Spider-Man And Batman's Team-Up Is The Best Comic Crossover That Can Never Be Topped

Comic book crossovers always elicit both excitement and trepidation. As demonstrated by the worst Marvel Cinematic Universe cameos, there's something inherently gimmicky about crossovers in general, and lord knows comic books have given us some janky, cynical attempts at uniting our favorite heroes across company divides. But every now and then we get a genuinely great crossover, as was the case with the 1995 one-shot "Spider-Man and Batman."

This book came courtesy of artist Mark Bagley and writer J.M. DeMatteis, who gave us a story in which Bats and Spidey team up to take on Joker and Carnage. That by itself should be enough to intrigue those yet to read this historic team-up. But "Spider-Man and Batman" has so much more going for it than a long-awaited collaboration between two of the biggest superheroes in the world.

Rather than relying solely on action and mining the mismatched personalities of its leads for humor, the story actually delves into the characters themselves, exploring the psyches of both the heroes and villains and telling a satisfying tale with discernable character arcs for everyone involved. As such, "Spider-Man and Batman" remains one of the great comic book crossovers of all time.

Crossovers have been a thing in comics for decades and remain prevalent to this day. DC is currently in the process of orchestrating a massive multiversal crossover event via its "K.O." boss battles, which will see Superman fight Homelander of "The Boys" in DC's official continuity. But the very first DC/Marvel crossover came with 1976's "Superman vs The Amazing Spider-Man" #1, and ever since the two titans of the comic book industry have shared characters for various events. From the "DC vs. Marvel" miniseries of the '90s to the recent Marvel/DC crossover that was the result of a cosmic tinder hookup (seriously), the two biggest publishers in the game have a long history of collaboration.

None of these quite measured up to the triumph that was "Spider-Man and Batman," which marked the first time these characters met. Helping matters was the fact the story also featured two of the most memorable and wildly psychotic villains in each hero's rogues gallery: The Joker and Carnage. But there was so much more that made this one-shot as memorable as it was.

The story itself, entitled "Disordered Minds," is set in an alternate timeline that's inhabited by both DC and Marvel characters. Right from the start you can tell the team-up is going to be a serious affair as Peter Parker awakens from a recurring nightmare in which he fails to save his Uncle Ben. That's soon contrasted with Bruce Wayne's own nightmare wherein he stands helpless as his parents die from Joe Chill's gunshots. Immediately, then, we know that J.M. DeMatteis gets it. He understands what connects these two heroes, and goes on to tell a tale that demonstrates that sensitivity to the subject matter in exquisite form.

Marvel and DC's actual first collaboration came in 1975 with a contentious "Wizard of Oz" project, but it would take two decades for them to reach the pinnacle of their creative partnership with "Spider-Man and Batman." The one-shot begins with behavioral psychologist Cassandra Briar implanting a chip in Carnage to control his actions and keep him docile. In Gotham City, she suggests the same procedure for Joker and the two villains appear to have been pacified by the experimental procedure.

Soon enough, all hell breaks loose when Carnage reveals he was faking his passivity all along. He and Joker then team up but soon clash over the Clown Prince of Crime's plan to send Joker toxin-laced gifts to the children of Gotham. Carnage prefers the more direct approach of straight-up mass murder, and the pair's tentative union falls apart. Soon, Batman and Spider-Man arrive, but Carnage gets the best of the Dark Knight. Just before he lands a killing blow the Joker stops him, claiming that he should be the one to end Batman's life. The climax sees the Dark Knight overcome Carnage, thanks, indirectly to the Joker, who is finally taken down by Spidey.

The whole thing is a fairly straightforward story, but it's the way in which J.M. DeMatteis finds the parallels between Spidey and Batman and contrasts that with the differences between Carnage and Joker that makes it interesting. There is an actual exploration of the characters here, which coupled with the fact that this team up is about as cool as that time Batman merged with Wolverine to create a clawed crusader, makes for one of the best comic book crossovers ever.