DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee, who rocketed to stardom in the early 1990s with his runs on Marvel's X-Men comics, has returned to the franchise -- if only for a birthday present.
This morning Geoff Johns revealed an illustration of Colossus, a gift from Lee to the DC chief creative officer for his 43rd birthday. The drawing depicts the X-Man in his classic uniform, standing in front of the hammer and sickle symbol; it's signed "For Tovarish Geoff!" Johns wrote on Instagram that Colossus is his favorite Marvel character.
Following stints on such Marvel titles as Alpha Flight and The Punisher War Journal, Lee filled in for Marc Silvestri on Uncanny X-Men before becoming the regular artist. In 1991 he helped to launch X-Men, whose first issue remains the best-selling comic book of all time, according to Guinness World Records.
Oh, and happy (belated) birthday, Geoff Johns!