POWERS OF X #5 Cover Prelim - Mike Huddleston variant - Apocalypse

POWERS OF X #5 Cover Prelim - Mike Huddleston variant - Apocalypse

When purchasing the cover art from Mike Huddleston for this issue years ago (benefits going to the HEROES INITIATIVE, back in early 2020, before the pandemic), Mike also included his preliminary/failed attempt for the covers I received. It was a real pleasure to hear from him and see some of his process.

It’s great to compare the two pieces, they are both on same type of paper, same size, both have the same overall look but the finished cover has lots more texture and detailing. Love seeing his notes and how far he even took some of the inking but at some point scratched this almost done art piece and restarted pencils and ink on the new final. Definitely see some foliage and overall shape differences but still in awe on how far he got with this initial “failed” piece as he calls it before the final pencil/inked cover.

Apocalypse had a really great turnaround in this era of X-Men and his story takes prime focus, getting more detailed origin and reshaping what we knew about this character, ultimately seeing him sacrifice himself for mutantkind. He was used throughout the entire Krakoan era and even has a pretty fun ending, after disappearing for a while.

Huddleston was Hickman’s specific selection to make covers for the start of the Krakoan era for X-Men, an era I thoroughly enjoyed and still revisit. It’s great to add this prelim with connection to the final cover, I posted years ago.

https://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1738127