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The Amalgam Age of Comics
The Amalgam Age of Comics: The DC Comics Collection
In this new universe, heroes and villains familiar yet startlingly different are the stars of the Amalgam Universe. They carry names like Dark Slaw, Siper-Boy and Doctor Strangefate. Countless others beings of power populate this reborn reality and one young new hero know only as Access holds the key to what once was, what now is, and what yet may be. Graphic novel format. Available in October.
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1996
About the author
DC Comics
16.3k books145 followersDC Comics is one of the most influential and enduring comic book publishers in the world, widely recognized for launching the superhero genre and shaping the modern mythology of American pop culture. Founded in 1934 as National Allied Publications by Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, the company published the first comic book featuring all-original content. That early publication, New Fun Comics, marked the beginning of a new form of entertainment that would quickly gain momentum.
The transformation from a publishing experiment to a cultural powerhouse began in earnest with the creation of Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938. Introduced in Action Comics #1, Superman is widely regarded as the first true superhero and set the standard for the genre. His instant popularity laid the groundwork for DC’s expansion and its rapid rise within the industry. The debut of Batman, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, in 1939, and Wonder Woman, created by William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter, in 1941, added to DC’s growing pantheon of heroic figures.
As superheroes captured the public imagination, DC introduced a wide array of characters, including the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and Green Arrow. In the 1960s, these characters were brought together as the Justice League of America, reflecting the company’s focus on interconnected storytelling and shared universes—concepts that would become central to comic book publishing.
DC’s influence extended far beyond its own titles. During the Silver Age of Comics, the company reimagined older characters and introduced new ones, revitalizing interest in the medium. The company also played a central role in the development of the Comics Code Authority, which shaped the industry’s self-regulation following public criticism and Senate hearings in the 1950s.
In the 1980s, DC undertook a bold redefinition of its brand and storytelling approach. The publication of The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, and Swamp Thing marked a creative renaissance. These works pushed the boundaries of what comic books could express, bringing mature themes, literary depth, and psychological complexity into the spotlight. This era confirmed DC as a platform for serious artistic exploration, not just superhero adventure.
DC also took steps to streamline its increasingly complex fictional universe with the crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985, an ambitious effort to consolidate decades of continuity. Since then, the company has repeatedly reinvented its universe through major storylines and publishing initiatives, including Zero Hour, Infinite Crisis, Flashpoint, and Convergence. In 2011, DC launched The New 52, a line-wide reboot that modernized characters and storylines. This was followed by DC Rebirth in 2016, which aimed to reintroduce classic elements and emotional resonance.
In addition to its core superhero line, DC has published influential works under its imprints, including Vertigo, which released genre-defining series like Sandman, Preacher, and Y: The Last Man. These titles broadened the scope of comics and attracted new adult readership. More recent imprints such as Black Label and DC Ink continue to offer creator-driven, experimental storytelling for mature and young adult audiences.
DC’s characters have transcended the comic book medium, becoming mainstays of global entertainment. From Christopher Reeve’s Superman films to Tim Burton’s and Christopher Nolan’s Batman adaptations, from animated series like Batman: The Animated Series to the DC Extended Universe, the company’s heroes have been interpreted and reinterpreted across generations. Games like the Arkham series and shows like The Flash, Arrow, and Peacemaker have extended DC’s reach into interactive and serialize
The transformation from a publishing experiment to a cultural powerhouse began in earnest with the creation of Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938. Introduced in Action Comics #1, Superman is widely regarded as the first true superhero and set the standard for the genre. His instant popularity laid the groundwork for DC’s expansion and its rapid rise within the industry. The debut of Batman, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, in 1939, and Wonder Woman, created by William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter, in 1941, added to DC’s growing pantheon of heroic figures.
As superheroes captured the public imagination, DC introduced a wide array of characters, including the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and Green Arrow. In the 1960s, these characters were brought together as the Justice League of America, reflecting the company’s focus on interconnected storytelling and shared universes—concepts that would become central to comic book publishing.
DC’s influence extended far beyond its own titles. During the Silver Age of Comics, the company reimagined older characters and introduced new ones, revitalizing interest in the medium. The company also played a central role in the development of the Comics Code Authority, which shaped the industry’s self-regulation following public criticism and Senate hearings in the 1950s.
In the 1980s, DC undertook a bold redefinition of its brand and storytelling approach. The publication of The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, and Swamp Thing marked a creative renaissance. These works pushed the boundaries of what comic books could express, bringing mature themes, literary depth, and psychological complexity into the spotlight. This era confirmed DC as a platform for serious artistic exploration, not just superhero adventure.
