Christmas has indeed come early for Marvel comic nerds! In an unbelievable meeting of two worlds, Eminem can now be seen gracing the cover of a limited edition The Amazing Spider-Man book. While the “rap god” won’t appear in the comic series, creator Salvador Larroca has placed Eminem alongside the popular web-slinger on a comic book cover.

The Special Edition

The special variant edition of the Marvel comic will grace bookshelves from November 29. But there will be only 5000 print copies available to purchase, along with an additional 1000 limited prints of the more special spotlight version of the original book cover. You can also snag a copy via Eminem’s website. Paul Rosenberg, Eminem’s manager and CEO of Def Jam Recordings, stated that the idea for the special cover came from Haul, a creative agency specialized in designing Variant edition covers, fusing the comic world with real-life pop culture. Previously, Haul brought football star Saquon Barkley to a Black Panther cover and singing superstar The Notorious B.I.G. to a Deadpool cover. In this Spiderman-Eminem version, an influx of other Marvel superheroes can also be seen cheering the two on as Eminem freestyles. You can easily spot Miles Morales, Ghost-Spider, Luke Cage, and Daredevil in the background crowd.

The Idea of the Cover

Rosenberg stated that Eminem didn’t hesitate for a moment when he was approached with the idea. The “Beautiful” singer said that he has been a massive Spider-Man fan ever since he was a kid and so being on a book cover rap-battling with Spider-Man is a huge honor and thrilling experience for him. Keri Harris, the Chief Operating Officer, stated that it was a real honor to bring Spider-Man and Eminem together, slinging raps on the limited edition official Marvel variant The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) comic cover. Undoubtedly, fans will be lucky to hold a copy of this highly sought-after collectible.

Those who have stepped on a Lego and experienced the misfortune of doing so have probably noticed that the toy has no give. Another unpleasant consequence of these bricks and their lack of destructibility is that scientists have discovered it can take hundreds of years for them to break down in the ocean.

The Oceans Have All Kinds of Plastic

The oceans on Earth have many different kinds of plastic, however, estimating the time it takes for trash in the seawater to disintegrate is challenging. This is because it’s difficult to date the fragments of debris that have an unknown origin. However, for a single Lego part, it can be fairly easy.

Lego pieces have a distinct shape, and since the chemical additives that are used to make the Lego have changed significantly over time, the bricks have clues as to when they were made.

Research on Lego Blocks

Andrew Turner works at the University of Plymouth in England as an environmental scientist. He and his colleagues were able to use an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to measure the chemical composition of Lego blocks washed up on beaches.

Using the Lego’s chemical fingerprints, the team was able to identify that the particular Lego bricks were manufactured around and during the 1970s. Cadmium was the key chemical indicator as it was used to make bright red and yellow pigments from the 1970s-1980s. It has since been phased out.

The team used the X-ray fluorescence measurements to gauge how worn out the Lego pieces were during their 30 to 40 years at sea by matching them with pristine versions from the 1970s. The condition of the Lego suffered due to exposure to sunlight and abrasive sediment, so there was a big difference.

The weathered Lego versions had 30% to 40% less mass than the Legos in pristine condition. Based on this information, it can be estimated that a single Lego brick can take between 100 and 1,300 years to break down completely in the ocean.