DC vs Marvel Comics # 1

 By Mark Rodriguez

Talk about a blast from the past. I remember reading part of this as a young teen back in the day. For those wondering what would happen if both comic book universes ever clashed... This is as close as we'll get. This is an interesting read, if at least to remember at what place the characters were back in the mid-90's as opposed to how they are now. Thanks to the Bent Wookee comic store I was able to grab all the issues for a cheap price.

This is a 4 part story and while being far from perfect, it's cool for all the cameos alone. One thing to mention are some of the fights were actually decided by reader's votes... So if some of the results seem kinda lame and nonsensical... Well it was the readers fault or the character's own fanbase. As for some others, we just see the characters in 'about to fight' poses or stare downs... but never actually see them come to blows. Like I said.. Far from perfect. Anyways lets dive into the 90s DC and Marvel universe and start with issue 1.

DC VS Marvel Round 1 starts off with a bit of 90's trivia, as we see Ben Reilly coming back to New York as Spider-Man. This was the part of the clone saga where Ben thought he was the real Spider-Man

To ruin a perfect night of Ben putting his life back together, his spider-sense goes off and he sees a random bum lying up against a huge cardboard box. The box starts to glow and one of beams of light goes through Spider-man's leg. He says he doesn't feel anything strange but then he suddenly vanishes.

A random guy walks down the alley and see the bum trying to contain the flashing cardboard box and says 'it's about to begin' and he's glad the guy came over to help him. The guy is confused and doesn't want any part of it.

Spider-Man finds himself in the middle of the rain on the rooftop in the middle of Gotham City, right in front of the Joker. The Joker says Spider-Man changed clothes since the last time they fought but Ben doesn't recognize him (there was a Spider-Man/Batman crossover in which they faced the Joker and Carnage, and apparently Joker is 4th-wall breaking enough to remember). Joker tells Spidey he's in Gotham now and he's ready to blow up the building, but the rain is ruining his fireworks.

 

Spider-Man wants answers as to what's going on and says he doesn't even know the clown's name. The Joker decided to leave and gives him 'his card' and jumps off the building. Spidey is surprised but Joker has a parachute ready. Spidey looks at the Joker card and wonder's what's going on.

Meanwhile Gambit is charging up a Joker card as he's ready to fight the Juggernaut alongside Wolverine and Storm. Just as Juggernaut is about to punch Wolverine, the mutant vanishes... and then so does he. Jugs sees that he punches the side of the Daily Planet and wonders where he is. He soon gets punched by Superman that tells him he's in the wrong place.

Back at Manhattan the bum has the cardboard box all taped up with.... tape... toilet paper... I can't tell... and mentions how he doesn't want any more characters crossing over. He's surprised the box is still glowing and nothing can hold it back....since you know... tape and toilet paper can perfectly contain a weird glowing interdimensional cardboard box thingie...

Captain America is busy fighting Hydra soldiers when he suddenly vanishes. Wonder Woman saves some people from a collapsing bridge when she also vanishes, before the cops can thank her. Elsewhere, Betty Ross is hanging with the Hulk, who at this time has the mind and total control of Bruce Banner. The Hulk also vanishes. At a beach Superboy is showing off his powers by lifting up two bikini babes which pisses off his girlfriend Tana... and he also suddenly vanishes. Somewhere in deep space, Lobo is busting up an alien bar when he's suddenly warped away as well.

At the X-Mansion, Wolverine, Storm and Gambit inform Xavier, Beast and Psylocke about Juggernaut's sudden disappearance. Xavier is saddened that his stepbrother is one of their worst enemies, but Wolverine says to let Juggernaut be someone else's problem. Just then the same mysterious light hits Wolverine, Gambit and Storm and all three vanish. Jean and Cyclops are also confused and wonders what the hell is going on.

Elsewhere, across the Marvel and DC Universes, the Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), Elektra, The Flash, Thor, Aquaman, The Silver Surfer, Captain Marvel/Shazam, The Sub-Mariner (Namor), Quicksilver, and Catwoman are all disappearing as well.

