I finally have my audio tape working so I'm going to try and transcribe a little of the panel each night. It's going to take awhile since the panel was almost 60 minutes long. Plus I am triple checking everything I post. As I said before no plot points were given away just some really cool scenes were mentioned. I arrived a few minutes late for the panel. I was at a CBLDF Quick Sketch so I will start in a natural break in Mr. Perez conversion which just happens to be when I walked in. (laughs) So here we go..
George Perez: Just to give you a little visual and a story bit which of course if you put them together will make absolutely no sense but things like I had to draw to show you Kurt (Busiek) was really, really thinking the idea of showing the WATCHER standing by the JLA Watchtower, having scenes in the Flash Museum where we get to see all the Flashes, JESSE QUICK, and JOHNNY QUICK and the various Flashes and KID FLASH. The TITANS make a cameo appearance.
In fact in the first seven pages of the JLA/AVENGERS there are over a dozen established characters who appear in those seven pages and not a single one of them is a member of the JLA or the AVENGERS so if we are talking close to a 200 membership just of the group themselves there are probably going to be another 200 characters who are not affiliated with them who will be making cameos or involved in some of the action scenes, who appear in (noise) pictures.
LOOPHOLE, art by Tom Grummett/Doug Hazlewood, from ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #505 (Oct 93)
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MORIA BRANDON,
art by Don Hudson/Charles
Barnett. HONORARY member in AVENGERS WEST COAST
#100 (1993).
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George Perez: Moria Brandon, one of the tough calls on the AVENGERS. One of the few honorary AVENGERS that I did not know was a honorary AVENGER, she did not appear in my AVENGERS poster, appears on a picture on the wall. I can't imagine a 80-something year old woman coming into the thick of a battle swinging an axe unless she was hop-sing. (everyone laughs)
Let's see now. The characters you will see. Just in the last issue alone we are probably doing close to three dozen super-villains that are popping into the last issue that have not appeared in the issues before.
We do get to just cameo some heavy hitters, DR. DOOM, MAGNETO, LEX LUTHOR to minor characters like LOOPHOLE who I hadn't even heard of until I had to draw it and we will get to see Fing-Fang-Foom, for those who are familiar with the 1950's Marvel Monsters.
We have scenes in such various places as, of course Avengers Mansion in it's various stages. The various headquarters of the JLA. I mentioned the Flash Museum, Asguard.
You'll see characters. I mentioned the WATCHER, you can be sure GALACTUS always has to appear in these type of stories. I really don't want to do THANOS but he may pop up. (sigh) I am not going to tell you who the main villains are or if the villains that I just mentioned have any key part, just that I get to draw them.
(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)
Mr. Perez finished up the next two minutes of his opening comments with how a lot of people didn't know he was inking himself on the project. How his income went down 60% during the year he was exclusively working on JLA/Avengers since he has been working on page rate for the project (if that doesn't show his love for this project I don't know what will).
He also said next to "When is CRIMSON PLAGUE #3 coming out?" is the question he is asked the most is what is the status Of JLA/AVENGERS.
Mr. Perez then opened up the floor to questions.
>>>
Fan: How long is it going to be?
George Perez: It is going to be four (4) prestige books all 48 pages long with wrap around covers which means a grand total of 200 pages of artwork.
George talked about how happy he is to be working with the creative crew and how they're doing a great job (Kurt Busiek, Tom Smith, Tom Brevoort and Mike Carlin).
George then talked a little about the coloring of the project and it's approval from the higher ups. George also threw a little trivia at us when he said another great thing about having Mike Carlin involved in the process is that Mike used to be the Late Mark Gruenwald's Assistant editor when Mark was the editor of the original JLA/AVENGERS. It brings a nice sense of closure to the project for him since they are the only two from the original working on this project. Len Wein doesn't work in mainstream comics anymore (Note: George was unaware of Len's Current Batman Mini-series BATMAN: NEVERMORE at DC) and Jim Shooter no longer works for Marvel.
