In this week's episode of
Comics Oughta Be Fun we jump 32 years into the past to a time when two powerhouse publishing companies thought it would be cool to have their properties momentarily share the same universe. Those companies would be Marvel and DC, and their collaboration would be "Marvel and DC Present #1: The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans." Creators galore, recognized by now as pillars in comic-dom, would grace this unlikely pairing of superhero team books: Chris Claremont, Walt Simonson, Terry Austin, Louise Jones, Jim Shooter, Len Wein, Glynis Wein and letterer Tom Orzechowski.
What's Fun About This Book
What's fun about this book is the very unlikelihood of the X-Men and the Teen Titans meeting in a shared universe. "Nuff' said," the old generalisimo might say. The fact that Wolverine would some day go toe-to-toe with Deathstroke the Terminator was yesterday's foregone conclusion wasn't it? Wasn't this encounter always inevitable? Not so today in my opinion.
It's not likely that comic book lovers will have a team-up quite the same way this one was touted to be. With movie deals and license agreements, legal battles over pay-for-hire and rights to characters, the likelihood of this ever happening again in the near future seems slim. Today, there are more independent and mainstream publishing houses in addition to self-published and digital works than ever before, which is good for everyone. But once upon a time when their was simply the Big Two. Their monopoly on comics at the time made books like this one possible as the flux capacitor did for time-travel. That's what's also fun about this book: it's uniqueness. It's one-of-a-kind.
The Dark Duo of Darkseid and Dark Phoenix
Yeah. That's right. I wrote it. Darkseid and Dark Phoenix. The New God seeks to fulfill a dream, which includes conquering the universe (which of course all power hungry, malevolent beings seek to do, but I digress). To do so he makes a pact with the Mobius Chair-bound, time-jumping Metron (i.e. Professor X in cosplay — just kidding). He wishes to breach the Wall, a barrier to the Source that even the Promethean Giants were unable to breach. In exchange Metron gives Darkseid a device that he in turn will use to tap into the minds of the X-Men; his soul purpose: to ferret out any and all memories of the Dark Phoenix of whom he believes holds to key to his quest for dominion. In essence, Darkseid seeks to lure the X-Men into a trap with the goal of siphoning off any residual, psychic energy that might help him summon the Dark Phoenix to his employ. He hires Deathstroke the Terminator to assist him in tracking them down.
Meanwhile, Raven of the Teen Titans becomes aware of the nightmarish threat of its eminent return. Her premonition resounds to startling terror, awakening Starfire to come to her aid. In so doing, the Tamaran princess realizes who the source of the omen is and warns the team of the "end of all things." This juncture is what also makes this book a fun book.
Claremont and crew portrayed the cosmic threat of the Dark Phoenix as one that threatened a shared universe. For example, Starfire shares with a gathered team how it was Lilandra of the Shi'ar Empire who contacted all of the "star-faring races," warning them of the destructive power of the "chaos-bringer." This was done without a lot of explanation or dimensional rifts or other gimmicks. This was accomplished before "Crisis on Infinite Earths." The creative team was given permission to take a risk and simply imagine,"What if these characters existed in the same world?"
What's Not So Fun
What's not to love about a book that features properties from competing companies. It's like Coke and Pepsi in a duet of effervescent flavor. Though not a quick read, was worth it's weight of $2.00 in 1982. However, the un-fun thing about a book like this is as I said, "It may never happen again." This book may be the end-of-the-line for one-shot collaborations between the Big Two in our day and age. There won't be an animated version of this book. I would personally love for there to be one. Warner Bros. Entertainment and Marvel Studios (Disney) would have to come to a monumental agreement to make that happen. I imagine video game licensing of the likes of "Lego: Marvel and DC Presents." I can dream can't I? This is no foregone conclusion.
The Punch-Line
"Marvel and DC Presents: The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans" is a special book that holds a special place in my heart. I was a book I'd always wanted to get, but could never find or afford at collector's prices 25 years ago. I remember finding it a few years later for like $10 or $15 dollars some where, and I declared, "Score!" The wrap-around cover art of Walt Simonson and Terry Austin is beautiful (Dark Phoenix seems to be throwing up gang signs — LOL). Both Metron and Prof. X could take turns sitting in the Mobius Chair. Starfire doesn't get enough of kissing Colossus to Kitty Pryde's dismay. And was that a pre-Crisis, Avengers vs. X-Men Easter egg in the form of a Phoenix-force wielding Cyclops?
FIN