DC also took steps to streamline its increasingly complex fictional universe with the crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985, an ambitious effort to consolidate decades of continuity. Since then, the company has repeatedly reinvented its universe through major storylines and publishing initiatives, including Zero Hour, Infinite Crisis, Flashpoint, and Convergence. In 2011, DC launched The New 52, a line-wide reboot that modernized characters and storylines. This was followed by DC Rebirth in 2016, which aimed to reintroduce classic elements and emotional resonance.
In addition to its core superhero line, DC has published influential works under its imprints, including Vertigo, which released genre-defining series like Sandman, Preacher, and Y: The Last Man. These titles broadened the scope of comics and attracted new adult readership. More recent imprints such as Black Label and DC Ink continue to offer creator-driven, experimental storytelling for mature and young adult audiences.
DC’s characters have transcended the comic book medium, becoming mainstays of global entertainment. From Christopher Reeve’s Superman films to Tim Burton’s and Christopher Nolan’s Batman adaptations, from animated series like Batman: The Animated Series to the DC Extended Universe, the company’s heroes have been interpreted and reinterpreted across generations. Games like the Arkham series and shows like The Flash, Arrow, and Peacemaker have extended DC’s reach into interactive and serialize
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 6, 2017
Holy merged comics, nuff’ said!
I bought this in its single comic books, but I chosen this TPB edition to make a better overall review.
Combining both TPBs (the one of DC and the one of Marvel) those TPBs include: Amazon, Assassins, Doctor StrangeFate, JLX, Legends of the Dark Claw, Super Soldier, Bruce Wayne Agent of SHIELD, Bullets and Bracelets, Magneto and the Magnetic Men, Speed Demon, Spider-Boy, X-Patrol.
COMICS ASSEMBLE!
The Amalgam Comics was an unique project developed by both comic book publishers, DC & Marvel, literally merging their character to conceive new characters.
Since both house had decades of existences, on this special single issues, each story was written in the sense that there was one heck of previous issues in history and not necessarilly there was a conclussion since it was supposed to continue being published, but of course that was not the case, since it was a special event for a month.
Anything was possible in this Amalgam event like having Ororo Monroe as Princess of Themyscira or Bruce Wayne as an Agent of SHIELD; but also you can enjoy more ambitious mergings like Superman and Captain America resulting into Super-Soldier or Batman and Wolverine becoming Dark Claw; but even it was possible to have impredictable fusions like Deathstroke, the Terminator and Daredevil into the female Dare the Terminator!
One of the best comic books in this event (even I would dare to say that one of the best including the following sequel event at the next year (1997)) is Assassins where Dare the Terminator team-ups with Catsai (Catwoman plus Elektra) and they have to battle zillions of goons to reach the penthouse of the crimelord The Big Question (Kingpin plus The Riddler) that it’s adrenaline in paper in its most awesome sense!
The coolest new character is obviously Dark Claw since if Batman and Wolverine are the most popular and best-selling characters of each comic book house, the confluence of both have to provoke the squared effect.
While the reason to name the comic “X-Patrol” is due its the fusion of the X-Men and Doom Patrol, it was amusing that result since in Spain, the X-Men are called “La Patrulla X”, which is the very same title, only in Spanish, of this Amalgam version.
And certainly, the most essential (and easily the second best issue) in this first year (of two) of the Amalgam event is the one of Doctor StrangeFate (the awesome and magical fusion of Dr. Strange and Dr. Fate) since not only this character have two of the coolest assistants: The Skulk (The Hulk plus Solomon Grundy) and Jade Nova (quadruple fusion: Nova, Jade, Fire & Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)), but also, it was the only comic book in the event where they were aware that something odd was happening and that this Amalgam universe wasn’t supposed to exist.
I bought this in its single comic books, but I chosen this TPB edition to make a better overall review.
Combining both TPBs (the one of DC and the one of Marvel) those TPBs include: Amazon, Assassins, Doctor StrangeFate, JLX, Legends of the Dark Claw, Super Soldier, Bruce Wayne Agent of SHIELD, Bullets and Bracelets, Magneto and the Magnetic Men, Speed Demon, Spider-Boy, X-Patrol.
COMICS ASSEMBLE!
The Amalgam Comics was an unique project developed by both comic book publishers, DC & Marvel, literally merging their character to conceive new characters.
Since both house had decades of existences, on this special single issues, each story was written in the sense that there was one heck of previous issues in history and not necessarilly there was a conclussion since it was supposed to continue being published, but of course that was not the case, since it was a special event for a month.
Anything was possible in this Amalgam event like having Ororo Monroe as Princess of Themyscira or Bruce Wayne as an Agent of SHIELD; but also you can enjoy more ambitious mergings like Superman and Captain America resulting into Super-Soldier or Batman and Wolverine becoming Dark Claw; but even it was possible to have impredictable fusions like Deathstroke, the Terminator and Daredevil into the female Dare the Terminator!
