SYFY: Comics legend George Perez on DC's Crisis on Infinite EarthsFrom syfy.com
CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS: ABSOLUTE EDITION
(Nov 2005)
DC Comics
Watch: Comics legend George Perez on DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths Contributed by Mike Avila
It changed the game? More like it changed the world.
We're referring to Crisis on Infinite Earths,
the legendary comics storyline that completely reworked and rebooted
DC's by-then-beyond-convoluted narrative and continuity. The 12-issue
arc ran from 1985 to 1986 … and things were quite literally never the
same again.
More than 30 years later, Crisis is still spoken of with a sense of awe and wonder … and we got to talk with the guy who drew the damn thing.
Watch our interview with George Perez below
Posted by Vu Nguyen
NYCC LIVE: Sunday Conversation with Dan DiDio
by Shaun Manning, Staff Writer
Sun, February 8th, 2009 at 9:23AM PST
Welcome
to Day 3 of CBR's live coverage from the New York Comic Con. Dan DiDio
is hosting his regular Sunday conversation this afternoon, and we will
be bringing you live updates throughout the hour. Hit "refresh" to see
where the conversation goes.
(excerpt)
Dan Slott and Tom Brevoort then joined the panel. "Dan Slott is hear to explain 'Final Crisis' #7," DiDio joked.
DiDio went down the panel for exciting cover choices. "I like a
symbolic cover," Carlin said, after joking that he likes "covers where
everything is spelled correctly--as the editor who spelled Metropolis
wrong on a cover..."
Brevoort said he was most excited by the cover of "JLA/Avengers" #3,
which featured every Leaguer and every Avengers. George Perez
apparently sold the art almost immediately, and requested Marvel to
send him the art back. An intern, however, packed a Xerox. "George
called back, his voice was three octaves higher!" Brevoort said.
Amazing as it is, this picture
illustrates an unpleasant truth about both the Avengers and the Justice
League of America: Far from being the "best of the best" in their
respective universes, both teams will let ANY-DAMN-BODY join. Dozens of
these super zeroes are simply not Avengers/JLA material, but over the
decades, they've been added by writers wanting to "make their mark" on
the team they're writing.
This George Perez illustration from
JLA/Avengers #3 shows the mightiest heroes from the DC and Marvel
"universes" joining forces to keep the world safe for bean dip.
A crossover occurs when characters
published by different companies or perceived as belonging to different
fictional realities appear in a shared context.
6. AVENGERS/JLA: It took more than 20
years to get the damned thing, but many of you believe, as I do, that
the wait was well worth it. J.A. Fludd calls this book "a celebration
of more than 40 years of super-hero traditions with hundreds of
characters from the Marvel and DC Universes, centered around the
memberships of the Avengers and Justice League. Stunning, breathtaking
artistic achievement by George Perez; the pinnacle and summation of
George's entire career. Artistically, can't be praised highly enough."
(Well, it's certainly better than CRIMSON PLAGUE, isn't it? Of course,
a vasectomy with a rusty set of sewing shears would be better than
that...) And "Frank" writes that "those of us who mourned this highly
anticipated match up's collapse 20 years ago couldn't help but rejoice
in its actualization, not to mention a chance to see revel in two
mammoth teams penciled by Perez. An opportunity to see Perez art on
this scale is unlikely to happen for a long time." Unless there's a
sequel, of course, and I have to say I wouldn't mind that one bit...
This is the colored version of the ACTOR artwork that pays an
homage to the cover of the classic Justice League of America #21.
In fact, it appears to be the version colored by Tom Smith that was printed
inside JLA/Avengers #3, as is evident by minor details such as the pink
spot between Atom's legs.
Originally posted online by Tom Smith:
>>>
JLA / AVENGERS
(2002), art by George Pérez, colors by Tom Smith
DRAWING AVENGERS PANEL
(Aug 2004), photo by Ilke Hincer
(email)
At the 'Drawing Avengers' panel : George showed us what he basically drew
as his cover rough to get editorial approval for the cover of JLA/Avengers
#3. The final cover may have caused his injury, but getting the approval
was a breeze - he just drew the direction that the characters would be
going in, and then added the words 'Lots of characters'.
George Perez, illustrator of the long-awaited JLA/Avengers.
It was the series George Perez had been waiting 20 years to draw.
All the legends would be there: Superman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, Batman, Hulk. Oh, and about 200 others.
JLA/Avengers (JLA is the Justice League
Of America for those not in the know) brought together the greatest
superhero teams from both DC Comics and Marvel Comics in one epic tale,
written by Kurt Busiek and pencilled and inked by Perez, who called it:
"one of the most thrilling and greatest challenges of my career."
"It was a fanboy dream to draw all those
characters from two different companies meeting together, with, of
course, the added pressure of 20 years of anticipation," said Perez,
also a special guest at this weekend’s Canadian National Expo.
This inter-company crossover series was
originally conceived in late 1982, but fell apart just months after it
began due to squabbling – in spite of the fact Perez had already drawn
21 pages.
When the plug was pulled it was thought
this idea was dead. But the series finally became a reality late last
year and it lived up to the expectations of many – including its
artist.
"After everyone waiting for 20 years, including me, I couldn’t let that be less than my all-out effort," Perez said.
The series has recently been collected
in the Cadillac of hardcover editions, featuring a slipcase containing
an oversized hardcover of the complete four-issue series and a
fascinating companion volume that outlines its history, complete with
annotated copies of Perez’s original 21 pages.
The collection is outstanding and very much befitting the scale of the project.
"I expected that maybe they would give
it a hardcover collection, but to do it with this type of production
value was really flattering," Perez said. "It galvanized my feeling
that both Marvel and DC have been trying very hard to make this project
something that I can be proud of."
Having recently celebrated his 50th
birthday and completed one of the great showpieces of his career, Perez
says he’s in a great place in his life.
"I’m doing exactly what I love to do
more than anything else," he said. "At the age of 50 I’m looking at the
road ahead that has … so many avenues waiting for me."
thebat82:
I was just re-reading JLA/Avengers, namely issue #3, and I've a question for you:
When Grandmaster showed the heroes
how their realities really were, did he showed them only the past &
present, gave them also glimpses of their future, or showed them just
the most important moments of their lives, it doesn't matter if
present, past or future?
I ask this since, now that
JLA/Avengers is clearly in DC's continuity, I was trying to place the
cross-over correctly in the JLA's time-line and, while JLA/Avengers #1,
#2 and the end of #4 seem to suggest that it takes place before Our
worlds at War, that panels of issue #3 where the heroes witness their
true destinies seem to suggest otherwise.
I know that you, probably, aren't a "continuity cop" like me, but I'd appreciate if you answer this.
I really don't know. The time period is
was supposed to be set in was one in which Kyle was wearing his earlier
costume, but Dan Raspler wanted that changed. And the list of moments
that the Grandmaster showed them was initially written up by me, then
expanded on and added to by the editors.
So ultimately, I don't worry too much
about precisely when it happened, just that it was somewhere in there
and if you squint a little you'll blur out the problem bits. I have no
problem with the idea that the Grandmaster showed them the near future
too, or that he didn't. However it works best.
The 2004 Wizard Fan awards were
announced last night at a somewhat more subdued ceremony than usual.
Wizard staffers Mike Cotton and Richard Ho emcee’d the affair, and
presenters included Joe Quesada, Jeph Loeb, John Cassaday, Alex Ross,
Jim Lee and Kevin Smith. The Loeb/Lee BATMAN continued to dominate the
awards, winning for artist, inker, letterer, colorist and ongoing.
(This might be old news by now, but I wouldn't know, so ...)
On page 13, panel 1, of issue 3, Iron
Man and Batman were looking at old Justice League and Avengers foes. In
between Korvac and the Ultra-Humanite was a Sivana lookalike no one
could identify. I've finally found out who he is:
DR. FORKLIFT, THE CYBORG-CENTAUR!
Don't remember him? Not surprised. His
only other appearance was in Plastic Man, vol. 2, # 11, circa March
1976. The story was recently reprinted in the Plastic Man Lost Annual,
which is where I found out about him.
