OLD COMICS WEDNESDAY: CAPTAIN AMERICA CIVIL WAR!

Friday, May 6th the cinematic Avengers will be split down the middle by a philosophical struggle in Captain America: Civil War! The battlelines may be drawn by a massive Marvel movie ensemble cast, but it mustn't be forgotten that this is the third solo film for Captain America! To help you prepare for Cap throwing his mighty shield, we've got an Old Comics Wednesday selection of some of the classic -- and a few leftfield (or is that Liefeld) -- battles featured on the site!

Hit the covers below to be transported back through wars with: Iron Man, Spider-man, Crossbones, Thor, Loki, Wolverine, Red Skull, Batman, The Destroyer, The Invaders, She-Hulk and more! Plus: Team-ups with classic allies who include some of his opponents, and heroes like: Vision, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Wasp, Cable, Sub-Mariner, Human Torch and Winter Soldier!

For more on Captain America: Civil War be sure to check out the Hero of the Week and stay tuned for all new battles involving Captain America, Falcon, Iron Man and more!

HERO OF THE WEEK: IRON MAN (Marvel)
Real Name: Tony Stark
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #39 (March, 1963)
Fight Club Ranking: #3

Featured Fights:
- vs WONG-CHU: Tales of Suspense #39 (Mar 1963)
- vs GHOST RIDER: Avengers #214 (Dec 1981)
- vs DIABLO: Iron Man #159 (Jun 1982)
- vs CAPTAIN AMERICA: Captain America Annual #9 (1990)
- vs WHIRLWIND: Iron Man Annual #11 (1990)
- vs VENOM: Iron Man #302 (Mar 1994)
- vs WAR MACHINE: Iron Man #310 (Nov 1994)
- vs MANDARIN: Iron Man #312 (Jan 1995)
- vs TITANIUM MAN: Iron Man #316 (May 1995)
- vs HULK: Iron Man #2 (Dec 1996)
- vs DESTROYER: Thor #1 (Jul 1998)
- vs INVADERS: New Invaders #0 (Aug 2004)
- vs SHE-HULK: Avengers #501 (Oct 2004)
- vs MALLEN: Iron Man #3 (Mar 2005)
- vs SINISTER TWELVE: Marvel Knights: Spider-man #11 (Apr 2005)
- vs TERRORISTS: Iron Man #5 (Mar 2006)
- vs SECRET AVENGERS: Civil War #3 (Sep 2006)
- vs SKRULLS: New Avengers: Illuminati #1 (Feb 2007)
- vs NOVA/THUNDERBOLTS: Nova #3 (Aug 2007)
- vs SECRET AVENGERS: New Avengers #36 (Jan 2008)
- vs DR. DOOM: Mighty Avengers #10 (May 2008)
- vs SUB-MARINER: Invincible Iron Man #12 (Jun 2009)
- vs CRIMSON DYNAMO: Invincible Iron Man #14 (Aug 2009)

Just when you thought Robert Downey Jr might be the high-priced weak link in a carefully weaved Marvel movie web, Tony Stark aka; Iron Man is announced to feature in the upcoming cinematic reboot: Spider-man: Homecoming.

The Hollywood Reporter delivered the news, confirming Downey's role in entrenching the new Spidey films firmly in the Marvel Universe!

The actor/character marriage continues to provide a valuable core to Marvel's movie world, even as the Iron Man solo franchise appears to be dormant. He next appears as one of the stars of Captain America: Civil War as proponent of a movement to identify and register unsanctioned superheroes.

Cap 3 will unroll an Avengers ensemble cast and pit both halves of the heroic franchise against one another in an approximation of Marvel's 2006 comics event - Civil War. For all intents and purposes it's Iron Man 4 and Avengers 3 all rolled into one, even if the story will be told with sympathy for Captain America and his team.

It's the same superhero dichotomy that existed in the comic, really boiling down to Team Iron Man versus Team Cap. There's a dispute of civil liberty and super-human politics, but the movie appears to take a much softer line, avoiding painting Iron Man in the almost villainous pseudo-fascist role he held for a few years in the comics. Many will see Iron Man as being as justified in his beliefs. A wise choice for a mass audience, but a potential chink in the armor of the hero-v-hero plot that should otherwise be significantly better received, and motivated, than Batman v Superman.