One of the best comic books in this event (even I would dare to say that one of the best including the following sequel event at the next year (1997)) is Assassins where Dare the Terminator team-ups with Catsai (Catwoman plus Elektra) and they have to battle zillions of goons to reach the penthouse of the crimelord The Big Question (Kingpin plus The Riddler) that it’s adrenaline in paper in its most awesome sense!
The coolest new character is obviously Dark Claw since if Batman and Wolverine are the most popular and best-selling characters of each comic book house, the confluence of both have to provoke the squared effect.
While the reason to name the comic “X-Patrol” is due its the fusion of the X-Men and Doom Patrol, it was amusing that result since in Spain, the X-Men are called “La Patrulla X”, which is the very same title, only in Spanish, of this Amalgam version.
And certainly, the most essential (and easily the second best issue) in this first year (of two) of the Amalgam event is the one of Doctor StrangeFate (the awesome and magical fusion of Dr. Strange and Dr. Fate) since not only this character have two of the coolest assistants: The Skulk (The Hulk plus Solomon Grundy) and Jade Nova (quadruple fusion: Nova, Jade, Fire & Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)), but also, it was the only comic book in the event where they were aware that something odd was happening and that this Amalgam universe wasn’t supposed to exist.
December 17, 2020
Six stories from the Amalgam Universe starring Wonder Woman Ororo Munroe, Catsai and Dare, Doctor Strangefate, the JLX, Dark Claw and Super Soldier.
In case you didn't know the Amalgam Universe was a mash-up of the two title franchises from 1996's 'Marvel Versus DC/DC Versus Marvel' event, which saw familiar characters from Marvel and DC merged (amalgamated, see?) into new ones.
For me, I was always particularly impressed by how cleverly the heroes that got merged were chosen. Sure, there's obvious ones like Hawkeye and Green Arrow but there were also much cleverer ones like Superman and Captain America or, a personal favourite, Sabretooth and Joker being combined into the Hyena.
The stories on offer here are, naturally, a mixed bag but none are outright bad and even the less interesting ones let us explore the marvellous potential of this new universe, such as seeing the JLX go toe-to-toe with the Judgement League Avengers.
I found that the highlight of the book was D. G. Chichester's 'Assassins: Political Suicide' starring Dare (a female mash-up of Daredevil and Deathstroke) and Catsai (a combination of Catwoman and Elektra). It's surprisingly adult in tone and a compelling tale of two femmes fatales taking on New Gotham's criminal Mayor The Big Question (Riddler/Kingpin). The only downside was Chichester's insistence on including references to the original Marvel and DC characters in the dialogue which is just too on-the-nose.
The big downside to the book overall is that each of these stories was released as a one-shot comic purporting to be part of an ongoing series (that conceit even carries over into having actual letters pages from fictional lifelong fans of Amalgam).
Whilst an amusing idea, what it means for the stories here is that they feel incomplete in the way that reading a single comic of any ongoing series would. Personally I would have happily read a complete story arc featuring any of these characters. Imagine how great a full-length Dark Claw (Batman/Wolverine) graphic novel would've been.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com/ *
In case you didn't know the Amalgam Universe was a mash-up of the two title franchises from 1996's 'Marvel Versus DC/DC Versus Marvel' event, which saw familiar characters from Marvel and DC merged (amalgamated, see?) into new ones.
For me, I was always particularly impressed by how cleverly the heroes that got merged were chosen. Sure, there's obvious ones like Hawkeye and Green Arrow but there were also much cleverer ones like Superman and Captain America or, a personal favourite, Sabretooth and Joker being combined into the Hyena.
The stories on offer here are, naturally, a mixed bag but none are outright bad and even the less interesting ones let us explore the marvellous potential of this new universe, such as seeing the JLX go toe-to-toe with the Judgement League Avengers.
I found that the highlight of the book was D. G. Chichester's 'Assassins: Political Suicide' starring Dare (a female mash-up of Daredevil and Deathstroke) and Catsai (a combination of Catwoman and Elektra). It's surprisingly adult in tone and a compelling tale of two femmes fatales taking on New Gotham's criminal Mayor The Big Question (Riddler/Kingpin). The only downside was Chichester's insistence on including references to the original Marvel and DC characters in the dialogue which is just too on-the-nose.
The big downside to the book overall is that each of these stories was released as a one-shot comic purporting to be part of an ongoing series (that conceit even carries over into having actual letters pages from fictional lifelong fans of Amalgam).
