CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture

Sep08

GEORGE PEREZ Reveals the One Image Destined to Be in JLA/AVENGERS

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Sep 8, 2019

GEORGE PEREZ Reveals the One Image Destined to Be in JLA/AVENGERS

THE GEORGE PEREZ INTERVIEWS wrap up with a discussion of the last DC-Marvel crossover… Welcome to THE GEORGE PEREZ INTERVIEWS, a weekly series where the comics master discusses his greatest series. Over 13 weeks, Perez, who’s retiring from the world of comics, gives you his take on each installment of our recent TOP 13 GEORGE PEREZ COUNTDOWN, which was written by 13th Dimension contributor Anthony Durso. (Click here for much more on that.) The segments are culled from a panel Perez and I did at East Coast Comicon. Last time was #2 — Crisis on Infinite Earths. (Click here.) This week, we’re finally at #1 — JLA/Avengers, which Perez produced with writer Kurt Busiek in 2003-04: Dan Greenfield: And the Number One pick, which at this point is probably obvious to everybody sitting in the room, is JLA/Avengers. George Perez: I, again like Crisis, this was even more of a fanboy wet dream because I’m playing in the playground of two companies. Everyone knows it was started back in the 1980s and because of a lot of intercompany politics, it was killed. And I was really upset about that, having drawn 21 pages, having the time of my life, and then having it yanked out from under me. (Then) it had a lot of false starts to restart it, and nothing ever happened. I received a call from the editor over at Marvel, my Avengers editor Tom Brevoort, saying that they are seriously talking about doing JLA/Avengers if I’m willing to draw it. They would not have done it if I said no. … Because (Marvel exec) Joe Quesada had commented and said, why wasn’t this book printed? And how can we make it better? How can we get it done? Joe was a friend, plus the fact that he saw that, as a fan, why can’t this book be done? But I’d heard this all before. A gentleman, who passed away recently, Mark Alessi, was the publisher and founder of CrossGen Comics, who wanted me to work at CrossGen. He was offering me a great, great deal, I was very, very flattered. The companies are always like, in bidding wars to get my services and I’m very flattered by that. But Mark really wanted me there, but I was hesitant. I said, “What if the JLA/Avengers comes in? I...

Sep05

The TOP 13 BATMAN STORIES, Picked by PAUL LEVITZ

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Sep 5, 2019

The TOP 13 BATMAN STORIES, Picked by PAUL LEVITZ

The former DC chief takes you on a Bat-history tour… Back in March, we convened a blue-ribbon panel of experts to pick the 13 greatest Batman stories ever – in any medium – and ran each selection daily as THE TOP 13 BATMAN COUNTDOWN, in celebration of the Caped Crusader’s 80th anniversary. (Click here. You’ll dig it.) Included on the panel was former DC chief and Batman editor Paul Levitz, who Sept. 12 will be appearing at Manhattan’s Society of Illustrators for a 90-minute discussion on the Darknight Detective with longtime colleague and acclaimed Bat-scribe Denny O’Neil. (Click here for tickets and further details.) With that event in the offing, it seemed like a good idea to revisit Levitz’s TOP 13 ballot. So, I asked him if he’d care to elaborate on his selections, and he graciously agreed, providing the guest column below. Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that the Society’s magnificent Batman exhibits – featuring rare, original art stretching from the Golden Age to today — are still running. Click here to check out our INSIDE LOOK. — Dan — By PAUL LEVITZ 1. The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley, 1986. The comic that smashed the glass ceiling – this was the one that made the general public aware that comics could be smart and challenging fare for adults, that Batman wasn’t simply the goofy guy Adam West had played, and established the format for the American graphic novel. — And, in chronological order (including publication date): The Case of the Chemical Syndicate, by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, Detective Comics #27, 1939. As we’ve learned, it’s largely borrowed from a Shadow story, and contains just traces of what Batman would become, but it’s still the start of the magic. — Robin, the Boy Wonder, by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson, Detective Comics #38, 1940. There’s a lot about Robin that I dislike as an adult (no sane person should ever endanger a child like that, seriously!) but none of it occurred to me when I was a kid, and I think that cheerful oblivious appreciation was shared by millions. — The Joker, by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson, Batman #1, 1940. The Joker emerges from the pulp tradition and early film, but somehow transcends them and becomes comics’ most...

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