MARK BROOKS: Make Mine Marvel Corner Boxes!
In a Tweet sent on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021, Marvel artist Mark Brooks said, “Make Mine Marvel Corner Boxes!”
Hey folks, this is important. I need @Marvel to bring back corner boxes. More importantly, I need to draw them. I already work for them so all they have to do is say “Hey Mark, draw corner boxes!”. Like, reply, and retweet. We can do this!#LetMarkCornerBox pic.twitter.com/pG8MsRFFfJ
— The Dread duck Pirate Mark Brooks (@MarkBrooksArt) August 3, 2021
Brooks, who as he notes is already an employee of Marvel Comics (and Marvel Blog True Believers are well aware that he’s also the basis for a Marvel Comics character – no fooling) wants to get assigned to the corner box gig! And at Marvel Blog, we are game.
Corner Boxes
As the name suggests, corner boxes appeared in the top left corner of the cover of a Marvel comic. The boxes featured the Marvel logo and an image of the main character or characters of the book.
Marvel Comics Group Corner Box. Photo: Marvel Comics
Want to know more, Marvel Blog True Believers? Then “ad fontes,” or “to the sources’!
Practical Explorations in Corner Boxes
Here’s a round of corner boxes from classic issues of Dr. Strange, Marvel Two-in-One, and two issues of Darkhold. As you can see, the boxes depict the stars of the comic. Notice how there are two different versions of the box for Darkhold: one that has had its colors shifted to better match the overall tone of the cover.
Marvel Corner Box. Photo: Ariel Goobie Marvel Comics Collection
During the heyday of the corner box, the Marvel Corner Boxes could be tweaked in different ways, to better suit the aesthetics of the cover. In fact, the corner boxes for the Darkhold are different for each issue!
Darkhold #7 by Chris Cooper, Rurik Tyler, Bud LaRosa, Phil Felix, and John Kalisz. Photo: Marvel Comics
Now, here’s some even older Marvel Corner Boxes! As you can see, these get a little more abstract. Many of them are not boxes but circles, and Crypt of Shadows even has the eponymous tower in its corner box.
Plus, check out this awesome cover. There is no cover box, but in the place where you’d expect the cover box to be, there is a skull next to a candle, paying homage to the “Marvel Corner Box” convention in an interesting way!
Crypt of Shadows written by Stan Lee, with a cover by Ron Wilson and Mike Esposito. Photo: Ariel Goobie Marvel Comics Collection
And in 2019, Marvel Comics released an all-new horror story for its 80th anniversary based on the horror title from yesteryear. The new Crypt of Shadows by Al Ewing, Garry Brown, Stephen Green, Djibril Morissette-Pham, Chris O’Halloran, and Travis Lanham, was released with Marvel Corner Box that is a homage to the classic horror comic by Lee and Esposito.
Crypt of Shadows (2019). Photo: Marvel Comics
Make Mine Marvel Corner Boxes
Will Brooks get to design some new Marvel Corner Boxes? We sure hope so, Marvel Blog True Believers! Let us know what you’re thinking in the comment section.
Featured Image: Mark Brooks Twitter/Marvel Comics
