MarvelandDC’stop magic users will soon unite in an unexpected new saga. This Fall, the two publishers will cross over for the first time in over two decades. Each universe’s respective superstars will collide, and a new variant cover forBatman/Deadpool#1 offers up one of the event’s most interesting team-ups between two powerful sorcerers.
Earlier today, DC Comics previewed all the variant covers for November’sBatman/Deadpool#1. In addition to the title story by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora, a backup feature, written by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV and Joshua Williamson, and drawn by Hayden Sherman,pairs Doctor Strange with John Constantine.
Marvel and DC Are Burying the Hatchet For the First Time Since 2003
Marvel and DC’s Crossover Will Have Some Wish-Fulfillment Moments
Marvel and DC’s upcoming crossover, announced earlier this year, has slowly been building hype over the last several months. This is a monumental occasion, as the last collaboration between the two was 2003’sJLA/Avengers.A sort of “Cold War” has been going on between the two companies since, but with the industry in flux, they are teaming up once again.
The publishers are only releasing two over-sized one-shots:Batman/DeadpoolandDeadpool/Batman. While the prospect of The Dark Knight meeting the Merc With a Mouth is an exciting one, the other team-ups, such as Daredevil and Green Arrow, Marvel and DC have planned, are just as compelling and full of potential.
Who Would Win: Doctor Strange or John Constantine?
Will Constantine Have to Resort to Trickery to Defeat Doctor Strange?
Pitting Doctor Strange against John Constantine is sure to be one of the biggest magical battles in both publishers' histories. Strange and Constantine have deep knowledge of the rules of magic, with an extensive arsenal of spells and magical artifacts at their disposal. Both sorcerers have fought threats that would terrify many other heroes.
A hypothetical matchup between Strange and Constantine has been a wish of fans for many years, and one that does not have an easy answer. In a completely fair fight, Strange would most likely win. Yet Constantine does not always fight fairly, and he could use his trademark guile to somehow con Doctor Strange, defeating him in the process.
John Constantine Missed Out on Marvel and DC’s Last Crossover 30 Years Ago
Doctor Strange’s upcoming meeting withJohn Constantine also holds a mirror upto the former. In interviews, Alan Moore, Constantine’s co-creator, has cited Doctor Strange as an influence on him when he was creating John. Moore believed that most comic book magic users were too upper-crust and affluent, and Constantine was a “working-class" version of Doctor Strange.
These conflicting attitudes towards class will collide when Doctor Strange meets John Constantine for the first time. Due toDCeditorial policy, Constantine was barred from the last crossover withMarvel, depriving fans of a meeting between him and Strange in 1995. But now, at last, Constantine can participate, and he is coming for Doctor Strange.
Batman/Deadpool#1 is on sale November 19 from Marvel and DC Comics!