April 10, 2004 | Contract Does Not Cover JLA/A Posters
4. i know you had to push to make this a 4 book series but do you think an epilogue book should be added?
No. And even if I did, it's not going to
happen. George has other things to do (including recuperating from the
injuries the cover to #3 caused), the book collection's already being
put together, and most importantly, the contract between the two
companies doesn't allow for it, so they'd have to start negotiating all
over again from scratch.
Heck, everyone on both sides agrees that
a poster of the cover to #3 would be great, but the contract doesn't
cover it, so it's a whole new thing. I don't know whether it'll happen,
but if it does it won't be easy.
8. JLA/AVENGERS: Say what you
will about Marvel getting the short end of the stick or discrepancies
in battles between aliens and thunder gods, I still have to agree with
M. Ali Choudhury's assessment of this series as "worth waiting 20 years
for." Part of the reason I feel this miniseries has so far gotten such
negative response is because it throws all those differences between
the Marvel and DC Universes into such sharp relief, and yet it does so
brilliantly. Kurt Busiek obviously loves both universes, and he takes
the sort of care with this crossover that we arguably haven't seen
since Chris Claremont and company paired up the X-Men and Teen Titans.
(The DC characters got far less to do than the Marvel ones that time,
as I recall, but I don't recall a similar backlash from DC fans on that
occasion - and that book was well-written, too). I look forward to
seeing how this one plays out.
I've read JLA/AVENGERS # 3 a bunch of
times now, and enjoyed the heck out of it. Mighty fine work, most
especially an amazing level of attention to detail on the part of both
writer and artist. It's rich, dense material that rewards repeated
examination.
Speaking of examination, I actually had
some time to spare last weekend, and my copy of JLA/AVENGERS # 3 was
nearby, so I finally finished a proper response to this issue. Let's
take a good page-by-page look at this glossy-paper greatness...
THE COVER
So many have said so much about this already, but gosh darn it,
this just never stops being amazing. George Perez, you are a global
treasure. Heal well and swiftly, sir.
This thing has to be made into a poster and widely released as same. Anything less would be a crime against art.
208 characters, almost every Leaguer and Avenger imaginable, it's a superteam fan's dream come true.
Not everything that broke down stayed
that way, fortunately. Mark Waid and Mike Weiringo returned to
Fantastic Four after being stupidly kicked off the title. The Superman
titles have gotten a creative kickstart with some A-level talent
that'll make their mark next year. Two popular titles that were missing
in action, Astro City and Planetary, both returned in all their glory.
And after twenty years, JLA/Avengers finally got off the ground,
controversial fight scenes and all. In addition, Jeff Smith's Bone
finally concluded its spectacular run (soon to be followed by Dave
Sim's Cerebus), the legendary Alan Moore retired from comics, Los
Angeles got its own indy comics show, and we got two dynamite comic
book movies in X2 and American Splendor.
Again, the dollar ranking is a function
of both quantity and cover price, a high quantity ordered combined with
a high cover price would place product at #1 on both charts, while a
higher cover price combined with a solid position on the unit ranking
(such as JLA/Avengers #1) place it at the top of the dollar rank, that
is, JLA/Avengers #1 was the #1 comic book item that brought in the most
money to Diamond in 2003.
The color guide used to produce Avengers/JLA #3
recently sold for $700 on eBay. The color guide is a fully painted
Xerox by colorist Tom Smith, featuring the art of George Perez. The
cover to Avengers/JLA #3 features one of the largest ensembles of characters from both the DC and Marvel Universe.
BF: Which was the best book (or issue) put out by a different company than yours?
BILL ROSEMANN: Everything written by Brian Michael Bendis was
gold...Batman by Jeph Loeb & Jim Lee got everyone excited...Y: The
Last Man & The Ultimates kept everyone on their toes...and how fun
was JLA/Avengers? Yes, this was a great year to be a comics' fan!
December 23, 2003 | ICv2's Comic Numbers in Nov '03
October Had an Extra Shipping Week Tops in November
One of the problems in
generating comic book numbers under Diamond's new reporting system,
which is based on comics shipped rather than on preorders, is the fact
that some months (like October) have an extra shipping week. Add in the
distortion caused by the fact that a title appearing in the first week
of a month has three weeks of reorder activity to add to its total,
while a book shipping in the last week of the month has none, and you
can understand that there are certain intractable problems with these
"snapshots" of comic book sales numbers. Still it is clear that while
comic book sales were up in October, they slipped in November.
...
The Top 25 comics, with our estimates of the quantities sold during November, are:
Busiek and Perez move the
story along well, but almost every scene goes on too long. We see the
distortions to the histories of the heroes for a dozen pages. Then we
see the heroes slugging it out with villains and trying to save
citizens caught in the growing devastation. Then we see the heroes
starting to learn the truth of their dire situation, a truth the core
readership of this story had to have figured out two dozen pages
earlier. It's all well-written and well-drawn, but it's by the numbers.
This penultimate chapter of the
crossover doesn't live up to its potential until its final pages. The
Grandmaster, that cosmic game-player, gets a moving star turn and sets
the stage for the scene of quiet horror, acceptance, and heroism from
the gathered teams.
This last-minute save has me wanting to
return for the finale and hoping the finale offers more deviation from
the expected than readers have seen from JLA/Avengers to date.
On the strength of those final pages, JLA/Avengers works its way up to three and a half Tonys. It would be a pleasure to give the big finish a much higher score.
Ho ,Ho , Ho , Ok but this is the last time. #nt
Posted by Tom Smith
on Thursday, December 11 2003 at 22:54:08 GMT
in reply to Tom S., could you be my santa and post page #8 too...:),
posted by Jayne B. on Thursday, December 11 2003 at 21:58:56 GMT
> Since you posted 2 pages already, could you post my favourite, please.
>
> Jayne
The quantity ranking is obvious, it's
the ranking of comics based on total issues printed. The Retail Rank is
based on the price of a specific issue and the overall dollars it
produced in sales. Finally, there's that enigmatic "index" number. The
index shows retailers roughly how many of a product is being ordered in
comparison to the other products. The index says that the average store
orders 100 copies of Batman (a consistent seller) and then compares
other titles to this. In this month's case, if "Batman" #621 sold
100,000 copies (it may have sold more than 100,000) that would mean the
#1 comic, "Avengers/JLA" #3, sold just over 150,000 copies (once again,
it may have sold more than that, too).
As I opened this issue up, I didn't know
what to expect. Was I going to see another Amalgam Universe version?
Don't get me wrong. I liked the idea...once, but a return to that idea
would have been a let down even under the masterful pen of writer Kurt
Busiek. Instead what I ended up reading thankfully was so much more.
Let me first start off with what in my
opinion is making this series such a hit. Sure it is the crossover that
has been one hundred years in the making, but that magic would have
worn off halfway through issue #2. The first thing that was apparent
from the first issue was that Busiek was not going to go the
stereotypical route of cheesy fights and resolution with little in
between. He has crafted a good story. Busiek has been saying all along
that he is writing a story and not a versus series. I am finding myself
trying to figure out the enigma's Busiek has created. For a crossover
to accomplish that...well, let's just say, it is a far cry from the
Batman/Punisher or Fantastic Four/Superman crossovers I wasted my money
on.
Final Word:
For a comic fan who has been following the adventures of both these
teams for over two decades, this issue is a wonderful mixture of the
continuity of both teams, as well as a tantalizing preview of what
might've been if Marvel and DC had made a crossover between their two
big teams an annual event, much like the JSA/JLA meetings of old. In
any event while there are moments when the plot might be a little old
school for newer readers, and a little dependent on readers being up to
speed on events that occurred years, and in some cases decades ago,
frankly I applaud Kurt Busiek for including a wealth of scenes that
reward readers like myself who have been with both books since the
first attempt at this crossover was being bandied about. Plus I love
the way this story bounces around the time-stream, and while I suspect
this was done so that Kurt Busiek could insert Hal Jordan into the
story, I love the fact that we were allowed to have a tour of the
merged universe. In fact my only complaint about this issue is that
Hawkeye wasn't in the final seven lineup on the Avengers side.
