It’s been bettered but never equaled, the granddaddy of all inter-company crossovers. At a time when a comic book featuring Superman and rival Spider-Man sharing the same pages was a positively shocking idea, this enormous tabloid spent its 100 pages synthesizing the narrative styles of both the DC and Marvel house approaches into a single unified whole. The creative team of Gerry Conway and Ross Andru were perfect choices, having worked on both characters previously, and the visuals were further enhanced by uncredited assists from Neal Adams and John Romita. At $2.00, it cost more than half a dozen regular comics, but it was so worth it.
Or the original flight of Marvel/DC crossovers, none was more perfectly timed or flawlessly executed than UNCANNY X-MEN AND NEW TEEN TITANS, uniting the casts of the two most popular series in comics at that moment. A tour de force by writer Chris Claremont with stellar artwork by Walt Simonson, if the book has a flaw it’s that it was produced so early in the history of the New Teen Titans that the characters still hadn’t quite come together yet, meaning that Claremont’s interpretation of them skewed more towards his own mutant idiom. This book probably did more to make Darkseid the predominant DC villain than any other.
One of the first of the new wave of Marvel/DC crossovers of the 1990s, PUNISHER/BATMAN leans on the strength of the characters’ common writer Chuck Dixon who expertly brings their worlds and worldviews into alignment. But the real star here is artist John Romita Jr, at the time making his mark on the Punisher and here cut loose to work his magic on the caped crusader for the first time. John was at the height of his powers, backed up by the gritty and expressive inkwork of Klaus Janson. A beautiful book from cover to cover.
It was close to a coin toss between this entry and writer/artist John Byrne’s other Marvel/DC release BATMAN AND CAPTAIN AMERICA, which was set during WWII and featured a very Dick Sprang-inspired Batman. But this book is so clever and expert in bringing together the two worlds of Jack Kirby and playing them off one another that I give it the edge. Plus, it’s an underdog pick, a book you almost can’t imagine being approved because it features no headline heroes whatsoever. The very fact that it’s unlikely also makes it unexpected, and it delights in a way that many other crossovers fail to in finding interesting juxtapositions between its lead characters.
The very last of the Marvel/DC crossover and (regardless of my own personal involvement) probably the most fully realized thanks to its length, JLA/AVENGERS paid off on the promise of the aborted 1984 meeting between the two teams by bringing the two much larger by this point squads together for the ultimate crossover adventure. It gets broken in the third chapter, so the back half falls apart, but the real show here is artist George Perez, who both pencils and inks the entirety of its nearly 200 pages and draws literally every hero who had served with either team (and a lot more besides.) Writer Kurt Busiek does more than simply put the heroes together, he explores the differences between their universes as well. If there are never any further Marvel/DC crossovers it’s a good one to go out on.
BONUS ENTRY: It exists as only a plot and 21 pages of unfinished pencils, but the original JLA/AVENGERS crossover from 1984 is one of the great unfinished symphonies of the history of comics. The very fact that it was never completed means that each fan can imagine the finished book in their mind’s eye however they like–making it the unbeatable champion because it doesn’t play on the same field as any of the others. The plot was flawed, but simply the prospect of seeing the George Perez of that era handle these two mainstay teams was enough to get any fan’s heart pumping.
The Tom Brevoort Experience 
“It gets broken in the third chapter,” Tom, maybe it’s just because it’s been a long time since I read this story, but I’m not sure what you mean. Would it be possible for you to elaborate?
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Without going into great detail, there was a dispute over what had been planned and agreed to in terms of the plot for the final two issues, leading to a set of compromises that wrecked the simple organizing principle of the back half of the story.
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Ah, got it. For what it’s worth, Tom, the problems weren’t obvious to at least one reader (me 🙂 ) who thoroughly enjoyed the whole story.
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Three words:
Batman vs Hulk
Nuff said.
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Hard to argue with this list. Although I’d probably replace Punisher/Batman (which I enjoyed) with the first Spider-Man/Batman crossover by J.M. DeMatteis & Mark Bagley.
And I agree with Darkseid/Galactus being (slightly) better than Batman/Captain America. Either way, both are excellent crossovers.
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Just recently came across your column and have found your “5-Best” entries very entertaining. I started reading and collecting in the early 70s so the years you’ve covered represented some of my favorite issues and memories. One of the best was meeting Stan Lee and having him sign my just-released Giant-SIze Superman/Spiderman. Very nice man who, even though very busy at the time, took a few minutes to talk with me about my favorite comics. Made a big impression on a young kid.
