JLA/Avengers in a Nutshell

Release: September 2003

Published by: D.C. Comics and Marvel Comics

In honor of Marvel’s recent Secret Wars announcement we thought it would be fitting to do a Nutshell Review of our all-time favorite superhero universe crossover! There are some stories that are whispered of in songs and legends and passed down through the eons. Gilgamesh, The Fall of Troy, and The Labors of Hercules…these are just some of the tales we will all be told as we grow up. To their ranks I would add but one more…JLA / Avengers. The story is one of the most awe inspiring things you will read if you enjoy super hero comic books. Kurt Busiek does the impossible by penning a script that pleases both Marvel and D.C. Fans.This sacred text gives us a glimpse into a world wherein the Justice League of America crosses paths with the Avengers thanks to the tampering of an evil super being. Obviously good triumphs and neither team is destroyed but the story drips with the decades of history both teams have as well as presenting fantastic new moments. Captain America and Batman battle to a standstill at which point they both realize before anyone else that they should not be fighting. Galactus is turned into a giant space station. All of the heroes come face to face with their darkest moments. The Avengers think that the Justice League are fascists and the Justice League thinks the Avengers don’t do enough for their world. Superman brandishes both Captain America’s shield and Thor’s Hammer! George Pérez gives us all these moments in stunning detail in some of the best comic art in history. This story is not heralded enough. If you are a comic book fan you owe it to yourself to read this story. Maybe we will even see a version of it brought to life on the big screen one day.