In the Batcave, Bullseye has Robin (Tim Drake) hostage demanding that Batman tell him where he is and how he got there. Bullseye threatens to cut Robin's eye, but the Boy Wonder elbows him in the throat. Batman tosses a Batarang but even though he's still choking from the hit, Bullseye manages to catch it and throws it back. Batman manages to duck under it and punches Bullseye across the jaw. The villain is surprised Bats is able to 'make him miss' and says he hits even harder than Daredevil before he passes out.

 

 

Robin wonders who this guy is and how he got into the cave. Batman never heard of him and notes that he was just as surprised to be there as they were to see him. Robin then suddenly vanishes. He then appears in the best place a teenage boy can possibly be, in a teenage girl's bedroom. Yep, Robin suddenly appears on Jubilee's bed and she's already liking his sense of fashion.

 Superman returns to the Daily Bugle disguised as Clark Kent and finds out it is now run by James Jonah Jameson. Lois and Clark are confused as to who is the new guy that took over the Planet and forced out Perry in favor of Jameson. Jimmy Olsen steps in and mentions he's now a TV reporter. Lois also left a photo for Clark to investigate, and he sees Steel fighting the Absorbing Man and wonders where he came from.

Everyone throughout Metropolis are confused as their heroes and villains are gone and replaced by news ones. Throughout the city, the Green Lantern is facing off against the Green Goblin, Bane is trying to punch through Captain America's shield and Daredevil is taking down the Riddler. Elsewhere, Batman faces Venom, Captain Marvel faces Dr. Doom, Punisher and Deathstroke try to shoot each other, Estrigan faces Ghost Rider and Firestorm and Martian Manhunter team up to fight against the Human Torch and The Thing.

Some of the crossover heroes do get along. Hawkman is friends with Archangel, and Supergirl teamed up with She-Hulk to fight crime.

 

Superman was also fighting against Annihilus, and currently Clark notices a pic of Spider-Man taking down Man-Bat. Clark doesn't recognize the hero, and just then Lois Lane introduces the one who took that pic, their new photographer, Ben Reilly. Clark says they're very good pictures and maybe together they can figure out what's going on. Ben says whatever is happening feels like something that's bigger and beyond them.

Out across the universe, the Spectre from the DC Universe and The Living Tribunal from the Marvel Universe also don't understand what is going on. But they both feel that something is terribly wrong. Elsewhere two giant god-like beings point at each other. 

My Thoughts-

Well... this comic wasn't short on cameos, I'll give you that. This is the first issue and despite the crappy way this is all coming together (some sort of mystical glowing cardboard box that a bum is trying to tape up???) it is fun to see all these characters meet up and throw down, though most of them were one panel scenes. It's also fun to see where these characters were in the 90's. Ben Reilly as Spider-Man instead of Scarlet Spider, Kyle Rayner, and 90's Superboy fresh off of Reign of the Supermen. And oh man, wait until we get to 90's Thor in the later issues.

The comic also let the readers vote for who would win the fights in issue 3. The DC VS Marvel Preliminary Bouts consisted of Aquaman VS Sub-Mariner, Elektra VS Catwoman, Captain Marvel VS Thor, Jubilee VS Robin, Flash VS Quicksilver and Silver Surfer VS the Green Lantern.

Then there would be the Marvel VS DC heavyweight bouts which would be Superman VS the Hulk, Captain America VS Batman, Lobo VS Wolverine, Storm VS Wonder Woman and Superboy VS Spider-Man.

 

The comic then comes with very brief bios for Superman, The Hulk, Captain America, Batman, Wonder Woman, Storm, Wolverine, Lobo, Superboy and Spider-Man to help people consider their vote. All votes had to be cast by December 31, 1995 and the issue would hit the stores that February of 1996.... So I just missed it. You could either cut out the ballot from the comic and mail it on, or vote for it online by casting the votes for each individual hero. I didn't even know there was internet in 1995. Man, this takes me back.

I can't even imagine how exciting it would have been back at the day to get the chance to cast your votes and actually effect the outcomes of the story. Way better and a lot less morbid than that phone hotline to vote for whether or not Jason Todd should have died. 

I know this must have been debated to death by now on comic book message boards and the like, but I do wonder if Juggernaut would give Superman trouble considering his powers are magic based and magic is one of Superman's weakness.