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The Dragon Ball fighter known as Gohan and Marvel’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are two wildly different characters who have become the go-to heroes in their respective universes whenever a new enemy threat emerges. Now, thanks to the incredible talent of the fanart community, new artwork depicts Gohan’s Great Saiyaman persona replacing Spider-Man on the first comic cover Spidey ever appeared on, making him a member of the Marvel Universe in the process!
Fanart posted on Instagram by Anime Empire (@animeempirestudios), this page specializes in creating epic crossover art that brings together heroes and villains from across the pop culture spectrum, with particular attention paid to the characters hailing from the worlds of anime and manga. Previously sharing artwork showing Pokémon’s Jigglypuff acquiring her very own Death Note, a Venomized version of Dragon Ball’s Buu, Cartman from South Park going Super Saiyan, and a second epic Gohan x Spider-Man comic cover tribute, Anime Empire knows how to get fans excited, especially since many of these crossovers will never happen in an official capacity.
Great Saiyaman Replaces Spider-Man in Fanart Tribute to His First Comic Cover
Fanart Design by Anime Empire (@animeempirestudios)
Introduced in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, fans got their first look at Spider-Man’s soon-to-be iconic costume design on a comic cover that has gone down in history as one of the most legendary and renowned pieces of art in all of Marvel Comics, if not the entire comic book industry. Meanwhile, Gohan’s Great Saiyaman superhero identity came about when he believed his city needed saving from the criminals who were constantly giving its citizens a hard time, following in the heroic but sometimes corny footsteps of ol’ Web-Head himself.
Honoring Spider-Man and the Amazing Fantasy #15 cover he debuted on nearly exactly as it was first presented, Anime Empire illustrates Gohan wearing full Great Saiyaman garb as he flies across the city in the same pose that Spider-Man did some 60 years ago. Calling this issue “Sparking Fantasy,” Anime Empire adjusts little details to fit this new anime context, including being approved by the “Anime Code Parody,” a riff on the infamous “Comics Code Authority.” Furthermore, Anime Empire swaps out the person Spidey swings with for Mr. Satan himself, Hercule, adding a fun little twist that fans can appreciate.
Gohan’s Great Saiyaman Becomes Part of Marvel Comics in Fanart Cover Homage
To complete the piece, Anime Empire subtly tweaks one of Spider-Man’s word bubbles to read, “…it will soon marvel at the awesome might of… Saiya-Man!” even adding a hyphen to keep up with Spidey’s naming convention for added authenticity. It’s a dream come true to see Gohan exit the world of Dragon Ball and enter the Marvel Universe, with the creative possibilities of him replacing Spider-Man on any number of the character’s iconic comic book covers being something that Anime Empire (@animeempirestudios) needs to expand further into an art series, or as already teased, a full fan-made Great Saiyaman comic!
Source: @animeempirestudios
“}]] Gohan’s Great Saiyaman persona pays tribute to an iconic Spider-Man cover. Read More