Civil War will be serving a lot of masters and it will be interesting to see how well they serve them all. Iron Man and the Avengers obviously take a portion of real estate, while the movie also brings back Winter Solder [HOTW 04/18/2016], and introduces Black Panther [HOTW 01/18/2016] to movie-going audiences.

As previously noted [HOTW 03/14/2016]; Spider-man also appears on Team Iron Man -- the beginning of Marvel's role in co-producing the web-slinger's big screen adventures alongside long time license holders: Sony. The Iron Man/Spider-man partnership comes right out of the comic, frequently cited by fans and producers as something they felt they 'needed' to have. Peter Parker unmasked in the original series - a major moment that ultimately meant nothing as the threads of the character were rewoven to avoid a lasting change. He flips from Team Iron Man to Team Cap mid-story, but again, it's very arguable how vital the character is. It will be interesting to see what changes lead to Iron Man finding his way into the first Spidey solo film, and how big that role actually is. With this Spidey much younger than that of the comics, it seems Tony Stark may have a far bigger role to play in his formative superhero years.

It's intriguing and exciting to see Marvel's first movie success contributing to the creation of a new generation. The Marvel movie universe seems to have been designed with a future in mind and that future continues to grow as whispers of Phase 4 -- the post-Avengers: Infinity War slate -- draws ever nearer. It would be a shame to take Iron Man completely off the table. I hope he'll be around for years to come, even if it's in a reduced, or background role.

Watching a little of Avengers last night, I was reminded how enjoyable Downey Jr is simply as a presence. That wasn't a movie I particularly enjoyed, but his comfort in the role elevates most scenes he's in. It was always genius casting that was easy to like - even if they never quite capitalized on the meta-text of the actor and character's mutual demons. His ability to inhabit the role was enough. Even in the lacklustre Iron Man 2 - Stark shines. Unlike some, I thought Iron Man 3 was a very enjoyable  sequel and character study that dealt with, and expanded upon, the Avengers movie.

Captain America: Civil War officially opens theatrically May 6th. We're a bit rushed this time, but there'll be a whole lot Captain America - and some more Iron Man - in the coming weeks! Be sure to be back for all the fun!

<< Hero of the Week 05/02: War Machine   [Home]   Hero of the Week 04/18: Winter Soldier >> 

TEEN TITANS versus BROTHERHOOD OF EVIL MUTANTS

The Greatest Heroes Of All Time (Marvel/DC)
Where: Unlimited Access #3 When: February 1998
Why: Karl Kesel How: Pat Olliffe

The Story So Far...
Axel Asher was just an ordinary New York University student until a trip down an alleyway turned into a life changing meeting with destiny!

Confronted by a man with a glowing cardboard box - Axel learned the responsibility was his to maintain the balance between two universes as the hero Access! When the two worlds went to war he learnt on the job: first merging the worlds together to stop the warring cosmic brothers that fuelled their fight, then fighting to stop reality as it should be from ceasing to exist!

Access is still trying to keep the worlds apart, but dark forces have begun to tamper with time and space! Thrown between the universes in their different periods, Axel has no choice but to recruit the aid of more crossover heroes! When the Justice League and Avengers go to war, he can only pluck the next generation to come to his aid when The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants strikes!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Juggernaut 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Robin 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Impulse 7 (Lightspeed)
Stamina: Juggernaut 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Toad 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting: Sabretooth 7 (Born Fighter)
Energy: Scarlet Witch 7 (Cosmic)


The Teen Titans are: Robin, Superboy, Captain Marvel Jr, Impulse & Wonder Girl. They come to the aid of inter-dimensional summoner: Access.

As hard as it is to believe, we've got a couple of debuts coming our way on both side of the fight! For the heroes, this is the first time The Comic Book Fight Club has played host to Impulse and "Wonder Girl" Donna Troy!

They're fighting alongside the Tim Drake and Kon-El versions of Robin and Superboy. Important to note because they'd easily be confused amidst the time travel shenanigans that have brought the Teen Titans into conflict with today's villains...

The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants are: Mastermind, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Toad, Mystique, Blob, Sabretooth & Juggernaut.

The time displaced bad guys begin as the original sixties Brotherhood [see; X-Men #6], but get a serious injection of talent from other eras in the form of Mystique, Blob, Sabretooth, and the decidedly non-mutant, but still quite bad: Juggernaut!

