In the few times that DC have converged with Marvel, one thing has been clear: the two don't mix very well. Beyond the fact that the various heroes there can't seem to stop trying to beat each other up, there's also the vast differences in style and tone. The enormous crossover story Justice League vs Avengers succeeded by recognising the worlds' differences - the rest largely failed in their inability to do that. Among the worst of the crossovers is the two Batman/Spider-Man one-shots DC and Marvel collaborated on together. Batman has never played particularly well with others, but something seems particularly daft about the world's greatest detective and your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man running together in the same sandbox. Suffice to say that gloomy, brooding Bruce Wayne and wisecracking annoyance Peter Parker didn't exactly get on. In their own universes, it's easy to overlook how daft the concept of a Batman and Spider-Man is: here, they seem to both look utterly ridiculous. It's impossible to take either of them seriously (as seriously as it's possible to take a man dressed like Dracula and a blue and red ninja, anyway). Even worse, however, is when they finally do manage to settle their differences. Nothing undermines Batman's scariness quite like seeing him piggyback up the side of a building on Spider-Man's back while wearing a massive parka jacket. At least the Joker and Carnage seemed to have a good time, though.
A film critic and professional writer of over ten years, Joel Harley has a deep and abiding love of all things horror, Batman and Nicolas Cage. He can be found writing online and in print, all over the Internet and in especially good bookstores.
