GREEN LANTERN versus SUPERMAN

The Enemies Among Us (DC)
Where: Superman/Batman #30 When: November 2006 Why: Mark Verheiden How: Ethan Van Sciver

The Story So Far...
An unknown force has unleashed a torrent of troubles upon Superman & Batman as they find themselves attacked by forgotten threats from the past -- and even their own allies!

After a strange turn by Martian Manhunter, the World's Finest duo have endured an assault from the Green Lantern and The Creature That Cannot Die, but even as Hal Jordan returns to his senses, they are instantly set upon by yet another friend when Kilowog arrives wielding not only his power ring, but also John Stewart's!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Superman 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Superman 6 (Mach-Speed)
Stamina: Superman 6 (Generator)
Agility: Superman 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Kilowog 4 (Trained)
Energy: Kilowog 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Superman 33 (Super)

We're back on the beat to find out how Green Lantern fares in a fight against Superman. A hero-on-hero match-up inspired by Howard Stern and his interview with DC Studios CEO & Co-Chairman, James Gunn, which captured the imagination of fans around the world -- and sparked rampant debates about who would win!

We've already seen that a Green Lantern can give Superman something to think about, but when Hal Jordan was turned against his teammate in the previous issue, he managed to shake the corrupting influence on his mind and ring before things went too far, ending the conflict peacefully.

Of course, there's more than one Green Lantern in the intergalactic GL Corps, and when that fight wrapped up -- Kilowog showed up to pick another one!

Kilowog is a designated Green Lantern of Sector 674, but you also might remember him from his time as a member of the Justice League. He settled on Earth after the destruction of his home world, Bolovax Vik - and the apparent murder of his entire race, when a new planet was destroyed by Sinestro.

In addition to his power ring, Kilowog is naturally incredibly strong and durable, with extensive combat training and practise in hand-to-hand fighting. He's a keen military strategist, with extensive knowledge in tactical strategies, genetics, and mechanical engineering. An all-rounder who helps train new Green Lanterns as Corps drill sergeant -- and should be an interesting test for Superman!

Although The Man of Steel is renowned for his Kryptonian might, he's no stranger to facing a physical adversary who can match him. He's tasted defeat at the hands of Orion, Lobo, and even Marvel's Venom, in addition to struggles with Blockbuster and Equus. Interesting studies, but an incomplete picture for today's match-up.

Our closest comparisons are Guy Gardner going a few rounds with Eradicator before they reached a mutual ceasefire, and more compellingly: the brutal defeat of Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner by General Zod and his family.

The planet Jekuul has two yellow suns, which may've boosted Zod's powers, but in today's fight -- it's Kilowog who's packing double the arsenal, having already stolen John Stewart's ring and added it to his own!

Will double the jewelry equal double the power for the physically imposing alien Green Lantern? Or could Superman do as he did with Hal Jordan and hold out long enough for the corrupting influence to leave Kilowog?

They fought on the same side when the Sinestro Corps brought Warworld and Anti-Monitor to Earth. Let's find out what happened when they fight each other!

The Tape: Superman Ranking: Superman (#3)

What Went Down...

Batman pushes himself off the dirt, still reeling from the sudden impact of a massive green energy blast that scattered he, Hal Jordan, and Superman across the desert.

The Bat tries to warn Superman of the threat coming from behind -- but it's already upon him! The alien Green Lantern, Kilowog, standing sneering with Superman's head firmly beneath his boot.

Possessed by the call of an unknown influence -- Kilowog unleashes the energy of two Green Lantern's rings upon a Superman who is apparently deaf to the message!

The blast of green energy - and mystery of the possessing call - keeps Superman rattled enough for Kilowog to punt him across the open desert!

Batman can only watch as Kilowog pursues the fight away from he and Hal Jordan -- a human Green Lantern who, until mere moments earlier, had also come under the spell of the mysterious mind-altering message, and turned against his friends.

Kilowog is swiftly upon The Man of Steel, who crash landed into a fringe area of a government alien-holding facility. The hulking Green Lantern looms over Superman, who sits stunned amongst twisted metal and a leaking pipe.

Kilowog grips Superman's head in his large fingertips and compels him to look within -- to the deeper subconscious of his inner psyche.

The mind games warp Superman's perception of himself -- so much so that when he gazes upon his own reflection in the pooling leak from the nearby pipe -- he doesn't see the usual chiseled features of himself. Instead, the strange piercing glare of a sinewy pink, fanged alien looks back -- a different version of himself!