For those keeping score at home, this marks the site debut for both Mystique and Blob! This all spells bad news for the kid heroes who are outnumbered, and arguably overmatched when it comes to experience and firepower, as well!

There isn't a lot of crossover experience between the two teams as they exist here, but what there is, is noteworthy. Three of these characters featured in the DC versus Marvel cosmic event: Robin defeated Jubilee [Marvel versus DC #3], Superboy lost to Spider-man [Marvel versus DC #3], and Quicksilver was defeated by former Titan: The Flash [Marvel versus DC #2]! Juggernaut also found himself flung into the path of Superman in an unofficial bout [DC versus Marvel #1], and later fought Wonder Woman in Unlimited Access #1, plucked from a time period after this fight. Donna Troy was the only Titan to participate in the pre-Crisis 1982 Uncanny X-Men/New Teen Titans crossover.

Juggernaut and Blob are arguably menace enough to occupy an entire team on their own. The unstoppable force and immovable object, respectively. They may be able to call upon the physical strengths of Captain Marvel Jr or Superboy to pin either down, but for the Teen Titans to stand any chance, they're going to want to pull some classic team tactics. Impulse's speed, and/or Robin's agility could be the answer to redirecting Juggernaut's unstoppable charge in the direction of Blob. That's a best case scenario that leaves their powerhouses free to occupy the rest of the villains.

Quicksilver's speed could prove problematic, but Superboy might slow him down with some well timed tactile telekinesis and brute strength. Scarlet Witch poses a serious threat with her hex powers, but in the old days, her timid personality will likely take her out of the fight when her brother's hurt. Toad and Mystique are lightweights matched by Wonder Girl and the team. Sabretooth is cunning, brutal and strong, but even if he gets the drop of the team and takes a hostage, the likes of Impulse or Captain Marvel Jr have it covered.

Mastermind may be the most likely danger working for the Brotherhood. His ability to cloud the young heroes' perception with illusions could very quickly render them vulnerable, or even turn them against each other. All the villains could pose serious threats given the right circumstances, but Mastermind's unassuming appearance and tendency to hang back makes him a big one!

We could come at this a lot of ways, but that's the quick version. It's the Teen Titans who need to fight uphill. Let's just find out how they actually did...

The Tape: Sabretooth Ranking: Robin (#32)

What Went Down...

Having been lured in by an illusion of his girlfriend in peril -- Access has found himself in the super-fast clutches of Quicksilver! Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is working for Darkseid and Access knows he needs help if he's to stop their evil plan. With the Avengers and Justice League busy, he uses his power to open a portal between worlds and summon a selection of Teen Titans!

The young heroes recognize peril where they see it - Impulse the first to act to rescue Access from The Brotherhood! Quicksilver takes exception to the brash, "big-footed" speedster, who opts to skip his lesson in humility!

Meanwhile, Toad gets a lesson in the value of theatrics from Robin. The mutant leaps and kicks circles around his foe, boasting the advantage of being homo superior, but is quickly dispatched with a skill toss of a roped batarang. "Listen, if your name doesn't make your enemies fear you, your actions better!"

Superboy tries a more affectionate approach to subdue the Scarlet Witch, but his charm offensive falls on deaf ears. Her hex power on the other hand, falls on a nearby fire hydrant - which blasts the young hero with a well deserved and intense "cold shower"!

Lucky for Superboy, fresh faced Wonder Girl is more than thrilled to be fighting in his presence! She comes to his rescue with a swift uppercut that dispatches the Scarlet Witch before she knows what hit her!

Captain Marvel Jr isn't sure what's happening to him, either, when his arms begin to turn against him in the form of giant serpents! It's all part of the plan of the illusion projecting Mastermind! Unlucky for him, Junior's mastery of the wisdom of Solomon helps him see through the mentalists trick. The strength of Hercules is more than a match for meek Mastermind, who takes a stiff left!

Unfortunately, it's no trick when Juggernaut comes up behind Marvel Jr and pounds him into the ground with two clubbing, unstoppable fists!

It also isn't an illusion when two Superboys confront Wonder Girl! She has no way of knowing the truth as they both plead their case to being the genuine article. At least, not until Sabretooth lurks up behind her with claws drawn and the real Superboy springs into action to stop him!

