Star Wars (1977) #1 and Star Wars (2015) #1 (Alex Ross variant)

At the 1976 San Diego Comic Con, the first Star Wars poster was sold for $1 to promote the Marvel Comic adaptation of the Star Wars movie.  The artist for that poster is Howard Chaykin who was tapped to provide the art for the adaptation.  The cover to Star Wars #1 is based on that poster.

Star Wars #1a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 1977)

Alex Ross is a comic book artist known for his painted covers which depict the characters realistically.  Ross' variant cover for the latest Star Wars #1 is a homage to the original Star Wars #1 cover.

Star Wars #1j - Marvel Comics, U.S. (January 2015)
Alex Ross variant

The homage cover is a terrific remake of the classic cover.  Our heroes look more like the actor's who portrayed them, which is not surprising considering Ross' tendency to provide such detail.  The Death Star, TIE, Y-Wing, and X-Wing Fighters are rendered movie accurate.  The painting looks like the original cover has come to life by providing depth that the original cover lacked.  The inclusion of the character box in the upper left hand corner rounds out the retro style this cover invokes.  I like that the text blurbs on the original cover were not used as they would have obscured this incredible art!

The Alex Ross variant was distributed in a 1:50 ratio.  It was probably the most anticipated cover for the new Marvel Star Wars title and initially sold for $75 or more.  These days, the cover can be found for $30 - 50 on eBay.