Kilowog keeps pressing. Urging the Last Son of Krypton to "remember" his arrival on Earth. His "true" face when his rocket landed and the Kents discovered him a crying infant. The 'alien nature that's been inside him all along'.

As Batman catches up with the pair -- the damage is already done. Superman has been twisted by the same mysterious force warping friends into enemies. Believing himself to be an alien source of revulsion -- Superman turns on Batman!

"I'm tired of the way you look at me, like I don't belong. Sick of the fear in your eyes."

Superman's eyes glow a furious red -- charged with barely contained heat vision as he lifts Batman off the ground by his throat.

"Look at the way you attacked the Martian Manhunter. All the times he's risked his life for the people of this planet... but even now when you see him, you want to look away."

Kilowog stokes the fire of the Kryptonian's alienation, but the manipulation is balanced by Batman's choked reminder of a creed of 'strength tempered by truth and justice'.

The Man of Steel breaks his hold and tosses his friend aside with a hurried moment of renewed clarity: "Batman, get away. Now."

Kilowog expresses disappointment at Superman's supposed weakness -- his failure to accept superiority over humans. He charges the power of his two Green Lantern rings and prepares to do what the Kryptonian will not, but before he can kill The Batman -- Superman grabs him by the wrist and heads for the outer atmosphere!

While Superman grapples with Kilowog's ring arm amongst the stars -- Batman reconvenes with the human Lantern, Hal Jordan, to assess their situation from the planet below.

GL knows a tour through the Milky Way won't slow Kilowog down, but Batman looks to the sky with fear that the alien Green Lantern may not be the real threat.

Meanwhile, Superman continues to duke it out with Kilowog as they drift further away from the planet Earth.

The combatants tumble through space with rippling green energy dancing around them. The Man of Steel delivers a rising uppercut with his left fist! A stiff left cross keeps Kilowog reeling as they career towards the Earth's Moon!

Rocks and dust kick up in the low-gravity atmosphere as they smash into the Moon's crust. Green Lantern energy swirls around them while Kilowog rallies and throws his fists into a tangle of limbs.

Despite his mind being compelled by invisible hands -- Kilowog shows tremendous clarity about Superman's intention to keep their fighting fury from harming the innocent denizens of Earth. A dedication to protection that the Green Lantern's twisted mind now considers a terrible waste.

With his body encased in energy -- Kilowog delivers a left haymaker!

The blow sends Superman uncontrollably flying back across the Moonscape!

When the Green Lantern finally catches up with his opponent, he finds Superman on his knees in the dust of the lonely celestial satellite. He grants one final chance to heed the call of the "glorious" distant message that unites against humanity -- a message that drove Hal Jordan to kill Superman should he refuse.

Away from the "babble" of humanity - Superman does not refuse. Batman's fears are realised. Red heat vision streams from Superman's eyes as he turns with arched eyebrows and a tense jaw, rejecting his adopted humanity: "... from this moment forward, Earth belongs to anyone with the strength to TAKE IT."

The Hammer...

We're investigating the much-discussed match-up of Green Lantern versus Superman, but just like the battle in the previous chapter -- we come away without any concrete results.

Superman may have ended the fight on his knees, but neither Kilowog nor he did anything decisive enough to reach any convincing conclusions.

Instead, our featured fight played out as a battle of wills, with Superman succumbing to the same mind-altering alien influence that enthralls his opponent. This becomes another entry into the "Evil Superman" file -- even if a major component of our fight remains Superman's intent to protect others by taking the battle elsewhere. Always a welcome character-driven nuance.

As noted in The Tape section: These spotlights are inspired by discussions with DC Studios CEO & Co-Chairman, James Gunn, who ignited extensive debate and speculation across fandom after discussing the Green Lantern's powers relative to Superman's, during appearances on radio and podcasts.

Most fan talk has been focused on human GLs like Hal Jordan -- but we all know there's a lot more to The Corps than Sector 2814! I couldn't resist following up our previous entry with this widely overlooked battle featuring alien GL - Kilowog!

The burly Bolovaxian has been one of the neglected heroes here on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths, despite being remembered fondly for his significance in the post-Crisis period of late eighties/early nineties DC Comics.

It was during that time that Kilowog crossed paths with Despero, helping the Justice League stop his violent rampage with an improvised device that switched the tyrant's mind with L-Ron -- trapping Despero in the robot's body.