Fan: Is there going to be a written history of your working on the original or the current version of the project?
George Pérez: If anything like that is done it would be hopefully for a collected version of the book because this is all in the talk stages so until the book comes out anything regarding a collection is merely speculation by my part but the hope of using the original 21 pages as added material because I'm always a firm believer if you're doing a collected addition of anything particularly the JLA/AVENGERS which is already getting top notch reproduction. You really have to give the fans something extra. I am bound my contract at CrossGen so obvious I can't draw a new cover or anything else for a collection because I only had the wavier for the project.
One thing that I did as sneaky as I am (everyone laughs) is that for all the ACTOR auctions and other places were I had art work auctioned off that I have done JLA/AVENGERS including the cover of this program well ever single one of those pieces I keep a file so we can use as additional material for any collect works as well so I will have new material, ah, because obviously the only people at Pittsburgh Convention will have seen that cover, ah, granted it will not say "Welcome to the 10th Anniversary of the Pittsburgh Comic Con" (everyone laughs) but I will have new material there.
Fanboy AKA Eric: George, can you confirm that yourself or Kurt or Tom are going to appear in the pages?
George Perez: Oh at this point, ah, I have no real intention of putting Kurt, Tom or Me in the story. I am putting a couple of friends in who have asked. One person wanted to be specifically in a page with BATMAN, ah, appears so I put him in there.
One person who helps my art agent would like his children to appear there so I'll probably sneak the kids in. I'm not doing as much tuckering, as I found out that's what it's called when you put real people into a fictional setting, ah, because I don't want to slow this book down any further than it has been slowed down and drawing real people takes time.
There is one person who does appear in issue one (1) getting a autograph from HAWKEYE because, oh, did he badger me to death (laughs). Ok you're in there now luckily I didn't kill you (laughs).
So there are only a couple of people there but I have no real desire to put myself in there, ah, I probably sneak by name in there but then again I'm already in the credits I guess my name is already snuck in there.
Kurt, when I did the (pause) for those who have seen the pages in Wizard the scene from Belly Burger I believe the name of the place is from the DC Universe their version of Bob's Big Boy that kind of thing. No, that's not Kurt Busiek I drew there. That is the character as was shown to me in references they sent me. Oh yeah, cubby guy with beard, it is not Kurt. Kurt hair doesn't go that way (George makes a wave thru his hair)
So I had actually saw this someone had printed a list of people appearing in the JLA/AVENGERS and had listed Kurt Busiek as Big Belly Burger guy. No, Hey Kurt is a friend I wouldn't insult him that way but at this point none of us actually physically appear in the story.
Fan: What's the difference this time between working on it, this time around and as it was 20 years ago working with ah you know Roy (Thomas) and all of them?
George Perez: There are many difference between this version and the last version. You see one of the things we can't recapture with this version is the uniqueness of it. There have been so many Marvel/DC crossovers in the course of the 20 years since the original JLA/AVENGERS was planned, ah, that's one negative we can never be able to get back.
That by the very nature we are doing Post-Crisis versions of a lot of characters. Hey, the word "Post" and "Pre" Crisis didn't exist when the original JLA/AVENGERS was done. It proceeded the CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTH series which some of the concepts for the original JLA/AVENGERS were used in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTH and we are utilizing some of those same concepts for the current version.
You see there are just so many comic stories you can do. You are probably going to notice when you see the first five pages a definite little tip of the hat to CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTH you'll be able to tell when you see it, ah, if you can't see it well then you will have to ask what were you talking about?
Ah, I like to think I have improved as a artist in 20 years. I would not have had the skill to ink myself, ah, 20 years ago on a project that big, which is why Dick Giordano was the inker at the time, ah, and story wise Kurt probably because of the history, ah, of the original project is treating this like the major event that he feels and we all feel that it is.
