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THIS WEEK: Worlds collide once more as the Dark Knight and the Merc with the Mouth square off in Batman/Deadpool #1!
Note: the review below may contain spoilers. If you want a quick, spoiler-free buy/pass recommendation on the comics in question, check out the bottom of the article for our final verdict.
Batman/Deadpool #1
Writers: Grant Morrison; James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, & Scott Snyder; Tom Taylor; Mariko Tamaki; and G. Willow Wilson
Artists: Dan Mora; Hayden Sherman; Bruno Redondo; Amanda Conner; and Denys Cowan & Klaus Janson
Colorists: Alejandro Sánchez; Mike Spicer; Adriano Lucas; Tamra Bonvillain; and Francesco Segala
Letterers: Todd Klein;Todd Klein; Frank Cvetkovic; Wes Abbott; Dave Sharpe; and Steve Wands
Cover Artist: Dan Mora
On page 6 of the main story in DC’s Batman/Deadpool #1, Deadpool is counting the walls that surround him. The third wall appears behind him, and is emblazoned with eight words that feel like they must have come from some sort of editorial memo about intercompany crossovers: “The plot need not be the best possible.”
It’s a fair note. Crossover comics between publishers are, by and large, widely recognized as cashgrabs for the companies involved, and they’ve certainly paid off. This past September’s Deadpool/Batman crossover from Marvel has gone to three printings regardless of what anyone thinks about its content. The main attraction in a crossover like this is less the story itself and more the opportunity to see usually-separate IP mingled together. Worlds colliding. Or, in the case of this comic, hooking up for a one-shot stand on a cosmic dating app.
That awareness on the reader’s part of the fact that the properties involved are owned by separate entities and under normal circumstances would not be interacting gives all of these crossovers an inherently meta aspect. Who better to tackle the latest one, then, than a writer with a notable record of metatextual work? Grant Morrison’s first DC Comics work had Animal Man discovering the truth of his existence as a comic book character and ultimately meeting Morrison. What was novel at the time now seems like old hat as characters like She-Hulk, Harley Quinn, and Gwenpool have regularly broken the fourth wall over the years. Even Spider-Man did it a few months ago in the finale of the Marvel Unlimited series Astonishing Spider-Man, with the wall-crawler meeting — and fighting — series writer Scott Aukerman.
Morrison dials the meta up to 11 for Batman/Deadpool #1, taking full advantage of the latter character’s self-awareness for a story that gleefully riffs on their previous work and its follow-ups. Batman and Deadpool find themselves trapped in a surreal nightmare, and after the requisite fight must work together to make their escape. It’s a fairly straightforward story — the plot need not be the best possible — but the execution is damn-near flawless. Morrison knocks the dialogue out of the park here, from Deadpool’s hyperactive incessance to Batman’s deadpan straight man. Morrison weaves in characters and concepts from their past work for both DC and Marvel perfectly, including an obscure artifact from a non-Morrison-written 1991 issue of Suicide Squad that’s the key to the entire story. What has the potential to feel self-congratulatory and insular instead feels fresh and accessible, and Morrison uses what readers already know about Batman and Deadpool as a way in to the other, more outlandish concepts on display here.
The story is brought to life visually by Dan Mora and Alejandro Sánchez, with Todd Klein’s letters finishing the package. Mora is one of the most dynamic superhero artists working in comics today, and putting him on this book is a slam dunk. He leans into the surreal elements of the story’s main sequence wonderfully, with over-the-top action and wild, hallucinatory settings. There are multiple page-turn reveals that Mora just crushes, including one that’s sure to have long-time DC/Marvel crossover fans chuckling. Sánchez has been coloring Mora’s linework for some time now, and his colors make the visuals pop beautifully, enhancing the hyper-heightened tone of the story. Klein’s lettering prowess is also on full display here, with stylized dialogue for a number of characters adding visual flair to the characterization, and at least one new logo design that’s sheer perfection. Each of these creators brought their full A-game to this story, and it’s a joy to read.
That level of quality isn’t limited to the main feature, as a quartet of backup stories each shines equally as bright. Hayden Sherman and Mike Spicer’s artwork is the star of the show in a meeting between John Constantine and Doctor Strange written by James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, and Scott Snyder, with Sherman’s signature flowing linework and wild page layouts and Spicer’s expressive color palette giving the whole tale an ethereal, otherworldly feeling. Harley Quinn and Hulk get into some fun trouble in a story by Mariko Tamaki and Amanda Conner, while G. Willow Wilson and Denys Cowan team for a story that brings together their signature creations, Ms. Marvel and Static. But it’s Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, and Adriano Lucas’s Nightwing/Wolverine team-up that’s the standout of these four backup tales. Aside from being an entertaining, visually beautiful adventure, Taylor drills into what make both characters tick, comparing and contrasting the two legacy heroes in revealing ways. It’s an eight-page story that packs a big emotional punch.
Batman/Deadpool #1 needn’t have been the best possible — it was going to make money either way — but it consistently overachieves, delivering a main attraction that’s an outstanding superhero spectacle and a handful of smaller, character-driven tales. It’s a stellar package of stories that highlights what’s unique, and what’s fun, about the two universes featured, and it’s sure to go down as one of the best intercompany crossover comics of all time.
Final Verdict: BUY.
Round-Up
- The latest foray into the Fourth World wraps with this week’s The New Gods #12. Ram V and Evan Cagle, joined by guest artist Phil Hester for this issue’s opening sequence, deliver a finale that’s powerful and satisfying, establishing a new status quo for the New Gods and affirming their importance to the larger DC Universe. This series has been a spectacular read, and hopefully the promise of the New Gods’ return brings V and Cagle along with it.
- Mark Waid and Adrián Gutiérrez bring the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel’s worst enemies together in this week’s Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #45 as Lex Luthor and The Joker join forces to take on their foes. It’s the beginning of a new arc so there’s a lot of setup here, but the interaction between Luthor and Joker is really fun, and the cliffhanger is pretty solid. Not even the presence of Hawkman could bring this one down.
- Superman Unlimited #7 sets up a new status for Jon Kent in Smallville that’s both unexpected and a totally natural fit. Jeremy Adams steps in to script from a Dan Slott plot, and Adams’s style fits the tone of the series as established by Slott perfectly. The art by Lucas Meyer and Marcelo Maiolo is strong, with clean lines and easy-to-follow storytelling. The cover sets it up as a horror story but it ends up being more of a mystery, and the conclusion is a delightful nod to a classic Superman story.
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