10 Comic Book Cover Gimmicks That Cheapened Great Characters

5. Celebrity Guest Stars

Many people's favourite moment in Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle is the cameo by Neil Patrick Harris cameo. But imagine how successful that would have been when he appeared if he had no voice and could only speak through written notes - oh, and he didn't actually act like himself. And in all honesty, he was actually just a guy who looks a lot like NPH, but wasn't really him. That doesn't sound great, does it? What we would then have is the essence of a comic book celebrity cameo: an awkward gimmick that confuses the aesthetic remove. Probably the first big celebrity cameo in comics was when Muhammad Ali "fought" Superman, and nowadays, the most well known would be the countless Barack Obama appearances. No matter who it is, it's always stupid to me - unless a celebrity writes and draws himself into a comic, the "cameo" is probably going to lack any of the spirit that makes film cameos so much fun. Example: Punisher Ignoring the fact that I know from personal experience how much this comic sucks, this cover is just embarrassing. I don't remember if or why Eminem is supposed to be that squinty but it really bothers me here. In addition, given the urban quality of the guest star, the artist clearly tried to inject some "hoodness" into Punisher. Hence Frank Castle's "gangsta style" pistol holding (complete with a curiously limp wrist) - really doing his Marine training proud, there. Even the look on his face seems to be saying "Why is God making me do this?" Why indeed.