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Thursday, December 23, 2010

JLA Poster by Alex Ross - 2002

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This amazing poster of the JLA and assorted friends by Alex Ross measures a whopping 22x58" (click to see a bigger version, although not that big!) and was sold as a stand-alone poster, as well as being used as a wraparound, double-gatefold cover on the Alex Ross: Mythology book (which I am lucky enough to own).

A smaller version (with less characters) appeared in the 2003 oversize JLA: Liberty and Justice book, but with this deluxe version Ross gets to indulge himself by including honorary JLA members like Metamorpho, Adam Strange, and The Phantom Stranger, as well as those heroes he simply always wanted to be in the group: Plastic Man and Captain Marvel. No need for a grudge this time!

10 comments:

Russell said...

My ONLY complaint about this poster is I wish that he had not put The Atom flying inside/around Batman's cape. It makes it very hard to see him. If Ray had been flying, say, between Barry and Arthur, he would have been much more prominent. Oh, well.

Brent said...

Has Ross ever included Firestorm in any of his JLA iterations? He joined right after Zatanna, so I was just wondering why he arbitrarily chose to cut it off there. And has he ever drawn Zatanna in her bad 80's costume (with the cape, giant earrings, and red spine thing on her head)?

John said...

I'd be in favor of axing Plastic Man and Cap. Marvel and replacing them with Firestorm...

Don't forget, Zatanna had a short-lived costume between the Tails & Fishnets and the Flowy Cape/Head Spine outfit. It was based on her mother's costume: basic black bodysuit, cape, and pony-tail. I suppose she's more well-known for the Tails & Fishnets look, though.

David J. Cutler said...

I think he chose to cut it off there because these are his favorite characters, not sure if there's a conspiracy beyond that. All these characters look distinctly silver age (or earlier in a couple of cases) and Firestorm is very bronze age, both in name and costume. I imagine he stays away from Zatanna's snake head costume for the same reason.

I certainly can't complain when Aquaman is so dead center, right with the other four founders and the biggest later editions to either side.

JasonMotesBowles said...

I bought this knowing full well, I had NO PLACE to put it. It's a gorgeous pieces, but yeah, I agree with everyone else about Ross' character selection. He simply cannot accept that Captain Marvel and Plastic Man were NEVER part of the classic Justice League. And also, I think Zatanna ditched the tux as soon as she joined the JLA, so any depictions of her in this outfit are inaccurate.

David J. Cutler said...

You don't agree with my comment, Jason, as I'm not down with the roster-complaining at all :) Marvel and Plastic Man are iconic creations of the golden age whose popularity rivaled the DC heavyweights. Ross' comics are rarely cannon anyway, so I really can't imagine what the big deal is. These are the members that Ross likes--with simple designs, iconic looks, and histories (even if they aren't necessarily histories with the league) rooted in the 60s and earlier. Doesn't go any deeper than that.

Russell said...

I read (maybe in MYTHOLOGY?) that these are the characters Alex Ross uses because he places all of his stories and art BEFORE the murder of Iris Allen. Firestorm and pony-tail Zatanna joined the JLA *after* that, so they are never included. At that timing, Z was only in fishnets, which is why he only draws her that way.

Dennis Doucette said...

I'm glad Plastic Man is included. Plastic Man is my second favorite DC Character.

Earth 2 Chris said...

Ross has gone on record as hating Firestorm's costume at the very least. So that's why he never gets any love.

Chris

Joshua said...

What does the poster of that size go for? I have one, and fear I over paid. It is in perfect condition. Still in a tube...