: Multitalented Geoff Shaw is a comic artist, sculptor, concept designer, and illustrator. His notable Marvel works include Thanos and Guardians of the Galaxy with writer Donny Cates and Wolverine with Ben Percy, including the Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons
• Luciano Vecchio: Luciano Vecchio became a fan-favorite artist thanks to his dynamic style bridging the classic with the modern in books like Ironheart and Champions. After helping bring the X-Men's Krakoan Era to an epic close in Resurrection of Magneto and Rise of the Powers of X, Vecchio continues to be a master of mutant storytelling in Uncanny X-Men with Gail Simone and the upcoming X-Men: Hellfire Vigil one-shot. He also has an interest in LGBTQIA+ representation in comics, working on Marvel Voices: Pride and writing and drawing the Marvel's Voices: Iceman Infinity Comic.

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