Norman Rockwell's painting "Freedom From Want" evokes many feelings associated with Thanksgiving and the winter holiday season as a whole. Part of the "Four Freedoms" series, it is perhaps one of the most iconic paintings related to the holidays. The image is the third of four paintings inspired by Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union Address in 1941, commonly referred to as the Four Freedoms Speech in which he outlines the four freedoms of all Americans: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear.
Depicting a family gathered around a dinner table as they prepare for a holiday meal, the painting was completed in November 1942 and published in the March 6, 1943 edition of The Saturday Evening Post. In this issue, along with the image, Carlos Bulosan's essay, speaking on behalf of those in the United States who endure socioeconomic hardships, was printed. Over the years, many comic book covers have paid homage to this iconic piece of art.
10 JSA #54
The cover to the JSA #54, starring the generational heroes of the DC Universe's Justice Society, are represented by artist Carlos Pacheco along with members of the Justice League on the cover paying homage to Rockwell's painting. Not only is this a nicely constructed tribute on the outside, but the story on the inside has the two teams coming together to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.
The the two teams celebrating the holidays together was a nice callback to the '80s when the two teams would get together for a break from saving the world, only to have the time disrupted by a supervillain attack. This issue, a follow-up to JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice, doesn't disappoint as a pair of aliens appear, destroying the table and all the food, claiming they will crush the Justice League and take over the world. The pair are easily defeated off-panel, and the teams continue their holiday celebration.
9 Fantastic Four #564
The Fantastic Four, the Marvel Universe's first family, also recreated this famous scene for the cover of issue #564, with the story entitled "The Christmas Monster." In the story, the Richards family travels across the pond to Scotland on a holiday visit to Reed's cousin.
Also traveling with the family are Ben Grimm and his then-fiancée Debbie Green. One of the subplots has Franklin concerned that won't Santa find them while they are in Scotland. Valeria, his sister, insists that Santa can find them no matter where they are. Later, when they hear a strange noise and go to check it out, it turns out to be Johnny Storm with a load of presents.
8 Harrow County #15
From 2015 to 2018, Dark Horse Comics published the series Harrow County from the creative team of Collen Bunn and Tyler Crook. The series told the story of the inhabitants of a gothic and hauntingly beautiful southern town. Told from the perspective of Emma, a girl on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, the series tales the story as she learns her connection to the creatures and the land.
One of the spookier homages, the cover to issue 15 replaces the family-friendly components of the original with more disturbing images, which are in line with the tone of the series.
7 Barbie Fashion #37
In the early '90s, Marvel produced the Barbie Fashion comic book, a series starring one of America's most well-known toy lines, featuring Barbie, Ken, and Skipper living in San Francisco. Along with the various adventures, the comic, aimed at young girls, contained fashion tips and advice for their readers and a section showcasing reader's fashion designs. The cover to issue #37, by artist Jeff Albrecht, is a totally rad Barbie version of Rockwell's famous painting.
6 Secret Invasion - Frontline #4
The big Marvel event of 2008, Secret Invasion, revealed the endgame of the Skrulls' long-planned invasion of the planet Earth almost achieved by secretly placing sleeper agents in the superhero community. While Brian Michael Bendis spearheaded the main story, Brian Reed was tapped to tell the story of Secret Invasion from the street-level perspective.
The story focused on a group of humans who are all trying to stay alive as the Skrull invasion continues to rock the Marvel Universe. The Skrulls and humans coming together for the cover in a "Freedom From Want"-esque scene table is an appropriate portrayal of the tensions between the two races.
5 Chase #6
Agent of the Department of Extranormal Operations, Chase Cameron, had her solo monthly series back in the late 1990s. She was tasked with monitoring and neutralizing national security threats involving metahumans. The daughter of Walter Cameron, Chase led a double life as the relatively unknown hero called the Acro-Bat.
The cover to issue #6 features Chase's father standing at the head of the table while the villain Doctor Trap is lurking outside the house peeking in the window. Doctor Trap was responsible for killing Chase's father, which left Chase with her deep hatred of super-beings.
4 Jason Vs. Leatherface #2
The two iconic horror villains are put on a collision course in the Topps Comics miniseries after The Linhart Amalgamated company dumps their toxic waste into Crystal Lake. While scooping up some of the waste, Jason, the unstoppable killing machine from the Friday The 13th films, is collected and loaded on a train. After escaping, Jason breaks free and causes the train to crash in Texas. Once there, he meets and is befriended by Leatherface and his family, but is it too good to last.
Perhaps the goriest homage to Rockwell's timeless painting, this cover would not meet the approval of Dr. Fredrich Wertham, who wrote the anti-comic book treatise, Seduction of the Innocent, which lead to the Comics Code Authority.
3 Flare #31
Flare Comics is a superhero comic series created by Stacy Thain and published by Heroic Publishing. One of four children raised by a group of expatriate Nazi scientists and endowed with superpowers. The cover of this issue of the series pays homage to the Saturday Evening Post and the painting and the story inside, which is Thanksgiving with the Madisons.
Flare joins her boyfriend's family for the holiday meal and must deal with a member of the family, a 12-year-old girl who resents Flare, and the fact that she is the girlfriend of a member of the family. The story does not end well, but lessons are learned, and the girl finally comes to accept Flare as the other family members have.
2 Garfield #7
In 2012, BOOM Studios gave America's favorite lasagna craving cat, Garfield, his own ongoing comic book series. In issue seven, Garfield has a post-Thanksgiving meal nightmare where he ultimately believes that he is the main course for a group of turkeys.
The cover by Jim Davis, Garfield's creator, is a rare treat as he stopped drawing the daily comic strip in the late '90s. If there is a newspaper comic strip, along with Peanuts, that exemplifies family, food, togetherness, and the holiday season, it's Garfield
1 The Uniques #7
The Uniques is an indie comic book series by the creative team of Adam and Comfort Love following a group of teenagers born with incredible powers that have changed the world. Seven of these teenagers have stepped forward and picked up the torch carried of generations past while they try to find their path in a world where superpowers are ordinary, but heroes are not.
The issue's cover shows a less conventional meal while still evoking the feeling of the original painting.