There are really two lead runners when it comes to the comic superhero world – Marvel and DC. But what happens when their worlds collide? That’s where the new comic series “Batman v. Deadpool” – written by Zeb Wells and illustrated by Greg Capullo – comes into play.
The first installment of the series was released on September 17 as “Deadpool/Batman.” The second installment of this series, “Batman/Deadpool,” is releasing on November 19. This is not the first time Marvel and DC have come together, but it’s the first collaboration of the two since 2003, when they published a four-comic mini series, combining the worlds of the Avengers and Justice League America (JLA). The first and third issues were titled “JLA/Avengers,” published by Marvel, and the second and fourth were titled “Avengers/JLA,” published by DC.
Although most of my favorite comics and superhero movies I watch (not including “Sky High”) are made by Marvel, recently I have found an equal love for DC heroes and movies, such as the recent release of “Superman” directed by James Gunn, and the not-so-recent release of “Batman: The Dark Knight” directed by Christopher Nolan.
When I was on my weekly trip to my favorite comic book store Comic BOOM! I saw the new “Deadpool/Batman” comic book on one of the first shelves when I walked in. I was immediately intrigued, especially since the copy’s cover was a variant, which means a cover of a comic book that is not the one originally made for it. It depicted Superman’s dog Krypto and Marvel’s recently beloved character Jeff the Land Shark sitting on dog houses for each other, surrounded by toys and such that relate to their respective characters and universes. That is probably the reason my friend bought it; nevertheless, I asked to borrow it and decided to give it a read.
Really, the story is what you can imagine from stone-faced, serious Batman and playful, witty Deadpool interacting with each other. The second page of the comic book immediately entails Deadpool crashing through a large window in Bruce Wayne’s house, making a dramatic entrance perfectly suiting the character as he was having an interior monologue for the whole first page of the comic, talking about the main problem the comic revolves around – Joker and his Joker Venom, something the villain was threatening to infect Gotham City with. As the story continues, it’s revealed that Deadpool was taken from his universe to help the Joker kill Batman, although he ends up not because of the fact that the Joker tried to double-cross him later in the book.
The story, since centered in Batman’s universe, is completely centered around him, and the seriousness of the characters’ comics, but then they threw in Deadpool with his rated R jokes and unseriousness. The characters really try to continue on with what’s going on and try to stop the Joker, as if they know Deadpool’s not supposed to be there and are trying to ignore him, but that’s an impossible task, especially with his constant talking and fourth wall breaks.
The art in this comic book is great, too. All of Deadpool’s speech bubbles are in yellow, while all of the DC characters’ bubbles are the classic white. The fonts are different for every character, too, with Deadpool’s being the darkest words on the page most of the time, accentuating his loudness and boldness as a character.
The scenery is also typically very dark for the whole book, making Deadpool’s red suit stand out against the blueish haze Batman’s world entails at night. The Joker’s design is cool, too. He still brandishes the classic purple suit, but his hair seems shorter and more on top of his head than in other comics, which I am not hating. Batman’s suit is the classic gray with the blue hood and cape.
In the comic book my friend got, it has more than one crossover from Marvel and DC, including short comics “Captain America and Wonder Woman,” “Jeff! and Krypto,” “Daredevil and Green Arrow,” “Old Man Logan and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” and “LOGO.” These were also super cool with different art styles for each one, one of my favorites being “Jeff! and Krypto” since the whole comic is about the two of them playing a game of volleyball with each other.
So if you are a fan of comic books alike, this is one not to miss out on. With the handful of different DC and Marvel characters being put together in different stories, it was fun to see how they interacted with one another. I will probably be picking up my own copy of this comic book on my next Comic BOOM! run.
Hayley Doda can be contacted at
hayley@kscequinox.com
