Though DC and Marvel have been fierce rivals for most of their existences, there have been brief times when they agreed to lay down their arms and work together on something. The two most notable were Age of Amalgam, which merged the two worlds to create a hybrid line of superheroes, and JLA / Avengers, a straight-up “meet and fight” crossover released in 2003.
That was the last time we saw such an event. A few years later, Marvel was the property of Disney, DC was the property of Warner Bros, and the rivalry now meant billions of dollars. Superman and Iron Man would never shake hands again, and it was unlikely that JLA / Avengers would even see a reprint….OR WOULD IT?
Yes, what you’re looking at is a new edition of JLA / Avengers, published in 2022, with both the modern Marvel and DC logos on it. HOW???
Thank an organization called the Hero Initiative. The charity helps comic creators cover their medical expenses and other quality-of-life necessities, because comic booking doesn’t really make you rich. This JLA / Avengers reprint is happening to honor its artist, the legendary George Perez, because we won’t have him around for much longer.
Perez revealed last December he has stage-three pancreatic cancer and has chosen not to see radiation treatment, instead spending his last months with his family. 100% of the proceeds from this release will go to the Hero Initiative — an organization Perez is a founding member of. How could even the most coldhearted business executive stand in the way of that? DC and Marvel are allowing it.
You’re now probably wondering how you can get your hands on this book. Well, um, there are three ways that are guaranteed: (1) ask Zatanna to conjure you one; (2) get your hands on an Infinity Gem; (3) sell your spouse to Mephisto for a copy. This edition of JLA / Avengers will only have 7000 copies printed, which is enough for every comic shop in the country to only receive one or two. If you’re just now reading this, it’s too late to run to your local shop — some other guy got his reserve in.
Why such a small run? According to them, it came down to time — they COULD have produced a larger print volume, but it’d take longer to put together and that would mean Perez probably wouldn’t live long enough to see its release. The main goal was to get the new edition out post haste — and if you can somehow luck into a copy, they’re being shipped sometime next month.