Whilst an amusing idea, what it means for the stories here is that they feel incomplete in the way that reading a single comic of any ongoing series would. Personally I would have happily read a complete story arc featuring any of these characters. Imagine how great a full-length Dark Claw (Batman/Wolverine) graphic novel would've been.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com/ *
September 21, 2022
One review for all four Amalgam collections since I kind of just read them all in short order:
Fun. Hit or miss for quality in writing and art, but overall it was just a lot of fun. I wish that we could do a new round or two with the current style of writing and art which I think could be amazing. Anyway, worth checking out if you are a fan of both worlds.
Fun. Hit or miss for quality in writing and art, but overall it was just a lot of fun. I wish that we could do a new round or two with the current style of writing and art which I think could be amazing. Anyway, worth checking out if you are a fan of both worlds.
March 11, 2026
Nice odd combining of different company heroes. Good Read. Recommended
September 20, 2013
I'm putting these on my christmas list this year.
December 3, 2024
Il volume raccoglie i sei albi prodotti dalla DC per il crossover che ha dato origine all'Amalgam Comics.
Super-Soldier #1, di Waid e Gibbons, è forse l'albo migliore, dal punto di vista dei disegni, di questo volume. I due fanno il loro lavoro, e riescono a dare l'impressione di un buon numero di storie ed episodi fittizi nel passato del personaggio. 3 stelle.
Legends of the Dark Claw #1, di Larry Hama e Balent, purtroppo non riesce ad essere all'altezza, un poco per la maschera, un poco per l'eccesso di "imagitudo" dei disegni. 2 stelle
JLX #1, di G. Jones e Waid, per i disegni di Porter e Dell. Qui non ci siamo: troppa azione, specialmente all'inizio, nella quale gli autori gigioneggiano. Certo, il mistero finale mette una certa curiosità, ma si poteva scrivere e, particolarmente, disegnare meglio. Porter non mi è mai piaciuto molto, ma almeno, qualche anno dopo, nella JLA, sarà migliorato. 2 stelle.
Amazon #1, di John Byrne e Terry Austin, ci presenta Ororo come Wonder Woman, contro Poseidone reo di aver ucciso i suoi genitori facendo affondare una nave con 1000 persone quando lei era bambina. Carina e ben disegnata dallo storico duo, ma si vede che manca qualcosa nella trama come nei dialoghi, e il pentimento finale di Poseidone è troppo repentino per essere credibile. 2 stelle.
Assassins #1, di Chichester e Mc Daniel, è una storia tutta azione e pose in piena impostazione Image ma con lo stile di Mc Daniel, che a molti non piace. A me sì ed il loro ciclo su Devil resta in alto nella mia top 5 del diavolo rosso. Qui però non ci siamo, i disegni sono davvero troppo confusi. 2 stelle scarse.
Doctor StrangeFate #1, di Marz, Garcia-Lopez e Nowlan, è l'ultimo albo dei 12 di questa ondata Amalgam, ed è cruciale nella trama di Marz perché s'inserisce prima della conclusione di Marvel vs DC. Ma come singolo albo è abbastanza scadente. Certo, dalla sua ha quel grande artigiano del disegno che fu Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, ma non basta per farlo andare oltre la risicata sufficienza delle 2 stelle.
Quindi nel complesso che voto dare al volume?
Direi che 2 stelle possono bastare.
Super-Soldier #1, di Waid e Gibbons, è forse l'albo migliore, dal punto di vista dei disegni, di questo volume. I due fanno il loro lavoro, e riescono a dare l'impressione di un buon numero di storie ed episodi fittizi nel passato del personaggio. 3 stelle.
Legends of the Dark Claw #1, di Larry Hama e Balent, purtroppo non riesce ad essere all'altezza, un poco per la maschera, un poco per l'eccesso di "imagitudo" dei disegni. 2 stelle
JLX #1, di G. Jones e Waid, per i disegni di Porter e Dell. Qui non ci siamo: troppa azione, specialmente all'inizio, nella quale gli autori gigioneggiano. Certo, il mistero finale mette una certa curiosità, ma si poteva scrivere e, particolarmente, disegnare meglio. Porter non mi è mai piaciuto molto, ma almeno, qualche anno dopo, nella JLA, sarà migliorato. 2 stelle.
Amazon #1, di John Byrne e Terry Austin, ci presenta Ororo come Wonder Woman, contro Poseidone reo di aver ucciso i suoi genitori facendo affondare una nave con 1000 persone quando lei era bambina. Carina e ben disegnata dallo storico duo, ma si vede che manca qualcosa nella trama come nei dialoghi, e il pentimento finale di Poseidone è troppo repentino per essere credibile. 2 stelle.
