So Deadpool/Batman #1 (or, more accurately, “Marvel/DC: Deadpool/Batman #1″) has finally been unleashed to, far as I can tell from my wee little comicks shoppe, a very popular item.
In my case I ordered a lot, more than I would normally order on what would be considered a Big Comic, out of my belief that this would have legs. Most new comics that come out have their primary sales window in the first week of release, with a few straggling sales in the following weeks, maybe, before they get pulled for back issues and to make room for the new issue, if there’s one coming in.
I think Deadpool/Batman will have a longer sales run than that, as it is the first Marvel/DC crossover in 20 years, and for a lot of people buying it, the first they’ve experienced as a new release. Also, it’s a one shot with a variety of features and (of course) variant covers, making it easy to collect. Just buy the one (or two, or six, if you want the different covers) and you’re done.
Of course, there’s the DC/Marvel Batman/Deadpool coming out in a month or two, so it’s not all done yet. And I am kind of curious if the turnout for this first release will be matched by that for the second. We will see.
But back to this comic that’s here right now, currently on my new comics rack, being picked up by just about everybody coming in. I joked (or “joked”) not long ago that some days, my shop just felt like an outlet for DC’s Absolute Comics line. Well, now sometimes it feels like and outlet those that, still, and this new crossover. I’m seeing lots of new customers buzz in to pick up this new comic specifically.
Yes, yes, but is it any good? Sure, it’s fine. It delivers what the people want, a crossover between Marvel characters and DC characters. The lead story with the title characters is fun, with only a few slightly off-color jokes from Mr. Pool as he and Batman do their thing against a particular bad guy, I don’t remember if it’s general knowledge who it is. Slight but entertaining.
The other stories are pretty much as expected…a Daredevil/Green Arrow story written by Kevin Smith, a cute Krypto/Jeff the Land Shark story, a wild Dark Knight-era Batman/Old Man Logan short by Frank Miller…it’s a good mix of work. The one story people seem to be complaining about is the Wonder Woman/Captain America WWII-era crossover, where they corner Hitler and argue over straight up killing him or taking him in to face justice. If we were still in the Golden Age, there might be an issue, but as the characters are interpreted today, frankly they both would have put him down immediately. But ah well, What Can You Do?
The sales success of this comic (and, hopefully, the follow-up produced by DC) could very well lead to more of thse Marvel/DC events in the future, but here’s hoping they don’t overdo it like they did in the ’90s/’00s. Sure, there were a lot of good ones (that Hulk/Superman one drawn by Steve Rude is something else), but it really did get to the point where they just weren’t special anymore. (At least until JLA/Avengers came out, which was absolutely special.)
As such, if these two companies contiue to work together for releases like these, maybe keeping it down to just three or four a year at the absolute most would be ideal. Or even just two, like the Deadpool and Batman books, with each company producing their own versions of each team up.
As online pal Jacob notes, there’s a time limit on this, set by whenever one company or the other or both get annoyed with each other and puts an end to these co-publishing money-makers for another couple of decades. I just hope they hold it together enough to get a wide reprinting (versus the limited one they did a couple of years back) of JLA/Avengers, because honestly, that’s just leaving cash on the table.
Well, the Batman/Deadpool release does have the added benefit of Grant Morrison returning to comics after four years. Morrison does have a fanbase all their own. I have zero interest in a Marvel/DC crossover event, but I will be buying the book in November due to Morrison. If anything, I’d expect sales on the second one to be even higher than this one.
Would there have been an argument in the Golden Age? I feel like Cap would have pulled out a gun and shot Hitler, then made fun of Japanese people in the Golden Age. While, if it were today’s version, I feel Cap would have wanted him to face justice for his crimes, while WW probably would have wanted to kill him. I think an argument between the two characters works in either era (but I’d be less inclined to actually see one in the Golden Age), although which one would support which solution I think would have switched over the years.
*Less inclined to expect to see one in the Golden Age, is what I meant to type.
Having become a trade-waiter (and not having a good, local comic shop that I have easy access to), I was just going to wait on this, assuming that both one-shots, all their back-ups and all of their many variants will get collected together at some point, but now I’m wondering if that will actually be the case.
Like, in ye olden tymes, didn’t DC and Marvel take turns collecting the books too (I feel like there were “Crossover Classics” or “Amalgam” collection sub-titled “The DC Collection” or “The Marvel Collection”…
And I’m with Chris V; I’m more interested in “Grant Morrison writing a DC/Marvel crossover” than I am in ANY Deadpool comic…some of these back-ups sure do sound intriguing though…
That Cap/WW absolutely should have ended with the Human Torch bursting in and frying Hitler in front of them (which was of course Hitler’s canonical death in the MU).
I do like Mike’s idea of a Swamp Thing/Man-Thing crossover–with a cameo by The Heap!
