💥 From JLA/Avengers to DC x Sonic: Why Crossovers Just Work

The Eternal Appeal of the Absurd Comic Book Crossover

One of my most cherished comic book memories came in September of 2003. I had just come home from Fanfare Comics in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and was going through that week’s pulls. Among my pile was JLA/Avengers #1, the long-awaited team-up book from Kurt Busiek and George Pérez (colors by Tom Smith, letters by Richard Starkings). Frankly, the first few pages are pretty overwhelming, between Busiek’s voluminous knowledge of both companies and Pérez’s gift for clear composition in overstuffed panels.

But then came the defining moment, when the Flash traveled between worlds and found townspeople bullying a teen mutant. Disgusted, Flash tries to whisk the kid away, but instead of leaving a crimson blur, he trips. That’s when he realizes, to his horror, that the Speed Force does not exist in the Marvel Universe.

That small moment, one of many throughout the four issues of JLA/Avengers, captures the prime appeal of the absurd comic book crossover: the joy of watching a veteran hero try to make sense of a different comic book world, one that’s outrageous in a totally different way than the one he knew.

The cynical reader would look at the recent crop of comic book crossovers currently on shelves and dismiss them as little more than cash grabs built around smooshing together recognizable IP. Sure, that’s the case for the classic promotional comic, which ranges from the old Hostess ads from the ‘80s to the horrifying-in-retrospect Subway comic, in which Superman shakes hands with Jared Fogel. But the current crop consists of fun romps that celebrate comics as a medium.

Take the incredibly successful DC X Sonic the Hedgehog, written by Ian Flynn, illustrated by Adam Bryce Thomas, lettered by Becca Carey, and colored by Matt Herms. The series takes advantage of overpowered forces from each respective universe—Darkseid seeks the Chaos Emeralds to gain knowledge of the Anti-Life Equation—and launches right into the fun. Of course, we get to see Sonic race the Flash and see Tails compare science notes with Mister Terrific. And, of course, the characters mash up into fun combinations, with Sonic becoming Batman and Silver becoming Green Lantern, resulting in toys you can find on Target shelves across the country.

But the real appeal of the comic is seeing how the two worlds blend so seamlessly. Darkseid often goes beyond the Source Wall searching for power, so it sort of makes sense that he would end up someplace like Mobius, and it makes sense that the Justice League would follow him. And it's fun to see how familiar heroes make sense of unfamiliar enemies. For example, we’ve seen Wonder Woman take on Stompa and Mad Harriet of the Female Furies, but what happens when you throw Rouge the Bat into the mix?

The answer, of course, is that the good guys win, and the bad guys lose, which can cause consternation for some fans. After all, the Female Furies torture gods; how could a bat doing a Mae West impression give them trouble? The same complaint can be leveled when Godzilla stomps Superman or the Predator slaughters the Fantastic Four, events that both happened in recent crossover comics.

But anyone worried too much about power scaling misses the point. The crossover isn’t about proving once and for all who is best, as anyone who read 1996’s DC vs. Marvel can attest. Even those who participated in the fan votes felt a bit cheated to see Superman K.O. Hulk or Spider-Man best Superboy.

No, the point is celebration, not superiority, which is why JLA/Avengers remains perhaps the greatest crossover comic of all time. Busiek and Pérez largely dismiss the hero fights, having Captain America and Batman agree to a draw and never having Hawkeye or Green Arrow concede to the other. But the best parts meld the teams together, using multiversal logic to imagine a reality where members of these teams always coexisted. 

When Captain America assembles every Avenger and Leaguer ever to attack Krona’s stronghold, no one cares about who is stronger or who is cooler. Instead, the excessive splash page evokes one thought, the same thought invited by every great crossover:

“Man, comics are the best.”

— Joe George, Den of Geek contributor

Quasar #58 (1994)

Writers: Mark Gruenwald and Peter Sanderson
Penciler: John Heebink
Inker: Aaron McClellan
Colorer: Paul Becton
Letterer: Janice Chiang

1990’s Quasar #17 saw one of the more interesting examples of a comic book crossover: a blond speedster from another universe, which he sacrificed himself to save, who called himself “Buried Alien.” He was, of course, the Flash Barry Allen, whom Mark Gruenwald unofficially imported into the Marvel Universe after the character died saving the DC Universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Quasar #58 brings Buried Alien back for his second (and, to date, last) appearance. Calling himself Fastforward, Alien has come to participate in a galactic race held by the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum’s character from Thor: Ragnarok), and he’s joined by other speedsters, some familiar to Marvel readers, including Makkari of the Eternals and a deep-cut known as the Runner, and newcomers the sludgy Figillulli and Gzoom the Turtle (modeled after DC’s Fastback).

But the most interesting of all is Fooferah, a rabbit wearing shades and carrying a drum on his back. Yes, that’s right, Fooferah is the Energizer Bunny, here imagined not just as a speedster, but also as the big bad of the issue, who Buried Alien must once again sacrifice himself to defeat. Poor guy can’t catch a break.

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