Superboy succeeds at torpedo driving Sabretooth into a stationary car, but can't be of any assistance as the second Superboy gets the drop on Wonder Girl - delivering a stiff chop to the neck as he transforms into Mystique!

Robin is busy doing his best to slow down the Blob. His martial arts fail to make an impact, serving only to annoy the hulking mountain of mutant mass! Having collected the bundled up Toad, Blob turns him into a living projectile - hurling his unconscious body at a Robin shaped bullseye!

Still stomping around the fight - the Juggernaut sets his sights on Access and Impulse and starts a-rampaging! Access is relying on Impulse to dash them both to safety at the last second -- when suddenly a beam of energy slams the Juggernaut! And a blast of ice sends him unstoppably slipping and stumbling!

Watching from elsewhere: the master of magnetism Magneto curses the arrival of Xavier's merry mutants: The X-Men! Evil Darkseid assures him all is going to plan. The Brotherhood seem to think so as well, Mystique ordering a strategic retreat as a thundering boom tube opens to whisk them from the battlefield.

Professor Xavier telepathically warns the gathering of young heroes of the New Gods' evil he sensed, leaving them to await further instruction in victory.

The Hammer...

An unexpected end to an unexpected crossover! The momentum may have been shifting to the bad guys, but plan or no plan - we're going to call this one a forfeit victory! That means the Teen Titans are the winners with the assist from the X-Men!

Admittedly - this wasn't an easy call to make. There was no decisive finishing blow. Cyclops & Iceman got the last offensive, but they arguably only stalled their target. The Titans were able to take several villains out of the fight during the melee, even if they had their own visual losses as well. The X-Men's arrival ultimately prompted The Brotherhood's retreat, but the X-Men didn't participate enough share in victory.

For those who might be wondering - the X-Men who arrive on the scene are the earliest first class: Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Beast & Marvel Girl. So new - they don't even recognize Juggernaut: who the team first faced way back in 1965's X-Men #12! Those're some bona fide near mint mutants!

As noted in The Tape; the meeting of Titans and X-Men isn't without precedent. The original 1982 crossover was the last collaboration between DC and Marvel for over a decade. It played up the similarities of teen superhero drama that permeated the pages of both popular books. I'm not sure how many people were clamoring for the 90s Teen Titans to meet the 60s X-Men, but I suppose it has a certain charm. It certainly plays to the sixties retro fad that was going on at the time of publication. Not that comics ever need a reason to be nostalgic!

As in a lot of the crossovers of this period, they get away with some fun nods. Wonder Girl quizzes Marvel Girl about the X-Men being "misfit heroes like the old Doom Patrol". A fun jab at an old comparison. Of course, they also kinda did it a couple of years earlier, when the Amalgam mash-ups delivered X-Patrol. I'm not sure X-Force fit the bill quite as well, but it's close enough.

If you've been keeping up with our regular Hero of the Week entries, you know Doom Patrol is a series I've had on my mind [04/11/2016]. I'm hoping we'll get a chance to talk more about them some time soon. Today's feature was a nice chance to delve into another neglected corner of the DCU - the Teen Titans!

Admittedly, I've never been a big fan. Reading the adventures of Robin, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash had its thrills as a small boy, but the melodrama and sidekick angst of iconic Titans never geld with me. Not even as a teen. Kid heroes struck me as disappointingly second-rate as a kid. My peers ain't no Justice League! I'm slowly coming around, though. The idea of bundling existing young heroes together is certainly a good one.

The deviation of Doom Patrol's Changeling to iconic Teen Titan is the kind of living evolution that makes comics great. At least until line-wide reboots erase the chronology. DC's Rebirth is fixing to reinject first and third generation heroes into the New 52 line-up. It's something, I suppose.

The Titans line-up featured here may not be traditional - but it's much easier to appreciate. I've particularly enjoyed watching Captain Marvel Jr climb the site ranks. Glad to have Impulse on the record, as well. I wasn't sure on first look, but he's often struck me as a better junior alternate to the Flash than latter day versions of Kid Flash. Giving the Teens their own identity and mythology always helps. Especially when it isn't soaked in self-serious sobbing and lame rejects.

If you noticed me ducking references to Wonder Girl, it's largely because I'm a little sketchy on what was going on with Donna Troy during the short 'n' nerdy years. Undoing that predicament in the years that followed - a good idea. With any luck we'll get a chance to explore all of these characters at a later point.

