Pick up issue 45 of Deadpool or issue two of the new Howard the Duck, and you'll see some of Marvel's weirdest comic book icons pay tribute to oddball hip-hop duo Run the Jewels. Each cover features a pair of Marvel icons doing the fist-and-gun hand gesture that's featured on both Run the Jewels album covers and originally designed by Nicholas Gazin. That's Guardians of the Galaxy's Rocket Raccoon with Howard and the severed hand of Big Marvel Bad Guy Thanos with Deadpool.
The idea reportedly came from Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso, who reached out to artists Mahmud Asrar (Howard the Duck) and Skottie Young (Deadpool), according to Rolling Stone (which is showcasing both high-res versions of both covers). According to Killer Mike, the group's management had a conversation with Marvel early on, but they weren't otherwise involved with the final product. Both Killer Mike and his Run the Jewels cohort El-P are big comic book fans.
Work on Run the Jewels 3 begins this month
While we're talking about it, El-P told Rolling Stone that Meow the Jewels (aka Run the Jewels 2 but with cat sounds) is still expected to come out this year. Separately, Killer Mike said in December that work on Run the Jewels 3 will begin this month, according to NME.