Almost as long as there have been comic books, there have been comic book crossovers to meld our favorite good guys and bad guys, commonly from differing universes, together. They're the definitive source for settling vocal "who would win" arguments held every day on playgrounds around this great planet of ours, and their innate cross-pollination of popular brands just might be helpful in selling a comic or two along the way. Just like crossovers seen in other mediums, some of said comic couplings work out extremely well, adding a sweet new dimension to the worlds we've grown to know. Others, for one reason or another, succeed in adding weirdness to the recipe.
This brings us to our good friend Batman. Like any tenured comic book icon worth his salt, the Caped Crusader has had his share of run-ins with that magic crossover formula, both having it out and teaming up with various characters ranging in origin from film and novel to fellow comic distributors such as Image, Cliffhanger and Marvel. What makes the Dark Knight an interesting crossover case isn't just his Batman-edness of course; since he inhabits a world based largely in the arena of fact and real possibility, in comic terms at least, seeing how things shake out when new characters who are anything but rooted in reality enter Batman's world can make for a good time, and sometimes, a very, very odd one. Join us now for a bit of crossoverology as we explore some of Batman's partners who were both cooler and/or stranger than Robin ever was.
Rich Shivener contributed to this list.
THE COOLEST:
5) Batman/Spider-Man: Disordered Minds
In
Disordered Minds, a pairing that parallels the acts of cruelty that indirectly forged the destiny of the crossover's lead heroes, Spidey and Batman (initially) reluctantly join forces to stop the potentially terrible tandem of Carnage and the Joker. Well, make that reluctance on Batman's side anyway: Spider-Man is all over the pairing from the beginning ("this guy's a legend!") as he makes several appropriately nerdy attempts to woo Gotham's guardian into joining him as his partner in crime-fighting. The bad guys also do their part to keep things rad, as it's safe to say that dealing with Carnage's tremendous power creates some pretty awesome action set pieces.
While not exhibiting the greatest story ever told, the crossover does manage to tie things up nicely thematically before all is said and done, and it's hard to deny the simple sweetness that can he found in watching this duo fight crime together.
4) Batman/Captain America
It's wartime, 1945. In a team-up loaded with patriotism, the Caped Crusader and The Captain smack up their eternal foes - the Joker and the Red Skull - in the name of national interests, thwarting the Nazis' plans for an atomic massacre. The Golden Age flair to this Elseworlds setup works really well, especially for Batman's tricked-out Lovebug and the team's effortless ass-kicking and ingenuity. There's a moment where Bats swoops down from his plane to snatch up Cap mid-air as he dodges a relentless Gatling gun, and one with Batman's connecting his fist with the Skull's face.
The supporting characters are cool, too. To be specific, Bucky's kind of a jerk, and the Joker is proud to be an American lunatic despite the Red Skull's promises of rewards from The Third Reich. "Any time an American can't thwart a Nazi rat ... will be the day your pal Hitler wins Miss Congeniality!" The masterminds are stopped yet again, and years later the new Batman and Robin (hint: It's Dick) rescue The Captain from his icy tomb deep underwater.
3) Batman/Punisher: Deadly Knights
Batman and Punisher have gotten into each other's comic book business twice, and while
Deadly Knights and
Lake of Fire have quite a few elements in common with each other (a 1994 release, Jigsaw, the Joker, a lack of friendliness between the title duo despite sharing enemies)
Deadly Knights beats out its prequel in coolness for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is the inclusion of Batman-proper, (the original featured whiny
Knightfall fill-in Azrael) or the merciful absence of
Lake of Fire's bathhouse brawl. The story is well-paced and the John Romita Jr. art keeps things interesting; the Joker and Jigsaw make a pretty scary team and even Robin gets in some action as he out-hacks Punisher's tech expert Micro before Batman and Punisher "have words" memorably to close it all out. A fun read.
2) Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire
Thanks to Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo,
Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire takes on pulp noir and the stickiness of government special ops, flashing between Deathblow's shoot-'em-up hunt for the pyrokinetic Max Fai and Batman's follow-up on the case 10 years later. The terrorist - or contractor, depending who you're asking - is mixed up with The Falcon, the I.O. and the C.I.A., and eventually Fai realizes he will die in Gotham.
Of the two "good guys," Batman employs more creative tactics, disguising as a thievin' bum and, surprisingly, Deathblow just before Fai falls to a sniper. Overall, this is a pretty gritty crossover, and calls to mind the
Joker graphic novel, also done by Azzarello and Bermejo. Hell, even Bruce Wayne is kind of ugly.
1) Batman vs. Predator
Batman has tangled with the Predator more times than we care to remember, and even though it may seem like an odd pairing out of the gate, the first
Batman vs. Predator was actually pretty swell, thanks in no small part to the artistic stylings of Andy Kubert and the writing of famed
Watchmen yarn-weaver Dave Gibbons.
BvP captures the feel of the two characters and the gritty reality they co-inhabit well, and the story feels like a lot more than a blah excuse to get the two icons in the same arena to engage in blood-drenched fisticuffs.
And did we mention the stakes? The beating Batman suffers is almost on par with the one received compliments of Bane during their iconic
Knightfall encounter, making Batman's third-act attempt at evening the score all the more thrilling. Contribute to the preceding water cooler moments galore including a shiny new high-tech Batsuit, an all-or-nothing batcave brawl and even Alfred getting in on the fight by blasting Predator with an awesome-looking vintage rifle and you have a mighty cool crossover between Gotham's protector and his intergalactic foe on your hands.
Things get stranger on the next page.
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