GEORGE PEREZ TALKS JLA/AVENGERS
Saturday, February 1, 2003
Copyright © 2003, The Comics Continuum
posted by RobAlls@aol.com

Andy Smith, Jeff Johnson, Barbara Kesel, and George Perez, photograph from Comics Continuum

George Perez told The Continuum he's about to begin work on the fourth and final issue of the JLA/Avengers crossover mini-series.

"We finally got our ducks in a row on the fourth issue and I finally got the plot to that," Perez told The Continuum Friday during the Comics & Pop Culture Convention in Pasadena, Calif.

"I'm a quarter-way inked on issue 3, so it'll be kind of nice to get back to penciling. I think they've worked on all the kinks in issue 4. We're moving ahead."

Perez said noone is committing to a release date yet for the project, which is written by Kurt Busiek.

"I wouldn't even hazard a guess at it," he said. "They want to schedule it when I'm working on issue 4. Now I don't know if that means while I'm penciling it or while I'm inking it. With so much anticipation going down, the one thing they don't want is the bad vibes of a book that will not be on schedule."

George Perez, photograph from Comics Continuum

Perez is back to work at CrossGen Comics, teaming with Barbara Kesel on the new title Solus.

"I'm almost done with issue 2 now and the first issue premieres on March 26," Perez said. "Solus is a little bit less work just because of the very nature of the project and the fact that I'm not inking. I have a fine, fine inker in Rich Magyar for that.

"So I try to produce the book a little quicker. On many days, I'll do two pages in one day as opposed to just one. Instead of a 6-7 hour day, I'll have 12-14 hour day in order to get back and finish JLA/Avengers."

DC Comics and Marvel Comics have been slow in teasing the project, which Perez meets with approval.

"I think a lot of it is they don't want it to be old news before it comes out," he said. "They don't want to release artwork that people get so used to seeing again and again and again, that sometimes when it comes out a year after they saw it initially, the excitement's gone.

"I think they've managed to help promote the project to share the mystery now. Anticipation is high and living up to the hype is going to be the biggest challenge."

That's a challenge Perez said he's up for.

"As my swansong for mainstream characters, this is putting all my tricks of the trade to the forefront," he said.