Although there is not a single prose in the book All DC and Marvel Answering the question of why the two publishers stopped cooperating on crossover comics after 1982 Marvel and DC present Uncanny X-Men and Teenagers #1a new article from editor Mike Carlin explains why they eventually revived a decade later and later changed.
Carlin’s article notes that several editors and writers have switched from Marvel to DC Comics, including himself, Archie Goodwin, Denny O’Neal, Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern. The reality weakened the previous sense of “us versus them.”
Additionally, unlike their predecessors, this generation of editors and creators are true fans of the superhero characters they grew up reading, and thus approach the possibility of Batman and Spider-Man teaming up for the first time. Not just as a money-making venture.
What Carlin didn’t explain, however, was why DC and Marvel ultimately resumed this Special Crossover, 1994 Batman/Punisher: Lake of Fire. It was here, while reading this book, that I really began to miss all the introductions and forewords at the front of the book, those original comprehensive collections and those reprinted from 1991 Crossover classicwhich shares a wealth of behind-the-scenes information and offers the publisher’s thoughts on specific character pairings.
Of course, Batman and the Punisher are both popular characters. I believe that the former has always been the case, while the latter was not far from the peak of his popularity at that time.
Both men are vigilantes on the city’s streets, and their focus is often on fighting real-world crime, but they have very different, opposing philosophies on how to fight crime. Batman refuses to kill, and his stance is so fanatical that he often risks his own life to save unrepentant murderers like the Joker, whom he knows will surely kill again and again. The Punisher takes great pleasure in regularly taking the lives of the criminals he faces, probably killing more people than any mass murderer, including the Joker (though, at this point in the character’s history, Marvel is playing the Punisher as a hero, If only as a deadly hero, rather than the unrepentant psychopath that 21st century writers like Garth Ennis have portrayed him as).
The problem with this particular crossover, however, is that the Punisher won’t be meeting the “real” Batman at all, but instead a temporary replacement, Jean-Paul Vallee, an ally of Batman codenamed Azrael. He would continue to assume the role of Batman in the 1993-1994 Batman trilogy, knightfall, Knight’s Quest and knight district. (As for Bruce Wayne, he’s busy elsewhere; after Bane breaks his back in the climax knightfallhe was demoted to a wheelchair but still pursued the kidnapper’s then-girlfriend, Dr. Shondra Kinsolving.
I’m not entirely sure why Marvel Comics would necessarily want to do a crossover with an alternate Batman rather than the real Batman or any other DC character, but, this was long before I paid attention to sales charts or anything like that, so I couldn’t even Speculate how popular “AzBats” Batman was at the time, and whether the Punisher Nexus sold well. (Maybe ask Mike Sterling.)
It’s obvious to read this in this collection and then immediately read its sequel from the same year Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knightthe publisher must have planned both comics at the same time, always intending to follow The Punisher’s meeting with Jean-Paul Valley Batman with a story in which he met Bruce Wayne’s Batman (despite the fact that these two This book has two stories entirely) with different creative teams).
The game has reached a relatively late stage lake of firethe Joker shows up to help the Punisher villain Jigsaw (from what I hear, he’s like only Punisher villain, considering Frank Castle has a habit of executing his enemies). The Joker only appears in five parts of the entire book, presumably because he was teased to play a longer, more important role in the sequel.
although lake of fire The book was the first such DC/Marvel crossover over the next six years or so, but it doesn’t read as too special a book. At just 48 pages long, it’s the shortest DC/Marvel crossover to date, and therefore lacks the larger scope and more epic feel of the original inter-company crossover.
It’s also somewhat limited in focus, mainly focusing on the two protagonists, and doesn’t do much in the way of exploring their hometowns, supporting characters, inner lives, or even their different crime-fighting philosophies (although it’s worth noting, I’m assuming, that this A more violent, brutal version of Batman who wasn’t as opposed to the Punisher as Bruce Wayne’s Batman, and Jean-Paul Valli and Frank Cass found themselves fighting at the end of their team-up, Vali; More sympathetic to Castle than Wayne).
As for creators, the publisher chose writer Danny O’Neill and artists Barry Kitson and James Pascoe.
