Homage Covers....what's with that anyway?!

So I recently did a series of homage covers for IDW. I was directed to draw a GI JOE, Snake Eyes and Cobra cover based on the classic Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 cover by George Perez. Talk about big shoes to fill. I talk about it more here on my blog:

robertatkinsart.blogspot.com/2…

But I had to approach it with the mentality that it was just a composition to follow and nothing else. I had to set aside my love for Perez, my nostalgic appreciation for the cover and it's significance, and the automatic reference it would bring if I was going to be able to focus on the cover. I had to put that all aside, or I was going to get too intimidated and think too much about it.

In the end I was happy with the result, but it's something I generally don't like doing. As I say on the blog, in the end I felt like it becomes a novelty for the property that is being supplanted over the original. Does that lessen the original's impact? Does it benefit the property that is doing the homage? I don't know.

But it was an enjoyable experience and I feel like I joined a weird Crisis homage club.