Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jun 28, 2025 | 4 comments

With a healthy tip of the mask to George Perez…

On Friday, we showed off Walt Simonson’s unexpected variant cover for July’s New History of the DC Universe #2, and now we’ve got a look at the last artist’s variant for the issue — Ryan Sook’s homage to Crisis on Infinite Earths, George Perez and some of the greatest innovations of the Silver and Bronze Ages.

Behold:

Let’s unlock this, shall we? Clockwise from the top:

— The logo is clearly a riff on Crisis on Infinite Earths and the layout mimics that series’ Issue #3 cover by Perez, from 1985.

— Below the logo is the Monitor looming over an homage to Perez’s cover for 1980’s The New Teen Titans #1, only with a more covered-up Starfire and Robin with dark leggings.

— On the right are two great Silver Age characters — Supergirl and Metamorpho — while the Bronze Age’s Black Lightning was DC’s first, full-fledged Black superhero. (John Stewart, while a landmark creation by Denny O’Neil and Adams, wasn’t yet the essential character he’s since become.) And speaking of O’Neil and Adams, you have the Hard-Travelin’ Green Arrow, whom they developed into one of comics’ most nuanced heroes.

— At bottom is a take on 1961’s Justice League of America #9, which featured the first official origin of the team, by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs. (Murphy Anderson inked Sekowsky’s cover.) Wonder Woman, however, is in her later, ’80s outfit.

— On the left are Jack Kirby’s New Gods, along with Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson’s Swamp Thing.

— This is a foil cover variant and it lists for $9.99. The issue is due July 23. The only variant left to be unveiled for #2 — barring any other surprises, like Simonson’s — is the logo sketch cover.

— Sook also did a couple of covers for Issue #1, highlighting the Golden Age. His #3 cover, already unveiled, pays tribute to the Death of Superman and the Infinite Crisis era (which featured the death of Conner Kent).

—

MORE

— NEW HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #2 Will Cover the Silver and Bronze Ages. Click here.

— Hey, Check Out WALT SIMONSON’s Unexpected NEW HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE Cover. Click here.