Best of 2025 :: Published/Unpublished Comic Book Covers

Joshua Cassara - X-Men Halloween Party - BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD AND GUTS #1 Variant Cover

Owner: Nick Forst
Artists: GURU-eFX (Colorist) , Joshua Cassara (All)

Click Image to View Full Size

Additional Images:

Published Cover 2

Published Cover

JDC - X-Men Halloween Thumbnails

JDC - X-Men Halloween Ideas

Previous Item:
Dan Decarlo - Adventures of Kool-Aid Man #4 Cover (1987) Oh.. Yeah!

Next Item:
Fear Itself: Captain America issue 7.1 Cover by Lee Bermejo

Artwork Details

Title:	Joshua Cassara - X-Men Halloween Party - BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD AND GUTS #1 Variant Cover
Artist:	GURU-eFX (Colorist)
Artist:	Joshua Cassara (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Cover
Views:	878
Likes on CAF:	35 36
Added to Site:	6/23/2025

Description

Update 9/17/25: The news is out, my commission was selected for a variant cover for MARVEL: BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD AND GUTS #1 - Estimated Release Date: 10/08/2025. I've had to keep a lid on this for a bit, practically since I picked it up at NYCC in 2024. Josh deserves a ton of adulation, and I love the red/white/black coloring. Such an epic piece that's now an epic cover. Spooky tones by GURU-eFX.

The most epic, the most spookiest, the most death-defying Halloween X-Men commission you'll ever see! This exceptional piece was the result of an idea and then almost a year of brainstorming on characters/costumes with Josh. He is my hero. He put up with endless concepts and ideas that I would just vomit out. I'd shoot him a message, and in my head it was a quick text, but in reality it was "war & peace" in a one-sided conversation. JDC put up with all that to create something truly unique. Note to self/others: don't overthink it when commissioning one of your grail-level artists.

The piece overall is so special to me, I've been nervous posting it to CAF because it's just insane. I'm fairly certain I was a mumbling mess when I retrieved this piece at NYCC. It's an awe-inspiring 11" x 17" masterpiece.

I first and foremost love Halloween. Of course, Scott and Jean are the focus, but I gave Josh a full list of characters to choose from and iterate on. I can go into gross detail on each character. Emma, in her regular outfit with a witch hat, was an early lock-in. Apocalypse as a mummy was another easy decision. Josh went crazy and picked out a lot of the costumes and just had the vision! We both love cocktails, cauldrons, fireplaces, and the mansion. If there ever was an X-Men Halloween cover...

Martha Cassara also gets lots of credit for her inclusions, including the Wolverine carved pumpkin in the foreground. JDC is also great about including the preliminary thumbnails and his notes on the piece. You can get a sense of the deliberation. Josh was right, the classic costumes read much better. I challenge everyone to post their favorite characters and their costumes. It's such a fun game with everyone who sees this piece.

Josh and Martha are very great people and friends to so many in the CAF+ community. To them, I say thanks a million. I owe them lots of drinks and my eternal gratitude.

Social/Sharing

About the Owner

	Nick Forst Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	December 2023
Last Login:	January 2026
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

Contact the Owner

Use can use a contact form to send an email to this gallery owner,
but, you must be logged in to use this feature.

All
	--J S-- 1/24/2026 2:40:00 AM
	Brad Potts 1/24/2026 2:38:00 AM
	Todd Warren 1/24/2026 2:34:00 AM
	Pop Warner 1/24/2026 2:18:00 AM
	David Dias 1/24/2026 1:45:00 AM
View All


	Miki Annamanthadoo 1/24/2026 1:42:00 AM
	Paul Biermann 1/24/2026 1:32:00 AM
	Bruce W 1/24/2026 12:30:00 AM
	Steven Ng 1/23/2026 11:56:00 PM
	Bill Cox 1/23/2026 11:21:00 PM