Marvel Comics X-Men Editor Responds To Critic Unhappy With Number Of Variant Covers Featuring Savage Land Rogue: “These Covers Sell Really Well”
While many a modern day comic book reader may take issue with the use of ‘sex appeal’ to sell comic books, Marvel Comics Executive Editor Tom Breevort has admitted that he does not have a problem the use of such visuals, particularly when used on variant covers, because they go a long in way in helping to get a given book “into as many hands as are possible”.
Brevoort, who also serves as the current editor of the publisher’s X-Men line, offered his thoughts on the topic of comic book cheesecake in response to a fan question submitted to his personal Man With A Hat Substack blog regarding the constant stream of variant covers the publisher produces featuring Rogue in her iconic Savage Land outfit.
Essentially a ‘pulp fantasy’-style bikini fashioned from the shredded remains of her classic green-and-yellow X-uniform, said outfit is worn by the mutant belle during her two-issue, post-Carol Danvers-energy-separation adventure in the aforementioned ‘land before time’, as seen in Issues #269 and #274 of Chris Claremont and Jim Lee’s historic run on Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1.
Unsurprisingly becoming a fan-favorite look for the mutant belle, the sheer popularity of Rogue’s Savage Land appearance has led to it becoming a regular visual staple across nearly all of Marvel’s multimedia offerings, from figures, to Marvel Snap cards, to, of course, comic book variant covers.
In recent years, Rogue has donned her Red Sonja-esque alternate costume for a number of variant cover appearances, ranging from both pieces officially commissioned by Marvel Comics, such as those provided by Art Adams for 2021’s X-Men Vol. 6 #12 or Ryan Stegman for Uncanny X-Men Vol. 4 #2, and those by various retailers for their own exclusives, such as R1C0 for Rogue & Gambit Vol. 2 #5 and David Nakayama for the recent facsimile release of Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #274.
However, while the ‘risqué’ outfit remains a favorite among fans of every generation, one reader has found themselves unhappy with the constant attention Rogue’s Savage Land style still receives.
Writing in to Brevoort’s blog to share their frustrations, an individual identifying themselves only as ‘MB’ protested, “Tom, can y’all please, please, please, please, PLEASE cool it with the Savage Land Rogue variant covers?”
“We get it, she’s sexy and she’s half-naked,” said the reader. “Do we really need to objectify her this much? Do we really need ten billion Savage Land Rogue variants for every comic book she appears in? Can we have her in literally any other outfit?”
Beginning with a reference as to a previous assertion he made that, simply put, “engagement sells comics”, Brevoort explained in turn, “To be honest, I haven’t commissioned a single cover image that has Rogue in that outfit [Brevoort only took over as X-Men line editor in early 2024 at the start of its From the Ashes era]. But plenty of our Retailers are asking for it when they order Retailer-exclusive covers, and as the client, that’s their right.”
“And even internally, we’re aware that those covers tend to sell really well, and will sometimes have our sales team request them when they think they’ll do the project some good,” he added. “As I want to get the books into as many hands as are possible, I don’t really have a problem with this.”
Unfortunately for MB, if they’re unhappy with the amount of Savage Land Rogue currently seen on Marvel Comics covers, they’ll likely be disappointed to learn that come this January, the outfit will star front and center in the the upcoming Rogue: The Savage Land Vol. 1.
Written by Tim Seeley with art by his Hexware co-creator Zulema Lavina, the five-issue Rogue-centric series will delve further into the heroine’s brief time in the Savage Land, as briefly touched upon by Claremont and Lee.
“In these five issues, I get to utilize my love for 80s X-Men, Jim Lee, Chris Claremont, Zabu, scantily clad heroines (and heroes!) and probably most importantly: dinosaurs,” Seeley explained to Polygon of his upcoming mini. “Alongside my collaborator Zulema Lavina, we’re going to deliver something fresh, while honoring the impossibly sexy and epic classic tale of a young Rogue, and two of the weirdest allies a girl from Mississippi could ask for: Magneto and Ka-Zar.”
And like most first issues, Rogue: The Savage Land will release with a number of variant cover options (at least ten in total according to Marvel Comics print publisher Penguin Random House and noted comic book ordering catalog PreviewsWorld, not counting specific store variants), for readers to choose from, all of which depict the titular mutant in her iconic half-costume.
Barring any unforeseen publishing delays, the first issue of Rogue: The Savage Land Vol. 1 is currently on track to make Savage Land-fall on January 15th, 2025.
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