>
could you please post the splash page on jla avengers #3 where they are
all at gamemaster's lair and looking up at the ceiling, looking at the
"truth". I really like that page and would look good on my desktop.
> Surely appreciate it!!
AQUAMAN ATE THE FLOWER
, as pointed out by Michael Rudolph
(email)
You had an article a few days ago about visual discrepencies in JLA Avengers #3.
I may have found another one... not sure if anyoe has mentioned it to
you as yet. On the splash page featuring the luau party (page 8 I
believe) we see Wonder Woman and Wonder Man arm-wrestling. Diana has a
flower in the left side of her hair. On the next page panel 3, the
flower has disappeared, much like Aquamans lei that was mentioned
earlier.
December 4, 2003 | JLA/A #3 Review at Broken Frontier
The superheroes of two very different worlds hit a snag as the crossover event of the millennium closes out round three.
Let’s just get it out of the way: you’re
either not reading this because you’re waiting for the trade, or you’re
not reading this because…well, why aren’t you reading this? Worlds
collide, literally, as time and space and a whole lot of other things
that differ between the Avengers’ world and the JLA’s world are causing
a rift. The game between Krona and the Grandmaster ended with the
latter winning. Of course, Krona isn’t about to give up his quest for
the secrets of the universe so easily. The story seems disjointed and
confusing at first, but by the end of the issue everything is explained
nice and neatly. Then, there’s even a nice, exciting cliffhanger of an
ending.
If you look in
the top panel of Page 23, you will notice two of the head shots are of
young boys. The one on the left (with the dark hair) is my stepson
Kenny and the little one on the right with lighter hair is my son
Robert. The kindness of George for agreeing to put them in there is
just truly amazing and I thought you would like to know.
(NOTE: Actual printed comic book had the colors printed in negative.)
I think it will be hard for any
super-hero fan to read this book without a big smile crossing their
face. Although Busiek sticks with the sort of cosmic Infinity
Gauntlet/Crisis on Infinite Earths style that has defined this book,
this issue also has a lot more of the smaller moments (and smaller
characters) that fans love. The story is deliberately confusing, as not
even the heroes know what is going on, but it all makes a sort of sense
by the end, and although the feel is reminiscent of the merged universe
of Amalgam that came out of a previous DC/Marvel crossover, this one
feels slightly more pure from a straight super-hero point-of-view. In
addition, Perez's work here is stunning, with a little bit less of the
overcrowded panel feel that weakened the second issue while maintaining
the same insanely detail-oriented style that has made him a favorite in
this field.
This penultimate chapter of the limited
series stands out as the strongest one in the series thus far. Busiek
taps into the fun readers and creators alike had with Amalgam Comics in
the mid 1990s by merging universes rather than characters. The script
fosters the perfect tone of cosmic crisis, bringing suspense to the
mix. The book is clearly aimed at those of us who pick up on the
numerous continuity references from both companies' publishing
histories, but there's still plenty of wonder and magic to keep newer
readers transfixed. Perez's frenzied but meticulous artwork is
stunning. He fills each panel with so much detail that each one cries
out to be studied carefully. The plot itself, though extreme, is rather
simple, but the art adds depth and density to the book. The book is
exactly what it looks like -- an over-the-top super-hero story -- but
it's a wonderful celebration of the two giants in the genre.
JLA/Avengers is pure fun, and it doesn't pretend to be anything more.
8/10
December 1, 2003 | JLA/A #3 Annotation From ComixFan
ComiX-Fan continues its compilation of
annotated references for the mammoth Marvel/DC crossover series
JLA/Avengers with the release of the list for issue #3, in stores this
week.
As with the first issue's list (see 'JLA/AVENGERS #1 ANNOTATIONS'), and the second issue's list (see 'AVENGERS/JLA #2 ANNOTATIONS'), ComiX-Fan invites readers to contribute additions and corrections to this and subsequent lists.
Page 1, Panel 1: Doctor Doom, the
armored despot that rules the fictional country of Latveria in the
Marvel Universe, was first seen in Fantastic Four (1st series) #5.
Page 1, Panel 2: The Promethean Giants
that make up the wall surrounding the Source in the DC Universe first
appeared in New Gods (1st series) #5.
"Remember when Amazo and Ultron banded together?"
"Remember when the Grim Reaper and the Key had the Serpent Crown?"
"Remember Kang and the Lord of Time battling each other for the Chronal Egg?"
No, but cosmos, I want to remember. This
extremely enjoyable issue of JLA/Avengers explores the aftermath of the
previous chapter in which everybody seems to have lost the game played
by Krona and the Grandmaster. That appears not to be the case as Kurt
Busiek and George Perez with a series of what amounts to substantial
dreams alter the heroes realities.
Through an agreement with Spencer Beck (see below), Mankuta is the person who bought all of the AVENGERS Volume 3 Covers when they were available for sale.
This building was named after Erik Merk, a George Pérez friend and fan who have commissioned a lot of his work.
GAUGLER'S
- JLA/A #3, page 25
From Spencer Beck:
This homage is a small tribute to friend of mine named FRED GAUGLER who
recently died. Fred owned the comic shop I shopped in for most of my
adult life. He was a big fan of George's and this was a tribute to a
man who always said he wanted to be "IN COMICS".
I noticed a small lettering error. When
Iron Man and Superman fly off into orbit, Superman says "As I feared,
it's not just happening loaclly." I think it was supposed to be
'locally'.
Normally, I wouldn't say anything but I
agree with Eric. If we can point out the errors, they can be fixed for
the collected edition.
Personally, this is the greatest comic series I've read since Crisis. I can't wait to see how it all ends.
This issue was Fantasic!!!!. The best
one yet. George and Kurt and the rest of the team really hit this one
out of the park. So many great scenes..
My favs were..
JLA Satellite LUAU
The Grandmaster Wall scene including the New Teen Titans,
Thunderbolts, Heroes Reborn Version of the Avengers and so many great
pics..
The scenes in AVENGERS Mansion, including the Comm-Room where George included 19 villians on the screen.
AWESOME!!!
I only found one error.
In the main LUAU scene on page 8 Aquaman
was a lei on. When they get closer on the same shot on the next page at
the arm wrestling scene between Wonder Woman and Wonder Man he isn't
wearing it. Oh Well. I guess you notice the little stuff after five
reads.
Thanks George and Kurt and Tom it's a instant classic.
The Hand posted 11/27/03 8:10 AM
I found a bigger mistake than that...on
page 37 (where the phantom stranger takes the Avengers and the Leaguers
into that pink doorway..)in 1 pic it shows superman walking in front of
iron man and wonder woman...the very next pic you see his shoulder
behind thor....who is way behind wonderwoman.... i looked down to see
that Martian manhunter was behind Thor and i realized the Mr. Smith,
colored it wrong....it was Martian manhunters shoulder so it shoulda
been green arm/blue cape not blue arm/red cape....and if you look in
the very same frame as the goof, you see Supes' legs at the top of the
stairs in front of Iron Man.....don't get me wrong, it was a great
book, but that was such a rookie thing to do...guess it's just my
attention to detail....well peace...
No one will ever accuse George Perez of taking shortcuts.
Like this week's cover of JLA/Avengers #3, with its hundreds of characters. It came at a cost -- physically -- for the artist.
"That's why I'm like this," Perez said,
holding up his brace-covered right drawing hand last weekend at Wizard
World Texas. "It took me three weeks to draw that cover and by the end,
I was in utter pain."
The resulting tendinitis has pushed the
series' fourth and final issue back a few weeks. But the crowd gathered
last weekend for a question-and-answer session with Perez and writer
Kurt Busiek didn't seem to mind a bit, cheering when Perez said, "Hey,
at least we got three issues out on time!"
George Perez is talking about this
week’s JLA/Avengers issue #3 cover with hundreds of characters. "That's
why I'm like this," Perez said, holding up his brace-covered right
drawing hand last weekend at Wizard World Texas. "It took me three
weeks to draw that cover and by the end, I was in utter pain."
That has pushed the series’ fourth and final issue back a few weeks.
Busiek cheered when Perez told fans "Hey, at least we got three issues out on time!"
