A legendary cover from the DC Comics archive has been recreated with a hilarious twist. The two largest comic book publishers, DC Comics and Marvel Comics, are collaborating to bring an anticipated crossover featuring their legendary roster of heroes and villains. The headliners will be Batman and Deadpool in two separate one-shots, though there will be short stories featuring other major team-ups across publishers. Covers for Batman/Deadpool #1 by some of the biggest names in comics pair the fan-favorite characters together. Still, one in particular goes a step further by having the Dark Knight and Merc With a Mouth homage an unforgettable DC event.
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A cover for Batman/Deadpool #1 by Ryan Sook is a homage to Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. The legendary cover from 1985 originally had Superman holding Supergirl’s bloody body as tears stream down the Man of Steel’s face. The issue famously sees Supergirl sacrifice herself to stop the evil Anti-Monitor from destroying the multiverse. Crisis on Infinite Earths was DC’s first big event series that helped to streamline its ever-growing multiverse. The success of Crisis on Infinite Earths gave DC the confidence to continue doing more events, with the story arc being adapted on the small screen in The CW’s Arrowverse and an animated movie.
Batman/Deadpool #1 Cover Leaves Batman Smiling Over Deadpool’s Death
The Batman/Deadpool #1 cover has Batman holding Deadpool’s body, but instead of grieving, Batman is uncharacteristically smiling, something that fans have hardly ever seen him do before. Batman isn’t the only hero smiling, as other Marvel and DC heroes stand in the background cheering Deadpool’s death.
This cover is an example of the type of comedy that can happen when characters like Deadpool and Batman are paired together. Batman is much more straight-laced compared to the wisecracking Deadpool, so to see Batman with a big grin on his face is something you don’t see every day. It also goes in line with the comedic tone that DC is taking with Batman/Deadpool #1. The main story by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora is described as “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, weaponizes its comic bookiness—and dares you to keep reading anyway!”
This isn’t the first cover from the Batman and Deadpool team-up to honor a comic from the past. Ryan Stegman’s Homage Variant Cover for Marvel’s Deadpool/Batman #1 reimagines Todd McFarlane’s iconic Incredible Hulk #340 cover with Deadpool and Batman in the place of Wolverine and Hulk.
The other team-ups fans can look forward to in Batman/Deadpool #1 include Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Joshua Williamson joining forces with Hayden Sherman to conjure a spellbinding Constantine meets Doctor Strange saga. Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo deliver a kinetic, emotionally-charged encounter between Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and Wolverine (Laura Kinney), where acrobatics meet adamantium in a story that cuts deep. Mariko Tamaki and Amanda Conner unleash chaos and charisma in a riotous Harley Quinn vs. Hulk showdown, while G. Willow Wilson and Denys Cowan electrify the page with a high-voltage tale starring Static and Ms. Marvel.
Batman/Deadpool #1 goes on sale Wednesday, November 19th. Let us know your thoughts on the crossover in the comments below!
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Image Courtesy of DC Comics -
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.
