DARK CLAW versus HYENA

Through a Glass Darkly (DC/Marvel)
Where: Legends of The Dark Claw #1 When: April 1996 Why: Larry Hama How: Jim Balent

The Story So Far...
When twin primordial entities re-collected their dissipated conscious energies -- they became aware of each other once more and turned to pit the warriors of their respective universes against one another in battle to the death!

In an effort to contravene total annihilation, beings from both worlds -- The Living Tribunal and The Spectre -- clasp hands to forge a new universe made of elements of each.

Thus, for a fleeting instant, all of history unfolds to tell the tale of a new existence in The Amalgam Age! In this reality: Logan Wayne was orphaned until he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and submitted to the Weapon X Project. They gave him claws and metal bones, triggering his mutant healing factor, but also an arch-nemesis in the psychotic Hyena. Now he fights crime as Dark Claw!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hyena 4 (Enhanced)
Intelligence: Dark Claw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Draw 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Dark Claw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Dark Claw 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Hyena 3 (Explosives)
Total: Dark Claw 27 (Metahuman)

What do you get when you combine the mutant ferocity of Marvel's Wolverine with the gothic detective vigilantism of DC's Batman? A team-up between the two publishers answered this question and more with Dark Claw & Amalgam Comics!

Logan Wayne witnessed the mugging murder of his parents at age 5 and was sent to live with his uncle in Alberta, Canada. When poachers left the mountie for dead - Wayne fell into the custody of nuns. When he came of age he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. From there he entered the Weapon X Project: a secret experimental program designed to create the ultimate killing machine.

Weapon X was erased from all records, but not before it endowed Logan Wayne with retractable blades over his fists, laced his skeleton with unbreakable adamantium, and triggered a mutant healing factor!

Despite all these gifts, and years of tactical combat training, Wayne's unshakeable conscience rendered him a failure as a living weapon. Something his arch-nemesis and fellow Project X subject excelled a little too well at!

Hyena was once Creed H. Quinn -- another RCAF volunteer submitted to the Weapon X project. He received similar enhancements, with talon-like claws for fingernails, enhanced durability & healing, but also green hair and a grinning insanity that won't be satiated until he kills the man he blames for it - Dark Claw!

Hyena combines the animalistic physicality of Sabretooth with the scheming madness of The Joker. There are aspects of both, but in terms of fighting style, he borrows more obviously from the Marvel side, complimenting size & strength with an arsenal of guns, laughing bombs, and deranged minions known as The Pack.

The arch-rivalry has the tooth & claw scrapping of classic Wolverine & Sabretooth battles, but the New Gotham setting and dogged pursuit gives it a Batman & Joker flourish. Of course -- this actually isn't the first time we've covered the pair!

Super-Soldier helped Access and Dark Claw defeat Hyena in DC versus Marvel #4 after the Amalgam Universe burst into existence in Marvel versus DC #3! We also saw the lengths Dark Claw will go to when he used a bazooka to apparently kill Ra's-A-Pocalypse during a flashback sequence in Dark Claw Adventures #1.

Those entries were nice, but this is our first full-fledged feature for Dark Claw, so let's wrap up the theory and get into seeing what they're are all about!

History: Dark Claw (1-0-0)
The Tape: Dark Claw Ranking: Dark Claw (#183)

What Went Down...

Extra! Extra! Tomorrow's headlines will be written with bullets as gunfire ricochets off the Gotham Gazette printing presses -- and Dark Claw charges over whirring reems of paper with adamantium talon-blades drawn!

The Clawed Crusader fearlessly dives over Hyena's still-blasting machine pistol to join the madman on a suspended walkway!

At close quarters, the Cackling Canine tries to distract with verbal mind games, but Dark Claw is unwavering in his assault -- dismissing cryptic allusions to grand schemes with disinterest and a slash of his claws.

The resulting blood spray is enough to fulfill the juvenile clue that brought the Darknight Defender to the printing plant: "Black and white and red all over."

Hyena staggers but hits a high kick to Dark Claw's face that brings the hero perilously close to the walkway's guardrail. Dark Claw launches himself in kind, into a jumping shoulder bump that sends them both crashing through the rail on the opposite side. They fall.

The pair bounce off a spinning roller and hit the ground hard!

Hyena recovers first -- throwing Dark Claw across the factory floor into the unforgiving steel and concrete that gives the printing plant its structure. Metal beams and newsprint spill across him, pinning Dark Claw as Hyena prances away with a smile and a pointless spray of uzi fire into the air.

As Dark Claw gingerly pushes himself off the ground and holds his head -- a voice checks-in over his mask radio: "Hey, old man! Your life-function readings are looking kinda skronky!" Nothing a mutant healing factor can't handle.

Dark Claw warns his sidekick to be prepared for Hyena as she hovers outside in the Claw-Copter: "Keep your eye on the horizon and check your six, Sparrow... The Hyena is heading for the roof, so be prepared to cover me!"

The Darknight Defender races through the printing plant, catching up with Hyena as he's scaling the stairs to the upper levels.

A volley of grenades greets the hero on the landing, but he manages to stay clear of the blasts and maintain chase.

Hyena has nowhere left to run with his back against a tall glass window and Dark Claw's adamantium talons approaching fast. He wants to play!

The Clawed Crusader lunges at his nemesis -- slashing his claws across Hyena's face while sending the pair smashing through the window!

They continue clawing at each other as momentum carries them across the divide between buildings. Glass fragments trickle and fall towards the bustling, car-filled street below as hero and villain remain locked in mortal combat!

They hit the Zest Cola sign on the opposing rooftop with a shower of sparks!

Dark Claw presses his advantage, holding Hyena over the void of the rooftop ledge with a fistful of shirt. The grim vigilante isn't playing around: "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just cut your throat and drop you into traffic!"

It looks like the end of the line for Hyena's madness -- but suddenly the precarious ledge is alive with gunfire!

From an overlooking verge on the opposite building stands The Pack: Hyena's loyal gang of punks and sickos -- covered in piercings & chains and armed to the teeth with a heavy duty arsenal of high-powered blasters.

They open up with all barrels -- forcing Dark Claw to evade as Hyena steps back and enjoys the show!

Dark Claw nimbly drops to a lower roof and flips clear of the two-stacked mega blaster shots, but as he goes on the run -- The Pack unleash the heavy artillery!