If that episode wasn't galling enough for the villain -- he later found himself imprisoned on Oa by the Green Lanterns, having failed in another attempt at revenge against the League. Which ultimately brings him back to Earth in The Enemies Among Us, attempting to enact a new scheme against the Justice League, Green Lanterns, and Earth as a whole!

This time Despero is assisted by self-righteous, planet-conquering aliens he deceived into believing humans are morally unworthy of existence. They attempt to eradicate the species by turning Earth's powerful extra-terrestrial populus against humanity, allowing Despero to remain hidden throughout the earlier chapters, as the likes of Kilowog and Zook do the fighting against Superman, Batman, and another GL - John Stewart.

I've been enjoying revisiting issues of Superman/Batman with fresh eyes, but this story speaks to the series' inconsistency, particularly into the second year.

Jeph Loeb & Ed McGuinness launched the tandem title in 2003 with bombastic appeal and significance to mainline publishing, but after a Michael Turner-drawn origin story for a new post-Crisis Supergirl, the second year establishes a looser Silver Age approach that becomes even more potent in The Enemies Among Us.

The Mark Verheiden arc, splitting pencil duties between multiple artists, rests heavily on forgotten period references for the first few issues, and aside from some residual paranoia from the post-Identity Crisis years, it all feels a little too vague for its own good. A needless mystery that probably would've played out a lot better if it cut to the chase in about half as many issues.

Lost in this soup of mystery, action, and guest characters is the fleeting concept of a Superman whose origin is twisted into a very different alien story.

It's the kind of kooky boilerplate concept that feels right out of a classic issue of World's Finest, and while that might not seem like the most exciting plot, it has a good visual hook with the alien Superman (seen in his reflection), and might've been a useful way to sharpen the focus of the issue.

The horror of the 'alien Superman' was apparently strong enough to make the cover, where we can see Pa & Ma Kent horrified by the child they've discovered in its space pod, but the whole thing really only plays out over two pages. Granted, it's at least fun seeing Superman battle Green Lanterns in the guest parade, rather than a simpler issue built on a confused Man of Steel up against Batman.

The two title characters turning on each other, or their friends, is a consistently recurring trope throughout the Superman/Batman series. We saw the rivalry play out when Kryptonite Man possessed Batman, in the very appropriate meta Who Would Win? issue, and it will indeed happen again during the climax of The Enemies Among Us. A conflict for another day.

If you'd like to see more entries from Superman/Batman on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths be sure to drop a comment and consider getting involved on Patreon.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has been serving superhero smackdown for well over 750 fights and ranked more than 1000 of your favourite characters! If that sounds like a good thing to you -- I'd really appreciate it if you considered supporting the project. It's free to follow on Patreon, and a Tier 1 sub is a great, cheap way to support 100% man-made, farm fresh, fightin' niche content.

Explore more of your favourite characters and topics by following links throughout each article. You can also find a complete index in order of publisher, series, and issue number in the Secret Archive. A great way to increase your Intelligence stat!

You can also get daily recommendations inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to X (aka; Twitter)! Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share to help boost the signal -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on X & Discord! The lively Discord chat is one of the bonuses of becoming a Patreon subscriber. In brightest day, in blackest night, no Patreon subscriber shall escape my sight!

Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#3 (--) Superman [+1 draw]
#179 (+7) Green Lantern (Kilowog) [+1 draw]
#1 (--) Batman [+1 assist]

GREEN LANTERN versus SUPERMAN & BATMAN

The Enemies Among Us (DC)
Where: Superman/Batman #29 When: October 2006
Why: Mark Verheiden How: Ethan Van Sciver

The Story So Far...
The past is coming back to haunt Batman and Superman! An unprovoked attack from Martian Manhunter precedes deadly affronts from Titano, Parasite, and Doctor Phosphorus -- all old adversaries who are dead or long since dealt with!

A tense meeting with Martian Manhunter confirms Batman's suspicions that he may be dealing with a shape-shifter, but when Green Lantern lends Superman a hand to deal with a returning Caveman from Krypton -- it quickly becomes apparent that Hal Jordan himself has turned against them!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Superman 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Superman 6 (Mach-Speed)
Stamina: Superman 6 (Generator)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Batman 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Green Lantern 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Superman 33 (Super)

When DC Studios CEO & Co-Chairman, James Gunn, was a guest of The Howard Stern Show a few months ago -- he inadvertently ignited a debate amongst fans over who would win in a fight between Green Lantern and Superman.

