One of those particular crossovers was Marvel and DC Present Featuring the Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans #1, a 1982 special produced in-house at Marvel that would bring together the two publishers then quite popular team of young-ish heroes.
Why the reluctance on my part? Well, while the teams and their respective comic books may have been pretty popular with the readers of their time, they weren't popular with me personally, as I wouldn't even start reading comics for about another decade after this was published (I was only five years old in 1982).
I have of course read some X-Men runs in the years since, but only ones that tended to try and reinvent the concept and reach new readers. Think the millennial Ultimate X-Men and Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's New X-Men and then, later, Jeff Parker and company's X-Men: First Class and Jason Aaron's Wolverine and the X-Men. I made a few attempts in the early years of the new millennium to get into the classic, Chris Claremont iteration of the team, via an Essential volume and other comics borrowed from the Columbus Metropolitan Library, but I just couldn't do it, and so much of my understanding of X-Men epics and various tropes came secondhand, filtered through the 1997 cartoon and the various films.
Similarly, I've never read any of the Marv Wolfman-written, George Perez-drawn Titans comics; I am far more familiar with and affectionate for the weird-ass, post-Zero Hour Arsenal-lead team that Wolfman was writing in the pages of New Titans #0-#130 (of which I wouldn't mind a trade of, by the way!) in the late '90s than of the previous iterations. Certainly DC has done a decent job of keeping those Wolfman/Perez comics available to new readers over the years—there's a DC Finest collection of The Judas Contract scheduled for a February release—but I never felt the urge to pick any of them up.
Basically, both teams are somewhat unfamiliar and unwelcoming to me, so the thought of them teaming up in one comic didn't do much for me personally.
Basically, both teams are somewhat unfamiliar and unwelcoming to me, so the thought of them teaming up in one comic didn't do much for me personally.
You know what that means, of course. My expectations for the book were quite low going into it, and therefore I had managed to set myself up nicely to be quite pleasantly surprised. The story, unimaginatively titled "Apokalips...Now" (But maybe it was the first to make that particular allusion...?), and weirdly, almost randomly featuring Darkseid as the villain of the piece, turned out to be a quite well-made comic book.
In the end, it didn't matter that I wasn't a fan of any of the characters, or that I wasn't clued in on the various ongoing soap operas that I associated with the two teams. Their crossover was accessible and ultimately enjoyable, expertly drawn by the great Walt Simonson, here credited as penciler "Walter Simonson", with Terry Austin credited as "Finisher".
As to how Simonson got the job, it sounds like there may have been a wee bit of nepotism involved. The writer was Chris Claremont, one of the two most obvious choices for the gig given the fact that he was then currently writing one of the two starring teams. In his introduction to the story, written like so many of these for the pages of 1991 collection Crossover Classics and reprinted in the new omnibus, Claremont said he was in the middle of explaining his idea for the story to editor Louise Simonson when Walt, Louise's husband, poked his head into the office and said, "Did somebody mention Darkseid?" He followed that up fairly quickly with another question, "Need an artist?"
And so Marvel had its assignment to bring the two teams together, the outline of a plot and its creative team all lined up.
What did they come up with?
Well, as mentioned a few times already, Claremont chose to use Darkseid as his villain. This was not an obvious or even likely choice. Though Jack Kirby had created the character and made him into one of DC Comics' most potent and compelling villains in his 1971-launched suite of comics which would come to be known as his Fourth World saga, he was far from a Titans villain.
What did they come up with?
Well, as mentioned a few times already, Claremont chose to use Darkseid as his villain. This was not an obvious or even likely choice. Though Jack Kirby had created the character and made him into one of DC Comics' most potent and compelling villains in his 1971-launched suite of comics which would come to be known as his Fourth World saga, he was far from a Titans villain.
Even almost a decade after his creation, he hadn't yet met the Titans or any of their members, who don't seem to have any experience with the forces of Apokolips here, being confused by the appearance of a detachment of Darkseid's Parademons.
Darkseid faced off against the Justice League in a three-issue arc of their title in 1980 after a 1977 Gerry Conway-written revival of Kirby's New Gods storyline, but it would be a few more years before he appeared in kids' television sets as part of 1984's Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show. In 1982, then, he was still very much a New Gods, Justice League or maybe Superman villain, rather than the sort of all-purpose DCU villain he would eventually become, as Kirby's mythology became more and more ingrained in the DC Comics line.
Regardless, he was a cool character, and one Claremont apparently wanted to write badly enough to include him here, that inclusion being somewhat justified by the cosmic nature of the plot. After all, the X-Men villain chosen was, as seen on the cover above, was the Dark Phoenix, here resurrected via Darkseid's otherworldly technology.
