Comic Book Resources

I'm not familiar with the title. Why does the adult child on the Harbinger cover look so much like Magnus, Robot Fighter? He even has a big M on his belt buckle.

my favourite pieta was in a comic book. Brainiac 5 cradling his broken supergirl sex bot

Because that was Magnus, Robot Fighter. :>

Though it's not as directly influenced by the statue, I've got to mention Crisis on Infinite Earths #7. It's one of the best covers of all time.

Nah, Starlin's deserves top spot.

I bought two Legion Of Super-Hero books when I was a kid. they're the only two I ever had, but one was the one with Brainiac 5 and the Supergirl sex-bot. Thanks for mentioning it, Nicola. (I don't remember the actual Pieta picture, though. Unfortunately.) (The other issue I had was the one with the death of Invisible Boy. It was the first book I ever read in which a hero died. Considering that it was a series I never read, I had the good luck to grab an important issue my first time.)

Which came first: Crisis #7, or X-Men #137 (I think) with Scott holding Jean in the same pose?

The X=Men cover came first, Adam.

But as you can see from this cover gallery of covers that seem tangentially inspired by La Pieta, it was a very popular cover motif before either cover came out.

The list goes from number five to number three. Also, the Harbinger cover rules.

There's a tie for #3, so that means no #4.

Fables #81 is Pieta-esque, but I guess not as much as the covers on your list.

It's a beautiful cover, though.

I agree with Namor.

What I find interesting as an art historian is that people generally agree that although the Pieta is a masterpiece, Michelangelo really warped the proportions of his figures to make it work as an image (Mary is huge, bigger than Christ, and her lap makes it seem like her thighs are really long, etc.).

These artists did a great job emulating Michelangelo but often get caught with the same problems. For that reason, I have to give props to The Death of Captain Marvel if only because it makes more sense that Death is proportionally larger.

Is her lap so large that she can actually hold God on it, or is God so small that he will actually fit on a human's lap?

The anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion also has a very iconic image of two of its characters in a Pieta pose. It was used in the advertising for the show.

I'm happy to have my cover chosen number one in this category. Brian hits the nail on the head for why the Pieta homage was chosen, because Kris has to sacrifice her son Magnus, Robot Fighter.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the others are just about someone dying, not the mother son combo.

I know Starlin is a much better artist than I am and I understand why people would want his to be number one.

The final page of 100 Bullets #100 is a La Pieta as well, although reversed and armed.

Sure, some of the proportions of La Pieta don't stand up to close inspection (look at Mary's right hand), but when I think that it was chopped out of stone with a hammer and chisel, without the benefit of photographic references, I want to drop to my knees in awe.

What about Fables #81's cover? If that isn't one of the top Pieta covers, then I don't know what is.

I have to admit, every single time someone brings up La Pieta, my mind has ALWAYS jumped to the Harbinger cover. I've seen lots of others - I even own plenty of others - but the image of Kris and Magnus has always been the quintessential La Pieta to me.

It was literally the first issue of Harbinger I ever bought (and in turn, was the first Valiant comic I ever bought), and I bought it solely on the merits of how awesome that cover was. When the inside turned out to be well-written and interesting in its own right, it led me on a back-issue bin spree that ended with me owning nearly every Valiant title from Solar #1right up until Acclaim took over and ran everything into the ground.

So, I suppose I could say that Howard Simpson is at least partially responsible for me spending a HELL of a lot of money back in the early 90's. : )