This is It! For all the Marbles and the Whole Enchilada! Unlimited Access 3 Review!

 As he makes his departure through a Boom-Tube, Darkseid instructs Amazing Grace to pit The Avengers versus the Justice League! Access can only stand by in gaping surprise as the teams go "toe-to-toe", fist to fist in battle! Thor versus J'onn J'onzz! Aquaman versus Captain America! Hal Jordan versus Iron Man! Giant Man versus Barry Allen! Black Canary versus The Wasp!

Meanwhile, Darkseid and his New Gods of Apokalips enlist Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants! But to what end? World domination!?!

Access can only think of one solution! This looks like a job for Superman! However, it's the electric Blue Superman that none of his teammates recognize! Still, with his new powers, he's able to snap the heroes out of their trance!

Quicksilver captures Access, who calls on a group of sidekicks (who are either part of the Teen Titans or will become part of Young Justice) who free him and best the Brotherhood.

The X-Men arrive just as Darkseid and Magneto issue their ultimatum! There's more arguing, which causes Access to Amalgamate Angel and Robin into Redwing!

Kesel knows what readers and fans want: The Avengers versus the Justice League! And it's a Classic match-up! This is where the whole time travel aspect works perfectly! It's a shame that we don't get a Classic "Fab Five" Titans versus the Original, Uncanny X-Men... maybe another time. The story leads up to the inevitable, almost predictable Amalgamation. DC and Marvel heroes blended into Amalgam characters. Your mileage may vary on that.

Olliffe and Williams do an awesome job on art. The whole look of this book is enjoyable.

Over all, "The Greatest Heroes of All Time!" earns four stars.   

There's a Kitchen Sink in Here Somewhere! JLA/Avengers 1 Review

 

That is such a beautiful George Perez cover.

The story opens with a prologue featuring Krona searching the multiverse for answers. Krona inadvertently created the multiverse trying to see its origin and beginnings. The viewer he used exploded shattering the universe into a multiverse. As punishment, the Guardians of the Universe on OA transformed him into pure energy and cast him out. He has returned, and in his wake Polechamus and Qward are destroyed along with the realities surrounding them. Ultimately, Krona faces The Grandmaster. 

Later, Terminus shows up in Metropolis. After a pitched battle, the Justice League manage to defeat him. The Spectre (Hal Jordan) whisks the beaten Terminus from their reality. Meanwhile, in New York, The Avengers are battling Starro. She-Hulk, Yellow Jacket, Triathlon, Quicksilver and Thor are among those taken over by Starro's "face hugger" offspring. Carol Danvers manages to free Pietro Maximoff from a face hugger. He provides the breakthrough the team needs. Vision puts a face hugger on Scarlet Witch and through it, she unleashes chaos magic that forces Starro to flee screaming in agony.

Back at their moonbase Watchtower, the Justice League are confronted by The Watcher and The Grandmaster. En Dwi Gast tells the League that they must gather talisman to ward off Krona and save their reality. Wally West uses the Speed Force to send the team to The Avengers reality where they are able to collect the Ultimate Nullifier! Following their encounter with The Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes - with The Atom eavesdropping - encounter Metron, who lists the same talisman that they must gather to save their reality!

The Avengers travel to the Justice League reality, for a return encounter. The Atom follows Metron to where he confers with The Grandmaster...

It almost goes without saying that George Perez's art is spectacular and fabulous. He is legendary from the pages of both teams, having developed his trademark "Patented Perez Rubble". That's how detailed his art is. down to the very rubble. He is aided and abetted by Tom Smith on Colors & Separations, with Comicraft handling lettering. That's amazing as each character has their own lettering voice.

Busiek's story is EPIC! It's COSMIC! It's GRAND and SPRAWLING! It's not just a Justice League or Avengers story. It's not just bringing these two teams together - in conflict, then, possibly in harmony - it spans both the DC and Marvel Multiverses. Before the teams appear, we get to see Arkon and Thundra as well as the Weaponers of Qward and the Crime Syndicate. While Krona is the major bad guy of the story, it also involves The Grandmaster, Metron and The Watcher. There's so much to this story, so much detail, so much thrown in, there's bound to be a kitchen sink somewhere as well. This isn't a light, disposable, forgettable story. This. One. Plays. For. KEEPS!

One the one hand, that's awesome! It's a spectacle of a story. On the other hand, it's hype to the hilt, and possibly teetering on the edge of being bloated and overblown. It's starts with both Superman and Thor chomping, spouting and just plain yelling. It's possible that there's some minor mind-control there, or maybe just a negative reaction to the opposite realities.

This is no small adventure. 

Perez's art is awesome as ever. Busiek's story is huge. It borders on the, "it's not the size of the fish that counts..." it's how you tell this story.

JLA/Avengers 1 earns five stars.