RETRO REVIEW: Spider-Man And Batman

RETRO REVIEW: Spider-Man And Batman

It's that time of week again. In this retro review, I talk about a rather unknown comic to some, a crossover between the Dark Knight and the Web-head. Come check it out.

Review Opinion
By Destroyer14 - Dec 10, 2011 12:12 PM EST
Filed Under: Other
Source: My Blog



When I was smaller, the idea of a Marvel and DC crossover was a dream. Little did I know that there had actually been quite a few crossovers from the 90's. I found out one random day on the internet, and immediately the next day I went to Jim Hanley's Universe to purchase the DC Comics vs. Marvel Comics trade paperback. Wow, seeing these guys on the same page itself was almost too much. I went and bought some of the crossover classics, such fun reads. (The best being JLA/Avengers.) I am not here to talk about those however, I am here to talk about a one-shot from the 95 featuring two unlikely partners: the amazing Spider-Man and the Batman.

It's funny, these two are quite the opposite. They're both heroes, and believe in a strong sense of morality. Spidey definitely has more fun with the job, and actually seems to enjoy the job of being a superhero. Batman on the other hand, is a deadly serious vigilante who isn't afraid to really get down and dirty. It's not so much as he enjoys being a superhero, it seems like he takes it as more of a commitment. So pairing these two clashing personalities would be very interesting. It would be more fun than a Spider-Man and Superman one, mainly cause those two would make more of a lighter story. As fun as it is to see these two guys together, the choice of villains is equally important, and the writers did an amazing job with that.

The two villains are the most ruthless psychopaths from their respective universes: Venom's spawn: Carnage, and the Clown Prince of Crime: the Joker. Very interesting choice of villains, I would have thought that they would have chosen the Green Goblin rather than Carnage. But, I'm happy with the pick, I prefer Carnage a thousand times to Goblin. Anyways, the two characters are pretty much portrayed accurately. The writing is top notch, I love this quote by Carnage: "Go home to your wives and children, tell them you stared Death face-to-face, and he gave you a second chance." The pages where Carnage explains how he's been impressed with Joker is just priceless. Then when they start to have conflicting views on how to accomplish mass genocide is both amusing and triple A class writing.

I noticed that Batman is slightly more livelier and sarcastic than usual. One scene I didn't like all that much was when Batman was saying that he doesn't want Spidey to "get hurt." Really? If Carnage is any indication, he should know that Spidey deals with problems as big as Gotham City's. Also, "I don't need your help, or want it." Uh, Batman doesn't have Spidey's knowledge of Carnage, he does need him. He came back later to ask for Spidey's assistance, but still. I do like the head-shots of the two heroes right before Bats says "Or want it." Such great drama. This issue is packed with great comic book drama, the dynamics between the heroes and villains are priceless. I also like how Bats referenced Maximum Carnage.

I don't know about you guys, but I just love the art in this comic. My gosh, this is how Spidey should be drawn, he looks perfect. I prefer the big eyes on the mask than the smaller ones we're getting right now. Carnage looks plain crazy and evil, such a great depiction. I mentioned this already, but the writing in this comic has such a high-quality feel. There's some moral things here that make you think. Is it right to pull the plug and erase a person's character when it appears there's no decently left in them? That's the main question in the beginning, good stuff.

Overall, don't think this is a cash-in on two of the most popular heroes. It has a very compelling story, I was surprised at how impressive it was, one of the best comics I've ever read. (Just look at the gorgeous embossed cover.) It's definitely worth the buy, I think this comic is a bit underrated. The dynamics between the characters is amazing, sometimes amusing, and just plain awesome. Look up the comic and purchase it, it's not too expensive and it's worth it.

10/10.


New Academy Rules State Generative AI Use Will Not Impact Oscar Eligibility
Related:

New Academy Rules State Generative AI Use Will Not Impact Oscar Eligibility

AHSOKA Star Rosario Dawson Announces That Filming Is Officially Underway On Season 2 With First BTS Photo
Recommended For You:

AHSOKA Star Rosario Dawson Announces That Filming Is Officially Underway On Season 2 With First BTS Photo

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

manymade1
manymade1 - 12/10/2011, 12:41 PM
I was always more of a fan of the Spider-man/Superman team-up.
Destroyer14
Destroyer14 - 12/10/2011, 12:41 PM
@manymade1 I gotta add that to the cart then.
MaddMonkk
MaddMonkk - 12/10/2011, 12:42 PM
I remember this. They took the easy way out instead of having Carnage and Joker actually fight. I guess crossover stories are hard. but that's why they get the big bucks, right? Batman/Punisher was much better while Batman/spawn was much worse. go figure
superotherside
superotherside - 12/10/2011, 12:45 PM
Cool, I'll have to try to get this one sometime... :)
Action
Action - 12/10/2011, 12:55 PM
Wow! Batman and Spiderman together looks too weird.
Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 12/10/2011, 1:04 PM
Great read. I'm a huge fan of the early 80's Teen Titans/X-Men crossover.
Destroyer14
Destroyer14 - 12/10/2011, 1:05 PM
Thanks Hawks. I almost forgot about that crossover, definitely going to pick that up soon.
cosmicstranger
cosmicstranger - 12/10/2011, 1:06 PM
There is another crossover between these characters called "Batman and Spider-Man: New Age Dawning."
Destroyer14
Destroyer14 - 12/10/2011, 1:07 PM
@cosmicstranger Yes, I own that one in a trade paperback.
headlopper
headlopper - 12/10/2011, 1:07 PM
I've never read this one , but I own the 2009 team-up where the enemies were King Pin and Ras Al Goul. Pretty good interplay between these distinct personalities.