I, with all do respect to Gerry Conway, I believe he thought of it a just another job and Kurt is there to say, 'Ok people have two decades, we didn't have 20 years of anticipation then either and we have a lot to ah hopefully live up to.'
Are we going to make a lot of people happy we hope so are we going to make some people upset or feeling less that fulfilled probably 20 years of anticipations a lot to live up to. All I can say is that we are trying are best there and that no one is taking any short cuts, ah, there was one issue of JLA/AVENGERS I think went through eight rewrites and I might be underestimating, ah, the only redrawing I had to do was that damn GREEN LANTERN costume (laughs).
After a while (background noise) sorry no one changes their underwear much less their custom during the rest of the story but one thing great advantage of still working on it is there is a possibility that I can sneak in the new version of Aquaman now somewhere in the four issue to keep it current.
You know so much has changed in the course of the two years that I have been drawing this project so I will do something but the main parts of the story AQUAMAN is, ah, Captain Hook, ah, and that's the interpretation we are using for the bulk of the story because that's how he was when we started.
I think most people are smart enough to know that this isn't set in any real time. It is set in Earth-$ (Dollar Sign) that I call it (everyone laughs). You are going to see members of the JLA that if you look at them visually and they don't correspond to maybe the AVENGERS in that same Time frame but of course you are going to have to be a little flexible.
One of the great things also because so much history has changed in the course of MARVEL and DC Universes is this story has a lot more time spanning and time travel aspects to it and inter-dimension type stuff so we get to draw things that if you had to be literal to the time line you wouldn't get a chance to do.
You couldn't draw Hal Jordan as GREEN LANTERN, you would have to be literal to your time line, ah, certain characters who are dead, ah, or otherwise no longer able to function, you want to be able to use them, the fans want to see them. There are the Hal Jordan fans who are going to be very happy as I said.
I get to draw the gold eagle on WONDER WOMAN barde again. Despite the fact technically under the continuity it shouldn't exist ever because I rebooted the character, ah, but Kurt said you know if we put it here and we can explain it away because who wouldn't want to see that eagle one last time.
You know, so, yes, Kurt, Tom and everyone involved with the book are big fan boys as am I so one of the problems we had with the original one was: A) It was shorter so you had little you could expand and, ah, some of the criticisms of the plot were that you couldn't show this character because it didn't follow the literal time line and my whole feeling than and now is this is a fan boy's dream. This is what you have been waiting to see.
Yes, Kurt is going to try to make it as logical as possible but there is going to be some stuff that, as Marv Wolfman says, you are going to have to spray the fairy dust on and let your imagination run wild. We are going to have fun with this book. It's a lot of work and I hope it's going to be worth the wait for you, ah, for me (laughs)
I just looking forward to not having to answer when is JLA/AVENGERS coming out, which is the reason you guys are here (laughs)
GREEN LANTERN II (Hal Jordan), art by Dave Johnson.
(scripted to appear in first issue)
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SPECTRE (Hal Jordan), art by Matt Smith/ Christopher Jones/Steve Mitchell.
(scripted to appear in first issue)
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SPECTRE (Jim Corrigan), art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.
(scripted to appear in first issue)
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Fan: Anything on if the SPECTRE is going to be involved?
George Perez: "Ah if you like Hal Jordan as the SPECTRE you will like JLA/AVENGERS. If you like Jim Corrigan... is that who was the original SPECTRE? (a few fans echo back yes) You will like JLA/AVENGERS.
"I get to sneak everyone in. How many Black Canaries are there? How many costumes? Ah because you know in issue one (1) when I did get to draw the SPECTRE, I said, 'Ok at least Hal Jordan does appear,' little did I know what Kurt had in mind and when I realized I get to draw the classic GREEN LANTERN in the classic costume even the one, ah, just you know without the shoulder epaulets and the V shape the very, very early version of his costume, ah, this is what I hoped it would be (background noise)
"Inking it doesn't make people shutter: 'Oh My God he's inking himself', ah, cause when I draw thirty-six (36) characters in a panel that means I draw thirty-six (36) individual faces in a panel because this means a lot to me. You can tell the difference between SUPERMAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA and THOR even if I shaved their heads bald."
