cover: (photo)

WIZARD: THE COMICS MAGAZINE #139 Apr 2003 $4.99 Wizard Magazine (184 pages) Released on 27 February 2003. One page interview with George Pérez. Related WIZARD SOLUS

As published in WIZARD: THE COMICS MAGAZINE #139. I was really excited when I read that. Please pick up the latest issue for the Pérez interview. Check out their website, www.wizarduniverse.com, while you're at it.

DRESSED TO KILL DC offers a sneak peek at the new 'Teen Titans' (excerpt) CYBORG (Mike) McKone, who admits that the Marv Woflman/George Pérez run of the 1980s was one of the only comics he read as a kid, adopted his predecessor's initial design with a few tweaks. "Cyborg will be pretty close to the Pérez design, with a couple of modifications," hinted McKone. "We're giving him little LED battery indicators all over his body. And we decided to get rid of the garter belt."

WIZARD: THE COMICS MAGAZINE #139

THE HOT SEAT
written by Mike Cotton

This Month Featuring: GEORGE PEREZ

Artist of Marvel/DC's upcoming JLA/AVENGERS and CrossGen's Solus

WIZARD: George, you've had a historic run on Teen Titans and Avengers. Now you're tackling JLA/Avengers and Solus for CrossGen. How do you get it all done, yo?
PEREZ: Slowly… very slowly.

WIZARD: Besides doing awe-inspiring comics, you're also known for your Hawaiian shirts. So that begs the question, how much of your annual incoming goes to Hawaiian shirts?
[Laughs] I don't even want to think about it. But actually my wife, Carol Flynn, has been making them for me for a long time now.

Wearing Hawaiin shirts seems like it would get some attention. When's the last time you were in a fistfight?
Oh not since I was in grade school. This kid ripped my Thor comic and then he punched me. I think I ripped his jacket and then he punched me. Then I just ran home.

That's sad, brother. Did you ever get revenge like Batman would?
No.

Well, we know you weren't born to stalk the street of Gotham protecting the innocent. What else are you not born to do?
I hate drawing cars, especially moving cars.

Does that mean we won't see Cap and Superman driving around in Saab together in JLA/Avengers?
What?

Uh-huh, that's what I thought. So when was the last time you weren't think about JLA/Avengers?
Until you brought it up, at least five minutes.

Okay, which writers are you dying to work with and what projects do you want to tackle with them?
Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman spring to mind. And if I ever get to work with them, I'd let them pick the project - anything they want to do.

Here's the big question. Who plays George Perez in the George Perez CBS Movie of the Week?
Why am I on CBS?

Just go with it.
I used to say Burt Reynolds and I've heard Dom DeLuise maybe some kind of strange morph of those two?

Maybe CBS could call it "George Perez's Cannonball Run."
Maybe

Okay, check out these art legends: Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Bob Kane, and George Perez.
Whoa, I've started to hear that "legend" tag more and more, and I'm not even 50 yet. I'm like, "Hey, slow down. I'm too young to be a legend!"

4. GEORGE PEREZ
Solus, upcoming: JLA/Avengers

THE BUZZ:

Lee gives himself a hearty pat on the back as he enjoys the view from the top. Quitely's return to New X-Men has sparked interest in the title, while Kubert's Ultimate X-Men continues to perform. But the biggest shift this month? The re-entry of designated hit-maker George Perez! Not only does perez make his return to monthly comics with CrossGen's Solus, but fan anticipation of JLA/Avengers is gradually approaching frenzy level. Other new entries this month include x-tremist Larroca and Avengers newcomer Coipel.

SOLUS #1 (Mar 03)

Pick of the Litter

WHY IT'S COOL Two words for ya, bunky: George Perez! The ultra-detailed penciler drreturns to the CrossGen Universe, fresh off his sabbatical doing JLA/Avengers. Perez is hands down one of the best artist working, but his output has been nil while working on the super-anticipated Marvel/DC crossover, so his return to comics ranks as one of the 2003's most-anticipated events! Even Perez has gotten psyched about this return… and this project. "To be able to work on the stuff I really want to do - to do the ultimate superhero book, to do fantasy which I've been aching to do for ages - I consider myself a very fortunate artist," notes Perez.

IN ISSUE #1 A renowned scientist, explorer and athlete, Andra Radiant wants to put her life back together after a mysterious affliction robs her of her memory, and to do so, she'll have to adopt different identities as she travels the worlds of the CrossGen Universe. By Barbara Kesel, Pérez and Rick Magyar. $2.95 (March 26)

NEW TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #2

BARGAIN BIN

What true fanboy doesn't dig on trawling the quarter bins at a show to find good comics at a cheap price?

Heck, the Wizard staffers do the exact same thing whenever we hit a show, so we pored over our personal collections, hit our library and scoured quarter bins to whip up this list of Bargain Bin gemes. If you've got a couple of bucks to spare at your next con, hit the quarter bins and look for these little ditties!

(excerpt)

THE NEW TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #2

A kick-ass story by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez! When the Titans start harassing a local mobster that Robin's gunning for, the gangster hires an army of super-assassins to make the Titans dead! See Robin pushed to his breaking point, as well as the first appearance of the new Vigilante!

WILSON TAKES COVER

Michael Wilson couldn't believe his ears. When the 29-year-old printing press emploee from Milwaukie, Ore., was told that he had won Wizard's latest cover contest, he immediately suspected foul play.

(excerpt)

As for his favorite artist? "I've got lots!" laughs Wilson. "I'm a huge George Pérez fan, and a big John Bryne fan from the old days."

ON THE RISE
MIKE MCKONE
written by Casey Seuas

QUOTABLE: It looks as though McKone's livin' his dream. "I was a big fan of the Marv Wolfman/George Pérez [New Teen] Titans," says the artist. "It was one of the only books I read as a kid. This is a great project to be on."