DC vs. Marvel

DC vs. Marvel
DC vs. Marvel first issue cover
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics Marvel Comics[1]
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Limited series
Publication date	April – May 1996
Number of issues	4
Creative team
Writer(s)	Ron Marz Peter David
Penciller(s)	Dan Jurgens Claudio Castellini
Collected editions
DC versus Marvel Comics	ISBN 1-5638-9294-4

DC vs. Marvel Comics (issues #2-3 titled Marvel vs. DC Comics) is a comic book limited series crossover published by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from April to May 1996. The series is written by Ron Marz and Peter David, with art by Dan Jurgens and Claudio Castellini.

Plot summary

In this clash of two great worlds, two brothers who personify the DC and Marvel Universes became aware of the other's existence, and challenged each other to a series of duels involving each universe's respective superheroes. The losing universe would cease to exist. The story had an "out of universe" component in that, although there were eleven primary battles, five of the outcomes were determined by fan votes.

The primary six battles (with winners in bold type) were: Aquaman (DC) vs. Namor (Marvel); Elektra (Marvel) vs. Catwoman (DC); Flash (DC) vs. Quicksilver (Marvel); Robin (DC) vs. Jubilee (Marvel); Silver Surfer (Marvel) vs. Green Lantern (DC); and Thor (Marvel) vs. Captain Marvel (DC). The other duels, which were decided by fan vote were: Batman (DC) vs. Captain America (Marvel);^[2] Spider-Man (Marvel) vs. Superboy (DC); Wolverine (Marvel) vs. Lobo (DC); Storm (Marvel) vs. Wonder Woman (DC); and Superman (DC) vs. Hulk (Marvel).

Marvel Comics received more votes than DC Comics^[3], although the storyline does not show one side as being victorious. As part of a last-ditch effort to save their worlds, the Spectre and the Living Tribunal were able to briefly force the "brothers" to resolve the situation by temporarily creating a new universe, called the Amalgam Universe, which is occupied by merged versions of many of the heroes (such as Dark Claw, a merging of the characters Batman and Wolverine). An inter-dimensional character called Access eventually managed to restore the universes to their normal state with the aid of Batman and Captain America. The presence of the two heroes (essentially serving as the brothers in miniature, each being unique among their peers) forced the brothers to recognize how petty their disagreement truly was.

Collection edition

The series was collected into a trade paperback titled DC versus Marvel Comics (collects mini-series and Doctor Strangefate #1; 163 pages; September 1996; ISBN 1-5638-9294-4).

References

1. ^ "Marvel, DC Are About To Rumble!". Chicago Tribune. October 10, 1995. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-10-10/features/9510100224_1_captain-america-aladdin-marvel. 
2. ^ "Grudge Match: Batman vs Captain America". November 7, 2007. 
3. ^ "Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: The Comic Book Fight Club". SecretEarths.blogspot.com. May 22, 2006. http://secretearths.blogspot.com/2006/05/dc-versus-marvel-dcmarvel-where-dc.html. Retrieved April 27, 2010.