Rockets explode the roof from underneath Dark Claw and he desperately leaps!

Fortunately -- his faith finds the waiting tyre of a chopper!

Sparrow, Dark Claw's loyal sidekick, kept her eyes on the horizon true to their communication. She was ready & waiting to swoop in to make the save!

The fiery youth takes the Claw-Copter around for a strafing run, but Dark Claw abruptly grabs the controls and sends them flying skyward.

The Pack has heat seeking missiles. Better to live to fight another day than try to take them in the city.

The Hammer...
As Dark Claw takes Sparrow and the Claw-Copter on a strategic retreat -- they're forced to make another abrupt turn to avoid the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier speeding through New Gotham airspace to (or from) an unknown destination.

Could this be a subtle clue that SHIELD Director Bruce Wayne is responsible for covertly deploying The Huntress, Carol Danvers, to Logan Wayne's penthouse loft in the "artsy-trendy" part of town? Or is this simply a playful editorial nod to the two Amalgam characters inspired by Batman? Questions to answer another time!

Today we're going all-in on what was probably the DC/Marvel remix that excited me the most. I don't exactly remember how I found out about it. Maybe it was in-house ads in other books, the hot tip from Tony at the comic shop, cards, or just a chance sighting at the newsagent. Either way -- I literally ran through the supermarket complex to grab my copy before they sold out!

On top of a mostly still-vibrant time for series like X-Men, other then-recent efforts, like Green Lantern/Silver Surfer, did wonders to bolster confidence and fuel interest in more crossovers. This was despite the impending industry decline that apparently brought about this inter-company ceasefire in the first place.

By 1996 the two major publishers were going all the way with their partnership. The DC versus Marvel/Marvel versus DC crossover offered readers long awaited dream matches between favourite characters -- but Amalgam Comics opened things up to the excitement of something new and different!

In our last entry we talked about the internet era preoccupation with new readers afraid of approaching American comics, but enduring interest in Amalgam very quickly exposes how absurd the anxiety is, and how comics are best read in all directions.

Sure, these characters had no actual future or past to concern yourself with, but each Amalgam issue is created as if it was the latest in a monthly series. They're paradoxically completely stand-alone experiences, yet largely interesting because of all the baggage that comes with at least two long-running characters.

These days the "multiverse" has been abused and worn out with a litany of half-baked hack jobs -- but back then the novelty of DC and Marvel combining into a whole new universe was an irresistible curiosity! What would the world look like? Who's combined? How do their stories blend? What's the plot of each issue? "Good question." Just discovering & identifying characters was a big part of the fun!

Dark Claw stood at the front of the pack -- one of the few Amalgam characters who first appears on the final page of DC versus Marvel #3.

Unlike Amazon, comprised of Wonder Woman & Storm - or Spider-Boy, a blend of Superboy & Spider-Man; Dark Claw wasn't the product of characters matched up in the fighting crossover. Those bouts were Wolverine vs Lobo and Batman vs Captain America. Fine combat partners, but when it came time to merge the worlds, we got a collision of the two company's most popular icons of the time.

The visual design instantly sold the character as a surefire fan-favourite: Heavy on the Wolverine, with flared masked and metal claws, embellished by the romantic darkness of Batman and his flowing cape. This only gets more effective when Jim Balent goes all-out for the solo Dark Claw comic, creating blockbuster action and moody atmosphere with colourist Pat Garrahy.

They were colouring Batman pretty dark in those days, but Dark Claw's black bodysuit arguably skews more Hollywood than comic book -- not that any of these characters were beholden to a simplistic formula based on their inspirations. For an ostensibly cheap gimmick - there are a lot of solid, earnest creations here.

The great Larry Hama would go on to write some Batman stories a couple of years after Legends of the Dark Knight #1, but his hand seems to favor the Marvel side with Dark Claw, perhaps leveraging his many years writing and fleshing out Wolverine's backstory.

This was all under the watch of legendary editor Denny O'Neil, and we can only speculate if there were other hands involved in the creation of Dark Claw between the various crossovers. It is interesting to note that Hama was still on Wolverine in 1996 though, and revisits the hits as Weapon X provides much of the foundation for Dark Claw's history, beyond the simple riff on the murder of the Waynes.

Things get pretty tangled as Logan Wayne's childhood custody is bounced around between tragedies, and North American national borders, eventually arriving at a fog of espionage and deep cover, and a bitter rivalry very much in the mold of Wolverine and Sabretooth. Much of this is uncovered by Huntress in this issue, but she too exists under a veil of contrived uncertainty.

These characters are so deep under cover - even they can't reveal the truth with absolute clarity. A convenient way to avoid any gaps or inconsistencies, I imagine, but also a page taken right out of the playbook of early nineties Weapon X, and Wolverine's decades of lost memories, and false implants.

Dark Claw's present-day is where the Batman influence is more present. His status as New Gotham's premiere "techno-wizard, painter, sportsman, and walking enigma" borrows some of the best bits from the urban gothic playboy of Bruce Wayne and Batman. His dogged pursuit of Hyena owes more to Batman, even if his temperament takes crime-fighting a little further. The best there is, etc.

A case can be made that Dark Claw closely resembles Tim Vigil's Faust: a hyper-violent, hyper-erotic independent anti-hero from the late eighties. Cartoonist Kayfabe did a good job covering that, and the similarities are certainly there - deliberate, or not. Jim Balent's independent work on Tarot feels like it could have a table at the tamer independent erotica end of artist's alley, but I don't know if the two had any connection.

At the time, Dark Claw's design always reminded me of a curious 1990 story in Detective Comics about an in-fiction unauthorized comic about Batman. It had a very exaggerated approach to the Bat-mythos as interpreted by a Gotham City comic book artist. In this version, Simon Petrach was the benefactor of Lucifer in a war on crime, and come to think of it, it may have been a riff on Faust as well!

Of course, Faust doesn't have a sidekick -- but Dark Claw makes full use of the odd couple dynamic of Wolverine & Jubilee, and the iconography of DC's Dynanic Duo. Batman & Robin were back in favour at that time thanks to Tim Drake, The Animated Series, and Batman Forever. There's even a little bit of The Dark Knight Returns and Carrie Kelley in Dark Claw & Sparrow, but that might be baked into the mix with Jubilee.

