Fans of Marvel and DC Comics will remember how the two companies actually had a number of crossovers in the 90s and 2000s including Batman/Punisher, Silver Surfer/Superman, Batman/Daredevil, Darkseid Vs Galactus, and more. And of course, fans of this period will no doubt remember the famous Marvel vs DC Crossover event.
One of the biggest parts of the latter was Amalgam Comic, a line of comics in which comic book characters from each universe and publisher were combined to create new ones such as Super Soldier and Spider-Boy. These first appeared in a series of twelve one-shots between issues 3 and 4 of the 12-issue series DC Comics Vs Marvel Comics series in 1996 and presented a line of comics that seemingly had existed with a lengthy history dating back to the golden age of comics. This was followed by a second series of twelve one-shots in 1997, where six of the issues each year were published by DC and six by Marvel, with each followed by the Access mini-series.
Following this, there was the long awaited JLA/Avengers crossover, but that was it as far as intercompany crossovers between Marvel and DC. Thre were issues caused by editrial on both companies part and things only became more complex when Marvel was acquired by Disney. There was a reprint of the JLA/Avengers crossover a while back, but that was due to George Perez’s ill health and immiment death,
While the 24 Amalgam one-shots were reprinted in four trade paperbacks, two from each publisher, they have been long out of print. It seems, however, that things are about to change on that front.
Bleeding Cool is reporting that artist Barry Kitsonwho who worked on a couple of these crossovers, posted on Facebook the following:
“Marvel and DC are collaborating on reprinting many of the Amalgam titles including Magneto and the Magnetic Men, and the crossover events including the Batman/Punisher books. To this end they have asked for any extras they can include in the new versions – I don’t have too many originals left, but if any one on the group have any of the pages and are willing to share scans please do let me know. In the mean time one of the things I did uncover are these unused cover thumbnails for Batman/ Punisher – hope you enjoy seeing them here first! :-)”.
This was posted in a private facebook group but it didn’t stay private for long.
A list of the Amalgam one-shots is as follows
- Amazon #1
- Assassins #1
- Doctor StrangeFate #1
- JLX #1
- Legends of the Dark Claw #1
- Super-Soldier #1
- Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
- Bullets and Bracelets #1
- Magneto and the Magnetic Men #1
- Speed Demon #1
- Spider-Boy #1
- X-Patrol #1
- Bat-Thing #1
- Dark Claw Adventures #1
- Generation Hex #1
- JLX Unleashed #1
- Lobo the Duck #1
- Super-Soldier: Man of War #1
- Challengers of the Fantastic #1
- The Exciting X-Patrol #1
- Iron Lantern #1
- The Magnetic Men featuring Magneto #1
- Spider-Boy Team-Up #1
- Thorion of the New Asgods #1
And here is a list of the crossovers
- Superman vs The Amazing Spider-Man
- Superman and Spider-Man
- Batman vs The Incredible Hulk
- Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans
- Batman / Punisher: Lake of Fire
- Punisher / Batman: Deadly Knights
- Darkseid vs Galactus: The Hunger
- Spider-Man and Batman
- Green Lantern / Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances
- DC Versus Marvel
- All Access
- Silver Surfer / Superman
- Batman and Captain America
- Daredevil / Batman
- Batman and Spider-Man
- Unlimited Access
- Superman / Fantastic Four
- The Incredible Hulk vs Superman
- Batman / Daredevil: King of New York
- JLA/Avengers
Update: This has now been confirmed with a press release.
The vast and varied history of DC versus Marvel returns to print for the first time in decades with two massive volumes collecting the universe-bending comic book crossovers between the greatest characters in pop culture! These fantastic stories, originally co-presented by the two powerhouse comic book publishers, have been highly sought after and hard to find for most readers—but they’re making their return in DC Versus Marvel Omnibus and DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus, both publishing on August 6, 2024.
Who would win: Superman versus Spider-Man? Batman versus Captain America? The X-Men meeting the Teen Titans? DC Versus Marvel Omnibus collects crossovers between the core DC and Marvel characters, from 1976’s Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man to 2000’s Batman/Daredevil. Included are stories from some of comics’ most revered talents, namely Dennis O’Neil, George Pérez, Dan Jurgens, Chris Claremont, Walter Simonson, J.M. DeMatteis, Mark Bagley, Gerry Conway, John Romita Jr., and more. DC and Marvel fans alike can’t miss these thrilling pieces of unearthed comic book history!
DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus features stories, first told in 1996, of the two superhero universes fused together into a new Amalgam Universe, combining DC’s and Marvel’s heroes, villains, and mythologies. The result was a series of unforgettable one-shot comic books starring the likes of Dark Claw (Batman and Wolverine), Super Soldier (Superman and Captain America), Iron Lantern (Iron Man and Green Lantern), and many more! These stories, from creators such as Peter David, Dan Jurgens, Mark Waid, Dave Gibbons, Ron Marz, José Luis García-López, Gary Frank, Bill Sienkiewicz, Claudio Castellini, and more, represent one of the most fun and unlikely periods in comic book history, and now are available in one omnibus. Included in this volume are the historic DC Versus Marvel miniseries and its sequels, perfect for fans of both DC and Marvel!
DC Versus Marvel Omnibus collects Batman/Captain America #1, Batman/Daredevil #1, Batman/Punisher: Lake of Fire #1, Batman/Spider-Man #1, Daredevil/Batman #1, DC Special Series #27, Darkseid vs. Galactus: The Hunger #1, Green Lantern/Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances #1, Incredible Hulk vs. Superman #1, Marvel and DC Present Featuring the Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans #1, Marvel Treasury Edition #28, Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights #1, Silver Surfer/Superman #1, Spider-Man and Batman #1, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man #1, and Superman/Fantastic Four #1.
DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus collects DC Versus Marvel #1-4, DC/Marvel: All Access #1-4, Unlimited Access #1-4, Bat-Thing #1, Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, Bullets and Bracelets #1, Challengers of the Fantastic #1, Doctor Strangefate #1, Iron Lantern #1, Legends of the Dark Claw #1, Lobo the Duck #1, Speed Demon #1, Spider-Boy #1, Super Soldier #1, Thorion of the New Asgods #1, X-Patrol #1, and more, plus a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes material.
DC Versus Marvel Omnibus (9781779523259) and DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus (9781779523266) will both be published on August 6. The two volumes will each have a direct-market-exclusive cover available only in local comic book shops, while supplies last.
