While superhero movies often break box office records, that hasn't necessarily translated to comic book sales. While the industry is doing well, both Marvel Comics and DC Comics sometimes have to rely on "stunts" to boost interest.
That's usually with the launch of a new #1 issue—writer Matt Fraction and artist Jorge Jiménez's Batman #1 recently sold over 500,000 copies—but this year has seen the two rival companies unite for Deadpool/Batman and Batman/Deadpool.
It's been fun seeing the Merc with the Mouth and Caped Crusader cross paths, and backup tales have featured Captain America fighting alongside Wonder Woman, and Daredevil finding a new ally in Green Arrow.
Two of Marvel and DC's biggest superheroes have been M.I.A. from the entire thing, and that could be because we're getting a Superman/Spider-Man crossover in 2026.
According to Bleeding Cool's Rich Johnston, "I have been informed to expect another double issue crossover, one from each publisher, with Superman/Spider-Man drawn by Jim Lee (possibly why he has been tied up so long) [and] a rather unexpected artist on the Marvel side, Dan Mora, who has been sticking to DC Comics and the occasional Massive-Verse foray in recent years."
The report also points out that everyone from the X-Men to the Justice League, Fantastic Four, and the Suicide Squad have been absent from this year's two crossover comics, suggesting more Marvel/DC mashups are heading our way in the coming years.
Next year is the 50th anniversary of Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man: The Battle of the Century by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, Neal Adams, John Romita Sr, Dick Giordano, Terry Austin and Bob Wiacek from 1976.
November will see the release of Batman/Deadpool #1, a metaphysical car crash between two storytelling philosophies. One character broods in the shadows of trauma and justice. The other cartwheels through chaos, breaking the fourth wall and occasionally the laws of physics. Together, they're forced to confront a threat that doesn’t just endanger their worlds—it questions their very existence as fictional constructs.
With a main story by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora, Batman/Deadpool #1 launches a reality-bending saga that’s equal parts cosmic horror, slapstick noir, and metafictional therapy session. It’s the kind of comic book that knows it’s a comic book, revels in being a comic book, weaponises its comic bookiness—and dares you to keep reading anyway.
Backup tales will include Constantine/Doctor Strange, Nightwing/Wolverine (Laura Kinney), Harley Quinn/Hulk, and Static/Ms. Marvel.
Are you excited to see Spider-Man and Superman cross paths again?