Comic Collector's Corner: Walking Dead #50 Superhero Variant
"Fight the Dead. Fear the Living."
Welcome back, comic collectors, creators, and original art enthusiasts!
The Walking Dead is an American zombie apocalypse comic book series created by writer Robert Kirkman. The gritty series exploded onto the scene in 2003, and created a worldwide cultural phenomenon that is still going strong today.
After spawning a successful television show, the Walking Dead franchise has ventured into novels, video games, and a vast empire of zombie related collectibles.
Today we will take a look at one of my favorites- The Walking Dead #50 Superhero Variant!
The Walking Dead #50 (Image Comics, June 2008) was the first issue of the series to offer a variant cover, and features art by fan favorite Erik Larsen. This wraparound version depicts Rick and the Governor as exaggerated and slightly ‘90s style characters, with a cool sci-fi motif.
This storyline is the second part of Volume 9: Here We Remain. The book is considered by some to be a milestone issue. In an interview, Robert Kirkman suggested that this issue is his favorite, due to mostly focusing on Carl's character development.
Here is a closer look at the double page art splash.
Epic, right? The standard Adlard cover for #50 (also a cool wraparound) looks like this:
Both of these covers are memorable, but I think the Superhero Variant strikes a chord for collectors because of its contrast to the source material. Larsen’s brightly colored costumes, the robot parts, and the noticeable sci-fi vibe really lend a cool alternate take on Kirkman’s dark universe.
The superhero variant cover for The Walking Dead #50 was a 1:10 variant, which means for every ten copies of the regular edition ordered by comic shops, one copy of the variant was made available. Unfortunately, the exact print run for this specific variant isn't publicly available. However, considering it's the 50th issue of a popular series and had a specific ratio requirement, it's considered to be a rare and sought-after comic. For those so inclined, I have an extra CGC graded 9.4 copy for sale. Hit me up for details.
Here is a closer look:
How about you? Do you have a favorite Walking Dead cover? if so, show me in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed our brief tour of the The Walking Dead #50 Superhero Variant! Thanks for taking a look at the treasures in my comic collection.
Timothy B. Fling
Writer and Creator
“Ars Longa, Vita Brevis
By the way, if you like this type of material, you might like my original sci-fi graphic novel: WATER WARS: Chronicles. I will be selling this book at the Harrisburg Comic and Pop Con nest weekend. Come see me at Table A03, on Aug 23rd-24th, at the Harrisburg Farm Show Complex!
