There was a time when Marvel, DC and other publishers used to let their heroes have fun and play with age old questions such as “Who’d win in a fight, Superman or Hulk, Batman or Punisher, Wolverine or Lobo?” and they were always good fun and full of cheese. (Ranked by Cheese equivalent)
Here are a list of some of the more fun crossovers we have seen
Ranking in at Swiss, we have “Insert DC Character” Vs Aliens/Predator
In an age when Dark Horse had the rights to both Alien and Predator, we were treated to multiple crossover events such as Batman vs Predator (3 of them actually!), Superman vs Aliens, Green Lantern vs Aliens (one that actually made the most sense from a lore standpoint) and Batman & Superman vs AvP. Super goofy fun, if a bit predictable, a run of books that doesn’t try to be anything it isn’t.
Coming in at Brie we have Marvel & DC Presents: Uncanny X-Men & Teen Titans (1982)
Chris Claremont when X-Men was on top and Walt Simonson Art? It’s a no brainer. Throw in the New Teen Titans and you have a crossover that was 2 of the best books on the shelves at the time.
Smooth, Creamy and goes good with a glass of wine and crackers.
Mozzarella. Who Doesn’t enjoy Mozzarella? Superman vs Spider-Man and Batman vs The Incredible Hulk, 2 original crossovers from the Treasury days. Of course the big 2 publishers will cross over their biggest characters. Never to let one get over on the other of course, but still satisfying and like a warm slice of pizza, you gotta have the cheese.
What about hybrids like Colby Jack? My friends, 1996 was a bizarre year. Heroes were Reborn, Apocalypse had an Age, and Marvel and DC butted heads with a bunch of one-off stories in a crazy line published under the joint venture AMALGAM. Hybrids of your favorite characters like Batman and Wolverine became “Dark Claw”, Bruce Wayne became an Agent of SHIELD in a very Bond-ish story, Steve Rogers the super soldier became, well…Super Soldier. It was a fun, interesting little experiment while it lasted. Still remains a bane for filing when newer employees ask you “where do these go?” Great for entertaining guests.
Then we have the all-around top of the list. Pure Cheddar. I’m talking about JLA Avengers.
This 4 issue series by Kurt Busiek and George Perez (RIP) is a long sought after gem, and a great read all around. Long out of print due to “who gets to print it, Marvel or DC?”, Hero Initiative did a special edition reprint in a “Blink and you miss it” run in 2022. This is by far the king of the Marvel DC crossovers and like a good cheddar, it can be a bit mild, sometimes sharp, and always versatile.
Now that I’ve made myself hungry, it’s time to binge some 90’s X-Men and Batman cartoons while enjoying a pizza. (Note to self. Don’t write articles when hungry)
