This is going to be a big one, y’all.
Now, I am always of the opinion that art is an opinion: that’s the case when evaluating the highest echelons of fine art, and it’s the case with Marvel Snap variant art.
But if there’s one thing that’s held to the overwhelming majority in both Marvel comics and Marvel Snap, it’s that people really @!#*ing love Artgerm.
Hong Kong-born artist Stanley “Artgerm” Lau has been a fixture in comic art for as long as I can remember, making iconic art and fan art for Marvel and DC (among many other properties) for over a decade. His style is defined by a commitment to finely detailed rendering and stylized proportion and design— in a way, melding the best of realism and exaggeration.
And, of course, he tends to draw characters with smoldering levels of sex appeal, even by comic book standards.
This all comes together in a style that folks rave about— it’s refined and high quality, and it checks several of the boxes that people tend to associate with quality, like high levels of detail and extremely rendered lighting. It’s no surprise every one of his variants is valued at the 1200 gold Super Rare price tag!
And so, to celebrate the seasonally appropriate Artgerm Takeover that’s going to break hearts and make wallets cry, I wanted to do a rundown of all the new Artgerm pieces hitting the store this week, letting you know my favorites of his and pieces yet to come to the game I’d love to see.
Oh No, They’re Hot!
Original Cover: A.X.E.: Judgment Day (2022) #6 (Variant)
Artist: Artgerm
First things first— every single one of these pieces is an existing cover! Folks unfamiliar with Artgerm might not know just how prolific he is, but if you stroll into a comic shop to browse, you’re likely to run into some of his work— quite often, work you’ll see in Snap, too! Dazzler gets the Artgerm treatment, staged with appropriate pop-star equipment and attire. One criticism that might get leveled at Artgerm sometimes is a case of same-face— a side effect of the broadly appealing, attractive female characters he gravitates toward. (For fairness’ sake, this is symptomatic of a much larger lousy habit in all comic art and character design!)
Here, though, one big plus is just how recognizable Dazzler is! Even discounting the singing paraphernalia, the classic 80’s face paint helps set her apart from the crowded sea of blonde bombshells in comics, and the glitzy outfit and jewelry match the character perfectly. If there are criticisms of stiffness or bland character work in Artgerm’s work, I’d point to this piece as a solid counterargument.
Original Cover: New Mutants (2019) #1 ( Variant)
Artist: Artgerm
An extraordinarily popular character to match an extraordinarily popular artist, Magik’s Artgerm treatment has stiff competition— she’s got arguably one of the best selections of variants in Snap! If we’re examining this piece on its own, it is rendered a bit more flat than Artgerm’s normal recognizable gloss— and that’s not a knock! The slightly more graphic effect helps set it apart from some of Artgerm’s other work, and I think it personally fits a striking design like Magik’s. The characteristic anime-adjacent stylization is another draw for folks who want different styles in their variants. Once again, something pushed further than Artgerm’s other pieces to solid effect.
Original Cover: Loki (2023) #1 (Variant)
Artist: Artgerm
This is what I consider the classic Artgerm style— especially detailed, with heavy attention paid to appeal in features and rendering. Of course, another big head-turner is at play here— Lady Loki! A common form for Loki in the comics (especially drawing from the shapeshifter’s many forms in the original myths) some writers lean further into the character’s gender-fluidity, switching between them as easily as any other aspect of their appearance. As a woman, raven-haired Loki still has her trademark horns and color palette, but she’s rendered with Artgerm’s trademark penchant for the beauty of feminine features and form. As a cover that both looks great and brings a different aspect of the comic character to the forefront, I think this is a home run Artgerm cover to bring to Snap.
Original Cover: Demon Days: X-Men (2021) #1 (Variant)
Artist: Artgerm
One neat thing about this piece is its connection to another wildly popular comic artist featured on Snap— Peach Momoko, on both writing and art duties for a series of one-off standalone pieces! Artgerm is interpreting a Peach Momoko design for Psylocke, explaining the more Japanese traditional garb, complete with straw hat and katana. This intersection of these two artists is already enough to make this piece interesting. Still, it’s also got striking lighting, courtesy of that hat, shadowing Psylocke’s features and drawing the eye to the drawn blade. It’s cool shadow work, on top of a neat design and premise— I suspect it will be popular among Psylocke players.
Original Cover: Storm (2023) #1 (Variant)
Artist: Artgerm
This might be my favorite of the new Artgerm variants coming in— Ororo is abundantly recognizable here, stylized a touch more graphically with the classic white eyes and otherwise rendered with some real specificity; I especially appreciate when Black features are drawn with proper attention beyond just skin tone, which art in this style often neglects. The jewelry (including those great lighting earrings!) is just as eye-catching as the actual lightning, and Storm’s iconic white hair is styled like the thunderclouds she summons, which is a lovely element I won’t tire of in any of Storm’s more recent designs.