Sadly, we won't be adventuring further into the realm of big league comics crossovers! This feature concludes our April celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Marvel versus DC and the 10th of our original feature(s). Fear not, though! There are still plenty of weird and wonderful combinations I'm sure we'll dig up in the future! You can also dig through the back issues via our Secret Archive Index, character tags and links, or by hitting up our recent retrospective in Old Comics Wednesday: DC versus Marvel!

Coming soon: We turn our attentions to heroic battles of another kind! Be here next week when we witness one of the first ever showdowns between two of Marvel's greatest hand-to-hand combatants of all time! See you then!

Winners: Teen Titans (w/ X-Men)

#25 (+7) Robin

#59 (+40) Captain Marvel Jr

#100 (+195) Superboy

#280 (new) Wonder Girl (Donna Troy)

#281 (new) Impulse

#38 (+1) Beast [+1 Assist]

#61 (-1) Angel [+1 Assist]

#64 (-1) Cyclops [+1 Assist]

#103 (-1) Marvel Girl (Jean Grey) [+1 Assist]

#109 (-1) Ice Man [+1 Assist]

#343 (-15) Scarlet Witch

#349 (-9) Juggernaut

#774 (new) Blob

#775 (new) Mystique

#786 (-243) Mastermind

#805 (-21) Toad

#808 (-11) Sabretooth

#813 (-8) Quicksilver

OLD COMICS WEDNESDAY: FLASHBACK - 1996!

This April; Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has been celebrating the 20th Anniversary of DC versus Marvel/Marvel versus DC! The landmark crossover brought comics' two biggest companies together in one of the biggest events of the decade! There was plenty else going on in the turbulent time of 1996, though.

This Old Comics Wednesday we're travelling twenty years back in time to sample a slice of '96 through the comics previously featured on the site! By hitting the covers below you'll be thrown back to nineties knock-outs involving: Wolverine, Sabretooth, Venom, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Gambit, Jubilee, Bishop, Superman, Fantastic Four, Sub-Mariner, Steel, Hellboy, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor and even more!

This cavalcade of mid-nineties heroes are participating in landmark stories of the time, including: Kingdom Come, Onslaught, Heroes Reborn, and of course DC versus Marvel! There's still one more classic crossover battle to feature this month, so be here Friday for even more!

HERO OF THE WEEK: WINTER SOLDIER (Marvel)
Real Name: James "Bucky" Barnes
First Appearance: Captain America Comics #1 (March, 1941)
Fight Club Ranking: #47

Featured Fights:
- vs RED SKULL & NAZIS: Captain America #5 (May 2005)
- vs WOLVERINE: Wolverine #39 (Apr 2006)
- vs CROSSBONES: Captain America #25 (Apr 2007)
- vs THE HOOD & DORMAMMU: New Avengers #54 (Aug 2009)

A big week of news, rumors and impending TV finales had several contenders duking it out for this week's coveted HOTW. If Dr. Strange hadn't already had his turn [01/04/2016], we might be talking about the promising first trailer for November's Marvel movie mystic. In the end, it was the other big show coming to town that pulled focus from all the rest!

Captain America: Civil War officially opens in wide theatrical release May 6th, but has already started to trickle out across the globe. In stark contrast to DC's recent big screen heavyweight main event; advanced reviews for Marvel's philosophically driven supercard have been mostly positive.

If my personal anticipation was curbed by the malaise of Marvel's frequently formulaic big screen bouts, the promotional pollen has finally stirred a sneeze of excitement. One of the more intriguing pieces of the puzzle getting up my nose in the last week: Winter Soldier.

After starring as the conflicted titular menace of "Captain America 2", it was par for the course that Winter Soldier would be back for more. His path back to the side of angels was a given, as well, but what I didn't necessarily expect was a reunion of real consequence. The overwhelming amount of moving pieces in Civil War made it easy to presume a smooth team-up between Cap and his old buddy Bucky to make up numbers. By all accounts, his role is much more important than that. If you're avoiding spoilers, you may want to look away now!

It seems the chequered past of Winter Soldier's programming has made him the perfect patsy to start the war between heroes. He's implicated in a terrorist attack (presumably against Wakanda), which has him in Iron Man's firing line in a recently released clip [above]. The sequence also brings Black Panther [HOTW 01/18/2016] into play in a moment that teases his supreme fighting skill and dogged determination. Can't wait to see more of him!