Claremont did of course include a more traditional Titans foe in the proceedings, with Darkseid hiring mercenary Deathstroke, The Terminator to lead his Parademons on their mission.
After reading the story, I do wonder to what degree it was Darkseid's presence that drew Walt Simonson into the project. An obvious Kirby fan, one of the most notable works on his resume was his years-long run on Thor, which he began relatively shortly after this book was published and, of course, in 2000 he would write and draw a short-lived Orion ongoing series for DC. Of the many artists to follow in Kirby's footsteps, drawing the characters, worlds and technology that Kirby originated, Simonson is undoubtedly one of the best, and Claremont's tale gives him plenty of opportunities to offer his own spin on Kirby staples.
The book opens, in fact, with the tiny, almost microscopic Darkseid and Metron on a small asteroid before the Source Wall, which fills much of the page, the former speechifying, "Behold the Promethean Giants--"
The book opens, in fact, with the tiny, almost microscopic Darkseid and Metron on a small asteroid before the Source Wall, which fills much of the page, the former speechifying, "Behold the Promethean Giants--"
It's a great page, and it's really too bad that though this is the fourth official DC/Marvel crossover, it is also the first to not be printed in tabloid or "treasury" format but was instead a regularly sized comic book (albeit a longer, 64-page one). In addition to those New Gods and the Parademons, Simonson would get to draw Boom Tubes, several splashes of the Source Wall, the Omega Effect, dog soldiers and Apokolips itself, as seen from space.
That's all in addition, of course, to the Titans/X-Men business.
After striking his bargain with Darkseid, Metron attempts to pierce the Wall, leaving his throne-like flying chair (which Charles Xavier has claimed on the cover), floating behind while Darkseid makes a fist and fills a panel with big, red "HA HA HA"s.
On Earth, we meet the X-Men at Professor Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, while Colossus, Wolverine and Nightcrawler train in the Danger Room (and Simonson draws a great fastball special, with Wolvie attaining a pretty perfect sphere shaped). Kitty Pryde, Cyborg and Storm are all introduced in quick succession, with Claremont and Simonson demonstrating each of their superpowers in the process.
That night, a mysterious figure with a strange apparatus on his gloved hand appears in each of their rooms, extracting thoughts of the late Jean Grey from each. Kitty wakes up in the process, glimpsing a grinning Darkseid above her and screaming, and the various pajama-clad X-Men all rush into action, with Cyclops ultimately being visited by an apparition of Jean.
That night, a mysterious figure with a strange apparatus on his gloved hand appears in each of their rooms, extracting thoughts of the late Jean Grey from each. Kitty wakes up in the process, glimpsing a grinning Darkseid above her and screaming, and the various pajama-clad X-Men all rush into action, with Cyclops ultimately being visited by an apparition of Jean.
Meanwhile, no one's resting all that easy at Titans Tower, either. Oh, by the way, this is yet another DC/Marvel crossover that just assumes that the various characters' adventures take place in the same world, our own, and that they have just never crossed paths before. Claremont, like Shooter in the second Superman/Spider-Man team-up, even has a character remarking on it, as when Cyborg swings by skyscraper that "got trashed by the X-Men" and he thinks to himself, "I wonder why the Titans have never tangled with 'em?"
Anyway, Raven wakes up Starfire and Changeling in the tower when she has a nightmare about a giant cosmic bird of flame, which Starfire recognizes as the entity Phoenix, a danger to all life in the universe (Coming from outer space, she's apparently familiar with it). An emergency meeting is called, and the various other Titans introduced: Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Cyborg and, lastly, Robin, who is unable to answer the summons after discovering a "Para-Demon" and briefly fighting Deathstroke. (Yes, there's a hyphen in Parademon here, and there seems to be one on every instance of the word.)
The Titans decide to start their search for the Phoenix with the X-Men, as "a woman code-named Phoenix used to be affiliated with them." They storm Xavier's school but are soon attacked by a contingent of Parademons and captured.
Meanwhile, the X-Men visit Jean's parents, who also saw an apparition of her, and then visit sites where Jean had previously exhibited her Phoenix powers, running into Deathstroke and another contingent of Parademons there. They too are beaten and captured. (If you're wondering who would win in a fight between Wolverine and Deathstroke, they have a two-panel fight here, wherein Wolverine knocks him down but not out; Wolvie is eventually felled by a Parademon-thrown "toxi-cloud grenade.")
Both teams of hostages are Boom Tubed to a floating piece of rock before the Source Wall, where they are put in an elaborate machine, and Darkseid reveals what he's been up to with gathering the essences of Phoenix, ultimately resurrecting her and then taking her hand. He monologues for about a half-dozen panels about how he plans to use her and her power to create a new, second Apokolips out of Earth. He will do so using her vast cosmic powers for...manual labor, I guess, as she will be tunnelling through the Earth to form fire pits (Claremont uses the term "Apokolips Pits") to kickstart the Apokolipsification of the world.
