Deus Vult Creator Jon Del Arroz Calls Out Big Two Publishers For Botching Hero Initiative Reprint of George Perez’s JLA/Avengers Crossover

JB Augustine |

Feb 22, 2022

Source: JLA/Avengers (2003) by Kurt Busiek and George Perez, Marvel/DC

One of acclaimed artist George Perez’s most notable works is going back into print but with the gifted illustrator dying of cancer, most wish it was under better circumstances.

The charity Hero Initiative is spearheading the reprint of Perez’s JLA/Avengers crossover collection this March to help him and his family pay his medical expenses with a limited number of copies available.

The supply in this charitable joint venture between Marvel and DC won’t exceed 7000 books in stores and it’s here that self-published author and comic creator Jon Del Arroz thinks they are botching the effort.

He doesn’t claim to know who is responsible for making this decision in a recent vlog where he comments on the reprint but Del Arroz isn’t surprised to hear it’s such a low number, especially when DC is concerned.

“This is supposed to be a charity thing for a guy’s death,” he observed. “This is going to make it into a circus which is unbecoming of what’s going on here…paying respects to Mr. George Perez.”

While Del Arroz applauds fans for getting JLA/Avengers back in stores for a good cause, he blames the corporations running Marvel and DC, plus their lawyers he hears allegedly forced the 7000 number on everyone, for meddling and ruining things as they often do.

Del Arroz predicts the editions will be in short supply at retailers for those who want them, that there will be a rush on orders, and scalpers on sites like eBay will drive up the price unreasonably.

He adds that this is another case of the Big Two “cutting off their nose in spite of their face and not listening to fans” enough, while also pointing out what other insiders calling out the industry – including Ethan Van Sciver – have noticed; if these companies paid their talent right or gave them benefits, there wouldn’t be this “circus.”

That one might be true enough but it’s nevertheless worth noting George Perez has been a supporter of Hero Initiative. He was a founding member of Hero Initiative’s board of directors and a chair of its Disbursement Committee so it’s only fitting they come to his aid.

They do so with the full-color 288-page collection of the Marvel/DC mini-series JLA/Avengers that comes in a softbound volume containing all four issues of the story by Kurt Busiek and Perez at a cost of $29.99.

There are also 64 pages of companion content featuring reprinted intros by late editors Stan Lee and Julius Schwartz and a new afterword by Busiek.

Hero Initiative’s mission is to provide a safety net for comic creators in need medically and financially. Since their inception, they’ve earned over $1 million for comic book veterans.

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