The definitive crossover between the two major publishing houses returns to stores at the end of the month. The facsimile edition of the first issue of JLA/Avengers, the work of Kurt Busiek and George Pérez, is presented with the original art intact. To celebrate the launch, DC and Marvel have commissioned variant covers from Ryan Stegman, Dan Mora, and Skottie Young, offering a fresh look at a 2003 classic.
The Technical Process Behind the Facsimile Restoration 🛠️
The facsimile reproduction is not a simple scan. The digital restoration team has worked on the original negatives to recover the detail of Pérez's lines and the color saturation of the era. Printing registration issues have been corrected, and the contrast has been adjusted so that the paper simulates the texture of the original 2003 comic. The result is an almost identical copy, except for the barcode and updated price.
Variant Covers: The Art of Selling the Same Thing Again 💸
Because a faithful facsimile isn't enough if you don't have three different covers to argue about on social media. Ryan Stegman draws Superman and Thor in a fighting pose, Dan Mora portrays them as if they were going for coffee, and Skottie Young turns both into big-headed children. The strategy is clear: you will buy the same story four times. And you will do it with a smile.