Hot off the heels of Marvel's Deadpool/Batman crossover that was a huge success for both Marvel and DC, they keep the ball rolling into this holiday season with DC's release of Batman/Deadpool!

Now, in this review I'm introducing a new ratings scale. But don't be alarmed by that, at the end of the day my tastes are my personal tastes, and everyone is different! So for example, on this scale going forward, something that has a 5/10 is not a bad thing! A 5/10 on my scale is neutral, it's the average for a book that I liked reading, but it doesn't really set the world on fire per say.

SPOILER WARNING: Some of these reviews have minor spoilers. I try to avoid them as much as possible but some are hard to ignore!

With that being said, let's dive into this wacky cross-branded issue!

Story #1: Batman/Deadpool "The Cosmic Kiss Caper!"

**Writer: Grant Morrison | Art: Dan Mora | Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez | Letterer: Todd Klein**

Deadpool and Batman are back together again! And this time they're facing a villain that can warp reality around them. Cassandra Nova. They battle against the world changing around them, classic Amalgam heroes and...little cartoon guys? Yup, this story has it all and a bag of chips.

Batman and Deadpool pair much better than I think anyone expected. I’m very glad Marvel and DC went full force with putting these two together in stories that highlight both of their positives. What also helps is that the creators like the legendary Grant Morrison really had fun with this story, and Dan Mora's art is always something I can stare at on a daily basis.

There's an overarching narrative shown of these two other worldly space beings meeting and making love. Which is an obvious, but well-done visual metaphor for Marvel and DC coming together for these new crossovers being created the past few months.

And of course, in Grant Morrison fashion, we get a great reference to their iconic Animal Man run.

Deadpool cracks some usual jokes, confused by Batman's calmness and lack of annoyance. Batman has had multiple teenage wards by his side and an unbearable clown at his throat his whole existence, so a wise-cracking, annoying, immature Deadpool is nothing new for Bruce.

They maneuver through multiple rooms and planes of existence trying to get to the bottom of this reality they are placed in by Cassandra Nova, before meeting at the crescendo that shockingly creates a brand new Amalgam hero for all to enjoy.

Fourth wall breaks(not just by Deadpool), clever jokes, good action and a VERY satisfying ending leaves this Batman/Deadpool at the top of the list of must-reads from these recent DC/Marvel crossovers. This story is definitely the best of the 2 Deadpool and Batman team-ups for sure. Some of the surprises had me audibly reacting each time I turned the page.

Story #2: Constantine/Dr. Strange "A Magician Walks Into a Universe"

**Story: Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV & Joshua Williamson | Art: Hayden Sherman | Colorist: Mike Spicer | Letterer: Frank Cvetkovic**

Magic meetup time!

The contrast between the dark and gritty, cigarette smoking John Constantine next to the bright and colorful Dr. Strange is such a cool sight to see. It's what you want out of these crossovers at the end of the day.

John Constantine is lighting a cigarette outside Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum in Greenwich Village, NYC. Constantine needs Strange's assistance in order to separate the hells of their worlds which are colliding and interacting with each other. The horrors of DC like The Swamp Thing are meeting the horrors of Marvel like Ghost Rider in an intense battle. And it's up to these two men to fix all of it.

A headbutt from Constantine and a stolen Eye of Agamotto later, he's able to see the ultimate power this item holds, and the opportunities it can give it's wielder. Dr. Strange is able to speak to him and work with him to separate their worlds in an instant, but not before there's a sneaky little hint that this isn't the last time we've seen these two men.

Constantine lays out the option for Strange to come visit him in his neck of the woods.

If there was ANY story that deserves to have a full 3 issue story arc at some point from these crossover books, it 100% would be this duo right here. This story didn't shy away from the differences between these men. Not just characteristically, but visually as well. Both characters are presented in their truest forms, and bring them together in a way that feels the most organic of any of the crossover stories that have been told thus far.

A special kudos to Hayden Sherman. The amount of range in this story to represent two characters in different art styles was a phenomenal touch. In some panels it was almost as if two artist worked on this book. What a tremendous job!

Story #3: Wolverine/Nightwing "Sticks & Snikts"

**Writer: Tom Taylor | Art: Bruno Redondo | Colorist: Adriano Lucas | Letterer: Wes Abbott**

While there's a lot of great stories that have come out these past few months with Marvel & DC, this one may be my personal favorite as a Nightwing fan as described in my Nightwing #1 review found HERE.

Laura Kinney and her sister Gabby have visited Gotham City. But because Gotham being the city that it is (of course), she's been kidnapped. And now Laura Kinney's Wolverine needs to get to the bottom of this, with the help of Batman. But while searching for the help of the world's greatest detective, she found herself with Nightwing. Who she admittedly believes is a better choice for this job.