(a fans cell phone goes off)
George jokes "Shoot that man".
Fan: Yes. Hi. I just wanted to get your feelings on, ah, you've worked with Kurt for awhile now. I just wanted to get your feeling on your working relationship and how things are working on this project oppose to working on the AVENGERS book monthly.
George Perez: Well working on the AVENGERS book is obviously different from working on the JLA/AVENGERS for no other reason than, ah, Kurt would do a plot on JLA/AVENGERS and not see artwork for weeks and weeks on end as opposed to the regular AVENGERS book where everything was much more immediate you know I would get a plot a week he's getting artwork and we have to get it done by a certain time.
The fact that the last plot I received from Kurt Busiek was months ago and I still getting ready to start it. I have to wait for references. That is a very unique situation.
Working with Kurt is a dream. I compare it to the greatest compliment that I can give to any writer it reminds me of working with Marv Wolfman on the TITANS. Marv spoiled me for many writers as far as a great give and take working relationship the generosity of Marv Wolfman can't be over emphasize he is responsible for my writing for the first time, ah, when I was co-plotting TITANS.
I felt it was just part of the job Marv felt my contribution were worthy of not only credit, but pay. There was no financial structure for a co-plotter at that time. Marv paid me out of his pocket from his pay for co-plotting and on a creative level Marv and I got to such a symbiotic relationship there was no written plot anymore. We would discuss it I would draw it and the only written plot was the plot I gave Marv telling him what I had just drawn. I had to explain it to Marv who had a lousy memory he couldn't remember what we talked about (laughs).
But working with Kurt is a dream it has been one of the great relationships and when the choice came to write the JLA/AVENGERS there was no question. At one point we were considering having Kurt and Mark Waid working together, but at the time Mark was still writing the JUSTICE LEAGUE, ah, but when the book was being brought together Mark was no longer on the JUSTICE LEAGUE and the writer of the JUSTICE LEAGUE (Joe Kelly) really didn't want to work on the crossover and, so Kurt ended up having the challenge of studying the history of both teams. And I must say he took his job very, very seriously because he knows he is working with of the most anal retentive artist (laughs)
Serious when it comes to detail and wanting to get it right they are still badly burned and scarred from the cover I did to the AVENGERS (AVENGERS Vol#3 #21) that showed the characters in the middle of the ULTRON story line where they are raising their fist in battle, ah, the BLACK PANTHER and, for no apparent reason, FIRESTAR is not there even though she is in that scene inside the book.
(George fakes a rant) 'I said why didn't you tell me FIRESTAR was going to be in the scene. I left FIRESTAR out I wanted everyone in that scene on that page so they learned their lesson' (laughs) (Note: that story can also be found in the 1999 AVENGERS CASEBOOK behind the scenes case notes)
We wanted everyone in there. Don't say oh well we'll take it easy on him. Never tell a masochist to take it easy (laughs)
Fan: In all the time that you have been drawing who is your most favorite character and who's your least favorite character?
George Perez:
(George repeats the question to make sure everyone heard
it) "I don't have a most favorite character which is why I do team books the great advantage to team books is if I get tired of any one character I can jump on to another and I keep going to a character fresh.
"I know as I have gotten older drawing the babes I definitely get a greater charge out doing of that (everyone laughs). I can tell you as far as the most requested character when I go to conventions it's always WONDER WOMAN. I am very proud of the mark that I made on that character and still sometimes on a ratio of 3 to 1 she is the most requested character for private commissions and I still love drawing her because like a lot of the characters I try to do I'm not drawing the outline of the character. I know who the character, ah, is she speaks to me and ah I try to capture the personality of the character even in one static drawing.