Assassins #1, di Chichester e Mc Daniel, è una storia tutta azione e pose in piena impostazione Image ma con lo stile di Mc Daniel, che a molti non piace. A me sì ed il loro ciclo su Devil resta in alto nella mia top 5 del diavolo rosso. Qui però non ci siamo, i disegni sono davvero troppo confusi. 2 stelle scarse.
Doctor StrangeFate #1, di Marz, Garcia-Lopez e Nowlan, è l'ultimo albo dei 12 di questa ondata Amalgam, ed è cruciale nella trama di Marz perché s'inserisce prima della conclusione di Marvel vs DC. Ma come singolo albo è abbastanza scadente. Certo, dalla sua ha quel grande artigiano del disegno che fu Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, ma non basta per farlo andare oltre la risicata sufficienza delle 2 stelle.
Quindi nel complesso che voto dare al volume?
Direi che 2 stelle possono bastare.
May 4, 2019
Este recopilatorio de cómics de Amalgam puede que contenga la mejor historia, pero hay que pasar por mucha morralla para llegar a ella.
"Dark Claw" y "Super Soldier" se leen como aventuras de relleno de Batman y Superman, con detalles de Lobezno y Capitán América respectivamente para aderezarlas.
"JLX" y "Assasins" son las peores, con una trama complicada con un lore que en realidad no existe, peleas constantes en lugar de una historia interesante y una muestra del horrible arte que tenían muchos cómics de los 90.
"Doctor Strangefate" tiene unas ideas interesantes, pero prefiere centrarse en recordarnos que Access existe.
"Amazon" es sin duda la mejor historia, comenzando con una premisa interesante (¿Y si otra persona hubiera sido Wonder Woman?), y nos da una aventura que se puede disfrutar sin tener que conocer todo el canon de la Mujer Maravilla o Tormenta, solo hace falta saber un poco de mitología. John Byrne hace un gran trabajo, diría que es el único que verdaderamente se esfuerza.
"Dark Claw" y "Super Soldier" se leen como aventuras de relleno de Batman y Superman, con detalles de Lobezno y Capitán América respectivamente para aderezarlas.
"JLX" y "Assasins" son las peores, con una trama complicada con un lore que en realidad no existe, peleas constantes en lugar de una historia interesante y una muestra del horrible arte que tenían muchos cómics de los 90.
"Doctor Strangefate" tiene unas ideas interesantes, pero prefiere centrarse en recordarnos que Access existe.
"Amazon" es sin duda la mejor historia, comenzando con una premisa interesante (¿Y si otra persona hubiera sido Wonder Woman?), y nos da una aventura que se puede disfrutar sin tener que conocer todo el canon de la Mujer Maravilla o Tormenta, solo hace falta saber un poco de mitología. John Byrne hace un gran trabajo, diría que es el único que verdaderamente se esfuerza.
January 22, 2015
The sort of in-story joke that these comics have of acting as if they have several comic titles already can be a bit annoying but I think it only a sidetrack and nothing important.
However as this had several unrelated titles I had differing opinions about them;
The best one was probably “Amazon” although it is not even the name of the main character, which is Wonder Woman (albeit this version here pulls Wonder Woman’s costume better off than the original). The characters are believable, the god Poseidon is very much in character (I know fandom demonizes Hades but trust me Zeus and Poseidon are much bigger dicks) even down to the typical Greek hubris.
It was also a nice change to have the African Americans be the skeptics regarding magic and the white people know the old magical knowledge. It was a nice change for me, especially considered for the mid 90s when this came out, as its usually the other way around, so a few stereotypes have been avoided here, as well as Ororo’s background, it would have been so easy to have the typical cliché orphan background here.
“Assassins” had a lot of puns regarding Marvel and DC characters (mostly the ones the amalgamated characters consisted of), which I guess is mostly fan service and it depends whether you like such puns.
The problem is that while it has a lot of killers, most of them get killed pretty fast so it is debatable whether they have effects and some stuff like with what happened with Arkham Asylum’s psychos does not make much sense. Seriously, who would do that?
And the end seems pretty forced to me, it seems as if the villain suddenly has superpowers.
I think the strength of the comic lies in action and mood but the plot has some obvious problems.
Plus I have the suspicion the two assassins were supposed to be in a lesbian relationship, after all why let Catsai hesitate to call Dare her best friend if it’s just that between them? Or maybe it was a one-sided crush/love.
"Dr. Strangefate" was kind of mixed to me. It started out pretty well with its realistic and gritty art style, its basic premise of a guardian of this universe who is actually aware of its nature. But there were some weird plot points and at the end Dr. Strangefate seems to give up a bit too readily. I mean he is so allegedly powerful and just because he was not prepared for not all of his plan working, he basically gives up so easily. I mean he is a telepath and Access basically stated that he knows the answers so why didn't he know what was to know
“JLX” did not age well (I read it before), it is rather soap opera like, with too much expository dialogue, monologue and thought bubbles. It feels like several stories violently pressed into one. The artwork was nice though.
