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Comic Book Crossovers

Crossovers in comic books first came about in 1975 with the Wizard of Oz. This crossover between Marvel and DC comics was among the most accepted and remarkable. This one was about Spiderman and Superman. Crossovers can be liked or disliked but there is no escaping the fact that this created a ripple of excitement through out the comic world.

The crossover game continued as companies found it a good way to boost sales and the ensuing acceptance by the reading public made it clear that merging two universes into one was not only possible but also economically viable. But there were some areas of conflict. If one issue saw Superman being aware of a guy called Spiderman, in another the two did not know of each other's existence, so there was no continuity.

In 1996 a new concept came into place where they linked two super heroes by making them brothers which is how they became aware of the other being around. Eleven contests later the readers decided five of the contests and Marvel and DC the remaining six. The final outcome was that the readers decided that the battle between Superboy and Spiderman has Spiderman victorious. The Incredible Hulk was defeated by Superman and Lobo was defeated by Wolverine. Captain America went down to Batman and Wonder Woman could not hold her own with Storm.

Finally the comics ensured that the brothers accepted each other's presence in the universe and this was well liked by the readers. But a clear winner is not possible as people choose their own personal favorites and since opinions are biased a winner may or may not emerge. This problem of characters not knowing each other was given a solution of sorts by Marvel and DC through a persona that broke through both universes and he was aptly named Access.

The second solution of sorts was bringing together two universes where Spiderman and SuperBoy merged into one superhero called Spiderboy. So the companies kept up this crossover technique and the continuity was maintained by the acceptance of readers and since everyone cannot be happy it made sense to have super heroes visit other universes. The financial aspect also corroborated this crossover idea.

So you had Green Lantern and Superman who met the Silver Surfer and you had the fight between Darksied and Galactus who defeated Darksied and took over Omega Beams but could not live there and so on and so forth. The crossovers continue, the readers are happy the companies are happy and so are the accountants.

Laughs not written into the plot of 'Comic Book Men'

"Comic Book Men" (10 p.m. Sunday, AMC), set inside film director Kevin Smith's New Jersey comics and collectibles store, struggles to find a raison d'etre in its premiere episode. Unlike so many of the dirty job shows on TV ("Deadliest Catch," "Bering Sea Gold," etc.), this docu-series does not feature guys at work in a dangerous setting.

Get 'The Long Tail' E-Book for Free--in Comic-Book Form!

It may sound a little strange, but the SmarterComics version of this business bestseller is quite engaging. Here's your chance to read it online free of charge.

Comic book heroes get new look in exhibit at Riverdale art gallery; show to also feature workshops for kids 

Some popular comic book heroes are getting a “contemporary” make-over in a new exhibit opening Friday at the Elisa Contemporary Art gallery in Riverdale.

Comic Book Reviews for 2/8/12

Yeesh, what a week! Not only does this week bring us the splintering of Batman and Robin, but we also get to see the Joker's first meeting with Harley Quinn, a new artist on Batwoman, the Penguin get his own definitive tale, and, perhaps most bizarrely, Hal Jordan have a good day...

Design your own superhero at a comic book workshop

Create your own superhero on Saturday as the African American Museum in Philadelphia concludes its four-part series, "Outlined in Black: Creating Superheroes - A Comic Book Workshop for Youth and Young Adults."