Still reading the original four-issue mini-series DC Versus Marvel/Marvel Versus DC. Waiting for further facsimile reprints of JLA/Avengers.
It starts with The Brothers. Created specifically for this crossover. The Brothers are the origin of the Multiverse. One is a DC Brother, the other a Marvel. The spin is that DC and Marvel have pretty similar characters: Aquaman and Namor, the Sub-Mariner; Green Arrow and Hawkeye; The Atom and Ant-Man and the Wasp. There are a number of similarities between the two companies. So much so that this should be a fun and enjoyable story.
And it is.
However, the bottom line for a business is to sell or move product. A publishing company publishes. A Comic book company sells comics. Unfortunately, since 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths, the genie that was let out of the bottle is the "line-wide crossover", a story so big and epic that it involves every title the company produces. It's a compulsion to buy every title to enjoy or fully appreciate the entire story. The only downside is that story becomes thin, hype becomes heavy all to push or move more product.
This may sound cynical or mercenary. Maybe it is. Comic books are a unique entertainment experience. Films have a certain amount of time to capture attention. So there has to be advance promotion and hype to put bodies in seats at the movie theater. Television series have to capture attention almost immediately. Radio is instant. So, comic books have to capture attention and drive return, appointment reading.
The bottom line really is the bottom line. It's really all about sales. Fans can argue art and story until the end of time. Name any artist or writer, and that creator has to be able to sell product.
What's somewhat thin is how quickly and decisively the individual competitions in DC Versus Marvel/Marvel Versus DC turn out to be. The only battle that seems to rage on is between Batman and Captain America. And then, Axel Asher comes along as Access, and "saves" the multiverse by amalgamating two universes into one. Batman and Wolverine become Dark Claw. Superman and Captain America become Super Soldier. Your mileage may vary on the quality of these hybrids. Some are just for sh-... grins and giggles. Lobo the Duck...
If I'm allowed a nitpick, or maybe a sour aftertaste, it's that the third issue of the series spawns a line of Amalgam Comics featuring these hybrid characters. This might have worked when comics were a dime, twelve cents or a quarter. Thirty-five cents might have been pushing it. In 1996, these books are $1.95. There's the subjective question of pause. Who has that kind of disposable income? Who can juggle and justify that kind spending against rent and utilities, compounded by other financial pulls on purse strings? Further, what's the "rerun" value? Is the story just as disposable as the income? Or will it hold up for re-reading and return investment. Some stories hold up pretty well to the test of time.
How does a "homeless man" holding the multiverse together through a cardboard box in an alley hold up over time? Every individual battle starts with, "I don't know you, but I have no choice but to fight you to save my reality! Otherwise, I think we might be besties!" and ends with, "I'm sorry I had to kick your butt, But. It. Was. The. ONLY. WAY!"... except for the mostly off-panel fight between Wolverine and Lobo. They really wanted to damage each other...
Your mileage may vary, but my somewhat sour grapes is that the whole thing was just a hyped-up gimmick. An interesting story. Somewhat a riff on Crisis and Secret Wars, but still a gimmick to sell more comics. I was sorely tempted to go all in and buy all the Amalgam Comics. I just bought the Dark Claw issue. A couple copies. One as a collector item and one to read and re-read. So, yeah, I bought into the hype. But only so far...
That's just my opinion as a fan, and you're entitled to it.
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