Superman/Spider-Man is the latest DC Comics and Marvel crossover. As with the Batman/Deadpool crossover, DC Comics will be kicking off the crossover between the two comic book publishing giants. This won’t be the first time Superman and Spider-Man have crossover before. Specifically, it was 50 years ago in Superman vs the Amazing Spider-Man back in 1976. How will the latest crossover between the two DC Comics and Marvel Comics’ icons go? Let’s find out with Superman/Spider-Man.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writers: Mark Waid, Tom King, Christopher Priest, Sean Murphy, Matt Fraction, Jeff Lemire, Greg Rucka, and Gail Simone
Artists: Jorge Jimenez, Jim Lee, Daniele Sampere, Sean Murphy, Steve Lieber, Rafa Sandoval, Nicola Scott, and Belen Ortega
Inker: Scott Williams
Colorists: Tomeu Morey, Alex Sinclair, Alejandro Sanchez, Simon Gough, Nathan Fairbairn, Ulises Arreola, Marcelo Maiolo, and Jordie Bellaire
Letterers: Tom Napolitano, Pat Brosseau, Willie Schubert, Andworld Design, Clayton Cowles, Becca Carey, Adriana Maher, and Lucas Gattoni
SUPERMAN/SPIDER-MAN #1 SOLICITATION
“LEGENDARY CREATORS TAKE ON THE MAN OF STEEL AND YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN! Written by Mark Waid, Tom King, Matt Fraction, Sean Murphy, Gail Simone, Christopher Priest, Greg Rucka and Jeff Lemire Art by Jorge Jimenez, Jim Lee, Steve Lieber, Sean Murphy, Belen Ortega, Daniel Sampere, Nicola Scott and Rafa Sandoval The Last Son of Krypton meets your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!
When journalists Clark Kent and Peter Parker find themselves chasing the same story, the conspiracy they uncover could change the world — especially if Brainiac and Doctor Octopus have anything to say about it. (And we bet they do!) Good thing our intrepid newshounds are secretly Superman and the amazing Spider-Man. Brought to you by legendary storytellers Mark Waid and Jorge Jimenez.
And don’t miss these bonus stories: Tom King and Jim Lee tell a tale of Lois Lane and Mary Jane Watson. Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber revisit Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen… and Carnage! Sean Murphy, meanwhile, takes us to the future with Superboy (Legion) and Spider-Man 2099. Gail Simone teams up with Belen Ortega for a look at what happens when Power Girl meets Punisher. Christopher Priest and Daniel Sampere show us a time when Superboy Prime (who reads all the comics) decided to visit Spider-Man right after he got the black suit. Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott take us on an exciting race — between the Daily Planet and the Daily Bugle.
Plus, we finally get to answer the age-old question of who would win in a fair fight, Pa Kent or Uncle Ben! Just kidding, those guys are too nice to fight each other, but Jeff Lemire and Rafa Sandoval will take us deep into the past to see the two men bond in the face of adversity. Celebrate 50 years of DC/Marvel crossovers with eight new original stories by some of DC’s top talent!” – DC Comics
REVIEW
Superman/Spider-Man is exactly what you want from a crossover between the two top heroes in the industry. We get a range of fun and engaging stories from all over the spectrum. This is thanks to all the creative teams involved maximizing the page count they were each given. Even for the stories that may have not been home runs the fact most were tight and compact worked to the benefit.
Shared Universe is Best Call
The opening story by Mark Waid and Jorge Jimenez set the tone for the entire Superman/Spider-Man. It did that by establishing that there was not going to be some big Multiverse madness with this comic book. Instead, what we got was a shared universe where Superman and Spider-Man not only exist in the same universe but have a shared history.
The shared history angle was the most important element to the main story. It made it so Waid and Jimenez did not have to waste time on telling the story of both meeting for the first time. They wrote and drew Clark Kent and Peter Parker as two people with years of history with each other. That created a more casual tone to the way they teamed up once the plot involving Doctor Octopus and Brainiac blew up.
This in turn helps the overall pacing of the main story to escalate in a naturally quick way. You believe that it does take the team of Superman and Spider-Man to overcome what Doctor Octopus and Brainiac are doing. The villains perfectly complement one another to show why they are such a dangerous duo to team-up. It made the team-up between Superman and Spider-Man feel that much more special because there was a genuine reason for this team-up.
Short Effective Stories
With all the back-up stories getting a few pages it helped make sure that everyone of them had to maximize their time. There was no fluff to the back-up stories. Even the ones that did do the usual comic book story set-up it was kept very short.
The short-story format allowed to get us right into the heart of each story. That made the difference in dynamics between the different Spider-Man and Superman Family members stand out more. Each one brought a different energy to their stories.
A good example is Mary Jane and Lois Lane’s short story together. Like the main story with Superman and Spider-Man, both Lois and MJ showed they have a shared history with one another. That familiarity gets you right into the story no matter how short it was.
It was momentum carried into most of the other short-stories. There was no animosity or big superhero confusion conflict going on. Simply writers and artist showing they know these characters and what fits their team-ups best.
Superboy-Prime and Punisher Parts Misses the Mark
There were only two short-stories that missed the mark. They were the Superboy-Prime and black-suit Spider-Man and Power Girl and Punisher team-up stories. On the Superboy-Prime and black suit Spider-Man it leaned to much into the shtick of the latter. The fourth-wall breaking just didn’t fit with the choice. This is where Superboy-Prime should’ve been paired with Spider-Gwen or another alternate Spider-Verse character to make his overall character not just feel a one-note shtick.
Then with the Power Girl and Punisher story it just felt odd of all the choices to give Power Girl a team-up it was with Punisher. Adding in Paul Rabin as the failed blind date with Power Girl did not help matters. Punisher has become much more of a general Marvel Universe character than a part of the Spider-Man franchise. It was a missed opportunity to not have Jessica Drew’s Spider-Woman or Spider-Gwen teaming up with Power Girl.
FINAL THOUGHTS
DC Comics’ Superman/Spider-Man one-shot delivers on exactly what fans of both characters want. Mark Waid and Jorge Jimenez kick things off with a main story that leans on what makes Superman and Spider-Man’s dynamic fun. That is carried into all the other short stories that give the opportunity to spotlight a variety of characters and eras from both franchises.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
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