Marvel and DC to republish 'JLA/Avengers' crossover: Release date, price, and more about the series in honor of George Perez

As per a press release from Detective Comics, the DC X Marvel crossover comic, 'JLA/Avengers,' is all set to be reprinted for a charitable cause. The 2003-2004 four-issue comic series by Kurt Busiek and George Pérez will be republished by Hero Initiative, a non-profit that provides financial aid to comic talents like writers and artists.

The limited-series comic is reportedly canon for both comic publishers and was the last such crossover between DC and Marvel Comics. Meanwhile, the founding member of the Hero Initiative and the artist behind the series, George Pérez, took to his Facebook page to share his opinions on the reprint.

In a Facebook post, the renowned comic book artist expressed his joy upon hearing the news about the reprint. He added:

“I am so incredibly overjoyed to hear that my fanboy dream is going to be available to a whole new generation of comic book fans…”

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When will the DC X Marvel 'JLA/Avengers' crossover hit the shelves?

As per the official press release, the 'JLA/Avengers' reprint will be available in March from the comic stores participating in the charitable event. The four issues featuring DC’s Justice League of America and Marvel’s Avengers will be limited to 7000 copies. It will be distributed by the Diamond Comic Distributors.

With presumably four issues, the entire book will be around 288-pages in total. Each copy will cost around $29.99. The book will include two sets of additional work, containing 64-pages worth of content from the late comic book writer and editor Stan Lee and Julius Schwartz.

Furthermore, it will also include a special edition conclusion of the JLA/Avengers by Kurt Busiek that is exclusive to the Hero Initiative.

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Exploring the history of the JLA/Avengers crossover by DC and Marvel

While the series is being hyped over the reprint, technically, the JLA/Avengers series was previously reprinted by Detective Comics as part of a collector’s edition in 2004. The original talks about this crossover series date back 24 years before the comics were even published.

In 1979, Marvel and DC first agreed to publish this crossover, which would have been written by Gerry Conway and would have artworks by George Pérez. However, after multiple setbacks and scheduling conflicts, the JLA/Avengers series was shelved indefinitely until 2002, when rival firms finally greenlit the project.

The plot revolved around a game between DC’s Krona and Marvel’s Grandmaster. The two devise a wager in the comics, where Krona would receive the secret behind the multiverse’s origin from Grandmaster upon winning the game.

This results in a game where the Justice League of America and the Avengers are manipulated into a race to find 12 powerful items in their respective universe’s Earth. While Krona bets on the Avengers, Grandmaster chose the JLA to represent his stakes in the inter-universal game. In the end, the superhero groups stopped fighting after they realized that they were manipulated into participating.

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The recent reprint of the crossover is being done to honor the work of George Pérez, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December last year.

In a Facebook post, the retired comic book artist announced that he had been given a life expectancy of six months to a year, as per the prognosis. Following the announcement, the comic legend received a plethora of support and prayers on social media.