When you boil it all down - it's a fantastic arrangement and blending of existing pieces to create a greater sum than the parts. You don't have to know the ins & outs to appreciate the adventure, and chances are you know the broad strokes, but it is all the sweeter if you see the artistry in every decision and exploitation. It's in these details, as well as the unique and surprising flourishes, that we see the joy of human creation, and how it often differs from the plagiaristic practises of so-called "generative artificial intelligence".

Put it all together and it's just cool. It's that simple. Back in the day, I wanted to see more from Dark Claw and the Amalgam characters. Fortunately, in 1997, there was a second wave that included a cartoon-inspired Dark Claw Adventures, and here in 2025, we've just seen the surprise return of Dark Claw in Batman/Deadpool! So who knows what the future might hold!

If you'd like to see more Dark Claw here on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths be sure to drop a comment and consider getting involved on Patreon.

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Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#170 (+13) Dark Claw
#670 (new) Sparrow [+1 assist]
#683 (+41) Hyena

KANG versus SPIDER-BOY

Too Many Heroes -- Too Little Time! (Marvel/DC)
Where: Spider-Boy Team-Up #1 When: June 1997
Why: RK Sternsel How: Ladronn

The Story So Far...
When twin primordial entities recollected their dissipated conscious energies and regained each other's notice -- they turned to pit the warriors of their respective universes against one another in a battle to the death!

In an effort to contravene these dire circumstances, beings from both worlds -- The Living Tribunal and The Spectre -- clasp hands to forge a new universe comprised of elements of both.

Thus, for a fleeting instant, all of history unfolds to tell the tale of a new existence in The Amalgam Age! In this reality: General Thunderbolt Ross leads efforts to bioengineer a successor to the World War II super-hero known as Super-Soldier. Under ill-fated scientist, Peter Parker, Project Cadmus successfully creates a prematurely woken clone who becomes the sensational Spider-Boy!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Kang 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Kang 6 (Genius)
Speed: Spider-Boy 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Kang 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Spider-Boy 2099 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting: Spider-Boy 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Kang 5 (Lasers)
Total: Kang The Time Conqueror 29 (Metahuman)

Spider-Boy is the Amalgam Comics synthesis of Marvel's Spider-Man of the time, Ben Reilly, and the half-kryptonian DC Comics clone, Superboy!

Named Pete Ross for the Project Cadmus scientist who led his creation, Peter Parker, and his adopted guardian, General Ross; Spider-Boy uses his innate powers to manipulate gravity to walk on walls and fight crime.

He also possesses enhanced strength, speed, and agility, and a Cadmus designed gun that shoots adhesive webs -- complimenting his swinging style as Spider-Boy.

Before his "Uncle Gen" was gunned down in the street by a mugger, he bestowed upon the young clone wise words Super-Soldier once told him. A mantra Spider-Boy lives by, albeit with his own twist of tabloid chasing antics: "With great power does come great responsibility... and way too much fun!"

Spider-Man and Superboy fought during the Marvel versus DC crossover event, but combined they are one of the Amalgam Universe's greatest heroes -- inspiring following generations as far as the in-fiction future of 2099!

Of course, time is of no consequence to the mysterious cloaked spectre that is Kang, The Time Conqueror!

He is the combination of Marvel's Kang and DC's Time Trapper -- and his reach is just as grandiose as each of his two halves! As we'll soon see: The Time Conqueror is aware of the omniverse beyond his composite reality, and aims to access the nexus of powers inherent within the Amalgam hero.

The Tape: Kang The Time Conqueror Ranking: Draw (Not Ranked)

What Went Down...

As Spider-Boy successfully sends a mortally wounded samaritan to the relative safety of the Phantom-Negative Zone, he's shocked to learn from Vance Cosmic, and the future Legion of Galactic Guardians, that the young man will not emerge until the year 2099 -- a century from the present!

Shocked and baffled by their cavalier attitude towards the grim fate, Spider-Boy becomes even more perplexed as his 2099 allies appear to become frozen like statues. A sign that the grim spectre chasing him through time has arrived!

As the looming figure sizzles into view, its cloak hood falls to reveal the green & purple helmeted visage of Kang The Time Conqueror!

Having dragged Spider-Boy into the non-space of Limbo -- Kang now takes control of his target, wrapping massive gauntleted hands around his forearms, with a mad scheme to use the young hero to conqueror the very omniverse!

Kang reveals that Spider-Boy is a vital, primal living nexus of realities!

Powerful energies begin to glow like a seam down Spider-Boy's center as The Time Conqueror attempts to pull him apart, separating his amalgamated life energies to gain access to all realities through time and space!

As the process takes hold -- Spider-Boy begins to split into two separate beings: the confounded Spider-Man of the Marvel Universe and an equally confused Superboy from the DC Universe!

Despite Kang's seemingly imminent success -- a time square opens in the Limbo dimension -- producing yet another, fully masked Spider-Boy!

The mystery Spider-Boy uses the two heads of his splitting counterpart to vault out of the temporal transport and deliver a devastating two-footed kick to Kang's face!

The violent blow sends Kang reeling and frees his grip on the original Spider-Boy!

The masked version swings around the falling Time Conqueror, calling for his predecessor to lend a hand to quickly put the time-fiend on ice.

Having pulled himself back together, Spider-Boy produces his web gun and unleashes a steady stream of webbing in unison with his mysterious counterpart, who sprays organic webbing from his two forefingers!

With the villain successfully subdued in a bodily cocoon of webbing -- the twin heroes aim to at last unmask the scourge of time!

Spider-Boy rips the helmet from his head, unmasking Kang's true face as Chronos-Tut, The Time Pharoah! An enemy once defeated by the Challengers of the Fantastic when he attempted to turn Washington DC into ancient Egypt!

Unbeknownst to the heroes, in unmasking Kang they damaged his masks circuitry -- shattering his ability to control the omniversal forces that maintain Limbo!

A spectacular building of energies signals the collapse of Chronos-Tut's scheme!

He radiates with power until at last it explodes -- consuming Chronos-Tut and blasting both Spider-Boys back to the Project Cadmus laboratory found deep within the subterranean corridors of Fantastic Mountain!

