Image Homages Image With 25th Anniversary Variant Covers

The fact that Image Comics is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year has made me feel so old that I'm worried about just deteriorating into a vaguely person-shaped pile of dust any second now, but there's one thing that's really helping to take the sting out of it: An amazing roster of variant covers where current image titles like Sex Criminals, The Wicked + the Divine, The Walking Dead, and Invincible homage the classic first issues from throughout the company's history, like, uh, Sex Criminals, The Wicked + the Divine, The Walking Dead, and Invincible.

Okay, okay, the roster also includes homages to the first issues of books like Youngblood, Cyberforce, WildCATs and Witchblade, from a handful of Image's current titles. Check out the press release and the full roster below!

“One of the great things about celebrating our 25th anniversary is that it creates an opportunity for us to look back at over two decades of history-making comics and showcase some of the wonderful work that made Image what it is today,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “Everyone in the Image family is a fan at heart, and this month’s tribute variants give the participating creators a chance to show their admiration for some of comics’ greatest creator-owned triumphs by putting their own unique spin on classic images from that rich and varied past for a collection of covers as fun as they are stunning.”

Available in stores on Wednesday, February 1st:

Rick Remender and Wes Craig’s DEADLY CLASS #26 commemorating Marc Silvestri’s CYBER FORCE #1 (Diamond Code NOV168917):

Available in stores on Wednesday, February 8th:

Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta’s EAST OF WEST #31 commemorating Rob Liefeld’s TEAM YOUNGBLOOD #19 (Diamond Code NOV169165)

Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #26 commemorating Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky’s SEX CRIMINALS #1 (Diamond Code NOV169053):

Available in stores on Wednesday, February 15th:

Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker’s INVINCIBLE #133 commemorating Rob Liefeld’s YOUNGBLOOD #1 (Diamond Code NOV169172):

Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw’s GOD COUNTRY #2 commemorating Erik Larsen’s SAVAGE DRAGON #1 (Diamond Code NOV169169):

Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Elizabeth Breitweiser’s KILL OR BE KILLED #6 commemorating Robert Kirkman’s THE WALKING DEAD #1 (Diamond Code NOV169051):

Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky’s SEX CRIMINALS #16 commemorating Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #1 (Diamond Code NOV169052):

Robert Kirkman’s THE WALKING DEAD #164 commemorating Jim Lee’s WILD C.A.T.S. #1 (Diamond Code NOV169171):

Available in stores on Wednesday, February 22nd:

Charles Soule and Ryan Browne’s CURSE WORDS #2 commemorating Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker’s INVINCIBLE #1 (Diamond Code NOV169173):

Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen’s DESCENDER #19 commemorating Dale Keown’s PITT #2 (Diamond Code NOV169174):

Tim Seely and Mike Norton’s REVIVAL #47 commemorating Marc Silvestri, Brian Haberlin, Michael Turner, and David Wohl’s WITCHBLADE #1 (Diamond Code NOV169170):

Okay but seriously, nostalgia aside: Is there any way we can make The Walking DEAD's "Dead Extermination Assault Department" acronym a permanent and retroactive part of the comic? Because it's pretty great.