Original Cover: Fantastic Four (2018) #1 (Variant)
Artist: Artgerm
Now, on the other side of the spectrum, I’m not high on this particular piece! Designs for Johnny will always fall on some spectrum of “how do I render a man on fire in an interesting way,” and here Artgerm opts for the easy way out, leaning on his affinity for sculpted form as the main draw. Johnny’s on fire, sure, and he’s orange to make sure you know it— but the dynamism and energy that fire ought to bring to a character piece for the Human Torch instead feels pretty flat— at worst, like a fire filter has been applied after the fact. The features feel generically ‘powerful,’ complete with similarly generic hair. I’ve mentioned a couple of times how Artgerm struggles with varying levels of same-face, and while it’s at play in plenty of the variants we’ve covered, they’ve all had compelling elements to offset them— here, in light of all the rest, it’s distracting. Still, Artgerm, at his worst, does what he does best— create a broadly appealing bust that spotlights a sculpt of the human form with broadly appealing features. If you want something this highly rendered, this might be the Torch variant for you.
Original Cover: Wakanda (2022) #1 (Variant)
Artist: Artgerm
That isn’t to say that Artgerm’s forays away from attractive women aren’t successful— Killmonger here is proof enough, with just as much sex appeal crammed into a shirtless Killmonger. (The only clothing here is an amusing Killmonger mask held up to his pecs for scale). There’s apparent reference drawn from Michael B. Jordan’s performance as Killmonger, most notably in the studded markers covering his body, which is a neat bit of specificity. It’s well done and recognizable— and, as a male Artgerm subject, it stands out among many of his other work in Snap (and comics in general, ha!)
Happy (Belated) Galentine’s Day!
And, of course, the reason for the takeover is here: The Artgerm Heroines album, filled with your favorite gals rendered in Artgerm’s sweltering style!
A couple of my favorite Artgerm pieces are in here, which isn’t surprising because these play to his strengths: White Queen and Black Cat as characters are particularly well suited to Artgerm’s sultry pin-up style— I enjoy when that kind of stylization also lines up to match the character. The confidence in both characters shines in their expression and pose. I’m also a sucker for Jean Grey’s Marvel Girl costume, which is a great throwback that was lovingly brought back during the beginning overtures of the Krakoan Era— Artgerm’s Jean is probably my favorite of all his variants in Snap so far, and perhaps the one I’d be most tempted actually to buy!
For you Artgerm aficionados out there, this album is simply icing on the cake— the takeover is your chance to pick up some sweet new variants, and the album happens to reward you for what you’ve already bought. (Incidentally, this is where the Album feature works best, I think— adding on to something you already want, rather than ‘pricing’ any album rewards purely by gold value).
As a reward, you can nab a Spotlight Key, a fun new emote, and the Artgerm Storm— as mentioned, probably my personal favorite of the new bunch. Not a bad incentive!
What’s Next?
Now, there’s plenty more Artgerm to be added to Snap— and even more that’s likely to be, based on Artgerm’s popularity! I have a few personal favorite picks, though.
Original Cover: Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant (2023) #1 (Variant)
Artist: Artgerm
This is one of my favorite recent Artgerm pieces because it consciously leans into a different tone— rather than using an ordinary pin-up style composition, we’ve got Kamala (in brand new mutant attire, no less) in a much more fun, energetic pose! Artgerm’s strengths are still at work here, giving Kamala lots of rendering and strong lighting, but there’s a life to this one that elevates it and matches Ms. Marvel as a character.
Original Cover: Thor (2020) #1 (Variant)
Artist: Artgerm
Now, this is an Artgerm piece I can get behind! With a bust that focuses way more on Thor’s feature and hammer, this piece is even more detailed and distinct than Artgerm’s general gloss, and I think that’s in no small part because this piece is a bit less invested in being appealing/attractive. (As terrific as Artgerm is at making those types of covers, I think he shines when diversifying like this! You can see it in his terrific Doom variant.) The result conveys something more powerful— Thor, staring at the viewer with a godly, inscrutable look, hammer and lightning in hand.
Original Cover: Spider-Woman (2020) #1 and #5 (Variant)
Artist: Artgerm
These last two are a twofer! Artgerm’s done a handful of covers that are palette swaps, usually for characters that have donned different colors of the same costume in the past. In fact, in the same vein as McFarlane’s iconic Spider-Man cover in red and white being recolored in symbiote black, Artgerm here recreates his classic-colored Spider-Woman in black for Spider-Woman #5, which is a special 100-issue celebration. (We have another variant for the same issue by Jung-Geun Yoon, in the same costume!)
I think there’s a great composition here that we don’t see as often (a profile) and a more dynamic Artgerm piece than usual— leveraging Jessica’s flowing hair mid-leap to get some actual motion in there. Either would look great, and part of me is even curious if, down the line, there’s some opportunity to have both in the game! (We even have an Artgerm piece already in Snap with a similar existing color swap).
Either way, while Spider-Woman isn't in need of great variants, having another certainly never hurts.
It Really Never Does!
But that does it for my Artgerm coverage— and while I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not as completely gaga over his work as some folks are, I think anybody will appreciate the high quality and particular style he elevates and brings to comics and Snap. Many of the pieces in the game lean into a similar blend of gloss and stylization, but Artgerm is undisputedly the trailblazer of that style, and it shows in the versatility of this latest batch. And what are your thoughts on whether you’re whaling for album completion or just appreciating from afar? Let us know below!