Another fun idea would be a sequel to the New Teen Titans/Uncanny X-Men crossover–set in the ’80s. Chris Claremont, Walt Simonson, and Terry Austin are still with us–so it seems like it wouldn’t be too hard to make it happen. And Marv Wolfman could write it if Claremont isn’t interested they could co-plot it.
Or how about letting John Byrne write and draw a 1960s era Challengers of the Unknown/Fantastic Four crossover?
What about Sword of the Atom/Micronauts by Jan Strnad and Pat Broderick?
Batman/Moon Knight by Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz would be great!
Batman/Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson, or Miller and David Mazzucchelli, seems like a natural.
New Gods/Thor and the Asgardian Gods by Walt Simonson would be cool.
Black Lightning and Black Panther by Jenny Blake Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden would be amazing.
Kamandi/Killraven by Don McGregor and P. Craig Russell would be intriguing.
And All-Star Squadron/Invaders–with a cameo by Archie/MLJ Golden Age Mighty Crusaders–by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway would be astounding.
Man, I wish Sean Mageean was in editorial at either Marvel or DC. Comic book heaven!
… drawn by Mike Ploog, natch!
@Erik Nelson
Thanks!
@Will Richards
How about Man-Bat/Werewolf by Night drawn by Mike Ploog and scripted by Gerry Conway?
Bronze Age Legion of Super-Heroes/Bronze Age Guardians of the Galaxy by Paul Levitz and Mike Grell or James Sherman.
Power Girl/She-Hulk by John Byrne.
John Constantine/Doctor Strange by Grant Morrison and Paul Smith.
Black Canary/Black Widow by Ralph Macchio and Will Meugniot.
Captain Atom (The Charlton Comics iteration)/Mar-Vell in a story set in the Bronze Age by Jim Starlin.
Batgirl/Spider-Woman by Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha.
Champions of Angor/Squadron Supreme by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema.
Blue Beetle(Ted Kord)/Spider-Man by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz in a Bronze Age story featuring the The Blue Beetle’s Bug and The Spider-Mobile.
Blackhawk/Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos in a WW II story by Howard Chaykin.
Green Lantern & Green Arrow/Power Man & Iron Fist in a Bronze Age story by Jo Duffy and Denys Cowan.
“Sure, it’s fine” is also my assessment of the lead story. The story was more or less exactly what I expected it to be. The art was pretty good, if not quite as strong as some of Capullo’s previous Batman work.
The back-ups were a mixed bag. Cap/WW was decent, Krypto/ Jeff was cute, Rocket/GL was fun, DD/GA was also decent, that Miller thing did not appeal to me, and Logo felt incomplete. None of it was great, but I wasn’t expecting anything special. I have higher expectations for the Morrison/ Mora comic, and I hope I won’t be disappointed.
I’m also expecting to pick up the Morrison/Mora entry, especially if they’ve cooked up some interesting visuals a la Morrison/Quitely or Morrison/McGuinness. Mora could definitely execute that kind of visual experimentation. You know, if he isn’t distracted by the 20 other books he’s drawing that month.
The Frank Miller story in this issue was hilarious. I kind of want to read it again right now because I can barely believe it exists.
Kamandi/Killraven sounds wild.
How about Batman/Shang Chi going up against R’as al Ghul and The Mandarin by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy or Mike Zeck?
O.M.A.C./M.O.D.O.K. by Jim Starlin and Alan Davis.
The Inferior Five/Howard the Duck by The Hernandez Bros.
Star Hunters/Seeker 3000 by David Michelinie and Bob Layton.
Swing with Scooter/Millie the Model in a Silver Age story by Mike Allred.
The Spectre/Nightmare by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake.
Madame Xanadu/Scarlet Witch by Steve Englehart and Mike Kaluta.
“That Cap/WW absolutely should have ended with the Human Torch bursting in and frying Hitler in front of them (which was of course Hitler’s canonical death in the MU).”
They knew what they were doing.
“What about Sword of the Atom/Micronauts by Jan Strnad and Pat Broderick?”
NICE.
“Frank Miller”
Did he write AND draw?
“Did he write AND draw?”
Oh, yeah. You kind of have to see it to believe it.
Don’t get me wrong. I love that Miller’s still getting work, especially on two characters that he’s famous for popularizing, but it’s only in this anthology format that his new style is going to fly.
Until, of course, I’m proven wrong when he finishes All Star Batman and Robin by himself.
“Until, of course, I’m proven wrong when he finishes All Star Batman and Robin by himself.”
WOULD BUY.
Here’s a link regarding the New Teen Titans/Uncanny X-Men team up sequel that was supposed to happen in the ’80s. The two teams were to battle The Hellfire Club and Brother Blood. DC and Marvel should make it happen, especially if Marv Wolfman’s script is ready to go. Maybe assign Walt Simonson, John Byrne, Paul Smith , Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, or Phil Jimenez to draw it–with Terry Austin as inker!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DNOEKmeMs_J/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==