News: JLA/Avengers: Mystics April 03, 2005 07:36 pm

 From Ralph Ramil Mendoza

JLA / AVENGERS: MYSTICS (Mar 2005), art by Ralph Ramil Mendoza

Subject: JLA/Avengers:Mystics
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 19:22:51 +0800

I'd like to share with you this new JLA/Avengers artwork. Highlighted this time are Sorcerers, Witches, Magicians, Gods, Demons, Celestials and other heroes whose powers are supernatural in nature.

If you think the human chain concept seems familiar, then you're right. I based it on the mystical/cosmic battles in the issues of Crisis On Infinite Earths # 10, Avengers # 3 volume 3 and Marvel Two In One # 58. All of which were pencilled by George Perez himself.

The warriors who're standing guard with weapons raised are, by the way, my idea.

Hope you like it!

COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE #1565 (14 Dec 2003)

RETROVIEW: CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS
written by Jim Johnson
published in COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE #1565 (14 Dec 2003)
website: www.comicsbuyersguide.com

DC editors bestowed four-color godhood upon Marv Wolfman, when they OK'd his proposal to revamp the company's incomprehensible 50-year history in the early 1980s. and, like an angry deity come judgment day, Wolfman waved his hand and wiped countless redundant universes from existence, making the DC universe a more accessible place for new readers.

Of course, fandom would have settled for no one other than George Pérez to illustrate such an epic, and Pérez superceded all expectations by turning in one of the finest efforts of his career.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #1 (Apr 85) Wolfman wastes no time getting started, beginning the culling of the multiverse on the second page. With the ironically heroic demise of Earth-3's Crime Syndicate immediately thereafter, Wolfman also kicks off the first of many emotionally intense and beautifully constructed death sequences. It's a bit unfortunate that the remainder of the issue is little more than exposition for the rest of the series, but riding along while various heroes and villains from different Earths and eras are brought together is, nonetheless, a fanboy's delight.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #2 (May 85)

It's another fairly slow issue, action-wise. But that's barely noticed amid the excitement generated from the intermingling of such characters from different Earths and time periods as Kamandi and Earth-2's Superman, for example. Amazingly, among the dozen of characters utilized (so far), Wolfman still manages to squeeze in panel time for individual characters, like The Flash and Psycho Pirate, who eventually play important roles. And, as if that weren't enough, he jams a few intriguing plot developments into an already-packed issue. Astonishing.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #3 (Jun 85)

It would be easy to criticize the fact that all Wolfman does here is fill another issue with unlikely, ragtag alliances plopped into random time periods. Except it's just too doggone cool not to like, and this is what we all paid 75¢ to see, after all. This is fun, plain and simple. But it's obviously none are having as much fun as Wolfman and Pérez themselves, who are making the most of the limited playtime allotted to them In comicdom's biggest sandbox.

[ Read more CBG's Retroview: Crisis ]

CRISIS #10

It's Bob Rozakis: The Answer Man
Reviews And Qs
Monday, February 24
By Bob Rozakis

(excerpt)

Remember me? It seems like ages since I've e-mailed you. I wanted to drop you a note with some additional info for this week's column:

* Space Ranger hasn't made any substantial appearances since GREEN LANTERN [second series] #s 136-137 but he HAS appeared, specifically in cameos in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #10, GUY GARDNER #24 and STARMAN [second series] #55.

As for Tommy Tomorrow, he also appeared in CRISIS #10 (and 12, which revealed that in the new timeline, he was the kid who'd otherwise have grown up to be Kamandi). His appearances since have all been non-canonical, such as his turn as a villain in TWILIGHT #s 1-3, his appearance as one of Robby Reed's alternate identities in SILVER AGE SECRET FILES #1 and a fantasy sequence in STARMAN [second series] #55.

-- John Wells (mikishawm@yahoo.com)

TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #48 Another pseudo crossover between two comics teams from different companies was done in NEW TEEN TITANS and DNAGENTS from DC and Eclipse by Marv Wolfman and Mark Evanier respectively. Similar to the FREEDOM FIGHTERS / INVADERS crossover, each team fought a doppelganger team of the other, and both stories appeared at roughly the same time. I believe the DNAgents doppels were the Recombatants; don't recall what the Titans' doppels were called. Post-Crisis, by the way, the Cyborg-Superman was originally a Reed Richards doppelganger, introduced in a Superman story with a full Fantastic Four origin and team homage. Re: recalling Kara post-Crisis. There was the Deadman story in CHRISTMAS WITH THE SUPER-HEROES #2 circa 1989 where Deadman meets a blonde ghost named Kara; she was a hero who no one remembered at all. If it wasn't Supergirl, it was a darn good imitation. -- Tom Galloway (tyg@panix.com)

CRISIS #10

Post-Crisis Multiverses
10-28-02 23:46

Let's see, memory being off, I'll do my best. I believe I knew early on - after I roughly plotted all 12 issues but before I completely committed to the plots - that I had to make changes. The ending of the series was the SAME execpt for the idea that the heroes NEVER went to the beginning of time and therefore they were affected by the time change, too. This would mean the ONLY person who knew the worlds had collapsed would have been Psycho Pirate and he was nuts. But everything else was the same.
The series are supposed to be ten issues with a two issue History of DC to explain the new history. But the STORY ran longer than I anticipated (even with George drawing 127 panels per page). Even if the end didn't have to be changed so the heroes remembered the events, it still would have run the full 12 issues. being the first of its kind it was impossible to fully anticipate everything I needed to fit into the issues.

I still think the ending doesn't work as is but I think considering what needed to be done it was done the best it could be. I just saw the dominoes falling and knew if anyone remembered the Crisis the characters be talking about it for years to come, which negated the need to make the change in the first place. And that is exactly what happened.