When unfamiliar superheroes meet each other, it often goes something like this:
A: I don't know you, and my city is being destroyed! I will attack you!
B: Wait, wait, it's not me! And who are you?
A: I'm Superhero A, and this is my city!
B: Well, I'm Superhero B, and my bad guy is working with your bad guy!
A: Oh, well, that's different then. Let's team up and go get the bad guys!
And off they go, saving the day.
Now, I'm not complaining. As cliched as it is, many a good tale has been built upon the misunderstanding-turned-partnership foundation. However, when you're pitting entire comic universes against each other to answer the question 'Who'd take who in a fight?', you can't very well take the aforementioned approach without tedium setting in fairly quickly.
When DC and Marvel decided to team up for the miniseries contained in this volume, they realized they couldn't do it the old way. So instead, they give their characters a good reason to fight. As the universes start bleeding into each other, heroes, villains, and ordinary citizens find themselves transported into another reality--several DC characters wind up in the Marvel Universe, and vice versa. There's a science-fiction/metaphysical background story that explains why all this is going on, but in essence, each set of heroes (Superman v. Hulk, Wonder Woman v. Storm, and so on) has to fight for their own universe.
So, rather than building on the misunderstanding turned team-up formula, we're given heroes reluctantly taking each other on, which adds depth and excellent character moments, bringing nuance to an idea that could have just been a grudge match.
The writing is strong, with an excellent framing story, solid characterizations, and just enough exposition to keep the reader involved without getting bored.
The art is also of a high caliber, although some of the excesses of the 90s are on display here and there--check out the hyperstylized X-Men group shot on page 19. But such moments don't detract from the story, they just remind us of the time it was written.
While it's highly enjoyable for a fan (even a casual one) of either universe, I wouldn't recommend this for a new reader. Knowing at least some of the particulars of each universe (beyond knowing the heroes/villain who've appeared in movies) is really helpful when reading this book. For old fans and current fans alike, this is a fun dive into a world where comic book reality gets warped into something unlike any other crossover event that had come before.
Enjoy.
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