Okay, here's what I have so far for the
Unofficial JLA / AVENGERS #3 Webguide. Feel free to add any corrections
or omissions. I know there are a few I missed (like a couple of the
villains being monitored by Iron Man and Batman on Page 13), but I've
already spent way too much time on this (this Web Guide is already over
TWICE as long as the one I did for JLA / AVENGERS #1) and I need to
take a break.
The following products are expected to ship to comic book
specialty stores next week. Note that this list is tentative
and subject to change. Please check with your retailer for
availability.
SEP031564 JLA AVENGERS #3 (OF 4) $5.95
PLEASE NOTE: Please
check with your local retailer to confirm availability of new items, as
not all new releases will be on sale in all areas on the same week.
(Vu: Please read the note in red above, which is new. If I am
reading this right - some areas of the U.S. or Canada, might not get
JLA/AVENGERS #3 next week. I am assuming that since it falls so close
to Thanksgiving that a lot of people might have requested time off to
be with their family, so Diamond might not fulfill all their orders.)
November 11, 2003 | Brevoort Disputes JLA/A #3 Rumors
Folks, anybody who tells you that they
saw AVENGERS/JLA #3 at this point is lying. The book hasn't even rolled
off the presses yet, so the only folks who've actually seen it are the
guys putting it together--and we ain't talking.
I spoke to someone with Diamond
distributors, and I was told some of the comic stores should be getting
advanced copies of JLAvengers this Wednsday. if not, definitely next
Wednsday.
While I could not get the man to tell me what happens in the issue, he told me a few small parts.
First off, Lobo does fight Gladiator. I
don't know who wins, but I know it was short, and the hint I got was
"Well, Lobo fans will definitely like how the fight went, that's for
sure" so it sounds like he beat Gladiator, and perhaps quite easily
too.
I was also told Namor is in it, and he beats up "somebody" and it is NOT Aquaman. We'll see.
One of the most eagerly awaited
crossovers in comics history will continue at high speed when Marvel
Comics & DC Comics present the 48-page JLA/Avengers #3 (SEP031564,
$5.95). Demand for Kurt Busiek & George Pérez's epic -- in which
every past & present member from both teams struggles to rescue
both universes from a cosmic disaster -- resulted in a print run of
more than 200,000 copies of the first issue. (Gamepro.com called #1
"what a good super-hero comic book is all about," while
TheFourthRail.com hailed it as "a long-awaited concept executed with
style and skill.") The Prestige Format issue is scheduled to ship on
November 26. The big finish to the event -- Avengers/JLA #4 (OCT030233,
$5.95) -- is solicited in the October Previews.
Finally, if you didn't know ComiX-Fan's
sponsor X-World Comics is offering 25 complete sets of JLA/Avengers
#1-4 signed and numbered by Kurt Busiek and complete with a Certificate
of Authenticity. Pre-orders (which saves $20 off the price of the set)
can be made here: www.x-worldcomics.com/.../id=346#8723
Just got back from the Baltimore Comicon
2003 and, as usual, I had one hell of a time (and hell on my finances).
Here's what I can remember from the con regarding Perez:
Crossgen's "The War"
is going to be 3 issues long and it's going to be written by Ron Marz.
The first issue is going to be solicted in May of 2004. It's going to
resolve many storylines in many of the Crossgen titles.
Perez is jubelent about JLA/Avengers first issue success. He says that he can finally clear out is debts and then some. The selling of the art alone is going to provide his wife with a new car! He also is very glad that this series is totally going to be for the fans.
As of today. 1/4 of issue 4 of JLA/Avengers
is pen & inked. It looks like it will meet the Dec 31st release
date. Perez is very commited to meeting the deadline so that all of the
issues will be released before 2004.
There is talk of about what format the collected edition is going to be. Perez said that DC is talking to put it into an "absolute" HC format (which I will lobby to no end!). They also said that the prior JLA/Avengers art might be printed in the collected edition as well.
Perez needs the cover to issue 3 back because he needs to draw 4 more characters in it! It took 3 weeks for him to draw it. Tom Smith was asking fan at the con to find him color references for some of the characters!
I did get one nugget of exclusive info. Hawkeye and Black Canary will meet in issue 3.
That's all I can think of right now. I'll see how much will get back to me later on in the week.
Sorry but we do not have a DC License to make litho prints for DC so
your answer to your question would be No. That would be a very cool print though. Maybe DC will make it.
Octavio Toney Tapia
Dynamic Forces, Inc.
155 Ninth Street
Suite E
Runnemede NJ 08078
856-312-1040 ET 105
856-312-1050 Fax
www.dynamicforces.com
But really depends if Marvel & DC can agree to do it enough that they want to work out the contracts and red tape to do so.
I talked to Dynamic Forces about it and they said they would not do it because of all the red tape involved.
So I think it really depends on you guys the fans.. If you want one you must ask for one. Start writing those letters.
Thanks..
Tom Smith "A/JLA CAL!"
(Vu: You can contact Marvel via their Marvel Heroes email
(email), DC Comics took down their contact page, so the best way to write to them is through the JLA/A Messageboard. Their old contact emails are: JLA comics
(email) or DC Universe
(email).)
Marvel Comics
is both proud and encouraged to announce that unprecedented demand has
led to the production of over 200,000 copies of JLA/AVENGERS #1 for
shipment to the direct market. The George Pérez-Kurt Busiek created
mega-event 20 years in the making - which initially went on sale 9/4 –
has exceeded all sales expectations for this co-publishing initiative
by Marvel and DC Comics. Thanks to the strong support and show of faith
by comic book retailers and readers, JLA/AVENGERS #1 has joined the
ranks of a small group of modern classics that have captured the
imagination of our fans and continue to propel the business forward.
"I knew JLA/AVENGERS was going to do
well," said writer Kurt Busiek, "but to have it do THIS well is just
amazing. I'm delighted retailers had so much faith in the project, and
I'm delighted readers bought 'em all up and sent the retailers back for
more. And the reaction we're getting on the series is terrific - it
seems like people thought it was well worth the wait, and I'm very glad
to have been a part of it."
The Interest in this special
once-in-a-lifetime event is also another strong indicator of a growing
overall sales phenomenon that began this past spring.
"Since May, from Wolverine #1 to July's
Spectacular Spider-Man #1 to August's 1602 & Supreme Power #1,
sales of all our big launches have surpassed our already high
expectations," said Marvel Marketing Communications Manager Michael
Doran. "And that trend continued into September with JLA/AVENGERS #1
and ULTIMATE SIX #1. We're also seeing very positive growth in our
other top titles like Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men and New
X-Men, and we expect the trend to continue into the fall then straight
into the holiday season and into next year. So to the fans and
retailers fueling this remarkable run, Marvel would like to say thank
you."
"This is great news for everyone in our
industry," added Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada, "...from readers
and creators to retailers and publishers. And the even better news is
projects like JLA/AVENGERS
won't be just the occasional random spike we've seen on the sales
charts over the last few years. Marvel has been working tirelessly to
raise the bar for the industry and today we can finally see the seeds
of those labors bearing fruit. It seems like almost every month the
sales ceiling on top-selling titles is being raised and with ULTIMATE
FANTASTIC FOUR and MARC SILVESTRI's return to the X-MEN upcoming, we're
sure to see more of the same. I fully expect that in the near future
the 300K mark is just around the corner."
AVENGERS/JLA #2 goes on sale October 22nd from DC Comics. JLA/AVENGERS #3
goes on sale from Marvel on 11/26 and retailers are reminded its Final
Order Cut-off (FOC) date is 10/30. The four-issue prestige format
limited series concludes in December with AVENGERS/JLA #4, published by DC.
September 9, 2003 | JLA/A #3 Cover & Info on Marvel.com
THE STORY:
The most eagerly awaited story in comics’ history continues! The
Avengers and the JLA have confronted their foemen - now it's time to
party! But as echoes of the past intrude on the present, something is
terrifyingly wrong. Co-published by DC Comics!
> Just curious what stages of production are:
> Issue #2
> Issue #3
> Issue #4
> at?
I've never been much for sharing the
trafficking schedule with the readers -- I'd rather have you focus as
much as possible on the story and the characters and as little as
possible on the mechanics of putting lines on paper.