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I’m a longtime JR, Jr. fan. My favorite work of his was his 80s run on Uncanny X-Men, inked by Dan Green, & sometimes Bob Wiacek.
This Punisher/Batman book isn’t JR, Jr, @ his best, for me. The Jokers looks like he’s been taking steroids. The # of points on the batwings on Batman’s chest symbol seem to vary from page to page. The strips from Batman’s gloved are way too long. This book was a victim of Johnny’s self-described “deadline” style.
I love Klaus, but I prefer Wiacek or the regal inks of Al Williamson over JR, Jr’s pencils.
He later returned and compensated with his stellar work on “Thorion”.
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In BATMAN / CAP, Byrne hit on the idea of having the two heroes switch sidekicks, so that Cap was adventuring with Robin and Batman with Bucky. (I forget the plot reason for it.) I feel that was an absolutely inspired move. So if I were making this list I’d give that one the edge.
In all honesty, what I’d really do is list them both and drop PUNISHER / BATMAN, which features two characters that I’m not huge fans of.
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JLA/AVENGERS BOOK 3: What I liked about it was it demonstrated Professor Enoch Mason’s theory about Ghosts [ Marvel Mystery Comics#13 ( November 1940 ) Vision story page 2 panel 3 ( “Gentlemen, the purpose of my demonstration, tonight, is to prove that the so-called Ghosts and Spirits are actually Inhabitants of Worlds and Universes whose Dimensional Spheres are Co-Existent with our own”. ) ]– see the Ghosts in JLA/AVENGERS BOOK 3 ( I bought 2 copies of this issue. I loved this issue the most ). AVENGERS/JLA BOOK 4, in a number of emails to Marvel I have said that is how the 70TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL & or AVENGERS/INVADERS ( I would gone with GOLDEN AGENCY [ Squadron Supreme#1 ( September 1985 ) ] name instead of Invaders so all the Timely Comics official & unofficial heroes can be in it ( Plus I would have upgraded those heroes and Timely Comics villains & using the Marvel Method ( Frankie Raye to Human Torch, Patsy Walker to Hellcat & Buzz Baxter to Mad-Dog ) created new characters out of Timely Comics characters ) ) should have been done. I JUST WISH I KNEW IF THOSE 2 GIANTS IN AVENGERS/JLA BOOK 4 were the ones on the cover of Batman#115 ( April 1958 — see comics.org ), Skagg is close [ Journey into Mystery#104 ( May 1964 ) Thor 1st story – see profile at marvunapp.com ].
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Plus the Avengers-JLA Team-ups that only exist in JLA/AVENGERS BOOK 3: Why the Key & Grim Reaper and not the Key & Scorpio ( armed with the Zodiac Key, which the Key would be eyeing no doubt ) or Amazo & Super-Adaptoid? According to Who’s Who, Amazo had no interest in being revived, so clearly since the Super-Adaptoid does have an agenda he/it would be the alpha in their team-up. Ultron-4 and the Construct ( had it gotten a make-over for the team-up ). I forgot to say in my first comment that I like the Golden Agency name for all the Timely Comics Heroes because of the Atlas Age characters that were the original Agents of Atlas. Plus it works better as a peace time name than Invaders ( Which seems more like a bad guys name ).
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@KurtBusiek did that ghost theory inform your approach?
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AVENGERS/JLA BOOK 4: Fantastic Four Annual#3 ( October 1965 ) – Reed & Sue’s wedding when Doctor Doom uses his Emotion Charger to compel a large number of super-villains to attack the wedding( The Avengers & X-Men were there to help the FF battle the villains ), must have been the inspiration.
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AVENGERS/JLA BOOK 4: AQUAMAN’S TELEPHATHIC ATTACK, to bad Kurt didn’t know about NAMOR’S TIMELY COMICS & 1 ATLAS AGE TELEPHATIC ABILITY [ Marvel Mystery Comics#4 ( February 1940 page 9 & MMC#15 ( January 1941 ) page 6 ][ Human Torch#3(2) ( Winter 1940-1941 ) page 9 ] & [ Sub-Mariner Comics#36 ( November 1954 ) 1st story ( Fen tries to make Telepathic contact with Namor ( She is either opening her mind up so her son’s Mental Telepathy can pick up her thoughts or she too ( & possibly other Atlanteans ) has Mental Telepathy )] — cause that should have protected Namor from the head ache he got as a result.