Now mere moments after triggering the Phantom-Negative Zone device, Spider-Boy learns of the true significance of his unexpected ally: He is Mig-El Gand -- the injured boy who will spend a century in the pocket dimension, before emerging to receive the life-saving spider DNA serum that turns him into Spider-Boy 2099!

The Hammer...

For a fleeting moment I thought we had a fourth wall breaking appearance by Marvel's bona fide Kang The Conqueror, but the unmasking of Chronos-Tut confirms this is an Amalgam combination of Kang and DC's elusive Time Trapper.

I'm basically repeating thoughts from Kang's Heroes Reborn entry, but an intrusion into the Amalgam Universe really could've worked!

There are a variety of explanations for how he might've escaped the combination of universes. From his frequent visitations to the Limbo realm, to his existence as a time-displaced traveler from a distant future; the means for Kang to step beyond the consequences of causality -- and a present day that merged Marvel and DC -- were there to be exploited.

Kang The Time Conqueror, aka; Chronos-Tut, The Time Pharoah, might not exist beyond Amalgam Comics, but nevertheless possesses an awareness of its unique composite reality, as we saw in his efforts to divide Spider-Boy back into his original components of Spider-Man and Superboy.

As a matter of note: The great Ladronn draws what looks like a fairly classic Spider-Man, which seems to suggest Spider-Boy owes his Marvel side to Peter Parker, even though it was Ben Reilly in the webs when the two universes clashed, and first produced the combined reality of the Amalgam Universe in 1996.

By this point it had been revealed Peter Parker wasn't the clone that everybody was led to believe he was. This shouldn't have any real consequence for Spider-Boy, and should probably be regarded as a mistake, but we're hardly going to hold against the artist. Ladronn's Kirby-infused pencils are always an absolute treat!

Spider-Boy Team-Up #1 is an all-around tour de force, with Roger Stern and Karl Kesel (credited as the Amalgamated "RK Sternsel") cramming every single page chock full of ideas brought to life with Jose Ladronn's masterful touch. It's really hard to believe it's only a 22-page comic! There's just so much!

Twin rollcalls for the Legion of Galactic Guardians 2099 playfully poke fun at DC's unstable Legion of Super-Heroes, while also casually tossing off a couple dozen awesome new Amalgam characters, including personal favourites: 'Lectron (Electro & Lightning Lad), Timberwolf By Night (Werewolf By Night & Timber Wolf), Cannonfire (Cannonball & Wildfire), Multiple Maid (Multiple Man & Triplicate Girl), and Sparkler (Dazzler & Spark).

It's an absolute smorgasbord of sparklingly brilliant ideas before you even reach the punctuating piece de resistance of Spider-Boy 2099, whose origin is actually told before your very eyes throughout the entire issue, using the reality & time bending plotlines to trick you into thinking it's a B-story, fusing elements of Mon-El, and the recently cancelled Spider-Man 2099, to create Mig-El Gand!

Perhaps the only criticism of this issue, like many of the best Amalgam one-shots, is that it really makes you want to continue reading more of these characters!

DC and Marvel collaborated on two complete waves of Amalgam Comics across 1996 and 1997, along with a sprawling catalogue of stand-alone crossovers, such as Green Lantern/Silver Surfer, but more consequential storytelling was limited to the original DC versus Marvel/Marvel versus DC mini-series, and two four issue spin-offs starring a joint-owned hero: DC/Marvel: All Access and Unlimited Access.

Those books gave us even more fun crossovers between the two companies, but Spider-Boy Team-Up might've been a fantastic series to continue, allowing them to introduce even more brilliant mash-up concepts, while doing more to showcase the heroes & villains introduced across in the earlier Amalgam Comics wave.

Alas, these kinds of crossovers appear to be in the distant past, and Spider-Boy will be one of the few variations of Spider-Man that will not be appearing in the upcoming animated theatrical blockbuster: Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse.

I guess that just makes it all the more perfect that we can talk about it here!

Sometimes I kind of view Amalgam characters as a little bit of time wasted given that their existence is limited and they'll rarely advance beyond one or two entries on the site, but here revisiting Spider-Boy, I'm reminded of just how much fun the whole experiment was. It literally had me running to the stands back in 1996!

There's actually quite a few Spider-Boy battles we can return to, and if you'd like to help make that possible, consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! As a thank you you'll unlock access to additional updates and a new Discord server, while also helping to make everything that appears here possible!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured more than 700 battles and ranked well over 1,000 iconic characters! You can find them all by following links throughout each article, or by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number. Scroll through to the bottom to find crossover publications, such as Amalgam Comics, and much more.

Get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to Twitter and Facebook, or by becoming a freebie follower on Patreon. Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on Twitter & Patreon!

Winners: Spider-Boy & Spider-Boy 2099
#360 (new) Spider-Boy (Peter Ross)
#361 (new) Spider-Boy (Mig-El Gand)
#1007 (new) Kang The Time Conqueror (Chronos-Tut)

L'OK D'SAAD versus THORION
Thorion the Hunter! (Amalgam)
Where: Thorion of the New Asgods #1 When: June 1997 Why: Keith Giffen How: John Romita Jr

The Story So Far...
When cosmic events conspire to endanger both the DC and Marvel universes, the heroes of each Earth is faced with a secret crisis that could destroy them all. In the middle of this clash of worlds is Axel Asher - a citizen with a cosmic destiny that will embue him with the powers of Access!

By the will of two opposing omnipotent brothers, champions of the DC and Marvel universes are forced to fight for survival. To the victor goes the spoils of existence, but for any hero who would refuse to fight, a forfeit that brings their world closer to eradication.

When Batman and Captain America meet in a hard-fought final battle, all seems lost, but as Access comes to realise the full extent of his incredible powers, the Spectre and Living Tribunal use their own awesome energies to create the ultimate loophole to save - or destroy - the lives of everyone in both worlds!

What if... an elseworld existed composed of both universes?!
Access is the only being alive to witness the outcome as histories are rewritten, and a new universe is borne of a bizarre cosmic amalgamation. Is this existence the ultimate solution, or mutual destruction...?

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Thorion 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: L'Ok D'Saad 5 (Professor)
Speed: Thorion 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Thorion 6 (Generator)
Agility: Thorion 2 (Average)
Fighting Ability: Thorion 6 (Warrior)
Energy Power: Draw 6 (UWMD)


- The result of merging the core DC and Marvel universes; L'Ok D'Saad is in actual fact two seperate beings: Desaad of Apokolips, and Loki of Asgard.

