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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 14, 2019 8:29:42 GMT -5
Some crossovers you just know are never gonna happen, not for esoteric rules about licensing and so on but because the two characters live in such completely different worlds that there's no way you could credibly do it... until somebody does. 11. Superman and Captain Strong, Action Comics #421 (DC, 1973)
If you’ve been paying any attention over these fifteen years of TDCCC, you know that I’m a huge fan of Popeye, especially as rendered by creator Elzie Segar. The one-eyed sailor man has been a favorite of mine since childhood. One of my fantasies in those halcyon days of yore was to see Popeye take on Superman (specifically the George Reeves version), who I was sure the ol’ spinach-eater could easily trounce. So imagine my surprise and delight when I ran across this little gem of a comic a few years back while indexing the Bronze Age run of Action. I’m not normally big on Cary Bates’ writing, but he kept the story simple and to the point: grizzled old salt Captain Strong gains superhuman powers when he eats the alien seaweed he calls “sauncha.” Alas, continued exposure drives him crazy and it takes the Man of Steel to put things right, restoring Strong to sanity and destroying what remains of the extraterrestrial vegetation. It doesn’t hurt that the art team supreme of Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson provided the illos, designing a Popeye analog who makes the point without descending into silliness. It all could’ve gone wrong so easily. Kudos to editor Julius Schwartz for greenlighting this treat. How much do I like Captain Strong? Enough that his five appearances are at the tippy-top of my want list (three down, two to go). Cei-U! Arf! Arf! Arf! |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2019 8:37:46 GMT -5
11. The Brave and The Bold #191 (DC Comics, 1982):  How can you go wrong with such a crossover? You have one of the greatest superheroes ever in Bats. You have one of Bats' greatest supervillains - but this time he's teaming with the Dark Knight. And then to give it even further flavour, my second (or maybe third) favourite Batman villain, the Penguin, is the villain. The storyline sees the Penguin murdered (it would seem). The Joker is the suspect. But he's not guilty. And he lets Batman know that. So they team up to work out the truth. Kudos to the person who came up with such a plot. What's not to like?! The novelty of seeing the Dark Knight teaming with the Clown Prince of Crime was a lot of fun. In the late 80s, this tale was reprinted in the UK Batman comic (in glossy, glorious A4!). And it was a lot of fun. Like all of the entries on my list, this is one that I enjoy revisiting every so often. And I have to say, there's a chance, depending on what day you ask me, that Jim Aparo is my favourite Batman artist. The Joker is golden here, relishing being both the partner of Batman and a crimefighter by defaulter. He makes a good opponent for the Penguin, and their confrontation is certainly a memorable one. If only the Joker could have become a good guy all of the time. Great, great issue.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,864
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Post by shaxper on Dec 14, 2019 8:42:27 GMT -5
11. Thor and Moondragonfrom Thor #314 (December 1981), by Doug Moench and Keith Pollard Thor and Moondragon team-up to save a mind-controlled Drax the Destroyer from himself. What should have been a touching reunion between estranged father and daughter instead invites an opportunity for all three characters to share an uncomfortable moment of solidarity, each realizing the rough patch their life has been in (Thor was going through some stuff at the time) and the despair that comes with it. It's a bitter, real moment, and it incites the characters to work together and change the life of the presumed villain of the story.  Really touching stuff.
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Post by DubipR on Dec 14, 2019 8:50:30 GMT -5
11- The Rocketeer Adventure Magazine #1-3Written & Drawn by Dave Stevens Dark Horse Comics 1988, 1995,1998  After Steven's Rocketeer story ended in Pacific Comics, Dark Horse snagged Stevens to do lots of covers for Cheval Noir and pin-ups. Stevens continued Cliff's adventure as The Rocketeer, this time in New York! Cliff Secord trying to win back the affection of Betty Page, his gal. Cliff flies to New York to high adventure! Nazis! Rondo Hatten bad guy lookalikes! A deadly secret from Cliff's past... it's everything Dave excels at. Where's the crossover? Well, while in New York hunting down Betty, one of Cliff's fly boy friends is in the employ of a certain underground figure that the mobsters and Nazis fear! While the name Lamont Cranston or the Shadow isn't named, it is most obvious that Stevens is using Cranston to bring the action a notch. The eyes, the nose, the guns...it's all there but the red scarf and hat. But it's Cliff and Lamont together! Dave Stevens art... NUFF SAID! 
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 14, 2019 8:51:07 GMT -5
I never knew that Captain Strong appeared more than once. Also, it amazes me that anyone would pick a Thor issue from the Meonch era , which was considered to be bad.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,864
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Post by shaxper on Dec 14, 2019 8:52:02 GMT -5
It amazes me that anyone would pick a Thor issue form the Meonch era , which was considered to be bad. Consider the source  EDIT: My take on the run, in case you're interested. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 14, 2019 8:55:17 GMT -5
Shax, I could never anticipate you next move. Heck, I still don’t know what shaxper stands for
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,864
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Post by shaxper on Dec 14, 2019 8:57:33 GMT -5
Shax, I could never anticipate you next move. Heck, I still don’t know what shaxper stands for It combines my love of shawarma and Axe body spray. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 14, 2019 8:59:50 GMT -5
Shax, I could never anticipate you next move. Heck, I still don’t know what shaxper stands for It combines my love of shawarma and Axe body spray. Oh hell no ! |
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 14, 2019 9:03:30 GMT -5
#11
Crossover: Hulk / Hawkeye
Issue : Hulk # 166
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Herb Trimpe
Inker: Sal Trapani
Marvel Comics
1973
Steve Englehart was the writer of the Hulk , Avengers and the Defenders in 1973. Apparently , he was a big fan of Hawkeye ( as I was) because he used him in all his books. Here, Hawkeye is fresh from leaving the Avengers in order to make a name for himself apart from the assemblers. While he’s deciding his next move, he sees that the city is being torn apart by the Hulk and a creature called ZZZAX. It’s a team-up of sorts and good fun seeing Clint help bring down the monster and receive no credit. The cover for this issue doesn’t even indicate that Hawkeye is part of the story. Sheesh, he got no respect. He moves on into the Defenders the same month still following the Hulk, which leads to the Avengers/ Defenders war. Good times.  Serviceable Trimpe art, I was never a big fan. 
