ROGER STERN TALKS JLA: CLASSIFIED

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- They might not be the peanut butter and jelly of comic-book creators, but Roger Stern and John Byrne have always made a formidable tandem.

Stern and Byrne are reuniting for a five-issue arc of DC Comics' JLA: Classified, their first collaboration since Marvel: The Lost Generation some six years ago.

"John's always fun to work with. He's one of the good ones," said Stern, happily showing off some of Byrne's art at the recent Mid-Ohio-Con.

The Stern/Byrne story runs in JLA: Classified #50-54, shipping every two weeks beginning on Jan. 9.

The story is titled "That Was Now, This Is Then" and takes place in two levels over two eras, Stern explained.

"One part of the story is set just before Infinite Crisis, with the Justice League in the Watchtower," Stern said. "Wally West is the Flash, John Stewart is Green Lantern, the Atom is still Ray Palmer, and you have Martian Manhunter, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.

"The other part is when the Justice League were in their secret underground sanctuary. Barry Allen is The Flash, Hal Jordan is Green Lantern and you have Black Canary, Aquaman and Green Arrow in his Neal Adams design."

The stories are tied together by a villain who fights both teams. In the first issue, the more recent team encounters the villain. The newer team's members don't know who the villain is, except perhaps for the Martian Manhunter, who is injured before he can reveal anything.

The events switch from the more recent to the past for the first four issues, and the fifth issue is set in both time periods, with the more recent events at the top of the page and older events at the bottom.

Who is this villain and why haven't we heard of him before? Stern would only disclose it's a single character, not even wanting to reveal his name. "It is JLA: Classified," he said, laughing.

Stern said he enjoyed writing characters from the two eras.

"It was great fun having Aquaman be real tough in this," he said.

The arc features covers by Josh Middleton. Stern also noted that Mark Farmer is inking Byrne's pencils. "Mark does such a great job working with John," he said.

So what's next? Stern, who also recently wrote All-New Atom #16, said he's got a project in development for Marvel Comics but it was too early to reveal any details.