After nearly a twenty-year-long drought, Marvel and DC are finally opening the bridge between their two companies and releasing a brand new crossover, Deadpool/Batman, and I couldn’t be happier about it. The Merc With the Mouth and the World’s Greatest Detective very reluctantly team up in a brand new adventure, and not only them, but this oversized issue brings six other crossovers between both companies’ best and most beloved characters. The entire book is a whole bunch of fun that we definitely need a lot more of in the future, but it does raise the question: which crossover was the best?
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Now, obviously, liking something is subjective, so this isn’t meant to be a list of which ones were my favorites. Rather, today we’re going to be ranking the crossover specials by how well they deliver on the concept they promise, and how good a showcase they give to the special dynamic between their two characters. After all, the main point of crossovers is to see beloved characters interact with brand new people you’d know they’d either love or hate, right? So with that established, let’s get right into ranking every crossover from Deadpool/Batman.
7) Wolverine/Batman
Coming in last is the three-page fight between Batman and Wolverine, written and drawn by the legendary Frank Miller. Honestly, this one took me two reads to understand, as it throws you right into a clash between the two heroes deep in Gotham. The two simply hit each other and hurl incredibly specific, very-Miller insults at each other. If you enjoy Miller’s modern work, then you’ll like this, but frankly, there just isn’t much here, and it hardly delivers on the hype that a fight between two of comics’ most legendary characters should go. It’s fine at best, even if it’s really hard to get a read on it the first time.
6) Logo
Unfortunately, our sixth entry is the second Wolverine-inspired crossover, this time the fusion of Wolverine and Lobo, but don’t let the placement fool you into thinking this set of pages is bad. It’s incredibly fun, mixing the aspects of Wolverine and Lobo seamlessly into a character that genuinely feels like he’s both of them at the same time. And really, how could you hate someone who says he’s a Canucklezian? Logo is a great idea given form, and my only complaint is that we didn’t get to see more of him, given that his adventure was also only three pages. Also, this one had the Thanoseidcopter, which automatically makes it incredible.
5) Rocket Racoon/Green Lantern
The story is literally called “Rocket Has a Green Lantern Ring Now,” and it delivers on that. A cultural exchange between the Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Universe leads Hal and Rocket to join each other’s teams for a few days, and it goes as well as you’d imagine. Rocket causes chaos in the best ways possible, and the Green Lantern Corps wants him gone by day three. Unfortunately, nobody planned on Hal finding the Infinity Gauntlet and going full Parallax, which is the funniest way possible for this story to end – even if it’s a jab at Hal. This comic aims to make everyone laugh by abusing its characters’ personalities and lore, and I think it manages to do both beautifully.
4) Jeff/Krypto
A crossover between Jeff the Land Shark and Krypto the Super-Dog has to be one thing above all else: cute. This comic captures that in spades, having it be a volleyball game in the Arctic between two of comics’ most lovable good boys. It’s pure joy as the two bounce the ball back and forth, beautifully drawn in this cartoony style by Gurihiru, and it ends in the best way possible. It captures the feeling of childlike friendship and summertime fun that makes everyone feel like a kid again, and that’s exactly how comic book super-pets should make you feel.
3) Daredevil/Green Arrow
Two of comics’ best people at fighting ninjas meet up by chance in Hell’s Kitchen, fighting each other’s evil ninja group. Not only is the action awesome and lets us see Daredevil go up against his hardest counter of all, but this story perfectly captures the voice of both heroes. The way they banter and have similar yet reflecting internal monologues and bounce off of each other demonstrates just how different and yet staggeringly similar they are. The ending of Green Arrow using Jack Murdock’s glove for his improvised boxing glove arrow is narrative and mythos genius, and the two walking off to get drinks and tell stories only made me want an entire comic just about that. An easy ten out of ten here.
2) Deadpool/Batman
The titular crossover is easily one of the best single-issue stories either character has had in years. Their massively contrasting personalities actually play off of each other perfectly here, with each one having a strong voice and feeling like themselves. It’s incredibly entertaining, with Deadpool making plenty of witty jokes, some at Batman’s expense, but never feeling like it’s overbearing or detracting from Batman’s character. The ribs come off as good-natured and from a place of genuine love, which is the best kind of vibe for a crossover between two narrative giants like Deadpool and Batman. The dynamic between Batman, Joker, and Deadpool, with the Merc With the Mouth being the middle ground between the two, is genuinely incredible, and only makes me want more of this going forward. Easily one of the best.
1) Captain America/Wonder Woman
The crossover that I believe best delivers on its premise is Captain America and Wonder Woman meeting, which digs into both characters and explores how they would influence each other for the better. Both are paragons, symbols of a better tomorrow that are inherently tied to one of humanity’s darkest hours: World War II. They both are warriors of justice above all else, even when they want to give in to personal feelings, they know they serve something greater than themselves. Seeing them lift each other up in their darkest hours is heartwarming and serves as a reminder that we can all be better versions of ourselves. This is a character study that I didn’t know I needed until we had it, and I am all for it.
So there we have every crossover in Deadpool/Batman, ranked by how well they live up to their premise. Do you agree with our list? What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