"And one of the fun things about doing team books is that I love the characters interactions more than the fight scenes. I love the idea of characters interacting. I had some psychological mumble jumble one time that I thought that since I work all alone in a studio with the exception of time spent with my wife ah there is no social interaction in what I do so I let the characters do it for me, ah, so they provide me with my social skills (laughs)-- no I mean exercise my social skills!" (Everyone laughs)
COMICS INTERVIEW #6
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JLA Meets the AVENGERS (2002), art by George Perez for ACTOR Auction (sold for $1,900)
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Eric: Ah homages are there drawn any homages to like you said in Baltimore the comic cover to the original JLA/AVENGERS from 1983/1984 and that wasn't the original cover and you were going to try and sneak that in.
George Perez: "Well the original cover has already been snuck in.
"In fact I did an original piece for ACTOR showing the famous first meeting of the JLA/JSA with the crystal ball but this time it's the AVENGERS lined up around the table and the JUSTICE LEAGUE inside the crystal ball outnumbering the original JSA members from the original cover. I did that as an ACTOR piece for auction and made good money but I knew full well that was going to appear in the book.
"There is a scene where CAPTAIN AMERICA is looking at some pictures at the mansion and knowing something is not right particularly since on of the pictures he is looking at is that particular scene and I don't remember any of this and what's going on you. I will not tell you (everyone laughs) but again the idea that Kurt really and, ah, everyone involved, the editors, Kurt are going out of there way to make this more than ah just a quick lunch. We want you to chew on it for a while. My whole goal as an artist, I'm assuming most of you are familiar with my work, I like you to find something new the second time you read a comic, the third time, the fourth time. Never draw one line when four will do. I like the density that people are still coming to me, like the HULK: FUTURE IMPERFECT book saying they just found something in the museum sequence because I spent so much time sneaking things in, little nooks and crannies there. I find sometimes there's the editors that criticize, of course that takes time.
"In the long run if I simplify my artwork, yea I can get the work down faster but I think the fans lose out on what makes my style unique. For better or ill this is the Frankenstein that I created, ah, if I started simplify my artwork I going to start hearing "George isn't putting the attention in he use to" (everyone laughs).
The thing is I love what I do. This is my 29th year of doing comics professionally. I like to think that I have the same enthusiasm I did when I saw my name in print for the very, very first time when I was 19 years old. I hope to have an unfinished page on my drawing board when I finally pass on. I just don't want it to be the page I'm working on right now (everyone laughs). I absolutely adore what I do. I have been incredibly, incredibly lucky. I am still kicking and have a loyal fan following after 29 years, I'm celebrating my 22nd Wedding Anniversary this year. I have a lovely house, I get to work at home doing the thing that I love. People have commented I always have seem to have a smile on my face even around the fans (everyone laughs) but I would be the biggest ingrate if not to be grateful for what I have. I have been blessed probably more than one man should be and I am going to take advantage of it and appreciate it."
RICK JONES, art by Perez/Vey.
HONORARY,
joined in AVENGERS #1 (Sep 63)
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EDWIN JARVIS , art by Pérez/Al Vey.
STAFF, Avengers' Butler. Joined in AVENGERS #1 (Sep 63)
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LUCAS "SNAPPER" CARR, art by Perez.
HONORARY, Joined in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #28 (Feb-Mar 60)
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Fan: Well, This is kind of a fan boy question. I was wondering if SNAPPER CARR was going to appear.
George Perez: "YES. Every single member. In a scene SNAPPER CARR barbecuing burgers with RICK JONES and giving a burger to JARVIS (everyone laughs) and why are they barbecuing you are asking? You will see. Now people are going to say I'm looking for the famous barbecue scene that George Perez told us about." (everyone laughs)
(That's it for now. The final JLA/A question was answered in April 30, 2003 | JLA/A Page Count, and the rest is the CBLDF's More Fund Comics, and George answering about Comic Con appearances...)
Very special thanks to Eric Sellers for his wonderful contribution and hard work!
