WIZARD MAGAZINE part 9

THE SPECIALS
WIZARD SPECIAL - BEYOND ZERO HOUR: This special from 1994, showcases the event DC Comics called Zero Hour; another one of those continuity-cleansing events á la 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths. Now I have to be honest with you, you know how much I love Alex Ross's art in any form, but this cover is just SO AWFUL, I mean, the lighting looks weird, Superman looks fat and Batman looks even fatter, just check out his chin and don't get me started on Supes' mullet. As a matter of fact, even Alex Ross himself, hates this cover as much as the fact that they made him paint Superman with long hair just as he was in the comic at the time.



WIZARD'S ALEX ROSS - MILLENNIUM EDITION SPECIAL: This is your MOST IMPORTANT tool (next to this blog, of course) if you are to become a collector of Alex Ross' art. This guide from 1999 contains a visual guide of everything Alex has done up to that point, interviews and more. It's chockfull of Alex Ross art goodness. This special came with a new comic called Open Space (right) which was Alex and Kurt Busiek's first collaboration pre-Marvels. This guide also came in hardcover form and was updated in 2003 with more info but with the same cover as Wizard #89. The cover speaks for itself, Kingdom Come Superman and Earth X Captain America, cool sunset, what more could you ask for?

WIZARD SPECIAL - THE X-MEN: This special didn't have a cover by Alex Ross but as they say, "it's what's inside that counts". So inside you have Alex's redesigns for the X-Men costumes, specially commissioned for this issue. Plus there's a mini poster of this "new" X-Men. These designs weren't used by Marvel, but frankly it's their loss. Just check out these designs which I have scanned and made available to you, our faithful readers. They combine the early Jack Kirby costumes with Alex's own Earth X design's while still retaining some of the key features that Dave Cockrum created. All wrapped into a cool new package. Enjoy them!