In “Dark Claw” I think the potential of mixing the world of Batman with Wolverine was wasted, both in terms of heroes and villains. While Hyena is a good name choice for a mix between the Joker and Sabretooth, I think the result did not combine the best aspects of the two. This one just doesn’t scream murderous and violent psychopath to me, it doesn’t have the insanity level of the Joker; neither the murderous bestial urges of Sabretooth.
What is good is that here we actually got an explanation as to why Carol Danvers exposits “out load;” she is recording for a field report, even though some stuff should be on record already.
Also for someone allegedly so smart and secretive as Dark Claw, he sure as hell lets his costumes and hints to his past lying and hanging around. Also we have the cliché of the Soviet Union as the evil empire again.
The whole story is pretty melodramatic and not thought through well, sure it doesn’t have tons of plotholes but it doesn’t make much sense either. It is not the weakest story though.
That “honor” goes to “Super Soldier.” Not only does it draw heavily on American myths and movies about World War II, like America nearly single-handedly winning the war (here in the form of Super Soldier), that the A-bombs where necessary (here the “K-bombs”), this here ignores the Japanese actually and really is based on World War II myths and not even the times back then.
Also tons of things make no sense, like Olson probably being at least mid-60s and still having bright red hair, the story he made up working and claiming Super Soldier won the war when it apparently was still going on, Hydra not finding Super Soldier already (his costume is about as good at keeping a secret identity as Superman’s), Luthor apparently knowing already Olson lied before kidnapping Olson, which Hydra didn’t even dispose of and if it was a trap for Soldier it was a crappy one, especially the whole “mother of all K-bombs” supposed to go off in Washington and it having to be at the White House to go off despite already being at the memorial and Luthor not having fled the town (his original hide-out would not have protected him anymore). There is also the alleged fall-out from the Kryptonite bombs permeating the entire world and affecting only Soldier, despite the comic clearly showing it can affect humans as well etc. etc.
This story makes no sense at all. It’s not even so bad its good material.
So if all of them had been like “Amazon,” "Dr. Strangefate" and “Assassins” this could have been a decent collection, but the last three really drag it down.
However as this had several unrelated titles I had differing opinions about them;
The best one was probably “Amazon” although it is not even the name of the main character, which is Wonder Woman (albeit this version here pulls Wonder Woman’s costume better off than the original). The characters are believable, the god Poseidon is very much in character (I know fandom demonizes Hades but trust me Zeus and Poseidon are much bigger dicks) even down to the typical Greek hubris.
It was also a nice change to have the African Americans be the skeptics regarding magic and the white people know the old magical knowledge. It was a nice change for me, especially considered for the mid 90s when this came out, as its usually the other way around, so a few stereotypes have been avoided here, as well as Ororo’s background, it would have been so easy to have the typical cliché orphan background here.
“Assassins” had a lot of puns regarding Marvel and DC characters (mostly the ones the amalgamated characters consisted of), which I guess is mostly fan service and it depends whether you like such puns.
The problem is that while it has a lot of killers, most of them get killed pretty fast so it is debatable whether they have effects and some stuff like with what happened with Arkham Asylum’s psychos does not make much sense. Seriously, who would do that?
And the end seems pretty forced to me, it seems as if the villain suddenly has superpowers.
I think the strength of the comic lies in action and mood but the plot has some obvious problems.
Plus I have the suspicion the two assassins were supposed to be in a lesbian relationship, after all why let Catsai hesitate to call Dare her best friend if it’s just that between them? Or maybe it was a one-sided crush/love.
"Dr. Strangefate" was kind of mixed to me. It started out pretty well with its realistic and gritty art style, its basic premise of a guardian of this universe who is actually aware of its nature. But there were some weird plot points and at the end Dr. Strangefate seems to give up a bit too readily. I mean he is so allegedly powerful and just because he was not prepared for not all of his plan working, he basically gives up so easily. I mean he is a telepath and Access basically stated that he knows the answers so why didn't he know what was to know
“JLX” did not age well (I read it before), it is rather soap opera like, with too much expository dialogue, monologue and thought bubbles. It feels like several stories violently pressed into one. The artwork was nice though.
In “Dark Claw” I think the potential of mixing the world of Batman with Wolverine was wasted, both in terms of heroes and villains. While Hyena is a good name choice for a mix between the Joker and Sabretooth, I think the result did not combine the best aspects of the two. This one just doesn’t scream murderous and violent psychopath to me, it doesn’t have the insanity level of the Joker; neither the murderous bestial urges of Sabretooth.
