Variant Forecast
Looks like a relatively light forecast this week, y’all! But that won’t mean light on content for the day: it’s patch day, meaning that I’m here to give you all the quick rundown on what’s coming out in the right now before you scramble on over to see what’s coming in the down the line. So what are we waiting for? Go, go, find your favorites and get on over to our patch coverage!
08/19
PANDART’s The Fallen One Spotlight
Artist: PANDART STUDIO
Source: General Pool (Spotlight)
We’ll kick off like always with the new card’s Spotlight for the week: The Fallen One, as drawn by the ever-present PANDART, realizing the glory of those cosmically luscious blue locks. The Fallen One is a character that naturally (by both name and design) invites a level of operatic gravitas, and while I think the PANDART isn’t quite as dramatic as some of the other treatments (there’s more of that blue instead of those dark black shadows), there’s a sort of Sephiroth-pretty boy-eldritch cosmic being vibe that I think lots of people will gel with.
Nicola Saviori’s Venomized Cable Bundle!
Artist: Nicola Saviori
Source: Bundle
Nicola Saviori kicks off a threefer of bundles for the day too, giving us that classic Saviori Symbiote excess on a character known exactly for excess. I love the glowing eyes as the hallmark for any Cable piece, but I also think the fact that there’s grey coloration on some of that unseemly ooze may be a neat nod to Cable’s own techno-organic virus vying for dominance over his body. It’s fun, and Saviori continues to keep his take on Symbiotes feeling fresh with that uniquely toothy design.
David Nakayama’s Firehair Bundle!
Artist: David Nakayama
Source: Bundle
Firehair’s got two Bundle artists dueling for your attention in the other two spots: the first of which is a new David Nakayama commission for Second Dinner, which may be a first, or at least a minority among his much larger presence in the game via existing covers. Nakayama’s a textbook comics artist with a talent for pinups, and Firehair’s prehistoric fashion sensibilities still let Nakayama show off that talent just fine: folks that are looking for a shinier, more ‘magazine cover’ look for the First Phoenix Host can absolutely consider this.
Andrea Guardino’s Firehair Bundle!
Artist: Andrea Guardino
Source: Bundle
For folks looking for something more fierce, Guardino’s take on Firehair instead leans into her as a primordial force, eyes aglow and hands burning with cosmic fire. A good deal more of the spectacle of the piece is in the fiery effects surrounding her, and Guardino’s talent for mythic levels of scale and color really elevate this piece into a wonderful counterpart to Nakayama’s piece. I love the idea of dropping two different variants for a character on the same day to let people pick, Pokemon-style, and I’m curious who’s gonna go for what. Let me know below, bundle buyers!
Mooncolony’s Nakia
Artist: Mooncolony
Source: General Pool (Rare)
This is basically by and far the best variant we’ve seen from Mooncolony so far by my estimate, and it’s not close! I think that, while Mooncolony’s studio hallmark seems to be that rounded, friendly cartoon stylization, they miss the mark for me the same way many of the anime or chibi variants do: not because they’re not realistic, but because they just don’t quite hit that balance I prefer. This Nakia is styled more in that animated-show kind of look, and the extra detail (and attention to proportion and silhouette) feels like it really helps the piece. I think the face captures a level of Disney-esque stylization other variants have swung for and not quite hit, too; fans of that sort of work may consider this one.
08/20
Anzka Nguyen’s Crystal Bundle
Artist: Anzka Nguyen
Source: Bundle
Anzka Nguyen is a cool artist we’re seeing again, bringing a more painted look to Crystal—with a much more reddish hue to her hair than we might normally see! We also have her elemental control on full display, which is always a flashy way to make a variant feel like it belongs in the bundle! I like the colors of the clouds matching the spectrum of Crystal’s powers in the background too; definitely consider, for any fans of the Inhuman!
Cover Alert: Captain Carter (2022) #1 Variant
Artist: Rian Gonzales
Source: Super Rare
There’s a lot of bundles this week, clearly! But there's fun stuff like this, too: it’s a back-issue cut from everyone’s favorite, Rian Gonzales—a great reminder that so many of the artists in SNAP have come straight from the comics previously! This Captain Carter is leaning a bit into her Rosie the Riveter stuff, and while she’s not got the bulging biceps that some people really take from the ‘super-soldier’ aspect of the character and run with, it’s a cute nod for a Captain Carter variant to have. The way her suit design plays with the flag in the background also looks great!
Envar Studio’s (Incompletely Datamined) Fallen One!
Artist: Envar Studio
Source: Super Rare
He’s that Fallen, guys—not even perceptible to our mortal datamines. No, at the time of writing this variant is incompletely datamined, and we only see the layer of what could either be a billowing cape or a part of his cosmic head of hair. Hard to say. But it is patch day—this section might be out of date by the time y’all read this! Point and laugh in the comments if it is.
08/21
Envar Studio’s Proxima Midnight
Artist: Envar Studio
Source: Bundle
Envar Studio’s been nailing variants in a way I’m impressed by this month, and this Proxima Midnight genuinely feels like it’s captured the spirit of the modern-but-past comics era the Black Order originated from. I love the expression on her mask mid-battlecry, and I think the lighting on that spear really adds a lot of depth to the piece as it lights up and reflects off the other pieces on Midnight. Solid work, for the bundle buyers out there!
Cover Alert: Symbiote Spider-Man (2019) #1
Artist: Greg Land
Source: General Pool (Rare)
Greg Land’s a complicated topic for comic fans for lots of reasons that I don’t have the time or space to get into here, but I think some folks may have to begrudgingly admit that, past their biases, he’s an accomplished artist with covers like this (that don’t have nearly the same pall over them) that are perfectly admirable. And for what that’s worth, I think that the lighting, pose, and composition of this Symbiote Spider-Man cover is proof of technical experience from a veteran in the industry: an eye catcher for only 700 gold.
08/22
Dan Hipp’s Havok!
Artist: Dan Hipp
Source: General Pool (Rare)
Dan Hipp comes to the rescue for Havok fans as a balm for the nerf our boy just ate—and as far as consolations go, that’s not too bad! I think Havok is a character at his best when he’s depicted with the incredibly visual, graphic nature of his original depiction, and that white glow that Hipp is having Alex put out (alongside that classic outfit, with those big eyeholes and terrific headpiece) makes the entire thing feel very true to the spirit of the character. End Of Turn players out there, I hope this eases the pain of a nerf!
08/23
Cover Alert: Nova (1976) #25
Artist: Keith Pollard
Source: General Pool (Super Rare)
The next oldie we’re getting is a 1976 pull, with Nova #25 rocketing out of the card in those beautiful Keith Pollard shadows. “Where’s the light source, he’s in space,” you ask? Who cares? The mood and energy that comes from Pollard’s work is off the charts, and anybody who’s either a fan of Nova or the classic style on iconic comics like these will no doubt be glad to see Pollard’s cover entering the ring.
08/25
Brett Bean’s Iron Man!
Artist: Brett Bean
Source: General Pool (Super Rare)
We’re wrapping on Brett Bean’s Iron Man, which is a fun juxtaposition: an artist with a very limber, cartoonish art style that contorts characters like a funhouse mirror tackling a character who is all engineered edges and shapes, all hard parts and mechanical pieces. I especially love the exaggeration on the sizes and shapes here, like those more slender arms helping to accentuate the blockiness of the elbows. It’s another hit, and it’s a Brett Bean piece in the General Pool for a change, to boot.
Wrapping Up
It’s another fun week, but really, by the time this comes out I’ll be seeing y’all over on the datamines article poring over all the new work coming out! But let me know below, for the moment: what’s got you excited down the line in SNAP? Doesn’t have to be from the forecast, either, on patch day, of all days! I just wanna hear what folks are interested in. And until next time, see you!