One of Wolverine's greatest memes received a hilarious modern recreation, as a variant cover for Wolverine #16 by Tyler Kirkham featured the hero striking one of his most incredible poses. The Marvel Comics cover recreates Logan Howlett in his costume, laying in bed with his claws sheathed longingly staring at a framed picture. The cover references a scene that initially appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series more than two and a half decades ago and has become an iconic meme.
X-Men: The Animated Series is one of the greatest cartoons of all time, as it brilliantly retold some of the greatest X-Men comic book stories ever. The 1992 animated television series was many Marvel fans' first introduction to the superteam, as the original roster featured the likes of Wolverine, Storm, Gambit, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Beast, and Jubilee. The beloved Fox Kids Network series holds up to this day. Nearly 30 years after it originally premiered, the show would inspire many Internet memes- the most popular featuring Wolverine holding a frame with Jean Grey and Cyclops in it, from the fifth episode of season one. The scene portrayed Wolverine's jealousy of the super couple's relationship, but recent memes replaced the contents of the picture with their own jokes.
Earlier this year, artist Tyler Kirkham revealed the Wolverine variant cover (from Benjamin Percy and Adam Kubert's Wolverine series). Initially released in September, the cover shows the hero in his current costume holding a framed picture with a warm smirk on his face. It's a modern recreation of the popular X-Men: The Animated Series scene and meme. It rules.
Funny enough, comic orders (which are still available on Tyler Kirkham's website) came with a secret variant cover as well. While some might hope for the image Logan is staring at on the other cover, it's actually somehow better than that. It's his daughter, Laura, in full-Wolverine costume, in a recreation of the meme. It's a great tribute starring Marvel's newest Wolverine.
So, what picture would Wolverine be looking at in the current Marvel Comics continuity? Perhaps, he's longingly looking at a similar image of Cyclops and Jean Grey. However, instead of ripping Scott Summers from the picture with his claw as he did in X-Men: The Animated Series, Wolverine is probably shooting loving looks to both heroes, as it's been heavily implied Scott, Logan, and Jean are in a three-way relationship on Krakoa. Regardless, the Wolverine cover is excellent, and it's amazing to see the meme continue on decades after it debuted.
Source: Tyler Kirkham
