NEWS: MARCH 2009 SOLICITATIONS

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #25
Written by Geoff Johns & Jerry Ordway
Art by Jerry Ordway & Bob Wiacek
Cover by Alex Ross
Variant cover by Dale Eaglesham & Nathan Massengill
The “Black Adam and Isis” epic concludes here! With Billy Batson banished from the Rock of Eternity, the Justice Society calls upon an old friend to help in the battle against the Black Marvel family and stop Black Adam and Isis once and for all!
On sale March 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US



AVENGERS / INVADERS #9
Written by JIM KRUEGER & ALEX ROSS
Penciled by STEVE SADOWSKI
Cover by ALEX ROSS
Sketch Variant Cover by ALEX ROSS
Picking up from the jaw-dropping events of Avengers/Invaders #8, our heroes find themselves back in time, with the fate of the very world on their shoulders. Disguised as the heroes of the golden past, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, Ms. Marvel and Luke Cage now face Nazis, the power of the Cosmic Cube and the Red Skull... Avengers Assemble!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

SPIDER-WOMAN POSTER BY ALEX ROSS
24x36...$8.99
Final Order Cut-Off 2/19/09, (On-Sale 03/18/09)









MASQUERADE #2
Writer: Phil Hester
Penciller: Carlos Paul
Covers: Alex Ross (100%), Carlos Paul (1-in-8), George Tuska (1-in-12)
Colorist: Debora Carita
As the mystery of the slowly disappearing heroes deepens, Masquerade finds herself hot on the trail, but not before teaming up with Pyroman to battle the Black Dragon Society and The Black Terror on a stake-out. As the heroes compare notes, a pattern begins to emerge that sets Masquerade further on her quest! Written by Phil (The Darkness) Hester, illustrated by Carlos Paul and overseen by Alex Ross – who also provides the incredible main cover of this issue!

THE DEATH-DEFYING DEVIL #4
Writer: Joe Casey
Penciller: Edgar Salazar
Collorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Covers: Alex Ross (50%), John Cassaday (50%), Edgar Salazar (1-in-12)
The first four issue story arc of the Death Defying 'Devil comes to a senses-shattering conclusion! We've met Silver Streak and The Ghost, followed the mystery of the Dragon and seen flashbacks to 'Devil's battles with the Claw and now, it all comes to a close! The final pages of this issue will shake the very foundations of the PROJECT SUPERPOWERS Universe! You are warned!

MY TWO CENTS: I'm sad to see the Batman and Superman covers gone, this month. The JSA cover looks like one Alex did for Big Bang Comics a few years ago. The Avengers/Invaders cover is one of the better ones, although so far I haven't been impressed by any of this series' covers. But the Spider-Woman print makes up for the rest. It's such a gorgeous print, even though it's a secondary character, she looks very sexy and the colors are so vibrant, I love it! The Superpowers covers are pretty nice as usual.

DC LEGACY CARDS

This is the most recent set of trading cards to feature Alex Ross art, although everything is reprinted art from various other sources such as the oversized books and Justice, it's worth mentioning for those completists out there.
In my opinion if you have the same art in tabloid size or in comic book size, then why bother with trading cards that feature art in such a tiny medium if there's no actually new art? But that's just me, and that's why these are not IN MY COLLECTION.

VS SYSTEM

Continuing with the trading cards, Upper Deck Entertainment created this collectible card game for DC and Marvel with all the usual trimmings: Starter Deck, Booster Packs and different series of cards, What's worth mentioning is that all the cards on this CCG contain art by comic book pros such as Scott Kollins, Dan Jurgens and, of course, Alex Ross.

Below you can see the DC cards with Alex's art: (left to right) Aquaman, Captain Marvel (Shazam), Superman from Earth 2, The Wizard Shazam and Zatanna. These 5 cards are IN MY COLLECTION and the art is wonderful, yet small and that is my main complaint about Alex's art on trading cards. Collector's Advice:These cards are fairly easy to find and they are cheap too!



Now for Marvel, Alex only did one card. What's the catch? This card was only given to Upper Deck employees as a Holiday present to show the company's appreciation for their hard work and dedication. It features Spidey (who looks somewhat bulkier) protecting Gwen Stacy. Collector's Advice: It's difficult to find this card. A few of them have been popping out every now and then on ebay, fetching less than US$100. So be on the lookout for this hard-to-find item. I'm glad to say this card is IN MY COLLECTION.

