EXPERT OPINION
Friday, September 5
written by The Wizard Staff
published in WIZARD #144

Comic creators weigh in on the JLA/Avengers fights they can’t wait to see

WIZARD: THE COMICS MAGAZINE #144 (Cover A) (Sep 2003) Wizard Press

JLA/Avengers is a miniseries 20 years in the making. So with the first issue finally hitting stands this week, even the buzz amongst the comic community was at an all-time high. Everyone from Greg Rucka to Judd Winick to Geoff Johns and more had a matchup they'd love to see, so Wizard gave these guys a call to find out just what they are.

BATMAN vs. CAPTAIN AMERICA
“When [former Green Arrow writer] Brad Meltzer and I were attending the University of Michigan, he sat with me one night while I was inking a pile of comic strips for our school newspaper. We planned the JLA/Avengers battle and who would win. We agreed on most, disagreed on Hulk and Superman, but felt that of course Batman would beat Captain America, because Batman would cheat. Education at its finest.” - Outsiders and Green Arrow writer Judd Winick

SUPERMAN vs. THOR
“You’re not going to beat the Man of Steel. Thor’s got a bigger family, he can get anybody down from Asgard to come down and lend him a hand, but Superman can move the world. Did you see in DC Comics Presents, he’s up there on a mountain, [artist José] Garcia Lopez’s got that drawing of him pushing the world back into orbit? Please! [Laughs]” - Hawkman artist Rags Morales

RED TORNADO vs. VISION
“Red Tornado and Vision should prove really interesting. Of course, even though I like Tornado, Vision is gonna trounce on him. Air elemental or whatever, Vision will tear him limb from limb. His density powers, solar beams—phasing alone will make any wind Tornado might whip up useless.” - Avengers and Flash writer Geoff Johns

GREEN ARROW vs. HAWKEYE
“They both have bows and arrows, it seems natural. I think Green Arrow would win; he gave up on those trick arrows and he’s got those really sharp ones. He’ll happily put them through anybody who gets in his way. [Laughs]” - Wolverine writer Greg Rucka

ZATANNA vs. SCARLET WITCH (AND THE ENTIRE AVENGERS)
“Oh, Zatanna. She can do anything she can think of [as long as she says it] backwards. “Maybe they should define those abilities a little better, but they haven’t. Zatanna vs. the Avengers, that’s it. She says, ‘You’re all a bunch of nice bunnies’ backwards, and they’re all a bunch of nice bunnies! That’s it!” - Fables writer Bill Willingham

Don't forget, Wizard wants your opinion as well! JLA/Avengers: Does it live up to the hype? Give us your thoughts on the most anticipated comic book crossover of all-time. Just click here or on theimage to the right to drop us a line.

CRISIS CHECKLIST
written by Karl Cramer

COMPLETE CROSSOVER GUIDE

By 1986, continuity in the DC universe had become so tangled that the only solution was a complete timeline overhaul called the Crisis on Infinite Earths. This massive crossover zigzagged throughout a handful of DC titles (strangely neither of Batman's books crossed over with the event) and gave birth to all-new, streamlined histories for everyone's favorite heroes. We know you've got the Crisis trade paperback, but that's no the complete story! In order to get the full scoop on all of the Crisis intricacies, we've provided a comprehensive list of all the DC issues that had anything to do with the landmark event for your collecting convenience.

ALL-STAR SQUADRON #50

ALL-STAR SQUADRON #51

ALL-STAR SQUADRON #52

ALL-STAR SQUADRON #53

ALL-STAR SQUADRON #54

ALL-STAR SQUADRON #55

ALL-STAR SQUADRON #56

ALL-STAR SQUADRON #60

AMETHYST #13

BLUE DEVIL #17

BLUE DEVIL #18

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #1

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #2

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #3

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #4

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #5

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #6

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #7

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #8

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #9

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #10

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #11

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #12

DC COMICS PRESENTS #86

DC COMICS PRESENTS #87

DC COMICS PRESENTS #88

DC COMICS PRESENTS #94

[ Read more Crisis Crossover Checklist ]

THE HUES BROTHERS
Wednesday, August 27

WIZARD: THE COMICS MAGAZINE #144 (Cover A) (Sep 2003) Wizard Press WIZARD #144 (Cover B) (Sep 03)

Wizard Universe profiles four of the top colorists in the biz

If it weren’t for the colorists, comics would be a pretty bland medium. Not to say there aren’t good black and white books, but fans of superhero titles admire the bright, splashy eye-catching colors, and thanks to the many talented color artists currently playing their craft today, comics have rarely looked so good.

To coincide with the release of Wizard #144, which sports a nifty Captain America/Superman cover by George Pérez, we tapped a quartet of the hottest colorists working today to give you a look at what goes on between the lines of your favorite comics. Our four subjects—Tom Smith, Jose Villarrubia, Aron Lusen and Caesar Rodriguez—all re-colored our Supes/Cap piece to suit their own style, while our profiles give you a taste of what it’s like working in the multi-hued world of the colorist!

