Marvel & DC; $6.99 

Bruce Wayne is in the middle of brooding when Deadpool quite literally crashes into his life. Their introduction goes as expected – the Merc with a Mouth won’t shut up about the job he was hired to do in Gotham and Batman is annoyed by his brash gabbiness. But, when Batman learns that the Joker is working on a plan that would have a disastrous effect on the citizens of Gotham, Deadpool is ready to ride shotgun and battle the Clown Prince of Crime.  

Following their odd couple adventure, the Marvel/DC crossover continues the fun with several backup stories featuring Captain America/Wonder Woman, Jeff/Krypto, Daredevil/Green Arrow, Rocket Racoon/Green Lantern, Old Man Logan/Batman, and the introduction of Logo (an amalgamation of Wolverine and Lobo).  

DC and Marvel haven’t had a crossover since the 2003-2004 limited series JLA/Avengers, so they were due for another match up. The pressure was on for this issue to deliver, and it does. It’s written by Zeb Wells, who has written many Spider-Man, X-Men, and other Marvel comics, and he co-wrote the script for Deadpool & Wolverine. The art was penciled by Greg Capullo, whose credits include Batman and X-Men, with inking by Tim Townsend and colors by Alex Sinclair. 

The book takes a tongue in cheek approach to Batman and Gotham by embracing Batman’s brooding personality and the dark ambiance of the city, while also poking fun at it. Putting the taciturn Dark Knight with the never quiet Deadpool is really funny, because the latter can’t stop making fun of/annoying the former. This includes a few clever jabs at Batman’s penchant for teenage sidekicks and his connection to Joker. There’s a really funny moment when Batman and Joker are locked in another no-win situation while Deadpool (being Deadpool) does something that surprises both of them. The art team produced multiple great shots of Deadpool, Batman, and the Joker that bring out the fun in these cross-company books.  

The backup stories were also entertaining. Wonder Woman and Captain America get a nice tale about being heroic, Daredevil and Green Arrow have an unexpected team-up, and Rocket Racoon and Green Lantern get to know each other’s worlds. There’s heart, action, and humor that is well suited to each story.  

All in all, the Deadpool/Batman one-shot was a fun book and well worth the cover price. 

–Amanda Sheriff