It's all more than likely the work of Daniel Bruhl's maskless Helmut Zemo, who's already drawing flattering comparisons to Batman v Superman puppet master: Lex Luthor.

I'll be disappointed to go a whole film without seeing the classic purple mask of the Zemo bloodline, but I'll take a well conceived plot over jabbering millennial nonsense any day. Tying Winter Soldier and Black Panther together, in conjunction with other tensions building to a movement for superhero registration, certainly strikes me as intelligent, economic storytelling. Something Civil War will no doubt need if it's to pull off its assembly of warring factions.

Of course, this Civil War seems to have less vitriolic grand designs than the bitter struggle staged by Marvel Comics in 2006 [see; Civil War]. For a while there, I genuinely thought Chris Evans would exit the series in the same way Captain America did - dying at the conclusion of the comics event. It certainly seems like the entire Marvel movie universe was built with understudies in mind. I'm not ruling it out, but Downey Jr's eternally uncertain future seems to make Cap all the more important to plans to move forward. Yes, new heroes are coming, but you need a statesman to stitch it all together.

On that subject; I have to admit to still having misgivings about the "resurrection" of Bucky. That the stories resulting from his return have been interesting helps a great deal, but I'll never be totally at peace with the removal of a unique piece of fictional history. For decades, he was one of comics' perennial deaths - a guarded sacrifice. The serial nature of comics provides so few legitimate chances to remove a major player from the board. His death was a practical, meaningful choice that never needed to be undone. Not if comics were moving forward, as they should.

The idea of death and a more realistic progression of time and heroes in the films is an interesting concept. Contract negotiation as in-fiction life and death. Retiring roles sure beats re-casting with burdened new faces, but does anyone really expect Disney to permanently discard major players if they don't have to?

They seem to want us to think War Machine's life is in peril in the films, but really, I just get the impression they wanted one armored hero on the powerful Team Tony. You can't kill off Rhodey. Coulson's death in Avengers already flirted with the meaningless carousel of mortality the comics have bogged themselves down in. Here's hoping the movies resist the same mistakes. We shall see!

<< Hero of the Week 04/25: Iron Man       [Home]       Hero of the Week 04/11: Robotman >> 

GREEN LANTERN versus HULK

No Time Like The Present! (Marvel/DC)
Where: Unlimited Access #1 When: December 1997
Why: Karl Kesel How: Pat Olliffe

The Story So Far...
New York City native Axel Asher had enough trouble holding his own life together before he was confronted with a destiny to protect two parallel universes!

Drawn into an inter-dimensional conflict between warring cosmic brothers, and the denizens of their respective universes, Axel became the hero of two worlds: Access!

Having undone a merging of universes, and averted cosmic annihilation, Axel learns to adjust to the challenges of keeping both worlds separate, while also living a normal life. Attempting to juggle his responsibilities he decides to stop off in the DC Universe to get a special gift for his girlfriend -- only to find himself caught in the crossfire between the Incredible Hulk and Green Lantern! Zoinks!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Green Lantern 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Hulk 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Hulk 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting: Hulk 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Green Lantern 7 (Cosmic)


The DC universe's most powerful weapon against the "strongest one there is" in Marvel's! One is fuelled by bravery and indomitable willpower -- the other is indomitable willpower! On the surface, this is another odd pairing. When you break it down in terms of themes: it's one heck of an interesting encounter!

Hulk is the raging alter-ego of brilliant Dr. Bruce Banner, who was bombarded by gamma radiation while saving a boy from his own bomb test. The radiation mutated his body so that any time the timid scientist grows agitated, he runs the risk of transforming into a rampaging, musclebound, dimwitted powerhouse!

Through his various incarnations Hulk has performed unfathomable feats of strength while locking up with: Superman [Marvel versus DC #3], Iron Man [Iron Man #2], Thor [Avengers #5], The Sentry [World War Hulk #5], Hercules [Tales to Astonish #79], Red Hulk [Hulk #6] and the Silver Surfer [Incredible Hulk #95]! All physical powerhouses, but only Silver Surfer is comparable to the cosmic energies of DC's emerald ring-slinger!