>>>

TOM SMITH
Colorist Profile
Wednesday, August 27

NAME: Tom Smith BIRTHDATE: 11/16/56 BASE OF OPERATIONS: Jamesburg, NJ CURRENT CREDITS: JLA/Avengers PAST CREDITS: Hulk: Future Imperfect, Crimson Plague, X Men 2099, Jurrassic Park, Gambit, Nexus, Evil Ernie COMIC INFLUENCES: “Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Alex Toth, Gil Kane, Joe Kubert, Russ Heath, John Buscema ,Marie and John Severin, Wally Wood, Curt Swan, Jack Davis, Stan Lee , Joe Sinnott, Nick Cardy, Murphy Anderson, John Romita Sr.—they are some my classic comic gods! “These guys started my love for comics and comic art—Neal Adams, George Pérez, Frank Brunner, Walt Simonson, Bart W. Sears, Mike Kaluta, Bernie Wrightson, John Byrne—the artist influences of my boyhood ! I bought and loved everything these guys ever did. Great artists all! Also, Jim Lee, Steve Rude, Ron Lim, Ron Garney, Alan Davis, Art Adams, Paul Smith, Paul Ryan, Adam Hughes, Alex Ross; these folks are the new breed of great artists. I’m sure there are a ton more I have missed. The thing I love about these great comic book artists is the diversity in styles, everyone has made their own mark but never skimped on the quality of their work.” WHAT ARE YOUR PREFERRED MEDIUMS/APPLICATIONS FOR COLORING? “The only thing I use these days is my Mac G4 and Photoshop. It is the best way to digitally color comics these days. But I miss the days of getting my hands dirty with paint and still sometimes—when I get free time—sit down and produce a painting of my own.” WHAT SHOULD A COLOR ARTIST BRING TO THE TABLE? “Color…Good solid color storytelling.” CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR APPROACH TO COLORING? “I try to compliment the art and clarify the changing of scenes with color. Good coloring is not supposed to stand out too much so that it overpowers the art. It is supposed to compliment the art and not stop the eye with the newest cool color effect.” ARE THERE ANY DREAM PROJECTS/COLLABORATIONS YOU’D LIKE TO WORK ON? “I'm working on the ultimate dream project right: JLA/Avengers! I also want to do more Incredible Hulk comics!! He is my favorite! Or She-Hulk! I would also like to do more work for DC in the future—call me, Mike Carlin!” WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU OFFER SOMEONE WHO’S HOPING TO BECOME A COLOR ARTIST? “Forget it! There is not enough work for me [laughs]! Sorry. My advice is to get a good computer and get good and fast at coloring with it and never give up on trying to get a job in comics.” Click on the colorist name for next profile José Antonio Villarrubia Jimenez-Momediano Caeser Rodriguez Aron Lusen

ON SALE TOMORROW
What you need to know about Wizard 144
Tuesday, August 26

(excerpt)

GET MORE ON JLA/AVENGERS!
- We cover all the bases of the biggest crossover event in comics history! Sit in on a roundtable Wizard Q&A interview with writer Kurt Busiek and artist George Pérez and learn why it took 20 years to get this project rolling. - See what the original 1982 JLA/Avengers was about and find out why it was squashed. Plus, check out what a hypothetical sequel could be about in this special feature. - Arist George Pérez draws a Superman/Captain America alternate cover to this issue.

WIZARD: THE COMICS MAGAZINE #144 (Cover A) (Sep 2003) Wizard Press

Shipping This Week: August 20

The following products are expected to ship to comic book specialty stores this week. Note that this list is tentative and subject to change. Please check with your retailer for availability.

APR032575 PACESETTER THE GEORGE PEREZ MAGAZINE #2 $6.50

Shipping Next Week: August 27

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.

WIZARD
JUL031879 WIZARD COMICS MAGAZINE PEREZ AVENGERS JLA CVR #144 $4.99

PREMIER - GEMS OF THE MONTH: WIZARD: THE COMICS MAGAZINE #144

(excerpt)

Get More on JLA/Avengers!
We cover all the bases of the biggest crossover event in comics history! Sit in on a roundtable Wizard Q&A interview with writer Kurt Busiek and artist George Pérez and learn why it took 20 years to get this project rolling. See what the original 1982 JLA/Avengers was about and find out why it was squashed. Plus, check out what a hypothetical sequel could be about in this special feature.

Artist George Pérez draws a Superman/Captain America alternate cover to this issue.

Magazine (JLA Superman/Green Lantern/Hawkgirl cover by Alex Ross)..........$4.99
Magazine (Avengers/JLA Captain America/Superman by George Perez)..........$4.99