The treacherous half-brother of Thorion was traded to Apokolips' despot ruler, Thanoseid, in part of a peace keeping pact with New Asgard. The two sons were reshaped in the image of their environments, turning L'Ok D'Saad into the embittered servant of his master. His hatred for his heroic half-brother is so strong he is willing to serve Thanoseid's desire to exterminate all life in dedication to Lady Death.

The inherent extent of L'Ok D'Saad's powers is unknown, but his subserviance to Thanoseid allows him access to immense cosmic powers. Among them, the Mother Cube; a construct housing the raw cosmic energies of the Infinity Essence, which are capable of instigating the will of it's possessor at a potential cost of their life.

- The result of merging the core DC and Marvel universes; Thorion is in actual fact two seperate beings: Orion of Apokolips, and Thor of Asgard.

Thorion perished during the Secret Crisis by was able to be resurrected by the exchange of his half-brother, L'Ok D'Saad, for the hammer Mjolnir, as part of a peace keeping agreement with warring Apokolips ruler, Thanoseid.
Nurtured by the positive influence of New Asgard and Odin the Highfather; Thorion overcomes his instinctive rages to channel them in battle for good.

Thorion defies the forces of Apokolips that infringe the neutral territory of the Blasted Lands, located between there and New Asgard. Wielding the Astro-Force, Thorion is privvy to incredible cosmic energies channeled through his hammer, Mjolnir. As a New Asgod he also possesses inherent strength, speed, and endurance, as well as the battle hardened experience of a warrior.

Additional: While the Amalgam characters have not yet appeared in the Infinite Wars, a previous entry detailed one of the many confrontations between Thor and Loki. Avengers #1 showcased Loki's penchant for treachery, and Thor's sheer will to overcome in the face of adversity.

Math: Thorion Ranking: Draw (NR)

What Went Down...
With the power of the Mother Cube in his possession, L'Ok D'Saad petitions the wrath of the Promethean Giants bound by The Source to the Ego-Mass. These monsters of destruction are the instruments of Ragnarok - the twilight of gods!

Bitterly opposing his favoured half-brother, L'Ok unleashes the power of the Cube with a blast of energy that engulfs his brother and stirs the infernal giant, Surtur, from his slumber. The demonic beast responds with fury dwarfed only by the heroism of Thorion, who refuses to allow the giants march.

Clutching Mjolnir in his clenched fist, Thorion summons the Astro-Force to contain the dark powers of the Infinity Essence! His body disappears in the rush of energies and explodes in a cosmic burst that recalls the day Odin himself unleashed the powers of the Source and reignited the flame of the New Asgods!

Thorion had succesfully stemmed his half-brother's mad plans, protecting the universe in doing so, the resurrected New Asgod paid the price of his immortal body. Stripped of his flesh and embued with the combined powers of the Infinity Essence and Astro-Force, Thorion becomes something much more awesome.

No longer welcome in either Apokolips, nor New Asgard, Thorion is reborn from the remnants of the Promethean Giants and Ego-Mass, fashioning a new epic visage that earns him the title -- the Celestial!

The Hammer...
Though not without sacrifice, Thorion emerges from the destruction of both the giants, and L'Ok D'Saad, to be our weekly winner!

With the November 10 release date of Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe looming ever closer, it seems the Infinite Wars just can't escape the subject. Such is the impetus for our stop in the Amalgam universe, where fans get a glimpse of things to come!

The premise of Mortal Kombat hinges on defending Earth from the invasion of other universes, but if you thought either side was ill equipped to deal with the threat of a merger, you'd be wrong! The DCU has certainly had it's brushes with interdimensional mayhem, ranging from their battle (and brief merging) with the Marvel Universe [DC versus Marvel]; to the homegrown threats of Crisis on Infinite Earths and it's emotional sequel, Infinite Crisis.

Details of the upcoming game's plot remain sketchy, but in our Q&A with the game's Senior Producer, Hans Lo revealed; "... I can say that two major events occurring at the same time in each universe triggers the merging process and that it’s up to the teams from each universe to find the cause and hopefully correct the situation before it spells the doom not just one universe, but both."

A teasing leak of Xbox 360 achievements revealed the defeat of "Dark Khan," which seems to confirm one of the worst kept secrets in the game -- the threat of the merged powers of Shao Kahn and Darkseid!

Fans of the DC/Marvel merger, now over a decade old, will have some idea of what to expect! Pictured right; the result of combining Darkseid and Thanos - Thanoseid!

Amalgam comics, which were printed over two week stints in 1996 and 1997, boast yet another example of a comics crossover which managed to exist within the established continuity of two universes, despite the inevitable distance put between the associated parties.

Comics like these make the decision to remove MKvsDC from contemporary MK plots seem all the more disappointing. While penetration in the domain of entertainment favours video games, it's fair to say there's still a lot of creative direction the young medium could take from it's four-colour counterpart.

Few mediums have the experience with on-going sequential story telling comics do, but as video games settle into franchise development, not unlike Mortal Kombat's fifteen years of releases, the similarities become increasingly evident.
Cross polonization has seen many comics writers successfully lending their talents to the medium, examples like Paul Jenkins springing to mind, who has contributed to titles like; Legacy of Kain, Twisted Metal Black, God of War, Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, and The Darkness, where his influence took on a directorial role to permeate throughout the design of the game.

Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray join MKvsDC as writers for the story mode, but the game exudes an unmistakable leaning toward MK as the home team. In it's most admirable outings the Mortal Kombat narrative has shown great foresight for the future, such as 2002's Deadly Alliance which successfully drew mythology from previous plot, whilst foreshadowing driving events from 2004's, Deception.

Rumors persist of a 2010 straight sequel to 2006's Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, but I'm definitely looking to see how the latest stages of comic book influence effect MKvsDC. Not that this is the first brush with the medium for MK!

Comics have influenced the creation of Mortal Kombat since it's inception, thanks in no small part to co-creator John Tobias, who has worked for a host of companies as a penciler. Jim Kreuger (Earth X, Justice) preceeds Palmiotti and Gray as the first well known comics writer to contribute to MK, having written the script for the adventure spin-off, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks.

Tobias returns to the brand with Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe to draw a sixteen-page bonus comic shipping with special editions of the game!

The Fight: 3.5 The Issue: 4.5

Thorion of the New Asgods comes from the second wave (1997) of Amalgam releases, and is available collected in "Return to the Amalgam Age of Comics." You'll find that, and collected editions of reviewed issues, in the Infinite Wars Amazonian Gift Shoppe! By using Amazon purchase links provided on the site you help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars! Hey, you can also do neat things like pre-order the Collector's Edition of MKvsDC to make sure you don't miss out on the bonus content!

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Longshots
DARK CLAW versus RA'S-A-POCALYPSE
Face To Face (Amalgam)
Where: Dark Claw Adventures #1 When: June 1997
Why: Ty Templeton How: Ty Templeton & Rick Burchett

Quick Fix...
I mentioned in the Punch-Up that there was a Ra's Al Ghul related entry I was originally interested in, and I also mentioned a little Two-In-One action coming. Hopefully you've been able to surmise that this entry answers both of those references.

I found myself flicking through this particular issue because, tangentially stemming from all the Al Ghul talk, I started thinking about Ra's-A-Pocalypse; the composite character that borrows elements from Marvel's Apocalypse character, and marries them with the DC character [hence Amalgam].

The resulting character is, though hardly elaborated on, a delicious little conceptual of a Darwinism-extremist. In this case there are trace elements of themes specifically explored in episodes of the Batman animated series, which provides half of the inspiration for this issue's adventure format.

In a lot of ways this is perfect fodder for the quick fix.
Though not always the focus, the underlying statistical analysis of the fighting effectiveness of characters remains an intriguing and unique spine for our little website.

From that perspective, why should a character be penalised for gaining a swift victory? Thus, we open ourselves up to the prospect of quick fixes throughout the month, rather than containing the multitude of mini-massacres to the first of the month.

Here, in a brief flashback sequence, the lethal Lady Talia recalls two years previous, when last she saw her father.
In the desert, Ra's-A-Pocalypse does battle with Dark Claw, intending to return to civilization with a deadly virus that will weed the fit from the weak.

Poisoned by an unseen scorpion, Dark Claw finds himself seemingly defeated by Ra's, who believes the desert has, much as it did during his harsh childhood, fostered his ultimate ascention. He leaves Dark Claw and his daughter behind, taking off in a private plan with his guard Ubuwong.

With his healing factor enabling a speedy recovery from the battle, Dark Claw finds himself in a most difficult position. Left with crates of super weapons, he feels forced to shoot Ra's-A-Pocalypse's plane down, unable to allow him the opportunity to destroy humanity.

Regrettably, he gains the final victory, but in the moment of impact he destroys one enemy to give birth to another. The legacy of Ra's lives on through his daughter. She burns bunch of her body searching desperately through the flaming wreckage of the shotdown plane, never able to find the remains of her wiley father. Thus, she replaces her broken body with cybernetic adamantium enhancements, and begins a fruitless quest for revenge.

There's something very naff about taking two of the most over-exposed characters in comics, and smooshing them together to make another. A character who shares the contrivances of his predecessors to positively stink of 'hey, this is COOL! Love it!' Even so, it's almost impossible to resist the lure of the Bat-Wolverine, and honestly, with an issue this good, it's even easy to defend.

The DC vs Marvel event continues to be one of the most viewed entries on the site here, and with an inter-company formula that is intriguing to so many, this book actually manages to live up to it in a way even the versus mini didn't.

Reading like one of the best episodes of the Batman animated series, this is the kind of series that I'd like to read on a regular basis. It quite effectively takes so much of what makes Wolverine and Batman so great, drawing on influences broad enough to include a Carrie Kelly inspired Jubilee that's probably better than either/or.

So solid a read is Dark Claw Adventures #1, that there's still at least another quick fix and a full feature contained within, so on that note, I might just wrap it up here and leave the elaborating to another time.

The Fix: 4.5 The Issue: 6
Winner: Dark Claw

[An immensly fun read, but by no means one for the history books.
Packs a hefty punch; telling an infinitely approachable story about a character that barely even exists, fleshes the concept out, and even throws in a handful of action scenes for good measure!]


DEADSHOT versus FLASH
"Once Upon A Time...!" (DC)
Where: Legends #1 When: November 1986
Why: John Ostrander & Len Wein How: John Byrne

Quick Fix...
So, all this talk about Ryan Reynolds as the Flash kinda did rub off afterall, and since I had the issue handy, I figured it would be as good a time as any to take a look at one of the many other battles contained within.

Something the Quick Fix Double Feature is going to be especially good for is going back to check out material from features already lodged in the Infinite Wars.

The first issue of Legends features not just Captain Marvel [as seen in the September Punch-Up], but also a range of other characters, many being groomed for roles in new series. In a lot of ways Legends is very much the prototype for the Infinite Crisis/52/Countdown marketting model.
On it's own merits it's a solid, if abbreviated, account of events in the new look DC Universe. On closer inspection it expands from it's six-issue core to unfold into a twenty-two issue story that branches off into the Bat and Superman titles, but also does well to launch books and post-Crisis characters like Wonder Woman, the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League, and the Suicide Squad.

Having adopted the mantle of Flash in honor of his deceased uncle during the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths; Wally West zooms into action in the pages of Legends, ready for action as a growing hero of his own.

Streaking his way to Wall Street, the Flash shows up in Manhattan to foil some sort of heist being perpetrated by Gotham local, Deadshot!
The crackshot mercenary warns the scarlet speedster from interfering, firing a spray of bullets at the closing hero with his wrist-mounted gun.

Though limited a fraction more than his mentor, Wally West proves to be a force to be reckoned with! Using his super speed to slap Deadshot's bullets away with a steel pipe, the speedster is soon upon the scope-eyed villain.

Moving faster than Deadshot can react, the Flash throws his fist like a speeding missile!
With his super metabolism churning through his energy, the Flash lands a well timed fist, putting Deadshot out for the count before he himself could succumb to the effects of a glycemic meltdown.

The Flash soon finds himself assaulted with a barrage of questions from the surrounding rambunctious New Yorkers that were witness to his victory. Feeling the effects of a blast from the Anti-Monitor that cured him of a life threatening disease at the cost of his stamina and top-speed, West opts to do what he does best and run, rather than confront the unscrupulous questions of the public.