This wonderful game not only contains Alex Ross art on the cards but also on their boxes. That's right! The starter deck consisted of 3 tin boxes which contained the cards and featured the art you see below split into them so they were interlocking boxes. Top: DC art. Below: Marvel art.

NEWS: FEBRUARY 2009 SOLICITATIONS

SUPERMAN #685
Written by James Robinson
Art by Renato Guedes & Wilson Magalháes
Cover by Alex Ross
An “Origins & Omens” issue! Continued from ACTION COMICS #874! With “New Krypton” behind him (for now), Superman must come to terms with the death of Pa Kent. And things heat up in Metropolis when the mysterious new Nightwing and Flamebird take up residence in the Man of Steel’s hometown! Are they here to help Earth like they say – or do their ties to Kandor run too deep?
This story sets up next month’s new status quo as Superman makes a tough decision, the repercussions of which will be felt for years! Please see page 73 for part 1 of this story!
On sale February 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

BATMAN #686
Written by Neil Gaiman
Art by Andy Kubert & Scott Williams
Covers by Andy Kubert and Alex Ross
“Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” part 1 of 2! Best-selling author Neil Gaiman (THE SANDMAN) and superstar artist Andy Kubert (BATMAN, Marvel 1602) join forces for a special 2-part BATMAN event! “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader” is a captivating and mysterious tale the likes of which Batman and friends have never experienced before. Delving into the realms of life, death and the afterlife, Gaiman leaves no stone unturned as he explores every facet and era of Bruce Wayne’s life.
On sale February 11 • 48 pg, FC, $3.99 US

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #24
Written by Geoff Johns & Jerry Ordway
Art and variant cover by Jerry Ordway
Cover by Alex Ross
“Black Adam and Isis” part 2 and featuring an “Origins and Omens” backup! The Justice Society faces off against a fully powered Black Adam and his wife, Isis, for control of the Rock of Eternity. But when Mary Marvel enters the fray, will she side with the Justice Society or join the Black Marvel family?
On sale February 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US



THE DEATH-DEFYING DEVIL #3
Written by Joe Casey
Art by Edgar Salazar
Cover by Alex Ross
In this issues, we see continued flashbacks to the history of the Death Defying Devil and his Wiseguys along with more clues to the modern day origins of deadly Claw organization and the 'Devil's new nemesis, the Dragon! Plus, all out action from the 'Devil, The Ghost and Silver streak!
All this excitement and adventure under a series of covers by Alex Ross, John Cassaday, Stephen Sadowski and Edgar Salazar!
On sale February 2009, FC, $3.50 US

MASQUERADE #1
Written by Phil Hester
Art by Carlos Paul
Cover by Alex Ross
The Project SUPERPOWERS expansion continues as Dynamite, Alex Ross, Phil Hester and Carlos Paul present Masquerade! Exploring the origins of the beautiful and mysterious Masquerade, writer Phil Hester opens with young Diana Adams who would grow up, inspired by the heroes of the age, to fight crime in her own unique way! Illustrated by the art-team from SUPERPOWERS Chapter One - Carlos Paul and Debora Carita - the 4 issue series is overseen by Alex Ross, who also provides the incredible cover to issue #1 (and the series).
On sale February 2009, FC, $3.50 US

MY TWO CENTS: The DC covers are really depressing this month with death all around and black (Batman) and white (Superman) backgrounds, Cool images, just too sad. On the other hand, Dynamite! turned up a Death-Defying Devil cover which resembles the work of, pulp magazine artist, James Bama (a big influence for Alex), along with a sexy as hell Masquerade cover which is a great start for this solo character's miniseries.

NEWS: "COMIC BOOK DREAMS" PRINT

Alex Ross and world-renowned, award-winning letterer Todd Klein came up with this print in which both artists' craft is clearly visible, Alex brings to mind the joy of reading comics with a kid from the golden age and Todd Klein surrounds him with word ballons from different comics and eras. The composition is a true nostalgic masterpiece, that although is a bit monochromatic, fits perfectly with the old comics/newspaper layout.
Just in case you don't know who Mr. Klein is, well he lettered Kingdom Come and Earth X and like a zillion other works for pretty much every comic in the industry.

If you want to know more details on how this print came from idea to finished product, visit Todd Klein's blog, where this poster is being sold now!