Interesting article- good to turn on other's about this team-up in comics over the years.
Spidey91
Spidey91 - 12/10/2011, 1:11 PM
favorite DC hero,favorite MARVEL hero...I NEED TO GET THIS.
jj2112
jj2112 - 12/10/2011, 1:43 PM
The Batman and Cap crossover of 1996 by Byrne was better than this one...
Jer3miah
Jer3miah - 12/10/2011, 1:49 PM
Damn, nice.
joeker
joeker - 12/10/2011, 2:19 PM
the way spidey was drawn back then was amazing i loved it that & john romita jr
thewolfx
thewolfx - 12/10/2011, 2:26 PM
all i know is

spiderman = superhero

batman = vigilante
thewolfx
thewolfx - 12/10/2011, 2:59 PM
@fabius


you mad bruh
DoomXfactor
DoomXfactor - 12/10/2011, 3:10 PM
Spider-man should ALWAYS HAVE THE BIG EYES!!!!!!!!!!! The small eyes look boring and outdated
KalElOdinson
KalElOdinson - 12/10/2011, 3:16 PM
There actually was a second crossover with Spiderman and Batman and the villains were Raz Al Gul and Kingpin. This one was just as good. Check it out if you can find it.
FriendlyNeighborhoodSpidey
FriendlyNeighborhoodSpidey - 12/10/2011, 5:06 PM
Ha I agree with you Destroyer14. Batman being worried about SPIDER-MAN getting hurt? Yeah right! Spider-Man would beat the living daylights out of Batman. I still like them both though. Actually, Spider-Man is my favorite Marvel hero, and Batman is my favorite DC hero. I should get this book.
Nicolas
Nicolas - 12/10/2011, 5:13 PM

[img]http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/montz2/The-Dark-Knight_cf42f72e-horz.jpg[/img]

[img]http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/238/9/8/batman_spiderman_crossover_v2_by_egohugo-d47wuve.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd458/montz2/batman_spiderman_crossover_v2_by_egohugo-d47wuve.jpg[/img]
Nicolas
Nicolas - 12/10/2011, 5:14 PM
damnit
marvel72
marvel72 - 12/10/2011, 5:26 PM
i've got this,i don't think its worth 10/10.

maybe 7 or 8/10
HughJasol
HughJasol - 12/10/2011, 5:35 PM
I have both crossovers and while this one is good i like the other one better. Ras with Kingpin vs Bats and Spidey.
batmanrises
batmanrises - 12/10/2011, 6:17 PM
I have this book and still flip through it every now and then. I love Mark Bagley's Batman....His Spider-Man is the best since John Romita.
froggystyle13
froggystyle13 - 12/10/2011, 8:07 PM
I own this one, the cover has a 3d effect, a great crossover done well
froggystyle13
froggystyle13 - 12/10/2011, 8:07 PM
I own this one, the cover has a 3d effect, a great crossover done well
FlixMentallo21
FlixMentallo21 - 12/10/2011, 9:30 PM
This crossover, along with its followup, the Superman/Spider-Man one, the X-Men/New Teen Titans one, the Batman/Daredevil one, proved that heroes from two different companies can exist in the same universe if done right. And there's only one medium outside comics where it could work....ANIMATION!
VirVespertilio
VirVespertilio - 12/11/2011, 3:48 AM



manro
manro - 12/11/2011, 7:25 AM
I know a lot of folks don't like crossovers but I love them to death and have every DC/Marvel ever. Here are my TOP 10 crossovers-
1-JLA/Avengers
2-Superman vs Spiderman
3-Batman vs Hulk
4-Teen Titans vs X-Men (Deathstroke vs Wolverine)
5-The Incredible Hulk vs Superman
6-Spiderman/Batman
7-Batman/Spiderman
8-Unlimited Access (Hulk vs Green Lantern, original Avengers vs original JLA)
9-All Access (X-Men vs JLA)
10-DC vs Marvel
cypher
cypher - 12/11/2011, 12:27 PM
Lol, I still have this book. It was written by jm dematteis, drawn by bagley before he got lazy and started to suck, & inked by scott hanna & mark farmer. Imma have to reread this now.
View Recorder