#3's being lettered, inked and colored, #4's being scripted and penciled.
kdb
August 27, 2003 | JLA/A #3 Preview in Marvel Previews
JLA/AVENGERS #3
Written by Kurt Busiek, cover and pencils by George Perez.
The most eagerly awaited story in
comics' history continues. The Avengers and the JLA have confronted
their foemen - now it's time to party! But as echoes of the past
intrude on the present, something is terrifyingly wrong. Co-published
by DC Comics. (Featuring every Avengers and JLA member ever)
Marvel Comics will release its
solicitation information and artwork for November titles on Monday at
noon (ET). Check back here then for a complete rundown.
CARLIN ON JLA
08-08-2003 01:04 PM posted by MattBrady
The times, they are a changin’ for the
Justice League of America. As DC announced in San Diego, a spin-off
title is coming, while rotating creative teams will handle the main
title. We caught up with JLA editor Mike Carlin for a roadmap.
Carlin inherited the series as a result
of the editorial restructuring that went on at DC earlier this year
which saw former JLA editor Dan Raspler fired by the publisher, and
Carlin stepping down from VP – Executive Editor to Senior group Editor.
(excerpt)
“With a spin-off and double shipping for
six months at least, there’s going to be a lot of JLA projects out
there, which I think is part of what we’ve been wanting for years on
the title – to capitalize on something where clearly, there’s room for
more. Obviously, if we put out a bunch of stinkers, it’s not going to
help, but I think that if we can put out five Batman books and four
Superman books every month with just the one character in them, why
can’t we just do two Justice League books a month every now and then.
“And obviously, I think JLA/Avengers
is going to satisfy the world. It will sell, but it will satisfy as
well, which is not always the case. People have been waiting a long
time for this, and it could have easily been something that was ruined
by anticipation, but I really think that Kurt and George have hit the
mark. I think it’s going to be great. Hopefully, that will help to whet
people’s appetites for a little more JLA than they’ve seen in a while –
and we’ve got that covered.”
MY JLA/AVENGERS DIARY
By George Pérez
As told to Mike Cotton
transcribed by Vu
(email)
Comic's
ultimate crossover has been 20 years in the making, and with the
project debuting in September, the artist details the challenges, the
exhilaration and how he almost called it quits.
WIZARD ZERØ #0
JLA/AVENGERS #1
I've waited my entire life for one day - the day JLA/Avengers became reality.
Sure, for the last two years, I've been drawing the JLA/Avengers
match-up pitting the classic superteams from the rival publishers DC
and Marvel Comics. And after pushing for 20 years, a handful of false
starts, scuttled plans and missteps, I wasn't sure if JLA/Avengers was ever going to see the light of day.
Back in 1983 we came close. I actually drew 21 pages of a JLA/Avengers one-shot, but company policies and editorial wrangling torpedoed the project before I ever put pencil to paper on page 22.
And, of course, there were always
rumors. A comic convention ever went by when someone didn't asking me,
"When are you going to do JLA/Avengers?" over the years, the
project took on mythical proportions with expectations and speculation
rising with each passing year. And if it were up to me, I would've done
it in a second. But when you're dealing with the two biggest publishers
in comics (and some of the biggest egos to boot), nothing's easy.
But today, June 27, 2003, as I finished
off the inks (did I mention, I'm penciling and inking the entire
series?) on issue #3, I can hardly believe JLA/Avengers is almost complete.
This is my diary from the first time I
seriously began talking to Marvel and DC about the updated version of
the crossover. Everything from the first phone calls in 1999 to today
as I review the colors of the Batman/Captain America fight. If you
think you know everything there is to know about the new JLA/Avengers, think again.
>>>
Martian Manhunter & JLA
FALSE START
Jan 10, 1999 - I've been approached on and off over the years about a JLA/Avengers
project. But now that both JLA, with Grant Morrison and Howard Porter,
is successful, and Avengers is successful under Kurt Busiek and myself,
it looks like we might get a shot at actually doing the series. Kurt
and Tom Brevoort believe it's a perfect time. Now that these two books
are hot, why don't we start negotiating it? Everyone is a little
concern that I won't have time to draw the regular Avengers series and
the crossover, so we decide it just take place in both regular series
and I'll draw the Avengers half with Howard drawing the JLA half. It's
a terrible monster to coordinate, though.
Apr 15, 2000 - Thankfully, Marvel and DC
have cased negotiations. No one wants to do this series more than I do,
but I don't think Grant really had any enthusiasm to do a crossover
book like this. I'd rather draw the entire thing myself. This is my
baby and I don't want anyone else breast feeding her.
Aug 5, 2000 - Now that Mark Waid's been
tapped to write JLA, there's been talk of working out another crossover
with Mark and Kurt co-writing it. But this time, I'll draw the entire
series. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Aug 28, 2000 - I finish my last issue of Avengers today. I'd hope to be working on JLA/Avengers by now, but who knows when that will happen.
Sep 3, 2000 - Joe Quesada took over as
editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics a few days ago. I am a little
disappointed when I called to congratulate him and he tells me that he
isn't interested in doing any more crossovers with DC. Joe feels that
the novelty of inter-company crossovers has been diluted by the recent
glut of such projects. I can't really disagree. Even I wrote one, the Silver Surfer/Superman crossover in 1997! Joe doesn't dash all of my hopes though. According to him there's one crossover he'd do - JLA/Avengers. He also says that the project's mine if he can get it approved. He says he'll keep me informed. I won't hold my breath.
Oct 5, 2000 - I just started doing
CrossGen Chronicles and Mark Alessi calls me today to ask if I'd be
interested in working for his company full time. I'm seriously
considering his offer, but with JLA/Avengers being talked about
again, I'm not sure if I want to lock myself down in an exclusive
contract with CrossGen even though it's very enticing.
Oct 18, 2000 - Both DC and Marvel have now expressed interest in having me pencil JLA/Avengers,
but no one's even started talking about contracts yet. Also Mark [Waid]
just signed an exclusive with CrossGen , so Kurt would have to write it
solo. I wonder if this is just going to turn into another debacle.
Nov 22, 2000 - I've informed Marvel and
DC that if I don't receive a written agreement by Dec 15, I'll sign and
exclusive contract with CrossGen and won't be able to work on JLA/Avengers for at least two years.
FIRST THINGS FIRST…
written by Mike Cotton
What happened with the 1983 JLA/Avengers crossover?
In the early 1980s, it looked like nothing could stop a JLA/Avengers crossover- nothing but Marvel and DC Comics.
Following up on a very successful string of crossovers like 1976's
Superman vs Spider-Man and 1982's X-Men/New Teen Titans, Marvel and DC
agreed to a JLA/Avengers one-shot crossover.
Gerry Conway plotted the story and George Pérez was assigned to pencil
it, but before long, problems began to surface that would eventually
torpedo the project. Conway's initial plot, which reportedly revolved
around time travel and set the JLA/Avengers up in a Contest of Champions-style competition, took almost two years to complete.
By February of 1983, though, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter was
finally able to review a plot - he refused it flatly, claiming the
story made no sense.
Everyone agreed that a revised plot was needed. Unfortunately, no one told that to Pérez who began drawing the rejected plot.
"It
was excruciatingly annoy," says Pérez today, the only person to work on
both the original one-shot and the current four-issue crossover
shipping in September. "I drew 21 pages before I got the call to stop
penciling immediately."
Eventually
writer Roy Thomas re-scripted the initial plot but the infighting
between Marvel & DC's editorial teams put the project in jeopardy.
Everyone
from Pérez to Thomas to Shooter did interviews about the project's
continued delays and by May of 1984 both published officially scuttled
the one-shot.
GO TIME
Dec 15, 2000 - I finally received the contract for JLA/Avengers and I inform Mark Alessi I will go exclusive with CrossGen as of October 2002.
Jan 17, 2001 - While Kurt, Tom and Dan
[Raspler] work on a plot, I work on the first promo art for a joint
announcement at March's Orlando Megacon and Wizard #116 in March. I can
hardly believe I'm being paid for an actual piece of artwork for JLA/Avengers. This isn't a fan commission - this is the real deal!