Both teams of hostages are Boom Tubed to a floating piece of rock before the Source Wall, where they are put in an elaborate machine, and Darkseid reveals what he's been up to with gathering the essences of Phoenix, ultimately resurrecting her and then taking her hand. He monologues for about a half-dozen panels about how he plans to use her and her power to create a new, second Apokolips out of Earth. He will do so using her vast cosmic powers for...manual labor, I guess, as she will be tunnelling through the Earth to form fire pits (Claremont uses the term "Apokolips Pits") to kickstart the Apokolipsification of the world.
While the bad guys split and leave our many heroes in outer space to perish, the two teams wake up, free themselves, set eyes on one another and...completely fail to come to blows. Instead, there's a splash page where the two teams face one another, Robin and Cyclops shaking hands. "I suggest an alliance," Cyclops says. "My sentiments, exactly," Robin responds.
That's...unusual, and not what we've come to expect either from the standard superhero team-up, or the cross-company ones we've gotten so far. After some working together, which seems to include Kitty and Changeling flirting ("She seems very attracted to Changeling-- I did not think that would upset me so," Colossus thinks to himself), they find Metron's Mobius Chair and Xavier realizes it can be controlled telepathically.
That's...unusual, and not what we've come to expect either from the standard superhero team-up, or the cross-company ones we've gotten so far. After some working together, which seems to include Kitty and Changeling flirting ("She seems very attracted to Changeling-- I did not think that would upset me so," Colossus thinks to himself), they find Metron's Mobius Chair and Xavier realizes it can be controlled telepathically.
Soon, they arrive on Earth, and travel underground for their big showdown with the bad guys. It's a pretty fun, well-drawn sequence, and it was genuinely kind of shocking to see the various characters dogpiling Darkseid, who is so far out of...well, all of their weight classes, really.
The battle is finally resolved when Dark Phoenix starts to dissipate and takes a physical form by possessing Cyclops: "Come my once and former love-- --Embrace your destiny!" she says as she flies into him, and his costume transforms, gaining a Phoenix sigil on its chest.
Ultimately, the Phoenix-possessed Cyclops whips off his visor and fires a huge ruby-colored bird of flame at Darkseid, who stands there with his hands behind his back. There's a terrific explosion, and then both he and the Phoenix are gone, the giant bird streaking into space with a tiny Darkseid in her talon.
He'll end up embedded in the Source Wall with the Promethean Giants...and not for the last time, though it is a fitting "final" fate for the character...and it certainly seems like that is exactly what it is here.
Meanwhile, the two teams get a few panels of quiet hang-out time.
They were apparently destined to meet again. Marv Wolfman wrote in his 1991 Crossover Classics introduction to "The Heroes and the Holocaust" from Marvel Treasury Edition #28 that he was slated to write a second Titans/X-Men team-up, "but just before we were supposed to go into production, DC and Marvel decided to end the crossovers for the foreseeable future."
What happened, exactly? It doesn't seem like it was because "Apokolips...Now" was a bad story, certainly not that I could tell from reading it some four decades later, so it was presumably something behind the scenes, and, one can intuit from a prose piece Mike Carlin contributes to the omnibus about the resumption of the inter-company crossovers almost a decade later, it had to do with the leaders at the respective publishers in 1982 and their "us vs. them" mentality.*
It's kind of too bad, as not only would it have been interesting to see what Titans writer Wolfman could have done with the X-Men characters, but his collaborator on New Teen Titans was slated to draw it. Together with the proposed and aborted Justice League of America/Avengers crossover, that makes two DC/Marvel super-team crossovers with Perez art we almost got. (Unlike the JLoA/Avengers project, though, Perez apparently never produced any art for the X-Men/Titans one.)
Whatever happened exactly, it was the end of a brief era for DC and Marvel. But not the final end. Thirteen years later, in 1994, the crossovers would resume, with the very, very weird pairing of Marvel's Punisher with DC's...Jean-Paul Valley, the guy filling in as the new Batman...?
Next: 1994's Batman/Punisher: Lake of Fire #1
*It doesn't take too much Googling to turn up information on why cooperation on crossovers from the two publishers fell apart around that time. I don't want to provide any links, because the last thing I want to do is get involved in any such conversation about disagreements that publishing executives, editors and comics creators might have had while I was in kindergarten, but from what I've read, it certainly appears to be a matter of the publishers not being able to come to an agreement on the Justice League/Avengers comic in a timely enough fashion to save it when things started going wrong.
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