Hal Jordan was a daredevil test pilot before being chosen to wield the ring of the Green Lantern! Inducted into the GL Corps as a replacement for a dying alien who crash landed on Earth; he was cosmically selected for his fearlessness and proximity to the crash site. Trained by Sinestro to be the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, Jordan surpassed his mentor to become one of the greatest ring wielders of all time! He controls his ring's charge with a blend of whimsy and determination, summoning sometimes absurd hard-light constructs in the pursuit of serious justice!

We've primarily seen Hal Jordan combat other ring wielders in previous feaured fights. He's locked constructs with Parallax Kyle Rayner [Green Lantern #24], Sinestro [Green Lantern #25] and Larfleeze [Green Lantern #44]. For a more literal example of the ring against brute strength we look to his role in pinning down power suited Lex Luthor [Justice League of America #15], Black Lantern Martian Manhunter [Green Lantern #44], and to a lesser extent the Appelaxian Golden Roc [Secret Origins #32].

The Golden Roc gave him trouble because of the yellow weakness in the Green Lantern power rings (later revealed to be Parallax). Against the jade giant that is the Hulk that's mildly relevant. He might throw a school bus, for example. My real reason for raising it is because the weakness was eventually removed, but this is Hal Jordan operating in a very particular point in the past - just prior to the destruction of Coast City and his succumbing to Parallax. Which means he's well into his pro years and really should be plenty experienced with super-strong monsters.

This is also a Hulk plucked from quite early in his existence. Significant if you want to break down fluctuations in his strength and intellect. Here on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths we generally adhere to a couple of basic Hulk principles: His strength has a finite limit, and measuring it in any particular year is usually splitting hairs.

Early Hulk is double tough, but not real bright. That means the ball is really in Green Lantern's court. He's going to want to try to get the drop on Hulk as soon as possible and play the distance game. A physical fight is a mistake, but there could be some benefit to a preliminary offensive to try to subdue him enough to make containment an option. That's a big ask, but he could definitely try some old tricks like an oxygen depriving bubble and restraints. Anything structural is gonna be in for an absolute pounding, and Hulk's offensive is strength is going to be very taxing on the ring depending on charge.

That's a potential match loser! This one definitely has potential to go both ways, but I lean towards the Hulk for an advantage in the spread. Raw power, yellow cabs on tap, with power and endurance to spare. Let's see how it went...

The Tape: Green Lantern Ranking: Hulk (#5)

What Went Down...

Cross dimensional souvenir shopping in Coast City goes awry when tremors signify the arrival of the Hulk! Access isn't worried - he met the genius scientist during the battle between worlds. Alas; all is not as it seems. This isn't the super-intelligent powerhouse he knows he can reason with. It's the rage fuelled Hulk of old - disoriented, displaced, and tearing up the street!

Access manages to calm the raging beast with the promise to return him home, but his nerves are getting the better of him in the shadow of the towering green goliath. He can't open the doorway between worlds fast enough, and Coast City's own green guardian is about intervene!

It's not often the Hulk finds himself dwarfed or overpowered - but a giant green fist achieves just that! A construct formed by the power ring of Green Lantern!

Access can't believe his eyes. The Green Lantern he knows is Kyle Rayner, but before him stands the commanding presence of Hal Jordan - fallen Lantern who, as far as he knows, is dead. Access isn't just between worlds - he's lost in time!

Not wanting trouble: Hulk attempts to jump free of the city with a vertical leap that impresses even the wile space cop. Still perceiving the beast as a threat, Green Lantern makes pursuit. Even in the air, Hulk won't go without a fight.

A streak of green light falls to the Earth - making a crater out of street with its impact! Hulk clearly didn't take kindly to GL's interference. From within the hole he delivers an uppercut to the authority of Space Sector 2814. Apparently he doesn't recognize the Green Lantern Corps' jurisdiction.

A cushion of ring energy protects Green Lantern as he crashes into the glass of a nearby building. The fearless hero takes exception to being told to leave his own city. He attempts to contain the situation and his target by forming a giant-size chain around the Hulk!

The bonds don't last long before Hulk shatters them into shards of hard-light energy! Again the Green Lantern is stunned by his foe's feats! He's not sure exactly what he's dealing with, but he's happy to fight mean green like for like!

A giant, non-denominational movie monster is Hal Jordan's instrument of just destruction! His ring-formed big green monster stomps on the Hulk with a giant lizard-like foot!