What is good is that here we actually got an explanation as to why Carol Danvers exposits “out load;” she is recording for a field report, even though some stuff should be on record already.
Also for someone allegedly so smart and secretive as Dark Claw, he sure as hell lets his costumes and hints to his past lying and hanging around. Also we have the cliché of the Soviet Union as the evil empire again.
The whole story is pretty melodramatic and not thought through well, sure it doesn’t have tons of plotholes but it doesn’t make much sense either. It is not the weakest story though.
That “honor” goes to “Super Soldier.” Not only does it draw heavily on American myths and movies about World War II, like America nearly single-handedly winning the war (here in the form of Super Soldier), that the A-bombs where necessary (here the “K-bombs”), this here ignores the Japanese actually and really is based on World War II myths and not even the times back then.
Also tons of things make no sense, like Olson probably being at least mid-60s and still having bright red hair, the story he made up working and claiming Super Soldier won the war when it apparently was still going on, Hydra not finding Super Soldier already (his costume is about as good at keeping a secret identity as Superman’s), Luthor apparently knowing already Olson lied before kidnapping Olson, which Hydra didn’t even dispose of and if it was a trap for Soldier it was a crappy one, especially the whole “mother of all K-bombs” supposed to go off in Washington and it having to be at the White House to go off despite already being at the memorial and Luthor not having fled the town (his original hide-out would not have protected him anymore). There is also the alleged fall-out from the Kryptonite bombs permeating the entire world and affecting only Soldier, despite the comic clearly showing it can affect humans as well etc. etc.
This story makes no sense at all. It’s not even so bad its good material.
So if all of them had been like “Amazon,” "Dr. Strangefate" and “Assassins” this could have been a decent collection, but the last three really drag it down.
November 4, 2023
Ultimately enough good to distract from the bad. Dr. Strangefate is great, the book here we’d most want to actually read. Dark Claw and Super Soldier are suitably entertaining. Amazon is ok, but it doesn’t feel like a story that needed Amalgam to be told. The two weakest links here are Assassins and JLX. Assassins is confusing (why would an amalgam of Daredevil and Deathstroke be female? No other character changes gender), JLX is overstuffed, both feel far too 90s. It seems like a joke but it never becomes funny.
February 22, 2020
Marvel vs. DC set the stage for these Amalgam books and I was a little curious of them going into them, but after finishing it I am afraid it was a bit underwhelming. The mashings of characters, lore and settings was too much to keep tabs if barking held my attention. Only character that drew me in somewhat was Spider-Boy with his constant fourth wall breaking anecdotes how ridiculous this universe is.
March 24, 2024
Amazon - 3/5⭐️
Assassins - 4/5⭐️ I loved Big Question
Dr Strangefate - 4/5⭐️
JLX - 3.5/5⭐️
Darkclaw - 4/5⭐️
Super Soldier - 3/5⭐️
Assassins - 4/5⭐️ I loved Big Question
Dr Strangefate - 4/5⭐️
JLX - 3.5/5⭐️
Darkclaw - 4/5⭐️
Super Soldier - 3/5⭐️
March 23, 2017
Intersting mish mash
March 5, 2013
Unterhaltsam
Die Vermischung der DC- und Marvel-Universen führt hier zu einigen sehr netten Geschichten. Das interessante dabei ist, dass der Plot hierbei nicht wichtig ist, sondern die einfach die Darstellung der amalgamierten Charaktere. Meist wird, wie in den "echten" Comics auch, von einer bereits bekannten Historie der Charaktere ausgegangen, und was mir dabei besonders gefällt, ist, dass sich die Autoren nicht übermäßig ernst genommen haben, sondern den Spaßfaktor erkennen und sich später auch in der "Letterbox" austoben, wie die Leserbriefe zum "Super-Soldier", geschrieben von Leuten wie "Simon Shuster", "Otto Sternbyrne" und insbesondere "Kirby Siegel" zeigen.
Das ganze ist halt ein Gag, und hat keinen wirklichen tiefergehenden Sinn oder auch Wert, da die Vermischung der Charaktere halt sehr oberflächlich hauptsächlich durch das Aussehen geschieht - mehr ist aber wohl in der Kürze der Zeit auch nicht zu machen. Ein Snack für zwischendurch und eine nette Abwechslung, mehr aber leider nicht.
