I prefer them in the body, but end notes are okay if they're really extensive.

Almost the entire GL Corps is cool, and bonus points to Arisia for the whole tip o' the hat to Doc Smith thing, but the one-man answer to global warming, the frostiest of them all: Hal Jordan, no others need apply, the position's been filled.

Powerless #6
http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=220445&zoom=4

Especially nowadays, where I can find out key character developments or occurances on the internet in a few minutes.

Perhaps some writers don't because it'd become obvious just how fanwanky their work is. 'Green Lantern: Rebirth' would have wound up with so many reference boxes there'd be no room for the artwork.

And the coolest GL is Hal Jordan. Why? Because he's a freakin' TEST PILOT and he was BORN WITHOUT FEAR! For those of you who came in late, that means when someone wants to test a supersonic hunk of metal to see if it's flightworthy or will just blow up real good, they call Hal. And he says, "No problem." Go ahead, try and tell me Kyle Rayner making Manga Cannons with his ring is cooler than that. Just TRY.

Honorable mention goes to the JLU John Stewart, though.

Or more likely heroes who made their appearance fighting Nazi's? I have no idea who the third guy is, but Namor and The Human Torch certainly did...

(Jim Hammond aka Human Torch was the benefactor of HFH. I loved that comic. Deadpools appearance was one of his best.)

I am also fond of Abin Sur, Ch'ip, Gnort, and Tomar Re, who sported a fauxhawk years before punk rock or that Sanjaya kid from Idol made it fashionable.

The first Homage that came to mind was Futurama #8 - http://members.cox.net/futurama/BongoComics/Futurama08s.jpg

Coolest GL has to be Mogo. How is it Mogo hasn't had a miniseries yet? Mogo vs. Sun-Eater! Mogo vs. Solaris the Tyrant Sun! Mogo vs. the Atom! Or at least a Marvel crossover where Mogo fights Galactus to impress Ego's new girlfriend.

Marvel Age #33 (featuring X-Factor)

And the cover theme, its all men who clearly do not have nipples.

I remember the first comicbook I read, there was an editor's note on the first page that referred to the last issue. That type might be a little overzealous, especially since my child-brain translated that as "this is the last issue of the comic." But when used properly, as they usually were, editor's notes were a wonderful little game of connect the dots. If you liked a particular obscure character, those notes allowed you to leapfrog back through time, finding what you needed. I have almost every appearance of the Juggernaut (hey, shut up - every character is somebody's favorite), and most of them I found out about through editor's notes.

"Last time we fought,* taking his helmet off didn't work! We need a new plan!"

*Issue 213 - Roustabout Ralph

Editorial notes are the signposts on the road of comics history, guiding you sometimes to mere roadside attractions, like the world's largest ball of twine, but more often taking you exactly where you want to go. They're advertising, plain and simple: hey, you like this issue? Then go read this one, too. They help you direct your spending in the most unobtrustive way possible.

And yes, I prefer them to be in the body of the comic rather than hidden in an editorial ghetto at the end.* After all, I like my html links to be in the body of what I'm reading, not crowded together as footnotes.

*The obvious example being things where the notes (or the links) would just crowd out the actual content. The great-yet-overlooked [i]X-Men Forever[/i] did that, putting everything in the back, because it was a huge romp through history, so nearly every panel could have had a "you can see more of this here" note.

Whew! long, rambling post! And I'm not done yet!

Does the cover homage need to be a comic? Can it be other official merchandise? Yes, it can: I declare it so!

The New X-Men Minimates box set re-imagined the cover using 2" block figures. (if the picture doesn't work, it's the first one in this review). So cute! And you know, we STILL don't have Beast, Jean or Angel figures...

There is a homage to it inside What The--? #9, but not on the cover.