With his opponent subdued; Green Lantern quizzes Access for some intelligence on the situation. Access has done some investigating of his own, determining the present as the anniversary of Barry Allen's death - the past. He ponders the impending doom of Hal Jordan and Coast City with foreknowledge, but can offer no prophecy, nor enlightenment to how the time and space of two universes has begun to overlap. Even if he could - there's no opportunity!

Hulk has summoned the rage-fuelled strength to lift the giant lizard monster! Before it can cause any collateral damage the ring-slinger deletes his construct. While he does, Hulk takes possession of Access with the intent of following through on his earlier promise to return him home.

Green Lantern takes chase once more, but Access assures him he has the situation under control. This time he manages to open a doorway to the exact point in time and space where the Hulk was plucked from. They pass through in mid-flight, making landing in the desert of South-West America. Home.

The Hammer...

Just when it looked like Green Lantern was on top of things, Hulk takes the fight into another round! Who knows how it might have ended if they'd gone the distance. With the result we have here, we can only call it a draw!

As regular readers know, we're looking back at some of the forgotten DC/Marvel crossovers to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of DC versus Marvel/Marvel versus DC! It's been ten years since we ran down that particular showdown, which has remained one of the most popular series of fights featured on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: The Comic Book Fight Club!

The evergreen intrigue of inter-company crossovers may have kept the 1996 event mini-series fresh in people's minds, but it's always interesting to dig through the outlying collaborations people tend to forget. I didn't set out to dwell on the two Versus sequels: DC/Marvel: All Access and Unlimited Access, but curios like Green Lantern v Hulk and Batman v Scorpion are just too good to ignore! Weird, unlikely, and all kinds of fun!

Admittedly, the importance of these stories to the larger comics tapestry is not overwhelming. Their greatest impact may be as time capsules for a very rare moment when DC and Marvel were able to work so extensively together, they produced dozens of crossover issues. Cultural spectacle that's likely a boon to the big two superhero universes to this day. The eternal talking point for fans.

Was it too much? Not enough? Probably just right.

Revisiting the comics landscape of 1996 through G. Kendall's "The Guide to the Guide to Comics" on Comic Book Resources; I'm reminded of the particularly unique fascination with the Amalgam Comics experiment. It topped Wizard's list of most wanted action figures not in existence. Not only do I remember its place on that list, but I was one of many fans already thinking it! Different times...

The megamix universe unfolded in two waves of a vast series of #1 one-shots that introduced pretty memorable mash-ups of both company's characters. If you love Batman and Wolverine - you're gonna go cross-eyed for Dark Claw!

The one thing all of this quantity didn't quite deliver was an integral on-going series. I was cross-eyed for that first wave Dark Claw, and I probably would've like to read more adventures with that character, and others.

There were also the great many original DC and Marvel characters who hadn't really been able to participate in the crossover fun. Martian Manhunter and the Fantastic Four may have graced the cover of Marvel versus DC #2, but it wasn't until Unlimited Access and '99s Superman/Fantastic Four that those characters made any significant appearance. Iron Man: another notable omission (yes, even then) picked up by Unlimited Access and its pre-JLA/Avengers throwdown.

While Unlimited Access certainly offers some of the most diverse hero meet-ups, I can now say I tend to prefer the DC published All Access a little more. It has much more of the whiff of the adolescent nineties on it, but the finish of Jackson Guice's pencils have a sheen of quality, and the use of characters, while limited, balances the interests of the time with the story being told. Given the timing, Venom and the X-Men are arguably the two big cheques picked-up in that one. Guaranteed future entries, to be sure.

Pat Olllife's a fine comic artist in the modern classic sense, but I tend to find the inks really don't do enough to elevate his work. Inconsistent lines and lack of detail sometimes leaves the work looking unloved, or unfinished. I'm sure he and Al Williamson were on a rough schedule to get the series done, but its not an isolated case for Olliffe's work. I'm not crazy about the dry colors often applied to his work, either.

I am crazy about superheroes fighting and we will have one more blockbuster Marvel versus DC encounter in April! There'll be more characters than you can poke a stick at, and even a couple of noteworthy debuts for the site! If you can't wait for that, be sure to jump into the Secret Archive for past crossover clashes as featured this week's Old Comics Wednesday: DC versus Marvel portal!

Winner: Draw

#5 (--) Hulk

#25 (+1) Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)

#122 (+17) Access [+1 Assist]