Mar 2, 2001 - By the time we all get
together in Orlando to announce the project, everyone was already
talking about it. I guess a project this big can't be kept under wraps
for too long. And since Marvel and DC already announced they'd be
co-hosting a panel, most fans and pros have already put two and two
together.
It eases my mind a little bit now that everyone knows JLA/Avengers
is a go again. Now that DC and Marvel have put their collective
reputations on the line, I don't see anything holding this project back
anymore.
Mar 24, 2001 - as expected the plot is
taking a long time to be approved. I'm already receiving pieces, but I
can't get a real feel for the story without everything. I like what I
see so far, though.
Apr 6, 2001 - Wizard wants to run the first art from JLA/Avengers,
so I'm jumping ahead of my work to push through the pencils and inks on
the first two double-page spreads. I can't wait for fans to get a look
at this stuff. So far, I haven't drawn any pages of the JLA and
Avengers interacting, so we picked out pages of the JLA fighting a
major Marvel Villain (Terminus) and the Avengers taking on a major DC
villain (Starro).
Apr 8, 2001 - There's so many characters
in this series, I'm doing research like crazy. I literally couldn't
remember what Terminus looked like today!
Apr 15, 2001 - Marvel and DC have a very different vision of what the coloring on JLA/Avengers should look from mine and Tom Smith's. I feel bad that Tom's caught in the middle.
Apr 20, 2001 - I am growing increasingly
annoyed with the coloring on the two spreads we're sending Wizard for
their "First Look". When I voice my displeasure to Tom and Dan both
decide that Tom Smith and myself are more than welcome to make any
grievances public. I guess no one wants to be the person who has to go
to their bosses and say, "I'm the one responsible for George Pérez
quitting this book."
May 3, 2001 - I just finished page #21 of the first issue. As I wrote "JLA/Avengers issue #1, page #22"
on the next art board, I realized this is further than this project has
ever gone before. I called Tom Brevoort immediately to celebrate. This
is a landmark day!
May 17, 2001 - The plots are slowing
down and I don't think it's Kurt's fault. Dan Raspler doesn't want to
approve anything until he gets a complete plot. I'm getting annoyed. He
seemed to be very indecisive and that's something we can't allow with a
project this big.
May 21, 2001 - Since a holdup in plot
approval doesn't allow me to continue penciling, I start to ink what
I've already penciled for issue #1. I want this project to be "all
George Pérez", a complete representation of my art.
Jun 7, 2001 - Now that issue #1 is
penciled and I'm halfway through penciling issue #2, DC's business
department want to have a firm date when JLA/Avengers will
ship, but that's impossible at this point. There's no way this book
should have a ship date until we know it can ship. I tell Marvel and DC
that I'll walk away from the project if they don't hold to their word
when they said, "JLA/Avengers will ship when JLA/Avengers is ready to ship."
Jun 18, 2001 - I work on the first
meeting between the JLA and Avengers today, and Thor cracks Superman
with his hammer in a scene that's going to be huge! I would expect no
less from Kurt!
Jul 10, 2001 - As I'm inking the last
pages of issue #1, I learn I'm going to have to go back and redraw
Green Lantern's costume. DC recently updated his look and it'll need to
be reflected. After speaking with everyone involved, we agree that this
will be the last costume change we make. If costumes or characters
change from now on, they won't be reflected in the crossover.
Aug 1, 2001 - With the pencils on issue
#2 almost complete, I make preparations to take a brief vacation to
France with my wife this September. I look forward to taking some time
off.
Sep 11, 2001 - As my wife and I prepare
to go to the airport we hear the news about the World Trade Center
disaster. I can't believe any of this. We cancel our trip.
THE NIGHT SHIFT
Jan 5, 2002 - Looking over my bank
records, I realized that I'm losing about 30 percent of my income now
that I'm only working on JLA/Avengers. I'm very worried about bankruptcy, I've called my art dealer and he's set me up doing some commissions pieces to help out.
Jun 3, 2002 - The plans for my new
CrossGen book, Solus, haven't been finalized yet, so I've got a
one-month reprieve to work on JLA/Avengers. Plot approval remains slow. I'm at a stand still on issue #3 pencils, and I continue inking #2.
Batman Vs Captain America
Aug 20, 2002 - I draw the Batman versus Captain America fight today. This one will make the fanboys go crazy!
Oct 1, 2002 - My CrossGen contract has gone back into effect. From now on, I'll only work on JLA/Avengers
at night and on weekends. I'm still penciling and inking issue #3. I'm
jazzed to be working on Solus with Barbara Kesel, but I wish I had a
little more time to devote to JLA/Avengers.
Mar 7, 2003 - I can't ever recall working longer days. I work on JLA/Avengers
off the clock constantly. Even when I sti down to watch TV with my wife
these, I find myself bring a board and pen with me to finish the inks
on issue #3.
Apr 23, 2003 - We're in the home
stretch. Although the final plot is still being worked on, I begin
penciling the first third of the JLA/Avengers #4. We decide to
solicit the project for September - the first issue debuting Sep 3 -
and I'm confident we can meet that deadline, but it's still going to be
tight. We may have to go to a six-week shipping schedule, but I'm sure
each issue will be worth the wait.
Jun 27, 2003 - Now that we're less than
three months away from shipping issue #1, I've finally got some
breathing room. Although most of my week is taken up working on Solus,
the pencils on JLA/Avengers #4 are coming along nicely and the inks on issue #3 are almost done.
Looking back, this has been one of the
most enjoyable and creative experiences of my 30-year career. People
ask me how I feel and I tell them to get back to me Sep 3, I'll feel a
lot better then.
In a notable show of restraint, DC
Comics managed to have a major panel Sunday at Comic-Con International
in San Diego without mentioning yet another Marvel Comics creator that
they'd managed to lure over to DC exclusivity with a better offer
(presumably including a fat Warner Brothers check).
(excerpt)
And while "JLA/Avengers" #4 is still
being penciled by George Pérez, the first issue is already at the
printers, and the other issues are at stages in between, but "it's
really happening this time," writer Kurt Busiek said.
(Mike) Carlin said that issue #1
of Avengers/JLA is at the printers, while issues #2 and #3 are bring
lettered and colored. Issues #3 and #4 are being scripted, and issue #4
is currently being penciled by Perez.
(Vu: I believe it was Kurt Busiek that spoke about JLA/AVENGERS, not Mike Carlin.)
In speaking about Avengers/JLA, moderator Bob Wayne quipped that people should hurry and buy issue #1
(published by Marvel), because he anticipates it will be gone by the
end of the day. Wayne then said that, in October, people can take their
time in getting their issue,
because DC is printing it (hinting that they will be overprinting).
Wayne continued, saying that hopefully people won’t have family
obligations in November, because they’ll have to get to the comic book
store to get their copy of issue #3 (published by Marvel), but in December, people can once again take their time in getting to the shop for issue #4.
“So, in summary,” Wayne said, “Avengers/JLA, two issues hard to find, two issues very easy to find.”
Lea Hernandez: So talk to us about JLA/AVENGERS?
Kurt Busiek: What do you want to know?
Lea: Well, it comes out in September,
I know this. I did my research. And, erm, tell us something that you've
haven't told anybody else, just because we're pals.
Kurt: Well, I haven't told many people much. But let's see. I really
have no idea what to say. It's a fun story, we're -- George (Pérez) is
working on issue four.
It's going to come out in September. It looks fantastic. I don't know.
I don't want to tell you. I don't want to tell you any secrets.
Lea: Oh well, that's what I was sort of rooting around for.
Kurt: I know that's what you're rooting around for, but I'm not going to do it.
Lea: Tell me a secret.
Kurt: Because I know, you know, that you're going to tell the public at large.
Lea: Of course, we are!
Kurt: Yes.
Lea: That's the whole of having--
Kurt: And I'm not going to do it. You've got to buy the comic!
Lea: Well you know, this has been in
the offering for years and years, it's almost legendary how long it's
taken this to happen. So what made it happened this time, as opposed to
all the other time it's been talked, and kicked around.
Kurt: It was me. It was me - I did it!
