Give Me Your Pardon, Sir

One of the most astonishing things I've ever seen in a mainstream comic book, chapter 27:

Let's set the scene: Avengers #92 (1971). At this point the team consists of the Vision, Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, and Clint Barton-Goliath.

It's the early days of the Kree-Skrull War, the public is turning on the Avengers, and Neal Adams drops this cover on us:

Now, let me emphasize that this is not a symbolic cover. The scene depicted actually happens in the issue (albeit not until the last page):

So, just for review: we get an accurate Neal Adams cover, depicting events that actually happen in the issue.

So what does Marvel do? They apologize!!!!!


And they don't apologize in a months-later letter column, after having received fan complaints. Nope, in that very issue they print the apology.

Even though the cover is accurate, Stan or Roy felt the scene inside the comic should have been bigger, and more badass, to justify a cover. So unprompted, they apologize.

Wow.

Leaving aside the lack of letter columns today, the odds of this happening these days (from either company)? Just about zero...