O’Neill was an obvious choice, having worked extensively as a writer and editor at both companies. He has previously written Batman and The Punisher, and at the time of this book’s publication, he was the editor of DC’s Batman series. In fact, he created the Jean-Paul Valley character (with artist Joe Quesada in 1992) Batman: Sword of Azrael) and apparently had great affection for him, continuing to be serialized in a magazine for 100 issues. Azrael Solo title after knight district in conclusion.
Kitson had also drawn for both publishers at this point in his career, but had no particular connection with either character (O’Neill must have thought the two worked well together, because Kitson Later I painted a large part of it) Azrael series).
While I admire Kitson’s talent, and have read and enjoyed some of his later work, I can’t say I’m particularly fascinated by his work here. The book unfolds as a two-page spread set in Hell, as dreamed up by Valley, who was raised and hypnotically programmed by the secret Christian cult the Knights of St. Dumas (when he finally begins his role in Batman when you lose it) Storyline, that process seemed to be well underway when this crossover was set, with him having more and more visions of St. Dumas.
“Painting Hell” seemed like a great and compelling prompt for artists, giving them a chance to really go to town, but Kitson’s sensation was a disappointment. His hell is vast, with seemingly naturally formed pillars holding up the roof high, while countless suffering humans fill the infinite space. But Kitson only drew about 15 people, including a plump woman in torn clothing who reached out and screamed, and a muscular, bald man with no pupils who reached out and made…something For another pair of figures, the rest of the tribe is only hinted at through the brown stuff that fills most of the cave, with little circles here and there suggesting heads.
As far as comic book depictions of Hell go, it seems uninspired and lazy given the imagery afforded by the space on the page. The book doesn’t get off to a great start.
Wally wakes up from a dream in which he’s fallen asleep in the Batcave, wearing his particularly uncomfortable-looking batsuit. He tells readers that the computer intercepted and decoded a message from the Pentagon regarding a rocket fuel formula that had been stolen by an associate of a prominent Gotham criminal named Bracey. He put on his helmet and took action.
Meanwhile, a big man in an overcoat narrates in the tough-guy language of a PG comic book: “There are few places worse than New York. Gotham City is one of them. I’m here because there’s a guy named Jigsaw.” Where the monster’s trail takes me.
Of course, this is the Punisher, who gets into a bar fight in search of information about Jigsaw, eventually getting a clue that leads him to a church downtown. Coincidentally, the lead comes from the guy who created the rocket fuel program (“You seem to be interested in what’s in this case. Paper… maybe sick Like them as much as you do”).
Meanwhile, Kitson draws the jig-saw as a particularly large guy with a quilt-like face and wearing some kind of large metal neck brace, and he explains his plan to the reader: the new rocket fuel has the power to ignite water, while Jig Saw explained his plan.
Therefore, the subtitle of the book has a double meaning, both metaphors for hell and This is literally what Jigsaw plans to do to Gotham’s water system.
The church clue turns out to be a trap, the Punisher is doused with drugged holy water and the building is set on fire. The new Batman comes to the rescue, breaking through the stained glass window and getting the Punisher to safety.
After introductions, the Punisher convinces Batman that he needs him to track Jigsaw (“I Know Jigsaw puzzle…how he lives, how he thinks…breathe.“), as well as some threats (Batman: “We are allies until Bracey is caught. Then – you become prey.” Punisher: “Well…someone Do.”), they climb into the Batmobile and drive to the steam room, which is full of Russian criminals wrapped in towels, ready to watch a fight scene.
The Punisher manages to slip away from Batman and they continue to split up to investigate. Eventually, the Punisher throws Jigsaw out of the window, and Batman arrives just in time to catch the villain and tie him up (as it turns out, the Joker discovered and freed him).
Then it’s time for the big fight, which I guess was a bit of a surprise for O’Neal to put it after the teamwork part. The story only lasts three pages before the Punisher finally pulls out his gun and puts several bullets into Batman’s armored chest. That doesn’t stop the new Dark Knight either, so the Punisher pulls a gas grenade from Batman’s utility belt and detonates it in his face, causing him to retreat, but not before he does to the defeated Batman gave a rather lame farewell: “Hey, man. …I cheated, okay?”
So ends the first DC/Marvel collaboration in years… although, as I said before, this isn’t the end of the Batman/Punisher story. The two will almost immediately cross paths again, but next time it will be Bruce Wayne in a cape and hood.
Next page: 1994 Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knight
