Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities DC/Marvel Crossovers to be collected in 2024

August 6th, to be exact, in two Omnibus volumes.

I wonder if this means there's a new inter-company crossover scheduled for either Christmas 2024 or Summer 2025.

I find this refreshing, given the poop-slinging between the two publishers back in the bad old days of Quesada and DiDio.

I haven't read all of the old crossovers, but of the ones I have read, even the lesser ones were always fun. True, I used to nitpick their faults, especially where the Busiek-Perez JLA Avengers was concerned, but I'm older and mellower now.

I buy new stuff (even reprints) so rarely these days, that I might just make an exception here.

FTR, my personal favorite is Uncanny X-Men/New Teen Titans, which has its own thread:


https://www.legionworld.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=143590#Post143590

There were more of these than I thought.

JLA/Avengers would be another. That and Titans/X-Men look to be the only ones I've read. I wasn't a massive Simonson fan, but recall a few nicely written moments, such as Changeling asking Wolverine if they were related, due to the Logan name.


DC Versus Marvel Omnibus collects Batman/Captain America #1, Batman/Daredevil #1, Batman/Punisher: Lake of Fire #1, Batman/Spider-Man #1, Daredevil/Batman #1, DC Special Series #27, Darkseid vs. Galactus: The Hunger #1, Green Lantern/Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances #1, Incredible Hulk vs. Superman #1, Marvel and DC Present Featuring the Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans #1, Marvel Treasury Edition #28, Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights #1, Silver Surfer/Superman #1, Spider-Man and Batman #1, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man #1, and Superman/Fantastic Four #1.

DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus collects DC Versus Marvel #1-4, DC/Marvel: All Access #1-4, Unlimited Access #1-4, Bat-Thing #1, Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, Bullets and Bracelets #1, Challengers of the Fantastic #1, Doctor Strangefate #1, Iron Lantern #1, Legends of the Dark Claw #1, Lobo the Duck #1, Speed Demon #1, Spider-Boy #1, Super Soldier #1, Thorion of the New Asgods #1, X-Patrol #1, and more, plus a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes material.

I love the Challengers of the Fantastic one-shot by Karl Kesel & Tom Grummett -- best Kirby pastiche since Mark Evanier & Steve Rude Mister Miracle one-shot from 1987! I actually still have the pamphlet! But to see it oversized with good paper should be a treat.

I'm thrilled that the Omnibus with all the crossovers is coming out! As a kid, I owned the Marvel-published Superman/Spider-man, Batman/Hulk & X-Men/Titans. The latter two were bought in their original formats, the first in a weird edition of a paperback book, like the prose kind but with the comic printed inside. 2 panels a page, I think. I read and loved them all and never understood why these crossovers didn't happen more often. (Still don't, really.) I never got to read the original (imo, superior) Superman/Spider-man until just a few years ago when I bought a used version of the Crossover Classics TPB. It's so dumb that all of these aren't kept in print! I bought all the other ones that will be in that Omnibus, but I will definitely be getting it. But it should also have JLA/Avengers, dammit! (That thing where they reprinted it in honor of George was a fiasco, especially the limited print run.)

I won't be getting the Amalgam Omnibus, though. Though many are definitely good, I just want to see the actual characters sharing stories, not imaginary versions that riff on different aspects of both companies. And, yes, I know they're ALL imaginary stories, but we just don't have enough of the other kind, dumb DC and Marvel!

Lardy, I agree that the first Superman/Spider-Man is the better of the two. The second one suffered from (among other things) having fewer pages, so that John Buscema couldn't be as expansive with the layouts as Ross Andru had been on the first. It's strictly for Buscema completists like myself, who take great pleasure simply in seeing JB draw the staff of the Daily Planet (and Wonder Woman, in her brief cameo.)

Crossover Classics was the 2nd TPB I ever bought, Dark Phoenix being the first. So it has a special place in my heart, even though I eventually saved up enough money to get the original tabloid sized printings. I really wish they'd reissue X-Men/New Teen Titans in tabloid format, as it was the only one of the Original Four that was in standard format. Walter Simonson's talents for layout and composition would lend themselves especially well to the oversize look.

I wasn't aware that JLA Avengers is being omitted, as I'd skimmed over the solicitation! That's a crying shame, as I'd been looking forward to reevaluating it. Maybe I can find a library trade in decent condition -- fingers crossed.

Well, I found a copy in my library system -- it has minor water damage and it's missing one page from the first issue, but it's readable.

To be blunt, I was underwhelmed and unsatisfied. Oh, the first two (of four) issues were decent enough, and the second one had an effective plot twist which led to a strong cliffhanger. But Busiek's writing aesthetic is just too clean and neat for my taste -- I prefer superhero stories with more of an edge, even when that edge makes them somewhat problematic. And, I'm sorry, I met Perez in person three times, and he seemed like a nice enough person, but his visual aesthetic was just not my thing; that said, it took me years to figure out WHY that is; in a nutshell, I believe (and people are free to disagree) that he never quite mastered perspective or anatomy, and that his faces, while attractive in his first decade as a pro (mid-70s to mid-80s,) were limited in nuanced expression and got uglier and uglier over the final 25 years of his life.

Moreover, both creators just didn't know when to leave well enough alone -- everything and the kitchen sink is one thing, but those guys threw in the chimney, the basement, and the attic! It's just too crowded, both in story and visuals, to resonate for anyone except fans of Busiek-Perez who go in expecting as much. The second half of the story falls apart under the weight of too many characters, too few of which have any kind of meaningful arc (at least in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barry Allen and Kimiyo Hoshi and Kara Zor-El had something approaching this, even if the execution was clumsy.)

I also find it hypocritical of Busiek that he would assert that the one single reality of two separate universes is sacrosanct, when he has played fast and loose with continuity himself over the course of his career.

So, if you like that creative team, dive right in. If you don't, give this story a wide berth.