Review: ‘Superman/Spider-Man’ Scratches An Unexpected Itch
by Tony Thornley
It’s a hard balance to strike of creating a story that’s equal parts nostalgia and modern. It’s something that the various creative teams behind DC Comics’ Superman/Spider-Man had to do, and do well. Do they succeed though?
The lead story comes from Mark Waid, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey, and Tom Napolitano. The back-ups are from Tom King, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, and Pat Brosseau; Christopher Priest, Daniel Sampere, Alejandro Sanchez, and Willie Schubert; Sean Murphy, Simon Gough, and Andworld Design; Matt Fraction, Steve Lieber, Nathan Fairbairn, and Clayton Cowles; Jeff Lemire, Rafa Sandoval, Ulises Arreola, and Becca Carey; Greg Rucka, Nicola Scott, Marcelo Maiolo, and Ariana Maher; and Gail Simone, Belen Ortega, Jordie Bellaire, and Lucas Gattoni.
Peter Parker and Clark Kent have teamed up to dig into a series of suspicious thefts in Metropolis. They quickly learn that two of their greatest foes have teamed up. Now, Superman and Spider-Man have to race against time to save the entire planet before Doctor Octopus and Brainiac poison the world…
This is exactly what this story needed to be. The plot is straightforward without any complications. Clark, Peter, Otto and Brainiac are the only real characters, meaning that Waid doesn’t try to fit in more than he needs to. The villains agree to team up, Clark and Peter figure out the scheme, things get chaotic, and … well the rest is a spoiler. But it’s fun, brisk, and checks every box.
As far as the art, Jimenez does phenomenal work, and Morey makes it look even better. Every page is fantastic, capturing the spirit of each of the characters. Jimenez’s work on the action is clear, but always dynamic. Morey shifts from the darkness and neon of Gotham to the bright clear skies and sunlight of Metropolis, and captures the green glow of Kryptonite perfectly.
The back-ups are generally very good. A couple of them are awkward or confusing, but for the most part, they’re great.
This one-shot needed to capture the spirit of the characters. It had to be timeless, because it’s likely to remain in print as long as Marvel and DC’s re-established relationship stays positive. It needs to be modern, so the story doesn’t feel dated and to justify its existence (especially since this isn’t the first time the heroes have teamed up). The art captures the spirit of the characters while embodying decades of history.
The standouts are Fraction and Lieber’s Jimmy Olsen/Carnage story, with a great sense of humor and killer twist; Priest and Sampere’s Superboy Prime/1980s Spidey, that unexpectedly gave one of the worst alternate Supermen an surprising amount of heart; and Simone and Ortega’s gag short, which showed how Paul Rabin is such a bad person that it pushes his blind date into the arms of the Punisher. The stinkers are Murphy’s confusing and frankly incomplete time travel Superboy/Spidey 2099 short and King and Lee’s awkward MJ and Lois Lane team-up, with heavy-handed dialogue and a nonsensical cameo. It’s also a little disappointing to not get anything here with Jon Kent, Supergirl, Miles Morales, or Gwen Stacy, much less the broader Spider- and Super-families. Even a single short with all four of them would have been perfect.
It’s not perfect, but it’s really damn good. There are problems, for sure, but there’s nothing outright bad. Even the worst stories have some redeeming value. The lead story was truly fantastic, and I loved reading every moment.
Superman/Spider-Man is available now from DC Comics in partnership with Marvel Comics.
Overview
An absolutely great lead story, a batch of back-ups that range from “just fine” to great, and fantastic art throughout, this is a must read for any fan of the Big Two. This is what these crossovers should be, and I hope if we keep getting them, they maintain this quality.