No, actually, it was - every-- over the
years it occasional started to come together and then fell apart again
for one reason or another. And this case, it came together as time...
DC had approached Marvel about doing it and Marvel hadn't been
interested. And then there was, what we now call, a Regime change. And
Joe Quesada was in charge, and Joe said to Tom Brevoort 'Tom, why
didn't JLA/AVENGERS ever get done?' And Tom explained to him the
various reasons. And Joe said, 'Well, none of those apply anymore.
Let's see if we can do it.'
So Tom contacted DC, this was only a
little while when DC tried to contact Marvel, and they put it together.
George was the only choice for the artist. And since Mark Waid was
writing JLA, at the time, and I was writing AVENGERS, at the time, it made sense that we were going to co-write it together. Except to my eternal joy, to my surprise, Mark had juuust signed an exclusive contract with CrossGen.
Lea: That's a while ago!
Kurt: Well that's when it happened. So I got the deal solo. Lucky me, ha ha and you, eh?
Since it has been asked many times, here is how orders will be handled for JLA/AVENGERS artwork.
With respect to complete issues ... a
friend of George's did him a MASSIVE favor when he needed it most, and
as a result, George has granted him (and only him) first right of
refusal for any ONE complete issue of his choice other than issue #3.
Issue 3 is going to be broken up as
George has drawn some of his friends into the issue (no more than one
person per page, so there won't be any fights). The rest of the series
will be up for grabs.
The pages will be listed for sale on my website ... http://www.theartistschoice.com as soon as possible after the book ships ... orders will be filled on a first come first serve basis.
** NOTE ** I WILL NOT take any orders until the prices are
posted publicly and everyone has a chance to see it. So PLEASE, if the
prices are not yet up, do not send an order in. Until the prices are
posted, any orders that come in beforehand will be discarded. Also, I
will NOT accept phone orders ... all orders MUST be placed by email
(email).
As of today (although not set in stone) with rare exception, the prices will be as follows:
panel pages will be STARTING at about $500 a page
splash pages will be STARTING at about $1,500 a page
two page spreads will be STARTING at about $2,500 a spread
The status of cover sales is still under
review as George and I have a couple of different ideas what to do with
them. As soon as a final decision is made, I will let everyone know.
For those who are thinking does Mr.
Perez know how high Spencer has set the prices? The answer is YES ...
he is well aware of how high I have set the base prices at. It is our
feeling that this is a once in a lifetime job for him and once everyone
sees the artwork, it will be worth the price. Especially since this is
going to be the last time he draws mainstream super heroes for
forceable future.
George has said that even if there is a
decision to do a sequel, he will not draw it. When you see how much
work he put into the artwork you will understand. Having pushed himself
to the limit artistically with this story, NO ONE will ever be able to
say he took the easy road.
Payment methods accepted will be the
same as always ... Payment will be due in my hands within 10 days of
confirmation. Accepted forms of payment are personal & business
checks (which must clear the bank before artwork will be shipped),
certified checks, cashier's checks, money orders and Western Union. For
International Orders, payment methods accepted will be Money Orders in
American Funds, Checks drawn from American Banks or Western Union.
Postage will be in addition to the cost of the art as usual as well.
I hope this answers as many advance
questions as possible. More will be spelled out clearer when the
artwork is closer to being available for sale.
"Worth the Wait?"
written by George Nelson
published in COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE #1542 (6 Jun 03)
transcribed by Vu
related websites: www.comicsbuyersguide.com
Pérez promises late 2003 release for JLA/Avengers
Publishers of the long-awaited JLA/Avengers
DC-Marvel crossover should be closer to setting a release date within a
few weeks, artist George Pérez said at April's Pittsburgh Comicon.
"This is going to be a very, very intensive two months," said Pérez,
who is penciling and inking the crossover, written by his fromer
Avengers collaborator Kurt Busiek. "It will be very nice in 2004 to be
able to draw one page a day, five days a week, because that's all that
CrossGen ever wants as output from their artists." Pérez draws Solus
for CrossGen.
The first two issues of JLA/Avengers
are pencilled and inked, and Pérez has pencilled all but four pages and
inked 16 pages of #3. Covers have been colored, as well as all of #1.
the plot for the fourth and final issue also has been approved. "The
book is definitely coming out the last quarter of this year," he told
CBG. "As I've told many people, I refused to have this as the cover
feature for Wizard's 2004 preview. It's been the cover feature now for
two years. I've got to get that book out."
The Avengers have 81 members, honorary
members, and hangers-on - and the JLA includes more than 100. "As Kurt
Busiek put it, when people say the Avengers have pretty low standards
for members, the JLA have none," Pérez joked. "And, as was my
desire - and they're honoring it - I wanted every single character
who's ever been a member of either group to be in this book." There may
be another 200 characters who have cameos. In the last issue alone,
close to three dozen super-villains appear who had not previously shown
up in the story.
Though he would not disclose plot
details, Pérez said the story - which takes place, he quipped, on
"Earth-$" - has time - and dimension-spanning aspects that allow him to
draw things that he would not have had the opportunity to draw, if he
had to stick to literal timeline, such as Wonder Woman with an eagle on
her bodice.
AVENGERS: HEROES REBORN, art by Rob Liefeld/Jon Sibal
WONDER WOMAN (Eagle Bodice), art by Pérez/Giordano
"When I was in issue #1, when I got to
draw the Spectre, I said, 'OK at least Hal Jordan does appear.' Little
did I know what Kurt had in mind. I get to draw the classic Green
Lantern in the classic costume - even the one without the shoulder
epaulets and the V-shapes: the very, very early version of his
costume." Even Heroes Reborn versions of the Avengers might appear.
Yes, Kurt is going to try to make this as logical as possible, but
there's going to be some stuff you're just going to have to, as Marv
Wolfman said, spray the fairy dust on and let your imagination run
wild," he observed. "We're going to have fun with this book. It's a lot
of work, I hope it's going to be worth the wait for you. For me, I'm
just looking forward to not having to answer, 'When is JLA/Avengers coming out?'"
AVENGERS MANSION, art by George Pérez/Bob McLeod
ASGUARD, art by Ron Frenz/Brett Breeding
JLA SATELLITE, art by Chuck Patton/Romeo Tanghal
Locations for
the story include the Flash Museum, Asgard, Avengers Mansion in its
different incarnations, and the various headquarters of the JLA. It
also include nods to the original version of JLA/Avengers, started in the early 1980s but never published.
Announced in 2001, the crossover has
been the subject of much speculation regarding its eventual release,
and Pérez acknowledged that he had hoped the four-issue mini-series
would have been finished sooner, as well.
"When people ask why this book is taking
so long, a lot of them don't know that I'm inking myself - so, when
they find that out, suddenly all is forgiven," he said. He added that
he has had to take on outside work to be able to afford the project,
noting that his income dropped 60% during the year he worked on the
series exclusively.
He acknowledged that fans might be
tiring of news regarding the project but said he thinks that will be
taken care of, once an official release date is announced. "There have
been a lot of false dates. Fans have made assumptions based on the
Internet version of 'telephone', where news was actually disseminated
incorrectly that there was a release date. No, there was a hoped-for
date. I had hoped to get this book done a lot sooner, but it became
apparent that, if I wanted to earn a living, doing this book alone
without something to supplement my income was going to be a financially
disastrous for me."
He said the project is moving faster
with DC Executive Editor Mike Carlin stepping in as DC's editor. He
described former Editor Dan Raspler as "a bit of a tehnophobe," which
slowed down approval of coloring. "Another great thing about having
Mike Carlin involved - having nothing to do with Dan's ability or any
disagreements - is that Mike Carlin was the late Mark Gruenwald's
assistant editor, when Mark was the editor of the original JLA/Avengers,
so Mike, is the only other personal involved other than me from the
original. Having worked with Mike, I have a great, great respect for
him as an editor: the type of editor who believes that, if you hire
good people, let them do their jobs," he continued. "If he has
suggestions, he'll be the first to tell you, but in the end he says we
all have to be happy with the book."
Pérez said he is satisfied with the work
by colorist Tom Smith and remarked that working with Busiek reminds him
of working with Wolfman: "The greatest compliment I can give to any
writer."