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Post by DubipR on Dec 14, 2019 9:10:24 GMT -5
Serviceable Trump art, I was never a big fan. I have the best art, it's Yuge.... Look at my hands, they're yuge. Might want to spell check boyo |
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 14, 2019 9:12:10 GMT -5
Hahahha
Done.
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 14, 2019 11:13:26 GMT -5
11. Spider-Man and The Man-Thing
from Giant-Size Spider-Man #5 (1975)by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, and Mike Esposito  Second Spidey entry. I really could have filled my list with Spider-Man. And a decent chunk of it with this stellar series. But I decided one from this series would have to do. Apologies to the excellent earlier issues where Spider-Man meets Shang-Chi, Doc Savage and Punisher. All contenders. What do we have here. A lot of focus on character work. Conway uses his page count to shine a spotlight on everybody. It's during the Clone Saga, so Gwen has mysteriously returned, and everybody is dealing with that. Gwen, Peter, Betty, MJ... we get the first hint of a characterization they will later go all in on for Mary Jane, for better or for worse. We see her on the edge of tears, but then quickly correcting when her Aunt comes in, and putting on a smile and talking about wanting to party. Defalco will later reveal that that's all she was ever doing, and it will ring untrue. Conway was more subtle in his treatment of MJ. Maturing her and bringing he and Peter together, while preserving her character. We also get Curt Connors again turned into the Lizard and see this struggle through the eyes of his wife better than we have before. We even get solid character work on one random character, a bankrupt chemist on the verge of suicide, whose fate is changed by an encounter with Man-Thing, and who emerges as the hero in the battle against the Lizard. Not sure if we get good character work on the Man-Thing. You'd have to look closely into his eyes to see what he thinks of these events. All we know is he hears the Lizard's call with other swamp creatures, and that he seems to respond to intense emotion. 
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 14, 2019 12:07:02 GMT -5
11. Iron Man and Ant-man (Scott Lang)Iron Man #133 (Marvel, 1980); “The Hero Within”, by David Michelinie, Jerry Bingham and Bob Layton  This follows on the heels of another team-up that could be a contender for this theme, a two-parter involving Iron Man and the Hulk. In the aftermath of a big throwdown between those two at the Stark campus on Long Island, Iron Man’s armor overloads and shuts down, and the protective shielding in his helmet’s eye and mouth slits are closed shut, so he has limited supply of air. Since most of the circuits are fried, none of the techs at Stark International can bust into the armor, but one employee, Scott Lang, has an idea. He slips into his Ant Man suit, shrinks down and stages a break-in, cat burgler style, into the boot-jet valve at IM’s heel. Then he does a Fantastic Voyage style trek up through IM's armor to override the polarization controls at the neck band, with Tony communicating with him and giving directions via the radio sets in their respective helmets. Much as I like my pitched battles in superhero comics, I love stories like this, where the various characters use their know-how and skill to get out of jams. In this case, it really is two heads, mainly using their know-how, to solve the problem at hand.  There’s also a good B-plot in this one involving Hulk/Banner, that ends with Stark helping Banner slip away so the authorities don’t arrest him.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 14, 2019 12:19:22 GMT -5
11- The Rocketeer Adventure Magazine #1-3Written & Drawn by Dave Stevens Dark Horse Comics 1988, 1995,1998 After Steven's Rocketeer story ended in Pacific Comics, Dark Horse snagged Stevens to do lots of covers for Cheval Noir and pin-ups. Stevens continued Cliff's adventure as The Rocketeer, this time in New York! Cliff Secord trying to win back the affection of Betty Page, his gal. Cliff flies to New York to high adventure! Nazis! Rondo Hatten bad guy lookalikes! A deadly secret from Cliff's past... it's everything Dave excels at. Where's the crossover? Well, while in New York hunting down Betty, one of Cliff's fly boy friends is in the employ of a certain underground figure that the mobsters and Nazis fear! While the name Lamont Cranston or the Shadow isn't named, it is most obvious that Stevens is using Cranston to bring the action a notch. The eyes, the nose, the guns...it's all there but the red scarf and hat. But it's Cliff and Lamont together! Dave Stevens art... NUFF SAID! Point of order........The Rocketeer finished up at Eclipse and then the Rocketeer Adventure Magazine started at Comico, only to be finished, eventually, at Dark Horse. Still, yeah, great crossover! It was only fitting, since the original had Doc Savage as the inventor of the jetpack (which carried over to the first issue of Millennium Publications Doc Savage comic) and Doc, Monk & Ham all turned up. |
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