Traditionally the pair of DC heroes are charter members of the Justice League, but there have been a handful of notable battles between them. All of this despite the fact that Superman himself was once considered a potential candidate to receive the ring and join the Green Lantern Corps as guardian of Sector 2814!

This one generally boils down to whether or not the super-human strength and physical feats of The Man of Steel can match the indomitable willpower of energy constructs made by a Green Lantern.

A Green Lantern has to be able to respond to dangerous inter-galactic phenomena while policing a vast array of powerful alien species. That means light constructs need to be pretty tough. Case in point: Hal Jordan was able to smack the Hulk around when the Marvel hero was accidentally displaced in time & reality.

We haven't studied today's particular featured match-up, but we do have some good cases of similar conflicts.

Guy Gardner went to war with Eradicator during the period when Superman was thought dead, and replaced by an engineered doppelganger. Guy wielded a yellow Qwardian ring at this time, similar to GL's, using all the basic tactics of a Lantern to match the Superman facsimile until a mutually agreed upon ceasefire.

Conversely, things went awry when Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner were deployed to the planet Jekuul, discovering Eradicator, General Zod, and his family living with all the benefits of Kryptonian physiology under a yellow sun. This powered Zod and his family up to Superman levels -- allowing them to shatter light constructs, and strategically disarm the Lanterns with extreme prejudice.

I say a Green Lantern should be able to handle himself and lock down a super-powered threat, but we've seen that it can go both ways. With Batman in tow, Superman has a sharp tactical mind at his disposal, but they're up against a seasoned pro in Hal Jordan, and as we'll find out -- he isn't acting alone!

The Tape: Superman & Batman Ranking: Batman (#1)

What Went Down...

Batman scolds Superman for arriving to his own rendezvous late as The Man of Steel touches down behind the hangar of a quiet alien containment facility.

The reaction draws confusion from Superman, who didn't ask Green Lantern to arrange any meeting with The Dark Knight. In fact, they didn't discuss Batman at all when the Lantern helped detain the notorious Caveman from Krypton -- one of several alien threats from the past coming back to haunt them.

Batman's suspicion is immediately aroused, but he can barely finish the thought as the ground begins to rumble and bulge a path from the hangar towards them!

A massive ball of green energy explodes from the ground beneath their feet!

Batman manages to jump clear of the blast moments before it happens -- while Superman stands firm to absorb the brunt of the attack!

Suddenly Superman finds himself under fire as green lasers begin piercing the air and shooting at him!

Batman darts behind the quizzical and besieged Man of Steel -- heading for the shadows of another nearby building. Green lasers dance around The Dark Knight, cutting through the hangar as he appeals to his old ally to talk to him.

Instead, Batman is thrown back as the ceiling caves in under the awesome size and weight of Green Lantern's old one-time foe -- The Creature That Could Not Die!

Meanwhile, Superman finds himself in the turncoat Lantern's sights as he notes the pugilistic heft of Jordan's weapon from a position on one knee!

"Power rings always did... pack a heck of a punch."

The Green Lantern blasts through the hangar doors of his hiding place and flies a beeline towards his target!

Surrounded by a protective shield of energy and five giant glowing arms -- he takes the fight straight to Superman!

Superman is swept off his feet as the Lantern's extended fist guides him like a human missile -- and a barrage of green fists pummel and batter the Kryptonian!

The struggle sends them skipping out into the empty desert -- bouncing off the dirt as Superman exerts himself against his erstwhile teammate, and attempts to bring their flight to a halt. He wants to know why he's attacking them.

Hal points his ring to the night sky as its energy begins to ripple and extend.

Back at the base: Batman does his best to stay clear of massive pink limbs whipping towards him. They shatter the floor as he jumps clear!

Superman and Green Lantern blast back to the base -- concerned that Batman might be in trouble. They crash through the building, finding Batman standing safely beside the unconscious behemoth of The Creature.

It seems the cloud of influence over Hal Jordan has passed, but The Batman rushes him -- grabbing GL's ring hand with his left, and the front of the Lantern's uniform with his right.

Jordan remains passive in Batman's grip, mounting no defense as he removes his power ring and reveals the belief that the entire episode wasn't just a corruption of the man -- but also the Green Lantern power ring!

The Hammer...