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JLA/AVENGERS Book 1 ( September 2003 ): Hawkeye’s crack about the JLA being mind-controlled just like the Squadron Supreme, Avengers in Glass Houses Shouldn’t Throw Stones. AVENGERS MIND-CONTROLLED: Attuma [ Super-Villain Team-Up#9 ( December 1976 ) Slave Collars ], Doctor Doom TWICE [ Super-Villain Team-Up#14 ( October 1977 ) ] & [ MGN: Emperor Doom ( 1987 ) Purple Man/Psycho-Prism ], Morgan Le Fay [ Avengers#1-3 ( February-April 1998 ) ], Presence [ Avengers#43 ( 458 ) ( August 2001 ) – 44 ( 459) ( September 2001 ) ] & the original Scarlet Centurion [ The Avengers Annual#2 ( September 1968 ) mind-controlled an Alternate Avengers ( Hulk, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp & Thor ) ]. JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA MIND-CONTROLLED: Pete Ricketts [ JL of A#8 ( December-January 1961-62 ) Cyberniray ], Key [ JL of A#63 ( June 1968 ) commanded them to kill each other in 1 hour ], Nazi Mind-Control Device ( Earth-X ) [ JL of A#108 ( November-December 1973 ) mind-controlled JLA & JSA vs. Freedom Fighters ], Construct III [ JL of A#146 ( September 1977) JLA vs. JLA ], 7 Aliens of Planet Appellax [ JL of A#200 ( March 1982 ) founding JLA vs. later JLA ]. Queen Bee TWICE [ JL of A#23 ( November 1963 ) & 60 ( February 1968 ) her magno-nuclear/energy rod ] & Starro [ JL of A#189-190 ( April-May 1981 ) ].
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Neuro-Gas is the name of the gas Dr. Doom used in Super-Villain Team-Up#14. Antithesis ( alien being of energy ) mind-controlled JLA members/mentors Aquaman, Batman, Flash, Green Arrow & Wonder Woman [ Teen Titans#53 ( February 1978 ) Origin of the Teen Titans — they fought and defeated their JLA mentors ]. Trying to remember if there was other stories with the Avengers being mind-controlled pre-JLA/Avengers Book 1 ( either behind the scenes like the X-Men, FF & other heroes were in the 2 Doctor Doom & 1 Morgan Le Fay stories ) or not behind the scenes.
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Does the alternate timeline in that one Annual where the Scarlet Centurion controlled the original Avengers line up count?
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JLA/AVENGERS BOOK 1: ( Mind-Controlled Avengers ) Yeah I thought about not adding The Avengers Annual#2 ( September 1968 ) with the Alternate Avengers, but chose to add it until I ( or someone else ) could find a replacement. Like a mind-controlled Doctor Druid mind-controlling the Avengers ( Black Knight, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel II ( Rambeau ) & Thor ( failed with Thor but he chose to go with the majority vote ) to pick him as the new leader [ The Avengers#294 ( August 1988 ) Dr. Druid had already in an earlier issue mind-controlled or influenced the Wasp into resigning as leader ( Comic Book Resources called Dr. Druid the worst Avenger, replacing the original Swordsman ) ].
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DARKSEID Vs. GALACTUS: THE HUNGER, I loved this book too. Plus since it take place before the Silver Surfer came to Earth and the fact the New Gods worlds exist in another dimension it could be part of the Surfer & Galactus’ history. Plus seeing Darkseid’s military as useless against Galactus as the Skrull’s military were ( Both times I got Godzilla flashbacks ).
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Marvel And DC Presents: The Uncanny X-Men And The New Teen Titans — since this a shared universe story and since Darkseid is obsessed with getting The Anti-Life Equation, to bad no one back then thought to have him get his hands on the Star of Captistan [ Defenders#42 -45 ( December-March 1976-1977 ) — It ( Star of Capistan ) is sentient, sensitive to human brainwaves on a global or perhaps even cosmic scale ) see profile at marvunapp.com ] which is those next best thing to the Anti-Life Equation the Marvel Universe has.
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SCREENRANT ( 2025-02-28 – ” I Think Marvel and DC Comics Already Told Us The Plans For Their Next Big Crossover Event” ): DOOMSDAY CLOCK#12 — On July 10th, 2039, the “SECRET CRISIS” begins. Throwing SUPERMAN into a brawl across the universe with THOR himself…. and a GREEN BEHEMOTH stronger than even DOOMSDAY, who dies protecting Superman from these invaders.
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