Here it is! The first DC/Marvel comics crossover in over a decade. For a crossover this big, we had to do a little crossover of our own. Batman News reviewers, past and present, are coming together to let you know if it’s worth all the fuss.
Deadpool/Batman: “The Dead of Knight”
Chip: Via editorial power the cosmic treadmill, Deadpool has ended up in the DC universe. Why, you may ask? To capture The Bat! You may also ask how that’s possible since Access keeps the universes separate. And to that, neither the comic nor I have an answer for you. Now, I’m not a big Deadpool fan. I don’t like the movies, but I find the character tolerable in small doses. I am, however, a big Batman fan (shocker, I know). This just means that I’m extra picky about the way he’s written. He’s certainly not written to my tastes here.
I’ve never really got on with Wells as a writer, and this story isn’t going to change my mind. After being sent by the Joker (why is he here?) to capture Batman, Deadpool and the Caped Crusader have a short spar, followed by a team-up. The rest of the story is quite formulaic, with as many double crosses and “captive turns his captors against each other” as you can imagine. Capullo’s art is, surprisingly, a little lacklustre. He’s obviously good at drawing Batman, and can draw Deadpool well (check out Wolverine: Revenge), but the combination of his art and the colours here makes the whole thing feel very flat. All of this, in combination with dialogue such as “Turns out my brain is a neurospicy dopamine goblin with task paralysis and a lack of object permanence” (-Joker), makes it hard to recommend this.
Score: 3/10
Captain America/Wonder Woman: “The Gun & The Sword”
Aaron: Wonder Woman arrives to the frontlines of WWII to meet Steve Rogers in his prime. Unfortunately, Steve and Diana must figure out what to do with Hitler. Admittedly, there is nothing good that can come from a story putting two icons in this unenviable scenario. Worse of all, holding one of history’s top five controversial figures at gunpoint. However, the comic doesn’t spend long in the Sophie Choice and instead focuses on their apparently long relationship. Dodson makes sure to depict mash-ups of classic moments with his satisfying signature style. Zdarksy on the other hand seems to pointlessly contrast their similar iconography. Overall, it’s inherent grossness of the scenario overwhelms the novelty of a world where they coexist.
Score: 5.5/10
Jeff!/Krypto: “Catch”
Jackson: What would happen if Krypto the Superdog and Jeff the Land Shark played a friendly game of volleyball with each other? That’s really all there is to this backup, with the only dialogue mostly being a series of “Borks” and “Mrrrs”. It’s a very simple story, but one that still manages to be enjoyable out of cuteness if nothing else. Gurihiru’s art does a lot of work in this regard, as it’s fun seeing all the ways the two creatures use their abilities hitting the ball back and forth before being called home by their respective owners. It’s a nice little vignette of two animals being friends.
Score: 7.5/10
Daredevil/Green Arrow: “The Red and The Green”
Chip: The Emerald Archer meets the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Green and Red. The Hand vs The League of Shadows. Surprisingly, my favourite story of the bunch. While I may not always be a Kevin Smith fan when it comes to comics, I have a special place in my heart for his Green Arrow, which seems to carry on into this story. There’s not much to it; we start off with the two already in separate fights and meeting, but it’s a very good execution. Both characters good equal weight given to them and it’s filled with everything you would want to see while not feeling too overstuffed. To top it all off, Kubert proves to be a great pick here, especially with multiple great panel choices in such a short story.
Score: 8/10
Rocket Racoon/Green Lantern: “Rocket Has a Green Lantern Ring Now”
Jackson: As soon as you learn that Rocket will be getting a Green Lantern Ring in the first page, you know it’s a bad idea. His sneering excitement at the prospect alone should tip anybody off. What follows is a montage of about what anyone familiar with Rocket might expect. Using guns, gambling, and stealing until the Guardians get sick of him and ask to send him back. It’s a funny scenario that drew some genuine chuckles from me, but it’s the final panel showing what Hal’s been doing in the Marvel universe that marks the highlight of the story.
Score: 8/10
Old Man Logan/The Dark Knight Returns: “Showdown”
William: Truly, Frank Miller is a singular creator. For all the criticism he gets for the changes in his art style and writing over the decades, they have only led to an ever more unique and distinctive Millerian style. But Is this story good? Well it’s almost too short to be especially good or bad but it is entertaining. Batman and Wolverine beat on each other and trade insults that only Miller could (or would) write. Personally I respect Miller’s art no matter how strange and distended it has become. Partially because it is unique but also because of the inherent strengths it has retained in energy and iconography. Is Deadpool/Batman worth buying to get ahold of this story in particular? No, it isn’t. But as part of a larger set of stories, it’s an entertaining aside.
Score: 7/10
Logo: “Enter Logo!”
Chip: Last but not least, a surprise entry! I do find it cool that each story has a slightly different crossover dynamic. In the first, Deadpool is explicitly crossing over universes. In others, it’s more of a What If scenario where the two worlds co-exist. This tale goes for the Amalgam approach to give us Logo! If you haven’t figured it out yet, that’s Lobo and Logan. Being only 3 pages, this feels more like an introduction than a story by itself, but it’s nonetheless a cool peek at what might have been, or maybe even will be. It’s nothing to write home about, but it’s definitely far from bad. It certainly is cool, though. A Wolverine who can shoot his claws? Sign me up.
Score: 6/10
Recommended If
- You’re looking forward to your favourite heroes teaming up
- Background reading for DC’s half
- It’s the first Marvel/DC book since forever, why not?
Overall
It seems like the most involved stories in this crossover don’t seem to hold up very well. The rest of it is okay to quite good, but the core is still weak. I personally think that the format is very odd. Why not one-shots centring on team-ups rather than making the interesting stories back-ups in a non-interesting story’s book? All in all, if you like the sound of any of these, I encourage you to go and read them. It’s a cool event, and you should make the most of it. I just hope the next issue has a more solid foundation.
Score: 6.5/10
English (US) · 