Now they must find clues and save Gabby from being trapped in the sewers by a creature familiar to Nightwing, but very new to Laura Kinney.

Laura's Wolverine and Nightwing, I believe, were a pleasant surprise for a team-up. They’re one of the duos you hear announced and say, “Oh wow, really?” Then the story comes out and you say, “Yeah, well duh! That was a no-brainer decision!” Tom Taylor knocked this out of the park. Showing the similarities with these two having difficult childhoods being raised in a world unknown to them, fighting bad guys and having their lives on the line daily. All mixed with having to live up to the iconic mantles of Batman and Wolverine creates a unique story of bonding between these two characters.

Any excuse to pair Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo on a heart-felt Nightwing story will always have me lined up and ready to buy multiple copies.

Story #4: Harley Quinn/The Hulk "Harley & Hulk's Amazin' Saturday!"

**Writer: Mariko Tomaki | Art: Amanda Conner | Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain| Letterer: Dave Sharpe**

Talk about an unexpected duo! While being one of the two shortest stories in this issue, we see the energetic, always talkative Harley Quinn paired with the ever-raging, always mad non-speaking Hulk. A story that was short but sweet!

I’ll always be a fan of the media trope of the serious character pairing up with the comedy jokester to get into hijinks together. Whether its in movies or comics its always a sure fire success. I mean, just look at Deadpool and Batman! You know what they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

In this story, Harley was originally looking for a nice R & R day off at the theme park. When all of a sudden, a robot barges through the hot dog stand she's attempting to eat from, leaving her lunch on the floor. But now her eyes are glued to the big green behemoth chasing down this robot, The Hulk!

Harley chases Hulk and the Robot to a vat of acid where a very hot dog-tastic explosion happens. These two unlikely allies work together to end their day on a victorious high note.

This was a fun little read, full of jokes and shenanigans between two characters that would make a great buddy cop style comedy duo if ever given a chance. I do think that this story really needed some more pages to let Mariko Tomaki and Amanda Conner really shine as a creative team. But for what they were given, it definitely got the job done!

Speaking of Amanda Conner, before moving to the next story, I have to mention how her Hulk is probably one of my favorites besides Ed McGuinness. The way shes able to capture both the angry and gentle look to The Hulk in this more cartoon style is amazing. He’s truly a gentle giant in this story, complimented by the loving attitude of Harley Quinn.

Story #5: Ms. Marvel/Static "New Friends in Old Places"

**Writer: G. Willow Wilson | Pencils: Denys Cowan | Inks: Klaus Janson | Colorist: Francesco Segala | Letterer: Steve Wands**

Obviously no one expected Marvel and DC to do a crossover event again. That being said, I REALLY never expected to see Ms. Marvel and Static share some pages together. But I'm glad they did!

This story shows the camaraderie between Kamala Khan and Virgil Hawkins. I see this story as a bridge between the hero someone like my niece or nephew grew up with in Ms. Marvel, meeting a character who I grew up with in Static.

In this story a giant Kaiju sewer monster is attacking New York City, Virgil sees this going down on the news and notices that if he goes, he may be able to run into Ms. Marvel while he's helping out. Kamala also sees this happening on the news as both characters leave their respective family dinners to handle business downtown. There's a strong connection that's set up between these two characters, similar to what DC and Marvel did with Robin and Jubilee in their original crossover issues in the 90s.

And of course it's not a heart-felt story if the heroes don't save the day together, which they begin to do with ease as this new crossover extravaganza comes to a close.

Seeing Ms. Marvel and Static on paper was a fun way to have a cross-over between some new-ish characters that never had a spotlight on them for a crossover before. This story as well as Harley Quinn and The Hulk would've benefited from being given more time to flesh out a longer story, because the foundation was definitely there. Still, how cool is it to see Denys Cowan doing pencils for Static again in a Ms. Marvel team-up story by G. Willow Wilson?!

Conclusion

Now, what the future holds for these DC and Marvel crossovers in the future is unknown. All that's known is that they happened, and they provided the readers with some fun stories to read through. We're also lucky enough to see some insane visuals of characters like Wonder Woman and Captain America, Dr. Strange and John Constantine sharing pages TOGETHER and creating stories TOGETHER.

What a fun time we live in.

Overall there weren't any bad stories or stories that slowed anything down in this issue at all. Everything in this was a fun read and left some doors open for potential team-ups in the future.

Constantine/Strange and Batman/Deadpool alone are worth it on their own to purchase this. Everything else is just added to the fun! This book is worth your $7.99 for sure, and if it's not sold out at your shops yet, pick up this fun piece of comic history!

Overall Rating: 7/10