Still able to move at the speed of sound, the Flash drops Deadshot off with the police (where he is destined for much bigger things), before dropping by Titans Tower for a chat with his junior fellows.

We missed out on a lot of the discussion surrounding the Flash most recently, particularly regarding the fate suffered by Bart Allen, then current Flash.
Having disappeared into the Speed Force during the events of Infinite Crisis, Wally West left a void similar to Barry Allen, that was fulfilled in much the same way by the ascension of another Kid-Flash, formerly Impulse.

In a lot of ways the sudden halt of the Flash familial line seems to speak volumes about the current state of superhero comics. The illusion of forward momentum that made the medium such an attractive one thirty years ago, seems to be peeling away as we become voluntarily stagnant in the interest of preserving icons like Batman and Superman.

With those checkpoints established, it seems the world in which they operate is secure enough to sponsor the return of characters like Hal Jordan, who had progressed considerably right through to the nineties. Likewise, characters like Wally West, who has been operating as the Flash for two decades now, seem to be all but guaranteed their place far into the future.

Not that we should be calling for blood just yet. After all, Barry Allen was the Flash for a full thirty years before he bit the big one saving the universe! We probably owe Wally West at least another ten before we start chain-smoking through today's heroes.

Characters like the Flash and Green Lantern bring up a lot of talk about who "my" character is. They personify the rare tradition of legacy in superheroes, exibiting multiple generations of characters that mirror generations of readers.

As a youngster with little or not concept of the industry, I spent a lot of my time reading back issues, so regardless of my placement in time I was most familiar with the Barry Allen Flash. Even so, I think time has been good to the Wally West character, and he's more than earned the position of my Flash.

I don't know if I'd have been ready for the passing of the torch on a permanent basis, but I do know that it's disappointing that the prospect of that forward moment, or even the spark of a unique young character like Impulse, had to be stomped out.

The Fix: 4 The Issue: 6
Winner: Flash

[A simpler time, or the beginning of the end? Legends is a fantastically fun read, if a little ominous to those who would grow tired of the crossover some twenty years later. I got this (and the subsequent two issues) in three-comic bargain bags well over a decade ago, so frankly, I don't care!]

DC versus MARVEL
(DC/Marvel)
Where: DC versus Marvel #1/#4, Marvel versus DC #2/#3 When: March/April 1996
Why: Ron Marz/Peter David How: Dan Jurgens/Claudio Castellini

The recap...
- Captain Marvel versus Thor
- Aquaman versus Sub-Mariner
- Flash versus Quicksilver
- Robin versus Jubilee
- Green Lantern versus Silver Surfer
- Catwoman versus Elektra
- Lobo versus Wolverine
- Wonder Woman versus Storm
- Superboy versus Spider-man
- Superman versus Hulk
- Batman versus Captain America

For the past three months Secret Earths has featured the events of the mini-series that broke all the boundaries, and brought DC and Marvel face to face, ten years ago.

Pitted against one another by two cosmic entities; champions from the Marvel and DC universes did battle to save their universe from extinction.
In the end Batman and Captain America would be catalysts for saving both universes, as the young new cosmic hero, Access, merged realities to create the 'Amalgam' universe.

Though this merged universe could not last, in the end, the triumphs and tribulations of the lives lived by Captain America and Batman were enough to save their worlds. In the last moments the two cosmic 'brothers' that waged war with their pawns were satisfied, and spoke for the first time to say, "You've done well!"

Despite officially winning it six-to-five, Marvel and DC, represented by these two cosmic entities, make a rare gesture of sincerity and congratulate each other on a job well done. Which is all good and well, but what about the 'unofficial' fights peppered and alluded to throughout the series?

Superman versus Juggernaut (DC versus Marvel #1)
What originally begins as yet another tussle between the X-Men and Juggernaut, takes a curious twist. As the mighty Juggernaut prepares to deliver a crushing blow to a floored Wolverine, he finds himself among the earliest targets of this cosmic crossover event.
The follow through of the previous punch collides with the side of a building - the Daily Planet - which doesn't make a great first impression.

A streaking blue collides with the helmet of the Juggernaut, and actually manages to floor the unstoppable force! Though this encounter was brief, this is deemed conclusive of a result.
Winner: Superman

Batman & Robin versus Bullseye (DC versus Marvel #1)
What a delicious turn of events. While the Joker was crazy enough not to engage a disaplaced Spider-man - Bullseye is unstable enough to snatch the nearest kid in a cave, and start demanding answers.
Unfortunately for him, one of those answers is "Batman."

With a knife to Robin's throat, Bullseye holds Batman in a stand-off, batarang drawn. The man who doesn't miss teases Batman, cutting at the mask of Robin and speculating his chances of a miss.

The boy wonder, hardly helpless, elbows the fiend in the neck, giving Batman an opening to toss his batarang. However, even stunned, Bullseye is able to snatch the weapon out of the air, and whip it right back at the target.

Much to Bullseye's dismay, however, Batman is able to duck and weave the return attack, and swiftly plant a stiff left on the chin of the Marvel villain.
"You hit... even harder than... than... Daredevil..."
Winner: Batman (w/ Robin)

Wolverine versus Killer Croc (Marvel versus DC #2)
Bursting from the sewers, Killer Croc and Wolverine go at it tooth and nail - literally!
With several on lookers (including Clark Kent and Ben Reilly), the two feral fighters do battle and exchange quips. The two battle their way into the streets, careering into a toy store, as Wolverine takes an apparent offensive.

While no definitive blow is struck on the page, Wolverine is free to accompany Gambit in stealing the Batmobile. Though apparent that Killer Croc is defeated, it is possible he escaped.
Winner: Inconclusive (draw)

Bane versus Captain America (Marvel versus DC #2)
The battle of the serum enhanced super soldiers!
As Cap's shield hurls out of reach, Bane mocks his opponent as he prepares to deliver a back breaking finishing move that will leave the Captain crippled and helpless.

As Bane mocks the Captain's strategy, his full frontal assault turns out to be an error of judgment. Cap's shield, ever a faithful weapon, comes boomerang around right into the back of Bane's skull. Ouch. Schooled by the master!
"Now... No more back talk from you."
Winner: Captain America

Peter Parker versus Scarecrow & Scarecrow (Marvel versus DC #2)
Walking the streets alone can be dangerous, but that goes double when you're Lois Lane - professional damsel in distress!
In a meeting of gimmicks, both the Marvel and DC Scarecrows come up with the genius plan of kidnapping Superman's gal for whatever genius reason that goes unsaid.

