Eminem conquered the music scene with his 1999 debut “The Slim Shady LP,” an epic hip hop team-up with legendary MC and producer Dr. Dre. Since then, he’s joined forces with plenty of interesting characters, but probably none as heroic as Iron Man.
The rapper, whose “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” dropped yesterday from Interscope, will also draw plenty of attention by appearing on a MIGHTY AVENGERS #3 variant cover featuring Eminem and the Armored Avenger hanging out in front of the home the superstar grew up in.
“When the opportunity came up for us to do a variant cover with Eminem and Marvel, we immediately thought about how cool it would be for Eminem to be sitting with one of his favorite super heroes on the steps of the now abandoned house that he grew up in,” says Eminem’s manager Paul Rosenberg, CEO of Goliath Artists, Inc. and President of Shady Records. “It ties together perfectly with the campaign for ‘The Marshall Mathers LP 2.’”
Salvador Larroca drew the cover, which takes cues from both “Marshall Mathers LP” covers and hits stores on November 16. One copy will be available per retailer. As it turns out, Larroca’s comic-ography includes both Iron Man and Eminem appearances as he penciled INVINCIBLE IRON MAN and also drew EMINEM/PUNISHER #1 in 2009. For his part, the artist proved excited to return to both.
“Since I’m a big fan of Eminem, it’s a great honor that he wanted me for this project,” Larroca says. “It really was a gift for me having the chance to team with him. If he needs me again in the future, I’ll be ready for the challenge!”
When approaching these two icons, the artist says he took a realistic approach to conveying the figures.
Eminem/Punisher #1 cover by Salvador Larroca
“I try to fit the style to what I want to tell,” he explains. “I think it is important if we are trying to feature a real human person, that the likeness is there and accurate. For Iron Man, when I had the chance to draw the character in his regular book, I also drew him realistic because I think realism works well for the character. So I had two characters that fit well in a realistic style, that’s the main reason. But I’m also sure Marshall likes to recognize himself, so I think this way is the best way.”
Larroca also notes that the pairing of comic book hero and hip hop icon comes from a natural place.
“From what I know, Marshall is a big fan of the character, as am I, so it was very exciting drawing them both again,” he notes. “As you know, I’m not the current regular Iron Man artist, but that character is in my heart. Drawing them both has been a pleasure. My only regret is that it was just the cover, would have loved something bigger!”
The Eminem/Iron Man Marvel Custom Solutions variant for MIGHTY AVENGERS #3 drawn by Salvador Larroca hits shops on November 6. Meanwhile, Eminem’s latest album, “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” is available now. Follow Eminem on Twitter and visit eminem.com.
