If the CW’s 2019 take on DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline was your thing, you may enjoy the Barryverse version of events in a sequence of six novels featuring The Flash. The television tie-in wove several CW Arrowverse series of DC Comics adaptations into a single story for a few weeks, in what was probably the closest we’ll see to Marvel Comics’ Avengers: Endgame for the live-action superheroes of DC Entertainment. The Flash Crossover Crisis: The Legends of Forever debuts next week here at Amazon and at booksellers everywhere. The sixth of Lyga’s time traveling, there-and-back-again speedster tales, and the third in his Crossover Crisis trilogy, reaches its finale as The Legends of Tomorrow take over from Green Arrow and Supergirl as guests of The Flash aka Barry Allen and supporting characters of The Flash–the series–as they prepare to go to the End of Time… to save all the worlds of the Multiverse.
If you enjoy Batman and especially if you read Batmancomics, there’s one series you should be reading right now. And if you’re a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan, there’s one event you can’t miss this year. It’s Crisis in a Half Shell, the third crossover/team-up series of writer James Tynion IV and artist Freddie Williams II. We previewed the series here at borg back in April. It’s the most fun extension–after a lot of creators have tried–to the actual Crisis on Infinite Earths, with a Batman-centric tale including a host of Bat-villains. Two issues into the series with a third issue arriving at comic book stores today, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III also has that classic space fantasy look from its multiverse plot, stirred by ultimate villain Krang.
Fans of original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creator Kevin Eastman should take note–Tynion and Williams have cleverly tied original Eastman artwork created for this series into the story. It works seamlessly and has a great Outer Limits/Twilight Zone impact. As we expected from seeing the first images of the new character concept drawings of Batman, the Turtles, and the villains back in April, this series is both classic Batman and classic Turtles. Fans of either–and fans of both–franchises will be impressed with every inch of each page, including Jeremy Colwell‘s coloring that makes for a perfect partnership with Williams’ vibrant, dynamic, wall-to-wall action layouts and painterly style. And Tom Napolitano‘s lettering takes different turns to emphasize voices, with a great, evocating type especially for this new world’s Joker counterpart.
Today’s new cover art by Williams and Colwell just can’t be beat. It’s flat out one of the year’s best covers. Take a look at this big preview of Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Issue #3/Part 3 of the Crisis in a Half Shell story, plus previews of the cover art to Issues #4 and #5, courtesy of DC Comics and IDW Publishing:
The ultimate shark sighting? A make-ready skit when Jason Momoa finally gets to host Saturday Night Live?
We have seen some great team-ups that also served as great mash-ups. One of the best came last year when DC Comics took a side trip with Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes characters, especially in the Batman/Elmer Fudd crime-noir, one-shot story “Pway for Me,” by Tom King, Lee Weeks, and Lovern Kindzierski. It was our pick for last year’s best team-up/mash-up. This year DC Comics is back, but this time they paired off again with characters from Hanna-Barbera. Last year for DC Meets Hanna-Barbera, Volume 1, that meant pairing Jonny Quest and Adam Strange, Space Ghost and Green Lantern, Flintstones and Booster Gold, and Suicide Squad and Banana Splits. In comic book stores and coming soon in a compilation edition, DC Meets Hanna-Barbera, Volume 2 features even more great team-up/mash-ups: Who wins when you pair The Flash and Speed Buggy? How serious can cartoon characters get when you’ve teamed Black Lightning and Hong Kong Phooey? Or “Super Sons” Robin and Superboy taking on Dynomutt? But the winner is clear… How could you possibly lose with a team-up of Aquaman and Jabberjaw?
With the right amount of seriousness (mainly from Aquaman) and the right amount of nostalgic humor (mainly from fun-loving land shark Jabberjaw), Dan Abnett strikes throwback gold with a story full of seaside quips and Jaws references, pulling ideas even from the classic favorite Superfriends show. The result is one of the best Aquaman stories we’ve read. And Abnett completely tapped into the pulse of the classic Jabberjaw cartoon, tying in his band of friends The Neptunes. Artists Paul Pelletier, Andrew Hennessy, and Rain Beredo created a unique, incredible look, something out of Syfy’s Haven town and Luc Besson’s future world in Valerian and Laureline. THIS is the ongoing series that needs to continue, although, understandably the pairing is a big stretch even for comic books and animated series, bridging time and space to get these two worlds together. But it works. From the setting, a seaside tourist town called Amnesty Bay (playing on the Jaws town of Amity), to the return of the world’s best drumming shark, to the sound of fingers on a chalkboard, to those Rodney Dangerfield meets Curly Howard catch-phrases, to the final entanglement with shark hunters, this one has it all.
DC has already featured Hanna-Barbera together in ongoing comic book series from the favorite characters of 1970s Saturday morning cartoons in the series Future Quest, Scooby Apocalypse, The Flintstones, Wacky Raceland, Dastardly and Muttley, The Ruff and Reddy Show, The Jetsons, and Exit, Stage Left!: the Snagglepuss Chronicles. A great writer should be able to find unlimited potential for Jabberjaw and his friends. Check out these preview pages from the publisher for the story “A Bigger Beat”–
The Silent Seven–a mysterious crime organization from the 1920s-30s, from the time of Miss Fury and… The Shadow? Batman and Robin encounter Professor Pyg and his transforming “Dollotron” masks as the villain crashes a New Year’s Eve party. This is the Robin named Damian, Bruce Wayne’s son, a 13-year-old raised by assassins. Batman must forge a relationship with his son as The Shadow appears out of the past and looking for answers.
