Marvel has released several new variant covers paying tribute to some of hip-hop’s most iconic albums. Also, Insane Clown Posse is there.
Last month, Marvel announced it was doing a second batch of hip-hop covers following the success of last year’s debut. Marvel introduced the first batch of hip-hop variant covers in July 2015, honoring great artists like Dr. Dre, Tupac, and Lauryn Hill.
Some of the latest covers were released late last week, showed by Mass Appeal, and there are some pretty gorgeous additions to the club. The Unbelievable Gwenpool #1 is paying tribute to iLoveMakonnen, and Rocket Raccoon #1 harkens to Tyler, The Creator’s album Goblin. However, for some reason they decided to include the critically panned Insane Clown Posse album, The Great Milenko, in a Foolkiller #1 variant.
Insane Clown Posse seems like an odd addition to the Marvel hip-hop variant covers family. I’m sure there are a few people (mainly Juggalos) who will immediately defend ICP to the grave, but the truth remains that their legacy in hip-hop is ugly at best.
In 2013, GQ Magazine named Insane Clown Posse the worst rappers of all time (yes, even worse than Kevin Federline), and the now-defunct Blender magazine went even further, calling them the worst band in history. Most well-regarded rap critics dismiss them as “irrelevant,” and their fans have been classified as a national gang by the FBI (ICP are appealing).
Also, they once rapped about magnets.
The covers were started as part of Marvel’s All-New, All-Different lineup relaunch, which introduced a more diverse group of superheroes to the Marvel Universe. It hasn’t been well received by everyone, with some critics suggesting the covers don’t atone for Marvel’s spotty relationship with the black community, but they do have their fans. Marvel has released over 70 variant covers, before this latest batch, and compiled several of them into a free digital guide.