Die Vermischung der DC- und Marvel-Universen führt hier zu einigen sehr netten Geschichten. Das interessante dabei ist, dass der Plot hierbei nicht wichtig ist, sondern die einfach die Darstellung der amalgamierten Charaktere. Meist wird, wie in den "echten" Comics auch, von einer bereits bekannten Historie der Charaktere ausgegangen, und was mir dabei besonders gefällt, ist, dass sich die Autoren nicht übermäßig ernst genommen haben, sondern den Spaßfaktor erkennen und sich später auch in der "Letterbox" austoben, wie die Leserbriefe zum "Super-Soldier", geschrieben von Leuten wie "Simon Shuster", "Otto Sternbyrne" und insbesondere "Kirby Siegel" zeigen.
Das ganze ist halt ein Gag, und hat keinen wirklichen tiefergehenden Sinn oder auch Wert, da die Vermischung der Charaktere halt sehr oberflächlich hauptsächlich durch das Aussehen geschieht - mehr ist aber wohl in der Kürze der Zeit auch nicht zu machen. Ein Snack für zwischendurch und eine nette Abwechslung, mehr aber leider nicht.
August 25, 2014
Holy crap this is fun.
In 1996, Marvel and DC had an event where they combined their universes into one, with characters like Super-Soldier, Bruce Wayne: Agent of SHIELD, and the Judgment League Avengers. The result is a world that's basically one big parade of injokes, and it's glorious.
The big draw is in the clever way different elements are woven together; most of the stories don't simply mash up two heroes, but break them down into pieces and recombine them, so that you get Storm, who's also Wonder Woman, but the Cairo part of her backstory is taken out and given to Elektra, who gets half of Catwoman's backstory as well, and the other half is combined with the Supreme Hydra, who's also the daughter of Lex Luthor, AKA the Green Skull.
(And is it just me, or does the Super-Soldier story reference the 1970 superhero-deconstruction-comedy novel Superfolks?)
In 1996, Marvel and DC had an event where they combined their universes into one, with characters like Super-Soldier, Bruce Wayne: Agent of SHIELD, and the Judgment League Avengers. The result is a world that's basically one big parade of injokes, and it's glorious.
The big draw is in the clever way different elements are woven together; most of the stories don't simply mash up two heroes, but break them down into pieces and recombine them, so that you get Storm, who's also Wonder Woman, but the Cairo part of her backstory is taken out and given to Elektra, who gets half of Catwoman's backstory as well, and the other half is combined with the Supreme Hydra, who's also the daughter of Lex Luthor, AKA the Green Skull.
(And is it just me, or does the Super-Soldier story reference the 1970 superhero-deconstruction-comedy novel Superfolks?)
September 11, 2011
I'm a bit of a comic fan, and while I've always liked the idea of the characters from the DC side of things, for the most part their stories have just never grabbed me. I'm very much a Marvel zombie. I think that colors my opinion of this collection a bit, because I think the Amalgamations that work well and seem like they could have made great ongoing books were characters that leaned much more heavily on their Marvel counterpart than their DC counterpart. The best example in this collection is DarkClaw: It's essentially Wolverine and Jubilee as seen through a lens of Batman and Robin. Overall it was interesting to see how the characters and concepts were combined and I think an ongoing anthology book could have been successful.
May 10, 2013
In the Amalgam Comics collections, the two modern American comics giants, Marvel and DC, "mash-up" their characters, major and minor, for a whole mess o'fun. One of the most enjoyable aspects of reading these comics is trying to tease apart the original characters and references. Some of the more awesome characters in this volume include: Dark Claw (Batman meets Wolverine), Super-Soldier (Superman meets Captain America), and Lobo the Duck (Howard the Duck meets Lobo).
December 23, 2013
Mixed feelings for this unlikely combination of superheroes. I have to give credit to the creativity of both Marvel and DC to make fantasies real, such as Bruce Wayne being an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., a Stark being the heir of a Green Lantern ring, and a ragtag team of meta-human mutants with a boss who hails from the future. However, some combinations are worse than two different glasses of soda mixed together.
April 25, 2016
See the The Amalgam Age of Comics: The Marvel Comics Collection review I wrote for my general thoughts, which are similar for both and basically consist of the fact that the individual stories vary greatly in quality and content.
January 31, 2015
I had fond memories of reading the following year's "Return to..." as a teenager, so went in to this with some level of hope.
I should not have. While I suspect that the volume I remember probably doesn't stand the test of time so well itself, this one was just plain awful.
I should not have. While I suspect that the volume I remember probably doesn't stand the test of time so well itself, this one was just plain awful.
July 21, 2012
Fun stuff.
May 22, 2016
Fun collection of mashups, if you're a comic fan they are worth reading for the novelty and joy and silliness of it all.
May 29, 2016
Now this is a fun read. :) A delight for the child at heart comic fan who dreamed of mashing up things.
March 11, 2013
Great formula for making each hero.
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