We came here to find out who wins when Green Lantern fights Superman, but it looks like we've gotten ourselves tangled up in a far more complicated situation! Before we get into all of that, let's take a moment to outline what brought us to this scenario in the first place:

DC Studios CEO & Co-Chairman James Gunn made headlines weighing-in on Green Lantern vs Superman, but it was actually radio shock-jock and noted comic book fan, Howard Stern, who initiated it, while the pair discussed the upcoming live-action Lanterns series during the September 10th edition of Stern's show. Stern mused: "You know, no one's ever done a great job with Green Lantern. I was a Green Lantern fan, and I don't think-- Y'know, he's got pretty cool super-powers. He could pretty-- I think he could beat up Superman, in a weird way. Don't you think?"

Gunn responded, "Absolutely, absolutely. I think he's pretty-- he's pretty powerful. I think that a good strong match between Superman and uh, Lantern, uh -- any of the Lanterns -- would be great." A sentiment he repeated the next day while answering fan questions during the Peacemaker Official Podcast, "I definitely don't think Superman would beat against, beat Green Lantern."

Social media and fan communities lit up with their own speculation and takes on the match-up, but as you know, in these parts we prefer not to ask who would win a fight - but who did win a fight. The kind of thing that helps settle some of these arguments and put it all into a kind of perspective. Even if we all know the needs of a story will ultimately override any presumed "correct" answers.

I frequently saw a page from today's featured issue doing the rounds during fan discussions, so I figured it would be as good a place as any to start. A chance to provide some missing context to the jpeg, which showed Green Lantern using his power ring to pummel Superman, but offered no actual conclusions or details.

Here we can illuminate the attack: Superman was caught off guard, holding back during the skirmish, and ultimately wasn't even actually defeated by Green Lantern, who was acting under the influence of mental corruption.

The source of that corruption is the mystery at the heart of the entire Enemies Among Us six issue story arc. A pretty bloated and vague tour through Silver Age references like Zook: a cutesy, shape-shifting alien who hung around Martian Manhunter in the 1960s, but according to this story, left Earth after Batman snapped at the Manhunter to keep him quiet during a Justice League meeting.

It was Zook who was assuming the form of obscure old enemies like the Caveman of Krypton and Creature Who Couldn't Die, having been drawn back to Earth by the mysterious psychic "call" radicalizing aliens on Earth into an armada against humanity. His dated references speak to time spent away (and out of publication). We'll take a closer look at Zook's involvement in all of this another time.

The corrupting call is perpetrated by a species of alien conquerors who have been convinced by Despero that humans are morally unworthy of existing.

Despero met the aliens while imprisoned by the Green Lantern Corps on Oa after his last attack on the Justice League during Crisis of Conscience. Which might explain why Hal Jordan and his ring were early targets for manipulation in today's story, and why Superman/Batman #29 also ends with the bombastic arrival of another hostile Lantern & alien -- Kilowog!

Which brings us back to James Gunn's remark about "any of the Lanterns" being a match for Superman! It's not just Hal Jordan crossing swords with his fellow Justice Leaguer, and in the next issue of Superman/Batman, it's Kilowog's turn.

Just like our recent series spotlighting Daredevil and The Wrecker -- I rather like the idea of exploring the Superman v Green Lantern dynamic further!

There are plenty of examples of Green Lanterns testing their might against The Man of Steel -- and I just happen to have several of 'em. So this could be a project we revisit heading into the 20th Anniversary of Secret Wars on Infinite Earths!

Season 2025 technically ends with November, so this is probably our last entry of "this year". It's been a tough one. Only you can make sure there are many more years to come and more features in 2026! Support the project on Patreon this holiday season to spread a little cheer and ensure next year is a big one! It's free to follow, and a Tier 1 sub is a great, cheap way to support 100% man-made, farm fresh niche content.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has been serving superhero smackdown for well over 750 fights and ranked more than 1000 of your favourite characters! You can find em all by exploring the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number!

Explore more of your favourite characters and topics by following links throughout each article. Flex that mind muscle and go on a journey of discovery with every link you hit!

You can also get daily recommendations inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to X (aka; Twitter)! Don't forget to smash that like, fave, and share to help boost the signal -- and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday on X & Discord! The lively Discord chat is one of the bonuses of becoming a Patreon subscriber. In brightest day, in blackest night, no Patreon subscriber shall escape my sight!

Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#3 (--) Superman
#30 (+1) Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
#1 (--) Batman [+1 assist]

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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You can find deep dives into more characters and their exploits in the Secret Archive. That's where we file every featured fight in order of publisher, series, and issue number -- crossovers are towards the bottom for easy discovery.

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