Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2022 4:21:17 GMT -5
On sale 25 years ago:
As we all know, that story saw Bats and Spidey taking on Kingpin and Ra’s al Ghul, not that you’d know it from that character pose cover.
Their first team-up had taken place in 1995:
As we all know, that story saw Bats and Spidey taking on Joker and Carnage, not that you’d know it from that character pose cover.
So, time for a thought or two, and I’d be interested in all views.
I feel that the best of the DC/Marvel collaborations are the following: Superman VS The Amazing Spider-Man, Superman and Spider-Man, Batman VS The Incredible Hulk, and The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans. Out of those four, the densely plotted and beautifully illustrated Superman and Spider-Man is the best, with so much happening, so much memorable dialogue, mesmerising art, etc.
I’m not saying later DC/Marvel crossovers aren’t enjoyable (I derive some enjoyment from Superman/Fantastic Four). But it did feel like a bit of a cash cow in later years. I mean, it’ll always be subjective, but did we really need two Batman/Punisher crossovers? Was anyone really lobbying for Superman and Silver Surfer to team up? Or Green Lantern and Silver Surfer? For me, and I’m not saying this about every post-Crisis DC/Marvel crossover, the later team-ups lacked a certain magic, a certain heart and soul, if you will. It almost felt like DC and Marvel just woke up and decided to try and shift a few books by teaming up those who had not yet teamed.
It felt like the early collaborations were more “organic”. And more desired. I’m sure many had desired Superman and Spider-Man in a team-up. And Batman VS The Hulk. I’m sure many would have desired a Batman/Spider-Man team-up (more on that in a moment).
A small part of my issue with later crossovers - and I do quite enjoy JLA/Avengers - is the whole “separate universes” approach. Took the magic out of it just a little. I was quite in awe of those early crossovers due to the “shared Earth” approach. What, Superman and Spider-Man actually do exist in the same fictional universe? That’s cool. Kind of validated the games I played with my Super Powers/Secret Wars figures. I also think that approach led to some interesting incidental dialogue, such as Wonder Woman commenting on how she’d long planned to hunt Spidey down, and Batman telling Commissioner Gordon that he’d long had a file on the Hulk in his Batcave. All good. The “separate universes” approach requires writers to explain the inter-dimensional journeys whenever there’s a story to be told. Which can get boring.
Personally, I wish DC VS Marvel had adopted the “shared Earth” approach. But that’s a topic for another time.
The point of this topic is to state that I wish we’d seen Batman and Spider-Man team up long before 1995/97. For me, the perfect time would have been pre-Crisis. Imagine a Jim Aparo-illustrated Batman/Spidey crossover in the 80s. Before Crisis made everything so cynical - then and beyond - it would have been quite great to see the two team up at the optimum time. Looking back, 1983 or 1984 would have been the perfect year for such a crossover.
By 1995/97, it just felt that the magic of DC/Marvel collaborations was a ship that had long sailed, so to speak. By 1995/97, intercompany crossovers - not just between DC and Marvel - were a crowded market. And when there is a crowded market, something can feel less special. I’ve always felt that way about wrestling, we went from WrestleMania once a year to four PPVs - and then monthly PPV events. And then weekly shows that had PPV-calibre matches. And WCW with its nWo angle, originally involving a trio, that soon recruited countless people to its ranks (I’m sure my aunt was probably a member of the nWo at some point).
Less is more, and it’s hard not to be cynical about the sheer amount of times DC and Marvel collaborated in the 90s and a little into the 21st century. By 1995/97, my reaction to Batman and Spider-Man teaming was one of indifference and maybe even boredom; but had it happened in the 80s, at a point where there’d only been four collaborations (I’m not counting The Wizard of Oz), I am sure I, and perhaps others, might have been more excited about it.
What do you think?
As we all know, that story saw Bats and Spidey taking on Kingpin and Ra’s al Ghul, not that you’d know it from that character pose cover.
Their first team-up had taken place in 1995:
As we all know, that story saw Bats and Spidey taking on Joker and Carnage, not that you’d know it from that character pose cover.
So, time for a thought or two, and I’d be interested in all views.
I feel that the best of the DC/Marvel collaborations are the following: Superman VS The Amazing Spider-Man, Superman and Spider-Man, Batman VS The Incredible Hulk, and The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans. Out of those four, the densely plotted and beautifully illustrated Superman and Spider-Man is the best, with so much happening, so much memorable dialogue, mesmerising art, etc.
I’m not saying later DC/Marvel crossovers aren’t enjoyable (I derive some enjoyment from Superman/Fantastic Four). But it did feel like a bit of a cash cow in later years. I mean, it’ll always be subjective, but did we really need two Batman/Punisher crossovers? Was anyone really lobbying for Superman and Silver Surfer to team up? Or Green Lantern and Silver Surfer? For me, and I’m not saying this about every post-Crisis DC/Marvel crossover, the later team-ups lacked a certain magic, a certain heart and soul, if you will. It almost felt like DC and Marvel just woke up and decided to try and shift a few books by teaming up those who had not yet teamed.
It felt like the early collaborations were more “organic”. And more desired. I’m sure many had desired Superman and Spider-Man in a team-up. And Batman VS The Hulk. I’m sure many would have desired a Batman/Spider-Man team-up (more on that in a moment).
A small part of my issue with later crossovers - and I do quite enjoy JLA/Avengers - is the whole “separate universes” approach. Took the magic out of it just a little. I was quite in awe of those early crossovers due to the “shared Earth” approach. What, Superman and Spider-Man actually do exist in the same fictional universe? That’s cool. Kind of validated the games I played with my Super Powers/Secret Wars figures. I also think that approach led to some interesting incidental dialogue, such as Wonder Woman commenting on how she’d long planned to hunt Spidey down, and Batman telling Commissioner Gordon that he’d long had a file on the Hulk in his Batcave. All good. The “separate universes” approach requires writers to explain the inter-dimensional journeys whenever there’s a story to be told. Which can get boring.
Personally, I wish DC VS Marvel had adopted the “shared Earth” approach. But that’s a topic for another time.
The point of this topic is to state that I wish we’d seen Batman and Spider-Man team up long before 1995/97. For me, the perfect time would have been pre-Crisis. Imagine a Jim Aparo-illustrated Batman/Spidey crossover in the 80s. Before Crisis made everything so cynical - then and beyond - it would have been quite great to see the two team up at the optimum time. Looking back, 1983 or 1984 would have been the perfect year for such a crossover.
By 1995/97, it just felt that the magic of DC/Marvel collaborations was a ship that had long sailed, so to speak. By 1995/97, intercompany crossovers - not just between DC and Marvel - were a crowded market. And when there is a crowded market, something can feel less special. I’ve always felt that way about wrestling, we went from WrestleMania once a year to four PPVs - and then monthly PPV events. And then weekly shows that had PPV-calibre matches. And WCW with its nWo angle, originally involving a trio, that soon recruited countless people to its ranks (I’m sure my aunt was probably a member of the nWo at some point).
Less is more, and it’s hard not to be cynical about the sheer amount of times DC and Marvel collaborated in the 90s and a little into the 21st century. By 1995/97, my reaction to Batman and Spider-Man teaming was one of indifference and maybe even boredom; but had it happened in the 80s, at a point where there’d only been four collaborations (I’m not counting The Wizard of Oz), I am sure I, and perhaps others, might have been more excited about it.
What do you think?