(Note: This is still Mr. Perez's opening comments on the panel)
George Perez: The WASP
will wear one costume for the most of the issue except for issue three,
which will be more like a strobe effect, and she will probably be
wearing a costume in every single panel differently. Just because I
can. (George laughs)
Lets see here. There's a possibility. I
don't remember, I will have to check the list again that even the
Heroes Reborn version of the AVENGERS will make an appearance, ah, for
no other reason than they were on the AVENGERS Banner and they feel
duty bound to have/to do every character I desire. I don't want a fan
to come in and say you left someone out and then they will say 'Oh My
God we forgot because they know they're dead.' (George and crowd laugh).
It took a week to come up with a finalized list of the JLA and AVENGERS primarily for the covers of issue three and issue four,
which is going to be one crowded, ah, mess actually, right now the
greatest number of characters that I have drawn in any single panel is
thirty-six (36) and there are eight (8) other panels on that page. So
for anyone who thinks I am taking any short cuts on this story (George and crowd laugh)
With artist George Pérez's exclusive
CrossGen contract back in effect, some fans may be wondering how his
work on the highly anticipated four-issue JLA/Avengers mini-series is going. According to Pérez, it's going just fine.
"The new schedule means I'll be working
twice as much as I used to," chuckles Pérez, who handles his CrossGen
workload during business hours and focuses on JLA/Avengers nights and weekends. "I'm not as far ahead on the Avengers/JLA
as I had hoped I would be. I'm inking my 31st page of issue #2 and I'm
penciling page 36 of issue #3. I've already penciled and inked the
cover of issue #1 and penciling the cover of issue #2 and I've designed
all of them."
While no release date has been official
set for the joint venture between Marvel and DC, the artist can't wait
for fans to get a look at the series - even if the idea of living up to
20 years of anticipation scares him a little.
"Believe me, I'm glad that this project is causing such a stir," said Pérez. "I know realistically that JLA/Avengers has had 20 years of anticipation, which I hope I live up to."
November 16, 2002 | CBG #1515: JLA/A News
From
COMICS BUYERS GUIDE #1515 (29 Nov 02)
No date yet for JLA-Avengers crosscover
written by George Nelson
transcribed by Vu
published in COMICS BUYERS GUIDE #1515 (29 Nov 02)
website: www.comicsbuyersguide.com
Editor Tom Brevoort: "It will be done when it will be done."
The long-anticipated JLA-Avengers crossover project will not be schedule until most of it is done.
"I'm not putting a date on it," said Avengers
Editor Tom Brevoort, who, with George Perez, attended the Baltimore
Comic-Con in late October. "The whole point of the way we're doing this
is we will not schedule it until it is at least all penciled, until we
are all confident that it can come out monthly, the way it's supposed
to."
At the convention, Pérez said that by
Oct. 31 he would have finished inking the second issue of the
inter-company crossover. He added that he has penciled three-quarters
of #3 and expected that writer Kurt Busiek's plot for the fourth issue
should be ready by the time he begins inking #3 in late November. He
said that, at the pace work is going, the crossover could be scheduled
for summer 2003, if Marvel and DC agree.
Pérez said, "Now that we've gotten past the halfway mark, that looks like an attainable schedule but the one thing we did not
want is this book to be scheduled and then ship late. It may not get
finalized until they know that I'm inking the fourth issue, just to
make sure, and I do appreciate it because I don't want any mishaps on
this book."
Both Pérez and Brevoort are mindful of
what happens when issues of high-profile projects are delayed with the
recent examples of both Marvel's Wolverine: the Origin and DC's The Dark Knight Strikes Again fresh in their minds.
"I had to argued from the beginning, and
we all agreed, that this book has to have everything going for it and
that it should be all finished before it ever got it and that it should
be all finished before it ever got scheduled - or at least scheduled
when we would know that it would always be on time," Pérez said. The
problems with Wolverine: The Origin and DK2 helped make the editorial department's case to management.
Avengers Editor Tom Brevoort (left) and JLA/Avengers
artist George Pérez (right) discussed the long-anticipated crossover at
the Baltimore Comic-Con. Photo by George Nelson.
Brevoort said, "We've all seen any
number of projects that have been big, anticipated projects that
retailers and fans both are very upset about, when later issues of the
project don't' come out when they should." Though he said he expect to
see JLA/Avengers scheduled for 2003, "I wouldn't want to put it
in any particular month, because anything I say right now - if I give a
casual date - every fan in the world will seize on that as the truth
and then the solicitation catalog will come out and, if it's not there,
it's a disaster. It will be done when it will be done."
So far, Brevoort said, the interface
between the two publishers has been smooth. "Ultimately, everybody
involved wants the same thing. They want a good, strong, classic
crossover, the crossover to end all crossovers, and everybody has sort
of been putting their egos at the door and whatnot and focused on the
job at hand," he said, adding that he has had more difficulty with much
smaller crossovers in the past. He also indicated confidence that fans
will be pleased with the result.
"It's what you'd expect and more. It's
certainly George just going to town and working to exceed his
reputation for number of characters, complexity of content, and just
hitting the page with energy and vibe and character and spirit. George
is clearly trying to exceed himself on this project. It's a thing he's
waited to do for 20 years, and you see it on every page. Nobody is
going to be disappointed with it."
Pérez said he is having "a grand time" on the project. "Kurt Busiek and Tom Brevoort and JLA
Editor Dan Raspler are throwing a lot of fancy curveballs at me, and
I'm getting to do a lot of clever visuals, a lot of stuff that will
please the new fans and the nostalgists, the people who have been there
for a long time. For those who like Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern,
they'll be pleased with his involvement. Those who like Hal Jordan,
they'll be pleased with his involvement."
Pérez also said there will be surprise
appearances by characters who have absolutely nothing to do with either
the JLA or the Avengers.
"Why? Because I want it," he said. "Kurt
Busiek had already publicly said that Wolverine will never make an
appearance in this book.
"Wolverine appears in JLA/Avengers. Never say, 'Never,' to George Pérez."
SDCC: JLA/JSA PANEL HIGHLIGHTS
posted August 01, 2002 08:47 PM
written by mattbrady
(excerpt)
More preview pages from JLA/Avengers
will be trickling out, although DC sources did not say as to how.
Reportedly, George Perez is on issue #3 of the crossover, while Kurt
Busiek is plotting issue #4.
An Interview with Kurt Busiek
by Randy "Moonstonelover" Burtis
(excerpt)
JLA/AVENGERS
Q: JLA/AVENGERS.How far along is the project?
A: George is working on #3. I'll be plotting #4 soon.
Q: Have you been deluged with "who should beat/meet who" emails from fans?
A: Of course. Many of them will be disappointed, of course, since
we got just as many people insisting that Thor should beat Superman
decisively as people insisting that Superman should beat Thor
decisively. And we got so many lists of who-should-fight-who that even
if this book -was- called JLA/AVENGERS: TAG-TEAM FIGHTS, we'd run 12
issues and still wouldn't fit them all in. But this book is about
teams, not about solo battles. And for that matter, the two teams
-fighting- has never been the main point, only part of the story.
Q: As you have been working on this project, what has been some of the surprises you have encountered?
A: There've been some surprises about how the plot developed, as we
discovered nice bits that fit in easily, or moments that made the whole
project that much better -- but I can't tell you about them. In terms
of the working arrangement, there haven't been surprises -- it's gone
more or less the way I'd have expected. Slower, but as expected.
12/21/2006 00:12:36
JLA/AVENGERS #3 (Nov 2003)
AVENGERS UNITED #37 (UK)
(Mar 2004)
JLA/AVENGERS #3 (Mexico) (Mar 2004) 
NEW YORK COMIC-CON 2009 (06-08 Feb 2009) 
JLA/AVENGERS #3
(Nov 2003)
Thu, 21 Dec 2006 00:02:51 CST
AVJLA.jpg (278 kb)
WONDER WOMAN 100 PROJECT (28 Jun 2017)
SPAWN #1 25TH ANNIVERSARY DIRECTOR'S CUT FOIL ENCORE EDITION
(28 Jun 2017)