Luckily Planet photographer Peter Parker is nearby, and able to unload some mean martial arts skills on the two fear enducing putzes.
Winner: Peter "Ben Reilly" Parker

Hulk & Superman versus Metallo (Marvel versus DC #3)
Beamed to Metropolis, Hulk finds himself dealing with a metallic hulking maniac called Metallo. Using a nearby giant Superman statue, Hulk smashes the 'metal geek' around a bit, until Superman finally shows up.

Confronting each other for their official bout, the two do away with Metallo switfly with a double punch, before being teleported to clearer grounds.
Winners: Superman & Hulk

Dark Claw & Super-Soldier versus Hyena (DC versus Marvel #4)
Dark Claw lurks across the rooftops, pursuing his arch-nemesis the Hyena.
Dark Claw attempts to put an end to the pursuit, hurtling a bomb at his foe, but Hyena is able to rip a chimney from a roof and swat it away toward innocents below.

The intervention of Super-Soldier sees a happy ending for the folks below.
As Hyena thinks he's finally made his get-away, the two heroes loom on the rooftop waiting for him.

Hyena backflips away, and makes his way to the streets below where Access, a character with newly acquired powers, finds himself the target of a hostage situation.

Of course, as Hyena leaps at his potential ticket out, Access creates a portal to someplace unknown, and lets Hyena send himself away.
Access attends to more important business, like seperating the Amalgam universe into the Marvel and DC universe via bits hidden in Captain America and Batman.
Winner: Access (w/ Dark Claw & Super-Soldier)

Hulk & Superman versus Moleman & the Moloids (DC versus Marvel #4)
In the batcave, Hulk emerges to tackle the swarming Moloid masses led by the Moleman. Using a well shined giant penny, Hulk flattens an armada of Moloids, and then tussles it up with the little freaks himself.
The cavalry arrives in the form of Superman, who deflects a blast from the Moloids' "greatest weapon" - a very Kirby laser canon.

Moleman and his Moloids are forced into retreat.
Winners: Superman & Hulk

Superboy versus Kingpin (DC versus Marvel #4)
As Wilson Fisk abuses his powers as owner of the Daily Planet, Spider-man swings in to heckle his long-standing foe.
Having already laid Perry White on his ass, Kingpin doesn't even see the brazen attack from Superboy coming. Some tight pants, a bulky jacket and a little 'tactile telekenisis' later, and Kingpin's getting dumped through a table.
Winner: Superboy

Elektra & Catwoman versus Abomination (DC versus Marvel #4)
Though the battle is sufficiently depicted (and considerably one-sided), in the end the sky turning to blood proves too much of a distraction.
Winner: Inconclusive (draw)

Flash & Quicksilver versus Venom (DC versus Marvel #4)
As the Marvel villains continue to get a good run in the wrap up of this mini-series, Flash and Quicksilver, though much better matched, find themselves sufficiently distracted during their fight.
Winner: Inconclusive (draw)

JLA/Avengers versus Darkseid & Thanos (DC versus Marvel #4)
A collection of heroes from both universes charge in to do battle with the wagering titans, Darkseid and Thanos.
Darkseid takes delight in finding "fire" in the mighty Thor, who deflects deadly eye beams from the ruler of Apokolips. The Silver Surfer and Storm swoop in for attacks on Darkseid, but they prove ineffective, as Darkseid topples Thor with a second eyebeam attack.

Meanwhile Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel fare better with Thanos, drawing first blood.

As the two fights converge, a thumped Wonder Woman hands Thor the mighty Mjolnir, much to his surprise.

As the sky turns to blood, these heroes too are distracted.
Winner: Draw

The hammer...
So, in the end, with these additional fights, who is the true winner?
Well, by Secret Earths standards it was a draw. While the official fights drew a 6-5 finish, additional fights ended in an 8-all draw, with a bunch o' ties and inconclusive results. Bravo to fair conclusions.

All in all this probably wasn't the greatest crossover event. As alluded to by some of these extra fights, there was a lot of fertile ground that went untouched.
That said, it's been a lot of fun taking a look at each battle the past few months, and filling the site with entries based on comics that were just made for a site like this.

Unfortunately, criticms of this mini-series come to mind far quicker than praise.
Perhaps some of the most bitter results are the chances missed. Some of the fights alluded to, but not given enough screen time to make this extras special included: Steel versus Absorbing man, Green Lantern versus Green Goblin, Daredevil versus the Riddler, Batman versus Venom, Captain Marvel versus Dr. Doom, Punisher versus Deathstroke, Etrigan versus Ghost Rider, Thing.Human Torch versus Firestorm/Martian Manhunter, Superman versus Annihilus, Spider-man versus Man-Bat and Nightwing versus Gambit.

If even a fraction of that list could have been given a look in, this series might have even scraped through with obscurity cred. Unfortunately, these just highlight a lot of missed chances, sitting next to a lot of half-done fights listed in this entry, and even in previous 'official' entries.
I would also particularly highlight the absence of big names like the Fantastic Four and the Martian Manhunter, lucky to get even a one-page mention.

Overall, I suppose a lot of this has to be put down to the era.
The writing is not at all intelligent, providing a fairly standard cosmic romp with a lot of quick, vingettes for each fight. The drama and the story of each conflict is completely absent here, and that's a shame.

Visually the book is also lacking. Castellini and Jurgens appear as somewhat unusual choices for a project so huge in the context of comics history.
For a one-time situation, it's disappointing that more range and variety couldn't have been offered up.

Personally I'd love to see another effort, with contemporary talents and characters spreading the event across several mini-series and one-shots. Guys like Brian Bendis and Ed Brubaker with Michael Lark on Daredevil/Batman.
Characters like the JSA, the JLA and the Avengers all interacting. There really are endless possibilities.

Never the less, it was a very fun series, and great to see what we did.

Next month, as voted by poll, Monday madness will feature fights starring the Hulk! Hope you enjoyed revisiting Marvel versus DC, I know I did (even if it is 2am!)!

NEXT: Another special event! Celebrating the release of X3, Wolverine takes on a bitter foe in a whole other medium! Stay tuned!