SUPERMAN AND BATMAN JOIN
FORCES WITH ARCH-RIVAL STAN
LEE TO CREATE AN ALTERNATE
UNIVERSE
DC Comics is pleased to announce the coolest
collaboration in the history of comic books.
Living legend Stan Lee, the co-creator of
Spider-man, the Hulk and the X-Men and
founder of Stan Lee Media is teaming up with
longstanding rival DC Comics to present Lee's
alternative interpretation of the world's most
beloved super-heroes including Batman and
Superman. The series, JUST IMAGINE STAN
LEE CREATING, gives Lee the freedom to
literally start the lives of Superman, Batman,
Wonder Woman, and other DC stars over from
birth. Will Superman work at the Daily Planet?
Will Batman have the Batmobile? Will they
even be heroes? The imagination of
comic-book lovers everywhere will run
rampant as they wait to read the adventures of
the DC Universe through the eyes of Stan Lee -
the comic book world's most prized and
beloved storyteller.
The series will feature the hottest artistic talent
in the industry: John Buscema, longtime
collaborator with Lee on The Silver Surfer and
artist of The Avengers, Fantastic Four and
Conan the Barbarian; Dave Gibbons, illustrator
of the Hugo Award-winning Watchmen; Joe
Kubert, illustrator of Tarzan and founder of the
Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art;
Jim Lee, artist of the best-selling and
record-setting comic book X-Men #1; Bruce
Timm, producer of the Emmy Award-winning
Batman and Superman animated television
series; and others will lend their hand in the
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to illustrate and
create alternative versions of the world's most
popular super-heroes with Lee.
"During all the years I've been with Marvel, it
was always fun to imagine how I might have
written the DC characters. Now, it's really great
to have the chance to reapproach the DC
Universe and tackle the storytelling and
characterization in my own style," said Stan
Lee, Founder, Chairman and Chief Creative
Officer of Stan Lee Media. "The chance to
work with people I've admired for years and
the chance to create stories with characters
that I've enjoyed for years was an offer I could
not resist."
"With his artistic collaborators at Marvel, Stan
co-created the richest imaginary universe a
single comics writer has ever built. Every kid
who ever picked up one of his comics
wondered what Stan would do if he ever
worked on the DC heroes and now we can
deliver their dream," commented Paul Levitz,
DC'sExecutive Vice President and Publisher,
"and by Stan doing it as a special series, we
can capture the magic of turning back the
clock to see how he would have started it all."
The project will be presented as twelve issues
in DC's prestige format, beginning in late 2000
and later collected into trade book editions.
Each issue will reveal an alternative version of
a DC hero according to Lee and a
collaborating artist, beginning with JUST
IMAGINE STAN LEE WITH JOHN BUSCEMA
CREATING SUPERMAN. Other characters
scheduled for the series include Batman,
Wonder Woman, the Sandman and the Justice
League of America. The project was initiated
by Michael Uslan, the principal of Branded
Entertainment (a film and television company).
As well, Uslan is the Executive Producer of
Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Batman
Forever (1995), Batman and Robin (1997), and
a longtime comics fan.
update: 001222