DC Comics and Dynamite Comics have partnered for a blend of the past and the present as Batman and The Shadow collide in a new crossover series, arriving at comic book shops today with The Shadow/Batman Issue #1. The Shadow: The World’s Greatest Mystery. The Batman: The World’s Greatest Detective. What if they encounter The World’s Greatest Evil? As they protect New York, and ancient evil surfaces. Can they work together to save their city?
Writer Steve Orlando (Batman/The Shadow, Justice League of America), artist by Giovanni Timpano (The Shadow, Transformers), and colorist Flavio Dispenza (Eclipse), come together to craft an action-filled noir story and a crossover of worlds and characters forged in comics’ Golden Age. DC Comics’ key hero and Dynamite’s classic pulp character are an obvious team-up opportunity.
Check out a preview of Batman/The Shadow, Issue #1, below courtesy of the publishers, as well as a look at another giant release of variant covers–a showcase of comic art talent–from Issues #1 through #3:
That week is here–All the lead-in built up by Marvel’s host of television series created for Netflix finally comes together this weekend. Marvel’s Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist become The Defenders. Netflix has released a final trailer leading up to the series premiere.
We’ve learned in the past few years that combining your A-league superheroes doesn’t guarantee a successful cinematic experience. How much better than the theatrical Avengers and Justice Leaguers was the B-league team that comprised the Guardians of the Galaxy? How about the strange success in Deadpool of partnering Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Deadpool?
So far we’ve loved most of what we’ve seen Marvel put together for Netflix. Luke Cage earned several of our “Best of Television” categories last year here at borg.com. The core of its new team-up of all the Netflix Marvel superhero stories is a classic Marvel comic book team-up: Power Man and Iron Fist. It’s amazing that this team-up has the potential to gain some real traction 40 years later. And you can’t get much more nostalgic for 1970s comic books than the late, great Steve Gerber run on The Defenders. So put together Luke “Power Man” Cage, Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and add in Elodie Yung as Elektra, and give us a villain played by sci-fi queen Sigourney Weaver, and a supporting cast including the incomparable Scott Glenn, and a triple threat of actresses known for their badass roles: Rosario Dawson, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Simone Missick? What’s not to like? We asked it earlier with the first previews for the series: Can The Defenders be the best team-up on-screen yet?
Check out this final trailer for Marvel’s The Defenders:
Everyone keeps trying to stage the best team-up. And we’re all for it. Who is the best? That depends on what you like in a team-up. Marvel’s Avengers? Marvel’s X-Men? DC’s Legends of Tomorrow? DC’s Justice League? DC’s Justice League Dark? What about a smaller group, like, say, made of only two superheroes? Think back to DC Comics’ The Brave and the Bold, bringing together monthly a duet of every A-league and B-league hero you can think of.
We’ve learned in the past few years that combining your A-league superheroes doesn’t guarantee a successful cinematic experience. How much better than the theatrical Avengers and Justice Leaguers was the B-league team that comprised the Guardians of the Galaxy? How about the strange success of partnering Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Deadpool?
So far we’ve loved most of what we’ve seen Marvel put together for Netflix. Luke Cage earned several of our “Best of Television” categories last year here at borg.com. The core of its new team-up of all the Netflix Marvel superhero stories, is a classic Marvel comic book team-up: Power Man and Iron Fist. It’s amazing that this team-up has the potential to gain some real traction 40 years later. And you can’t get much more nostalgic for 1970s comic books than the late, great Steve Gerber run on The Defenders. So put together Luke “Power Man” Cage, Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and add in Elektra, and give us a villain played by Sigourney Weaver, and a supporting cast including Scott Glenn, Rosario Dawson, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Simone Missick? What’s not to like? Can The Defenders be the best team-up on the screen yet?
Check out this trailer for Marvel’s The Defenders:
Marvel’s The Defenders begins streaming on Netflix this summer.
Is a Crisis on Infinite Earths adaptation on its way at last? Never before have all the pieces been laid out so well to adapt such a major comic book storyline. We have key player Barry Allen from The Flash, which spun-out of the Arrow series, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow have enough timey-wimey time travel to be able to see, view, and undo anything, and then the CW pulled over Supergirl from ABC this year and brought Superman with her. So the building blocks are ready. Is CW and DC Entertainment willing and able? Next week we’re going to see a step in the right direction with a mega-superhero week.
Monday, the CW begins a four-night crossover event with its four DC Comics-inspired series–and nothing screams comic books louder than a good crossover and major league team-up. The villains are a bit obscure–the Dominators–aliens Supergirl will encounter Monday night. The Dominators first appeared in the 1960s in Adventure Comics with a brief reprise in a mini-series called Invasion in 1989, and that’s the take-off point for the villains in next week’s event.
So it’s “Heroes vs. Aliens,” comic books coming to life in perhaps the biggest character showdown ever, actors donning Academy Award-winning costumer Colleen Atwood’s pantheon of more than 17 hero supersuits (Green Arrow, The Flash, Diggle/Green Arrow 2, Supergirl, Superman, Black Canary, Vixen, The Atom, White Canary, Steel, Wally West, two Firestorms, Speedy, Death Stroke, Martian Manhunter, Heat Wave, and more). We haven’t seen this many superheroes on TV since the animated Super Friends.
In the middle of the week, Arrow will see its landmark 100th episode Wednesday night. Who would have thought any superhero series would survive this long? Take a look at these previews for crossover week:
